[ID: Graphic reading "Fourth World Read-Through" Metropolis to the X-Pit (and everywhere in between!) One INCREDIBLE issue every week! Discussion of Kirby's Far-Out Saga begins February 6th, 2024! End ID]
Epilogue
"There came a time when the Old Gods died! The brave died with the cunning! The noble perished, locked in battle with unleashed evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!"
And so begins The New Gods, the chronicle of the epic battle between the New Gods of New Genesis and the evil Darkseid of Apokalips, who aims to subjugate all free will in the universe. Written, illustrated and edited by Jack "The King" Kirby, the Fourth World spanned four titles from 1970 through 1972-
The New Gods- Tells of the champion of the New Gods, as he fights to protect Earth from Darkseid's evil
Mister Miracle- Tells of a fugitive from Apokalips and his attempt to build a life for himself on Earth
The Forever People- Tells of a group of young New Gods who seek to save a friend kidnapped by Darkseid
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen- Tells of how a young human and his friend, a mighty Earth warrior, are caught up in the conflict.
Sadly, due to factors that are unclear to this day, three of the four titles were cancelled abruptly, with the fourth following not too long thereafter. This means that Kirby's Fourth World Saga, masterpiece though it is, remains uncompleted. Since then, the characters and concepts introduced in the Fourth World have spread through the DCU, leaving a deep, distinct influence on the wider DCU canon in ways that cannot be overstated.
Hosted by myself, @upagainstthesunset and @fruitkingfrog on a Discord server, this read-through aims to take a deeper look at the original 52 issues of Kirby's 1970s run, one issue a week in the order they were released for a year. We aim to be accessible to die-hard fans who are well familiar with the story, but particularly to first-time readers of Kirby's saga- or to comics as a whole!
Enter the Boom Tube... if you dare!
[ID: Superman kneeling in front of a Boom Tube, thinking, "Does the answer really lie ahead of me? Darkseid and his hidden terrors- the Anti-Life Equation- the danger to mankind!--" End ID]
