World War III Bored Me To Tears

Sad to say, really, considering what a monstrous DC Comics fan I am, but I cannot find it within myself to say anything good about DC’s latest World War III event (if a four issue series can be considered an event at all).  I’ve enjoyed 52, warts and all, but attempting to cram every plot point that was not covered in that gargantuan series into a four-issue mini seems arduous at best, and ridiculous at worst.  Adding insult to injury is the fact that DC only deigned to assign this series to B and C-list writing and penciling talent.  The result was four books that very nearly put me to sleep, and which I wish I never spent the time to read.  Did anyone really think anything substantive would come of Black Adam’s war against…well…everyone, I suppose?  Call me subversive, but the scribes of 52 actually led me to hope that the Black Adam Family might actually be a lasting change in the DC universe.  It was refreshing and different – a Marvel Family with an edge and big problems with family dynamics.  But no, this was not to be.  Ultimately, we ended up with Adam right where he was before, if not a bit angrier (if that is indeed possible) – and a few minor characters dead.  Speaking of which, I haven’t been reading Teen Titans, but was there really a character on the team named “Young Frankenstein”?  No wonder they killed him.

I’ll reserve judgment on the conclusion of 52.  I’m only an issue away from completing it, and I certainly hope it leaves me with a better taste in my mouth than World War III did.  Actually, if it leave me conscious, that will be a good start.

Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus

Despite my name, I’ve never been a huge fan of Jack Kirby.  I recognize his importance to the comic book industry, and to other creators worldwide, but I’ve just never been able to embrace his blocky, distinctive style.  I think I’d like to change that, and I’ve always found the entire Fourth World idea to be intriguing.  See below for information on DC Comics’ omnibus editions of what many critics consider Kirby’s masterwork.  I’ll let you know what I think once I read them……

Mark Frauenfelder:
Yesterday I pointed to a gallery of Jack Kirby comic book covers from the 1970s. Several readers emailed me to let me know that DC comics has released a two-volume series called Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus, which features most of the comics in that gallery.

I haven’t seen the books, but they are hardcover, 400 pages each, and in color. They contain the complete run of Kirby’s Fourth World Comics: The New Gods, The Forever People, Mister Miracle, and Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen. (Kamandi and OMAC, which came later, were supposedly part of the Fourth World, but the connection was never made clear.) Here’s Wikipedia’s description of Kirby’s Fourth World Series:

The Fourth World dealt with the battle between good and evil as represented by the worlds of “New Genesis” and “Apokolips.” Darkseid, the evil lord of Apokolips, seeks the Anti-Life Equation which will allow him to control the thoughts of all living beings. Opposing him is Orion, his son raised by his enemies on New Genesis. Other characters caught in the deadly battle included the Forever People, an extension of the kid gang concept from the 1940s with a group of adolescents adventuring without an adult supervisor; Mister Miracle, the native of New Genesis raised on Apokolips who triumphed over a torturous childhood to become the world’s greatest escape artist; and Lightray, the gaily flamboyant warrior of New Genesis.

Mercifully, Kirby’s work at this time was inked by “Jumpin’” Joe Sinnot, who made Kirby’s pencils sharp and clear, as opposed to the horsebrush and garden-trowel technique of Vince “Vinny the C” Colletta, whose hamsfisted inking efforts spoiled many a Kirby page when he was at Marvel. Link

 

Source: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus
Originally published on Fri, 04 May 2007 19:40:20 GMT by Mark Frauenfelder