New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in the eponymous comic book series published by DC Comics, as well as selected other DC titles. Created and designed by Jack Kirby, they first appeared in February 1971 in New Gods #1.
| New Gods | |
|---|---|
 Artwork of the New Gods, Magnificent Seven. Art by Alex Ross. | |
| Species publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The New Gods #1 (February/March 1971) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby (writer and artist) |
| Characteristics | |
| Place of origin | New Genesis, Apokolips |
| Notable members | List of New Gods |
| The New Gods or New Gods | |
 | Cover to The New Gods #1 (February/March 1971) Art by Jack Kirby |
| Series publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Vol. 1 Bimonthly Vol. 2–4 Monthly |
| Format | Vol. 1, 3, 4 Ongoing series Vol. 2 and Death of the New Gods Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | (Vol. 1) February/March 1971 – October/November 1972 (Vol. 1 continued) July 1977 – July/August 1978 (Vol. 2) June 1979 – November 1984 (Vol. 3) February 1979 – August 1991 (Vol. 4) October 1995 – February 1997 (Death of the New Gods) Early December 2007 – June 2008 |
| Number of issues | Vol. 1 19 Vol. 2 6 Vol. 3 28 Vol. 4 15 Death of the New Gods 8 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | List
|
| Penciller(s) | List
|
| Inker(s) | List
|
| Collected editions | |
| Jack Kirby's New Gods | ISBN 1-56389-385-1 |
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. Comics historian Les Daniels observed in 1995:
"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."[1]
Story setting
The New Gods are natives of the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. New Genesis is an idyllic planet filled with unspoiled forests, mountains, and rivers that is ruled by the benevolent Highfather, while Apokolips is a nightmarish, polluted, and ruined dystopia filled with machinery and fire pits that is ruled by the tyrannical Darkseid. The two planets were once part of the same world, a planet called Urgrund (German for "primeval ground"), but it was split apart millennia ago after the death of the Old Gods during Ragnarök.[2]
The characters associated with the New Gods are often collectively referred to as "Jack Kirby's Fourth World". Kirby began the "Fourth World" in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct. 1970).[3][4] The New Gods first appeared in New Gods #1 (Feb.-March 1971)[5][6] and Forever People #1 (Feb.-March 1971).[7][8] Another "Fourth World" title Mister Miracle was launched in April 1971.[9][10] Various New Gods, notably Darkseid, went on to interact with other denizens of the DC Universe.[citation needed]
Biblical references
The twin planets New Genesis and Apokolips are clear references to the first and last books of the Bible, Genesis and 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."[11] Similarly, John Morrow writes, "Kirby knew that his New Genesis was no heaven. Rather, it was more like the free West during the Cold War, which was threatened by forces from within as well as without."[12]
Likewise the rulers of the respective planets, Highfather and Darkseid (onomotopeic for "Dark Side"), refer to some extent to God the Father and to Satan.
Highfather has a son, Scott Free (also known as Mister Miracle), whose character is in some ways a reference to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who came to free us from the power of Satan:
- ↑ Daniels, Les (1995). "The Fourth World: New Gods on Newsprint". DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York: Bulfinch Press. p. 165. ISBN 0821220764.
- ↑ "The Unofficial Old Gods Biography". DCU Guide. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ↑ Levitz, Paul (2010). "The Bronze Age 1970–1984". 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany: Taschen. p. 447. ISBN 9783836519816.
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.
- ↑ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
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.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help) - ↑ New Gods at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Overstreet, Robert M. (2019). Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (49th ed.). Timonium, Maryland: Gemstone Publishing. p. 901. ISBN 978-1603602334.
- ↑ Forever People at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Overstreet, p. 691
- ↑ Mister Miracle at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Overstreet, p. 879
- ↑ Hatfield, Charles (2011). Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby. University Press of Mississippi. p. 196. ISBN 978-1617031786.
- ↑ Morrow, John (Spring 2019). "Gallery". The Jack Kirby Collector. 26 (76): 34. Retrieved 3 September 2020.