Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume One

And so, the project truly begins.

First, a bit about my relationship with Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Jack Kirby's work in general. When I was growing up, I didn't like any of it. At all. When the New Gods would appear in the Superman titles, I was confused and disinterested. When I would try to read older comics with Kirby's art, I'd grow bored and want to read something else. I never caught the appeal of the characters.

Until now.

This collection, priced at fifty dollars (psst...on Amazon you can get it new for $31.49!), was something that came out several months before I began this project. I thought it was interesting, but had no desire to pay that much money for something I didn't care about. Around the time I changed my mind, I began this project, so I relented and placed the order. It took me a little bit, but I started reading.

This was not the first time I had tried to read Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Several years ago, my parents got me the first Jimmy Olsen trade from this saga as a Christmas present, along with some other Superman comic trades. I found it tedious, boring, and uninteresting to look at. So I was skeptical about reading this.

Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Right away, we're treated to a number of full page pictures that capture close-ups of various characters, full of the energy that Kirby pumped into his work. Already I began to change my mind about all of this. The introduction by Grant Morrison was excellent--say what you will about how crazy Grant can get (and I will, especially when I get around to finally reading his Doom Patrol run), but he has ideas, and I'm told that he's one of the few people who managed to do the New Gods justice. So kudos there.

From the first pages of Jimmy Olsen, we're tossed right into a world full of brand new characters. The Newsboy Legion aren't necessarily new, technically, but they've been reinvisioned here as children (later retconned into clones) of the originals (co-created by Kirby). We also get Morgan Edge, the Outsiders (no, not those Outsiders), and, going into later issues, the Project (later known as Cadmus), Dubbilex the DNAlien, the Hairies, the Guardian, and more. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up on 90's Superboy comics, seeing these characters really made my day. The revival of the Guardian was when I was really pulled into all of this.

The Forever People were surprisingly interesting. They were obvious hippies, yes, but the character interactions and insane names left me wanting more. And I'm intrigued by the Infinity Man--really, who is he? Does he have limits?

The New Gods begins with the opening sequence to end all opening sequences. We get the epic of the Fourth World introduced to us in stunning glory, and it races onward, focused on Orion. Knowing the secrets of his parentage sort of ruined the mystery here by default, but on the other hand it allows me to notice the clues and nod along with the story. Excellent stuff here.

Finally, Mister Miracle. I never knew how Scott Free acquired the suit, and I was actually surprised to see that he wasn't the original Mister Miracle. And now I know how Oberon came into the picture, too. I'll admit, I'm having a little trouble reconciling the Granny Goodness presented here with how she's been presented elsewhere--not because of her personality or anything, but because of where her orphanage is based. I thought all of that was set on Apokalips? Instead, we find it on Earth, right? Confusing.

The slow introduction of the characters felt masterful. In the first issue of Jimmy Olsen, we get hints that something isn't right, that something major is on the horizon. In later issues, we get tastes--what is Apokalips? Who is Darkseid, and why is he the mastermind here? What is the true extent of these characters? All of this explodes from the page with the beginning of the New Gods title, and to read these issues as they progress...it's powerful.

Do they really have to kill these characters off?

I can't wait for the next Omnibus. Really, I can't. It sits on my shelf, taunting me with pictures of Miracle. I want to read it.

But I won't.

Not yet, anyway.

Until next time...when we review Showcase Presents: Superman Volume One!