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The '''New Gods''' are a fictional race appearing in the [[wikipedia:eponym| | The '''New Gods''' are a fictional race appearing in the [[wikipedia:eponym|eponymous]] [[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> | 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> | ||
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=== The rulers of the twin planets === | === The rulers of the twin planets === | ||
[[File:Highfather_(Izaya_the_Inheritor_-_circa_1972).png|thumbnail|Highfather, as he appeared in Forever People #7 (March 1972)]] | |||
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]]. | 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]]. | ||
[[File:Justice_League_Odyssey_Darkseid.jpeg|thumbnail|Darkseid. Textless variant cover of ''Justice League: Odyssey'' Vol 1 #21 (June 2020). Art by Will Conrad.]] | |||
'''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> | '''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 | '''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 avenge 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> The '''Source''' was perhaps inspired by [[wikipedia:Biblical prophecy|Biblical prophecy]], as a turning point of the faith of the People of Israel in God, from the ways of war to the ways of peace. | ||
In the biblical '''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 | In the biblical '''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 [[wikipedia:Genesis_flood_narrative|Great Flood]] to destroy the humanity that had fallen to evil ways and restore the earth to its initial paradisiac state: | ||
{{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Genesis 6:5-7|inline=false}} | {{Bible quote|version=NABRE|ref=Genesis 6:5-7|inline=false}} | ||