View source for New Gods

{{Infobox comics species and title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| group = y
| image = New Gods.jpg
| imagesize = <!-- default 250 -->
| caption = Artwork of the ''New Gods, Magnificent Seven''.<br>Art by [[wikipedia:Alex Ross|Alex Ross]].
| publisher = [[wikipedia:DC Comics|DC Comics]]
| debut = ''The New Gods'' #1
| debutmo = February/March
| debutyr = 1971
| creators = [[wikipedia:Jack Kirby|Jack Kirby]] (writer and artist)
| deities = 
| homeworld = [[wikipedia:New Genesis|New Genesis]], [[wikipedia:Apokolips|Apokolips]]
| members = List of New Gods
| powers = 
<!-- Series section -->
| title = The New Gods'' or ''New Gods
| cvr_image = New Gods 1971 1.jpg
| cvr_caption = Cover to ''The New Gods'' #1 (February/March 1971)<br>Art by Jack Kirby
| schedule = '''Vol. 1'''<br>Bimonthly<br>'''Vol. 2–4'''<br>Monthly
| format = '''Vol. 1, 3, 4'''<br>[[wikipedia:Ongoing series|Ongoing series]]<br>'''Vol. 2''' and '''''Death of the New Gods'''''<br>[[wikipedia:Limited series (comics)|Limited series]]
| limited = Y
| ongoing = Y
| Superhero = y
| pub_series = DC Comics
| 1stishhead = Vol. 1
| 1stishyr = 1971
| 1stishmo = February/March
| endishyr = 1972
| endishmo = October/November
| 1stishhead1 = Vol. 1 continued
| 1stishyr1 = 1977
| 1stishmo1 = July
| endishyr1 = 1978
| endishmo1 = July/August
| 1stishhead2 = Vol. 2
| 1stishyr2 = 1979
| 1stishmo2 = June
| endishyr2 = 1984
| endishmo2 = November
| 1stishhead3 = Vol. 3
| 1stishyr3 = 1979

| 1stishmo3 = February
| endishyr3 = 1991
| endishmo3 = August
| 1stishhead4 = Vol. 4
| 1stishyr4 = 1995
| 1stishmo4 = October
| endishyr4 = 1997
| endishmo4 = February
| 1stishhead5 = ''Death of the New Gods''
| 1stishyr5 = 2007
| 1stishmo5 = Early December
| endishyr5 = 2008
| endishmo5 = June
| issues = '''Vol. 1'''<br>19<br>'''Vol. 2'''<br>6<br>'''Vol. 3'''<br>28<br>'''Vol. 4'''<br>15<br>'''''Death of the New Gods'''''<br>8
| main_char_team = 
| writers = {{List collapsed|'''Vol. 1''' Jack Kirby, [[wikipedia:Gerry Conway|Gerry Conway]] <br>'''Vol. 3''' [[wikipedia:Mark Evanier|Mark Evanier]] <br>'''Vol. 4''' [[wikipedia:Tom Peyer|Tom Peyer]], [[wikipedia:Rachel Pollack|Rachel Pollack]], [[wikipedia:John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]<br>'''''Death of the New Gods''''' [[wikipedia:Jim Starlin|Jim Starlin]]}}
| artists = 
| pencillers = {{List collapsed|'''Vol. 1'''  Jack Kirby, [[wikipedia:Don Newton|Don Newton]], [[wikipedia:Rich Buckler|Rich Buckler]] <br>'''Vol. 3''' [[wikipedia:Paris Cullins|Paris Cullins]], [[wikipedia:Steve Erwin|Steve Erwin]], [[wikipedia:Rick Hoberg|Rick Hoberg]] <br>'''Vol. 4''' [[wikipedia:Luke Ross|Luke Ross]], John Byrne<br>'''''Death of the New Gods''''' Jim Starlin}}
| inkers = {{List collapsed|'''Vol. 1''' [[wikipedia:Vince Colletta|Vince Colletta]], [[wikipedia:Mike Royer|Mike Royer]], [[wikipedia:Dan Adkins|Dan Adkins]] <br>'''Vol. 3''' Bob Lewis, Willie Blyberg <br>'''Vol. 4''' [[wikipedia:Brian Garvey (comics)|Brian Garvey]], [[wikipedia:Bob Wiacek|Bob Wiacek]]<br>'''''Death of the New Gods''''' Matt Banning, [[wikipedia:Art Thibert|Art Thibert]]}}
| letterers = 
| colorists = 
| editors = 
| creative_team_month = 
| creative_team_year = 
| creators_series = 
| TPB = Jack Kirby's New Gods
| ISBN = 1-56389-385-1
| nonUS = 
<!-- Category section -->
| subcat = DC Comics
| sortkey = New Gods
| et = y
}}
The '''New Gods''' are a fictional race appearing in the [[wikipedia:eponym|eponym]]ous [[wikipedia:comic book|comic book]] series published by [[wikipedia:DC Comics|DC Comics]], as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by [[wikipedia:Jack Kirby|Jack Kirby]], they first appeared in February 1971 in ''New Gods'' #1. 

Despite the creative strength of Kirby's material, the book's sales slipped steadily after a strong start. Despite the sales failure of the book, Kirby's work has remained an inspiration for future comics creators. [[wikipedia:Comics historian|Comics historian]] [[wikipedia:Les Daniels|Les Daniels]] observed in 1995: <blockquote>"Kirby's mix of slang and myth, science fiction and the Bible, made for a heady brew, but the scope of his vision has endured."<ref>{{cite book|last = Daniels|first = Les|author-link = Les Daniels|chapter= The Fourth World: New Gods on Newsprint|title = [[wikipedia:DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes|DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes]]|publisher = [[wikipedia:Little, Brown and Company|Bulfinch Press]]|year = 1995|location= New York, New York|page = 165|isbn = 0821220764}}</ref></blockquote>

== Story setting ==
The New Gods are natives of the twin planets of [[wikipedia:New Genesis|New Genesis]] and [[wikipedia:Apokolips|Apokolips]]. New Genesis is an [[wikipedia:idyll|idyll]]ic planet filled with unspoiled forests, mountains, and rivers that is ruled by the benevolent [[wikipedia:Highfather|Highfather]], while Apokolips is a nightmarish, polluted, and  ruined [[wikipedia:dystopia|dystopia]] filled with machinery and fire pits that is ruled by the tyrannical [[wikipedia:Darkseid|Darkseid]]. The two planets were once part of the same world, a planet called ''Urgrund'' ([[wikipedia:German language|German]] for "primeval ground"), but it was split apart millennia ago after the death of the Old Gods during [[wikipedia:Ragnarök|Ragnarök]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=oldgods|title= The Unofficial Old Gods Biography|publisher= DCU Guide|archive-url= https://archive.is/20120327015433/http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=oldgods|archive-date= March 27, 2012|url-status= dead|access-date=2010-10-19}}</ref>

The characters associated with the New Gods are often collectively referred to as "[[wikipedia:Fourth World (comics)|Jack Kirby's Fourth World]]". Kirby began the "Fourth World" in ''[[wikipedia:Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen|Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen]]'' #133 (Oct. 1970).<ref>{{cite book |author-link= Paul Levitz|last=Levitz|first= Paul|chapter= The Bronze Age 1970–1984|title= 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking|publisher= [[wikipedia:Taschen|Taschen]]|year=2010|location= Cologne, Germany|isbn= 9783836519816|page= 447|quote= Kirby began introducing new elements to the DC Universe, building toward the introduction of a trio of new titles based on a complex mythology he called the Fourth World.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=McAvennie|first=Michael|last2=Dolan|first2=Hannah, ed.|chapter=1970s|title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[wikipedia:Dorling Kindersley|Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|location= London, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9|page=145|quote=As the writer, artist, and editor of the Fourth World family of interlocking titles, each of which possessed its own distinct tone and theme, Jack Kirby cemented his legacy as a pioneer of grand-scale storytelling.}}</ref> The New Gods first appeared in ''New Gods'' #1 (Feb.-March 1971)<ref name="Overstreet">{{gcdb series|id= 1981|title= ''New Gods''}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1= Overstreet|first1= Robert M.|title= [[wikipedia:Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide|Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide]]|edition= 49th|publisher= [[wikipedia:Gemstone Publishing|Gemstone Publishing]]|date= 2019|location= Timonium, Maryland|page= 901|isbn= 978-1603602334}}</ref> and ''[[wikipedia:Forever People|Forever People]]'' #1 (Feb.-March 1971).<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 1977|title= ''Forever People''}}</ref><ref>Overstreet, p. 691</ref> Another "Fourth World" title ''[[wikipedia:Mister Miracle|Mister Miracle]]'' was launched in April 1971.<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 1980|title= ''Mister Miracle''}}</ref><ref>Overstreet, p. 879</ref> Various New Gods, notably Darkseid, went on to interact with other denizens of the [[wikipedia:DC Universe|DC Universe]].{{fact|date=May 2021}}

== Biblical references ==

The twin planets '''New Genesis''' and '''Apokolips''' are clear references to the first and last books of the Bible, [[wikipedia:Book of Genesis|Genesis]] and [[wikipedia:Book of Revelation|Apocalypse]] respectively.

The conflict between the two planets symbolizes the struggle of good and evil on a grand mythic scale. However, despiste unambiguously representing good, New Genesis and its inhabitants are not entirely perfect. Biographer Charles Hatfield writes, "The saga turns out to be not so simple, for Kirby — and this is revealing – blurs the seeming idealized perfection of New Genesis, adding complexity to his gods."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hatfield |first1=Charles |title=Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby |date=2011 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1617031786 |page=196}}</ref> Similarly, John Morrow writes, "Kirby knew that his New Genesis was no heaven. Rather, it was more like the free West during the [[wikipedia:Cold War|Cold War]], which was threatened by forces from within as well as without."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morrow |first1=John |title=Gallery |journal=[[wikipedia:The Jack Kirby Collector|The Jack Kirby Collector]] |date=Spring 2019 |volume=26 |issue=76 |page=34 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Jack_Kirby_Collector_76/eXaZDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22new%20genesis%22 |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

Likewise the rulers of the respective planets, '''Highfather''' and '''Darkseid''' (onomotopeic for "Dark Side"), refer to some extent to [[wikipedia:God the Father|God the Father]] and to [[wikipedia:Satan|Satan]].

'''Darkseid''' is the tyrannical ruler of the planet [[wikipedia:Apokolips|Apokolips]] whose ultimate goal is to enslave the universe by eliminating all hope and free will in sentient beings.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |last2=Pasko |first2=Martin |title=The Essential Superman Encyclopedia |date=2010 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=978-0-345-50108-0 |pages=71–was 73}}</ref> 

'''Highfather''', on the other hand, is a sage and a peacemaker. He was originally known as '''Izaya the Inheritor''', a name which is a phonetic variant of the Old Testament prophet [[wikipedia:Isaiah|Isaiah]]. While he was known as Izaya, he could be somewhat compared to the God of the Old Testament under the guise of the God of war. In fact, when Darkseid plotted to instigate an interplanetary war by manipulating his own uncle [[wikipedia:Steppenwolf (comics)|Steppenwolf]] into raiding New Genesis and killing Izaya's wife, Avia, he wounded Izaya but purposefully did not kill him, so that Izaya would try to revenge the death of his wife by going after Steppenwolf. Izaya did in fact recover, and became a general in the ensuing war, eventually slaying Steppenwolf on the battlefield. After avenging his wife, Izaya grew sick of the wanton carnage of war and forsook his warrior ways. While wandering the ravaged lands of New Genesis looking for meaning, Izaya came across a mysterious wall where fiery messages appeared; messages from the [[wikipedia:Source (comics)|Source]], the mysterious benevolent force overseeing the universe. Izaya was linked to the Source, becoming a peacemaker and planetary leader under the title of Highfather.<ref>''New Gods'' vol. 1, #7 (Mar. 1972)</ref><ref>''Who's Who in the DC Universe'' vol. 1, #12 (Sep. 1991)</ref>

In the Book of Genesis, God is sorrowed to see evil acts of hatred being committed among men, and regrets having created a being that chose to do evil, to the point of sending the Great Flood to destroy that humanity that had fallen to evil ways:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Genesis 6:5-7|inline=false}}

However, God was moved to compassion upon seeing the faith of Noah, who accepted to build the Ark upon which two pairs of each living creature were saved. And thus He made a convenant with Noah to never again destroy mankind:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Genesis 9:8-17|inline=false}}

The Prophets, such as Isaiah, speak of a God of compassion rather than a God of war and victory over enemies, as was depicted in older times, such as in the Psalms:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Psalm 44|inline=false}}

Highfather has a son, '''Scott Free''' (also known as '''Mister Miracle'''), whose character is in some ways a reference to [[wikipedia:Jesus|Jesus Christ]] as the [[wikipedia:God the Son|Son of God]], who came to free us from the power of Satan:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Colossians 1:13-14|inline=false}}

Jesus, as Messiah, freed men and women who believed in Him from sickness and death, which are considered as the work of Satan who tries to hinder any form of true happiness for mankind. Jesus is thus considered, among other things, a [[wikipedia:Miracles_of_Jesus|miracle worker]].

Jesus himself proclaimed this to be his mission as Messiah, when reading from the Prophet Isaiah in the synagogue of Nazareth:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Luke 4:16-21|inline=false}}

In the Gospels Jesus makes a number of references to His power to set us free from the slavery of sin and spiritual death:

{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=John 8:31-36|inline=false}}

[[Category:Comics]]