• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Kirby Omnibus coming in May

Started by drice6900,

5 posts in this topic

drice6900

drice6900

Posted
Posted

linky

 

KING-SIZED KING: GEORG BREWER ON THE FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUSES

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

by Michael Lorah

 

"NEW YORK—1970—The King has abdicated his throne. Jack Kirby has left Marvel Comics, the land he helped to shape for the past decade, and he’s planted his golden seat in the ideaspace of crosstown rival DC Comics.

 

To complete this coup and bring the King into the fold, DC will allow Kirby to unleash his vision as never before. Kirby will be taking over one existing DC title, Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, where he will essentially have carte blanche to reinvent the cub reporter as he sees fit. Furthermore, Kirby will create, edit, write and pencil three completely new titles which will interconnect, telling of a timeless war between the gods of darkness and those of light. His three new titles are New Gods, chronicling the saga of Orion, a warrior-god whose dark heritage is at odds with his idyllic upbringing; Mister Miracle, the super escape-artist, caught up in the inescapable web of fate; and Forever People, a group of youngsters whose optimism and innocence may tip the balance of the war forever. Unlikely as it may sound, even Jimmy Olsen himself will be a part of this “Fourth World” epic, offering us human (and Superhuman) insight into the out-of-this-world conflicts and characters that Kirby will be unleashing."

 

 

Over three and a half decades later, Kirby’s Fourth World remains something unique in the annals of comics. Epic in scope, improbably explosive in art and -script, the Fourth World redefined how imaginative, complex and unreal comics can be. There’s never been anything else quite like them, and now, DC Comics is planning to remind readers how unique Kirby’s most ambitious project truly was.

 

Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus vol. 1 will be released in May, marking the first salvo in DC’s plan to reprint the entire Fourth World saga in order of publication. Readers today will be able to read the stories in the order that readers in the early 70s were able to read them. Vol. 1 collects stories from Jimmy Olsen #133-139 and the first three issues each of Forever People/b], Mister Miracle and New Gods.

 

Here to tell us a little bit more about the Omnibus project is Georg Brewer, VP-Design and DC Direct Creative.

 

Newsarama: This is the first time that the Fourth World comics (except the Jimmy Olsen stories) have been reprinted in color. However, only ten years ago, you published grayscale reprints of these comics. Why the decision to publish a high-end, color collection now? What changed at DC since 1997?

 

Georg Brewer: Actually, a great deal has changed within both DC Comics and the industry as a whole. The graphic novel collection as a format has seen tremendous growth and acceptance both at the comics and specialty shops as well as in the major bookstore chains. The increased support and interest in our particular kind of story telling in book form has opened doors for us to explore collections of contemporary and classic story lines and creators. A four-volume, hardcover, color collection of the classic Kirby stories is more viable today than at any time before.

 

NRAMA: We’ve heard hints from Dan DiDio and others at DC that there are big plans afoot for these characters in 2007. Did those plans influence everybody to get the original material in print in a more definitive edition?

 

GB: Absolutely! There are many fans of this material within the halls, but knowing what Dan has up his sleeve for these characters in the DCU of today makes this the perfect time to bring together these collections. We see this material providing background and texture to the stories he plans to play through.

 

NRAMA: Collecting the stories chronologically is an unusual move. Has the success of Seven Soldiers helped pave the way for this type of Omnibus? Or does the material simply demand a unique treatment?

 

GB: The structure and organization of these collections was widely debated. In the end, we felt it would serve the story best to replicate the reading experience of the original comics by presenting them as Jack did originally. Taken in this way, you get a real sense of the progression and evolution of both his story and the characters themselves.

 

NRAMA: Assuming expected sales, what is the planned frequency for releasing future Fourth World Omnibuses?

 

GB: Right now, the plan is to roll out each subsequent volume every three months.

 

NRAMA: In the mid-1980s, ten years after the Fourth World books were originally cancelled, Jack authored a graphic novel The Hunger Dogs, which was to be his finale to the entire New Gods saga. Despite its not living up to the expectation of fans (or Kirby himself, reportedly), will The Hunger Dogs be included in the final volume?

 

GB: Yes, it will. We are also looking at the possibility of working with the original comics trim version of the story, in place of the edited larger version that saw print.

 

NRAMA: Despite many failed series starring these characters, Darkseid, Orion and the rest remain very popular with creators and fans. Do you have any perspective on that appeal?

 

GB: Each series has its own life cycle, titles come and go, but classic characters rise up to hit a cord with readers and creators to become the foundation of future ideas and stories. In re-reading this collection again, they hold up really well, and in many ways Jack was working well ahead of his time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing