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jayspa65's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is some of Kirby's finest work. Has anyone created more epic characters than Jack? Nope. It's a great visual feast. The New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle continue the brisk narrative that characterizes Kirby's work. His artwork continues to be bold and spectacular.
Lightray joins Orion in his struggles against the forces of Apokalips here on earth, Sonny Sumo, possessor of the secrets of anti-life that Darkseid wants so much, joined the Forever People, and an interesting, sensual warrior from Apokalips, Big Barda joins Mister Miracle. These new characters add tension and energy to the story line of New Genesis against Apolkalips. Kirby shows no problem here in handling with adroitness a great number of characters at once. I thought, however, that the five issues of Jimmy Olsen slightly weakened as Kirby had Jimmy Olsen and Superman in one story, while the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian were onto something different. The narrative pace slowed down a little. Kirby also added elements of popular culture, Dracula (Count Dragora) and the Loch Ness Monster, perhaps to give life to a story that seems to be waning down.
Highlights for me include the visionary, hyper-intense 'The Glory Boat', fusing a tale of father/son conflict with Kirby-powered technological transcendence and 'Funky Flashman'which is a must for anyone curious to see Kirby's caustic satirical take on his former collaborator Smilin' Stan Lee. It was fun to read these stories. I highly recommend it to comic book readers or fans of graphic novels.
Lightray joins Orion in his struggles against the forces of Apokalips here on earth, Sonny Sumo, possessor of the secrets of anti-life that Darkseid wants so much, joined the Forever People, and an interesting, sensual warrior from Apokalips, Big Barda joins Mister Miracle. These new characters add tension and energy to the story line of New Genesis against Apolkalips. Kirby shows no problem here in handling with adroitness a great number of characters at once. I thought, however, that the five issues of Jimmy Olsen slightly weakened as Kirby had Jimmy Olsen and Superman in one story, while the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian were onto something different. The narrative pace slowed down a little. Kirby also added elements of popular culture, Dracula (Count Dragora) and the Loch Ness Monster, perhaps to give life to a story that seems to be waning down.
Highlights for me include the visionary, hyper-intense 'The Glory Boat', fusing a tale of father/son conflict with Kirby-powered technological transcendence and 'Funky Flashman'which is a must for anyone curious to see Kirby's caustic satirical take on his former collaborator Smilin' Stan Lee. It was fun to read these stories. I highly recommend it to comic book readers or fans of graphic novels.
cleheny's review
4.0
By the second volume of Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, the connections between the various comics' narratives become more apparent. But there is no overlap between the books, so the reader is in a privileged position. Each set of heroes (Jimmy, Superman, and the Legion in Jimmy Olsen; the Forever People in their eponymous comic; Orion and Lightyear in The New Gods; and Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, and Oberon in Mr. Miracle) sees only a slice of the larger conflict, but the reader can start putting together the bigger picture. And it's an impressive one.
In a contemporary comic, the bigger picture would be one grand scheme where the component parts, spread among the various titles, would all come off as part of the master plan (until the heroes are able to unite and defeat the villains in the climax). But that's not what happens with the Fourth World. Darkseid does have an overarching goal: to find the mind that contains the Anti-Life Equation, take the formula from that person, and then dominate the universe. But he's not averse to taking over Earth and enslaving its people, or destroying New Genesis, either. So his minions are involved in multiple schemes that don't always appear complementary. For example, the "Evil Factory"--the counterpart of "The Project"--is the source of most--though not all--conflict in Jimmy Olsen. Its goal is to mutate the human genetic structure to create powerful monsters that can help conquer humanity. The Forever People are most directly implicated in Darkseid's search for the Anti-Life Equation; their story starts with his abduction of Beautiful Dreamer (because he believes that she is one of the few who holds the secret to the Equation) and they most frequently interact with Darkseid and some of his most powerful lieutenants (Mantis, Desaad, and Glorious Godfrey). Orion and Lightray do battle with other Darkseid minions (Intergang and the Deep Six), but there is no meaningful discussion of Darkseid's pursuit of the Anti Life Equation. And Mr. Miracle continues to remain outside the rest of the conflict; Apokolips' villains continue to attempt to attack him, but those attempts are not tied to Darkseid's main objective. Although this could be seen as poor plotting, it shows the chaotic nature of Darkseid's fascist philosophy--yes, all of Apokolips apparently lives to work his will, but they don't appear capable of working together to achieve it. And so there are multiple schemes that, if they come to fruition, will definitely destroy the Earth and may lead to Darkseid getting the Equation (assuming the person they need isn't killed off in one of the many schemes). But it will be fairly messy getting there.
Some highlights of this volume are The Forever People #4--in which the heroes are trapped in Desaad's torture camp, which masquerades as an amusement park, The New Gods #6 (The Glory Boat), Mr. Miracle #4, where we first meet Big Barda, and Mr. Miracle #6, where we meet Barda's fellow Female Furies: Mad Harriet, Stompa, Lashina, and Bernadeth.
The Forever People #4 is a particularly chilling issue that shows why Desaad earns his name. This issue is also terrific because of a moment when Darkseid walks amongst the crowd, who think he is just another of the attractions; it is only a small child who recognizes the evil in their midst. And it introduces Sunny Sumo, a Japanese wrestler whose mental abilities will be instrumental in saving our heroes.
The Glory Boat is a stunning issue, as well. It is the climax of Orion's battle with the Deep Six--Apokoliptian water villains--and the leviathan they created to destroy shipping. But the story is more than just a fight between New Genesis (Orion and Lightray) and Apokolips (Deep Six, leviathan). A human family--a father and his two children--get caught up in the drama because their yacht was wrecked by the monster. The father, Farley, fought in WWII (at Normandy) and is ashamed of his son, Richard, a conscientious objector. The tension between warriors and pacifists isn't played out between Orion and Lightray, or Orion and Richard, but rather between Farley and Richard. And the choices that they make define and devastate them. There's already so much going on in this issue that it seems impossible to successfully introduce a human family and its troubled dynamics (along with the ensuing philosophical debate) into an already-eventful story. But it works well, and, once read, it seems impossible to imagine the story without them. Though I'm not much of an art connoisseur, the 2-page spread at the climax (with the second page considered by many to be the finest page ever drawn by Kirby) is amazing.
And the introduction of Big Barda and the Female Furies to Mr. Miracle's story is a welcome one. Barda is great. Yes, she's drawn as a pinup bombshell, but she's absolutely no nonsense and takes no s--t. When Scott takes delivery of a civil war cannon in #5, she has no time for the delivery men who are ogling her and making a big fuss about getting the cannon off of their truck and onto the ground. Similarly, she has no patience for Funky Flashman, Kirby's satiric swipe at Stan Lee. And Barda's ability to take down her former comrades--while all the while keeping the Apokoliptian battles from Funky's view--is impressive.
This volume continues to make me glad that I'm re-reading Kirby's Fourth World saga; there is a lot here to appreciate.
In a contemporary comic, the bigger picture would be one grand scheme where the component parts, spread among the various titles, would all come off as part of the master plan (until the heroes are able to unite and defeat the villains in the climax). But that's not what happens with the Fourth World. Darkseid does have an overarching goal: to find the mind that contains the Anti-Life Equation, take the formula from that person, and then dominate the universe. But he's not averse to taking over Earth and enslaving its people, or destroying New Genesis, either. So his minions are involved in multiple schemes that don't always appear complementary. For example, the "Evil Factory"--the counterpart of "The Project"--is the source of most--though not all--conflict in Jimmy Olsen. Its goal is to mutate the human genetic structure to create powerful monsters that can help conquer humanity. The Forever People are most directly implicated in Darkseid's search for the Anti-Life Equation; their story starts with his abduction of Beautiful Dreamer (because he believes that she is one of the few who holds the secret to the Equation) and they most frequently interact with Darkseid and some of his most powerful lieutenants (Mantis, Desaad, and Glorious Godfrey). Orion and Lightray do battle with other Darkseid minions (Intergang and the Deep Six), but there is no meaningful discussion of Darkseid's pursuit of the Anti Life Equation. And Mr. Miracle continues to remain outside the rest of the conflict; Apokolips' villains continue to attempt to attack him, but those attempts are not tied to Darkseid's main objective. Although this could be seen as poor plotting, it shows the chaotic nature of Darkseid's fascist philosophy--yes, all of Apokolips apparently lives to work his will, but they don't appear capable of working together to achieve it. And so there are multiple schemes that, if they come to fruition, will definitely destroy the Earth and may lead to Darkseid getting the Equation (assuming the person they need isn't killed off in one of the many schemes). But it will be fairly messy getting there.
Some highlights of this volume are The Forever People #4--in which the heroes are trapped in Desaad's torture camp, which masquerades as an amusement park, The New Gods #6 (The Glory Boat), Mr. Miracle #4, where we first meet Big Barda, and Mr. Miracle #6, where we meet Barda's fellow Female Furies: Mad Harriet, Stompa, Lashina, and Bernadeth.
The Forever People #4 is a particularly chilling issue that shows why Desaad earns his name.
Spoiler
The heroes have been captured by Darkseid after he captured them in the previous issue following Infinity Man's defeat. They are tortured by Desaad, who has trapped many humans in his camp. But they are all effectively tortured by unwitting fellow humans because Desaad has disguised his camp as an amusement park. So Mark Moonrider desperately calls for help from people who laugh and point at him, not realizing that they see a skeleton in a cage in a tunnel of horror. Beautiful Dreamer is sedated and hypnotized; as park guests are encouraged to wake the "Sleeping Beauty" by saying the right words and win $1000, she sees horrible monsters and hears threatening sounds. Big Bear appears as a teddy bear in a marksman game; when he appears in the window, guests "shoot" at him, but the percussive impact of the shots is magnified into powerful sonic waves that buffet him. Serafin's and Vykin's tortures are linked; Vykin's head is repeatedly exposed on the tracks of a roller coaster, and Serafin must unfailingly kick the right lever in order to save his friend--one mistake, and Vykin is dead. This is a really smart setup, and the torment each faces is compounded by the horror of being tortured by unwitting people.The Glory Boat is a stunning issue, as well. It is the climax of Orion's battle with the Deep Six--Apokoliptian water villains--and the leviathan they created to destroy shipping. But the story is more than just a fight between New Genesis (Orion and Lightray) and Apokolips (Deep Six, leviathan). A human family--a father and his two children--get caught up in the drama because their yacht was wrecked by the monster. The father, Farley, fought in WWII (at Normandy) and is ashamed of his son, Richard, a conscientious objector. The tension between warriors and pacifists isn't played out between Orion and Lightray, or Orion and Richard, but rather between Farley and Richard. And the choices that they make define and devastate them. There's already so much going on in this issue that it seems impossible to successfully introduce a human family and its troubled dynamics (along with the ensuing philosophical debate) into an already-eventful story. But it works well, and, once read, it seems impossible to imagine the story without them. Though I'm not much of an art connoisseur, the 2-page spread at the climax (with the second page considered by many to be the finest page ever drawn by Kirby) is amazing.
And the introduction of Big Barda and the Female Furies to Mr. Miracle's story is a welcome one. Barda is great. Yes, she's drawn as a pinup bombshell, but she's absolutely no nonsense and takes no s--t. When Scott takes delivery of a civil war cannon in #5, she has no time for the delivery men who are ogling her and making a big fuss about getting the cannon off of their truck and onto the ground. Similarly, she has no patience for Funky Flashman, Kirby's satiric swipe at Stan Lee. And Barda's ability to take down her former comrades--while all the while keeping the Apokoliptian battles from Funky's view--is impressive.
This volume continues to make me glad that I'm re-reading Kirby's Fourth World saga; there is a lot here to appreciate.
testpattern's review
5.0
Seriously. You can't fuck with Jack Kirby. The man's brain was like a supernova, spewing out insane concepts and characters in all directions at a rate no one else could possibly ever keep up with. Sometimes the dialog in this book is a little clunky. Sometimes plot-points just get dropped, for no apparent reason. Ignore that. The Glory Boat, Funk Flashman, Mad Harriet, Boom Tubes, Don Rickles, the Newsboy Legion, the Deep Six. These are the concepts you should focus on. Oh, and Big Barda. I love Big Barda. And seriously, Mister Miracle is probably the best idea for a superhero comic ever. Every single issue is an insane deathtrap with a ridiculous supervillain at the controls. beautiful stuff.
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