Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 3

Jack Kirby's Fourth World #3

by Jack Kirby (Creator), Mike Royer

Collects various comic books from Jack Kirby's metaseries "The Fourth World," including issues of "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen," "New Gods," "Forever People," and "Mister Miracle."

Collects Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #146-148, New Gods #7-10, The Forever People #7-10 and Mister Miracle #7-10

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

396 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2007

About the author

Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."

Reviews

[Karl Kindt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hated Jack Kirby's art, until sometime after I hit college (1984). I started to appreciate his work as I got older, until now--I love it. I cannot get enough. The five stars on goodreads.com are not enough because now that I have read a big one year chunk in nearly one sitting, I can see how Kirby's vision with this Fourth World stuff is more than just amazing. This volume is like brain-candy. I have ordered the other three volumes of this collection and cannot wait to devour every one of them. I read some Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four (from Marvem Masterworks, issues #11 and #12), to get some comparisons going in my head, to see who really was more of a genius. I have to say the Lee stuff is less impressive. Both were genius, but ten years later, Kirby unleashed by himself just makes my imagination breathless as I digest it. The Lee-Kirby FF is entertaining and groundbreaking and fun, but Kirby blazed a trail with the Fourth World that none of come close to touching (and when John Byrne tried to, he looked like an idiot). Oh yeah--and I love Big Barda; she reminds me of my wife.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este tomo Kirby se dedica a exponer El origen de la guerra entre Nueva Génesis y Apokolips, el ascenso de Darkseid, el linaje de Orión y Scott Free y además anañde nuevos personajes al panteón de este esctraño mundo que creo como Steppenwolf que aparece aquí por primera vez.
Las series de Mr. Milagro y Los jovenes eternos continuan siendo lo mejor del conjunto para mí aunque ese final en La de Nuevos dioses con un Oríon desbocado contra Darkseid es canela en rama.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Mark Evanier notes in his Afterword, this volume contains the two stories that Kirby would point to as his personal favorites: The Pact & The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin (he also notes that before these stories, Kirby's personal favorite had been Mother Delilah from the The Kid Cowboys of Boys' Ranch series from 20 years earlier). And while these some of the most powerful stories, there are others worthy of note also in this collection as well. The Battle of the Id, Earth - the Doomed Dominion, The Bug & Himon are also excellent stories of Kirby at his peak and doing what he does best. 

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the series so far! Jack Kirby hated the appearance of Deadman in the two issues he's in of The Forever People, but to me they shine as the best in that title.

This volume also sees the end of Kirby's run on the Jimmy Olsen book. I understand the appeal of the book, it's not lost on me, it's just not my cup of tea. I was happy to see Jimmy go and I was thrilled to actually be engaged with the Forever People.

Mister Miracle and New Gods continue to shine. In the other two volumes, New Gods was my favorite by just a sliver, but in this book Mister Miracle pulls out into the lead with sheer force.

Volume 4 is next. The way I understand it, Kirby never got a chance to fully flesh out his story. I'm anxious (and a little nervous) to see how it plays out.

[Richard Guion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of Jack Kirby's finest work in his entire career. "The Pact" in New Gods explores the early days of both Highfather and Darkseid and how their sons came to be traded for a pact of peace. The companion to this is "Himon" in Mister Miracle which presents us the final days of Young Scott Free before he escapes from Apokolips. Mister Miracle & Big Barda return to Apokolips to confront Granny Goodness and escape another trap. Orion finally battles his half-brother Kalibak and tears apart New York city while doing it. The Forever People meet another anti-life wielder, Billion Dollar Bates, and in another tales they meet Deadman. The last Jimmy Olsen stories are presented here, including one where Superman finally travels to "Supertown", New Genesis.

[Keith Bowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Pact." "The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin." "Himon." This one has it all, some of Kirby's greatest stories from his entire career are in this volume. This is the creative highpoint for The Fourth World; Jack was revving up, hitting his stride... and shortly after these stories the plug was pulled. Oh, what could have been...

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbridled creativity here. This is a crazy ride. Not always completely successful, but always inventive and fun. So many ideas thrown around, threads never followed up on. Fantastic in just about every way.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is in this third volume of the Omnibus that Kirby's epic hits its peak. It contains the last issues of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (#146-148), as well as issues 7-9 of Mr. Miracle (the table of contents says that the 10th issue is included, but that's a misprint; the 10th issue starts the fourth volume of the Omnibus), and issues 7-10 of The Forever People and The New Gods. The highlights of this volume are New Gods #7 (The Pact) and #8 (The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin) and the three Mr. Miracle issues (though none of them match the power of either of the cited New Gods issues).

The most interesting Forever People issue is #6 (I'll Find You in Yesterday!). When last we saw the five teenagers, four had been struck by Darkeid's Omega Effect and seemingly died; the last, Serafin, returned to the Super-Cycle, which is under attack from Glorious Godfrey's Justifiers. They learn that the Omega Effect does not necessarily kill; in this case, the four stricken members are sent to varied points in history. Mark Moonrider and Beautiful Dreamer appear in Ford's Theater, on the night of Lincoln's assassination, which they attempt to stop; Big Bear arrives in Britain as the Roman legions depart and helps the native Britons develop a government (by making "Arta" king because he is able to draw a sword from a tree (with Big Bear's surreptitious help); and Vykin ends up in 1513 Florida, where he avoids death at the hands of some of Ponce de Leon's expeditionary force, who are on an unofficial hunt for gold and treasure. Notably, all four take in their new situation with aplomb; none seem particularly concerned about how they're going to survive in these new settings or what happened to their friends. Thanks to Highfather's "Alpha Bullets," they are each returned to the present day. Sonny Sumo, however, does not return with them, likely because Highfather didn't know he existed. Sumo lands in medieval Japan, and lives out his days there, honored as a "wise man, athelete, [and] farmer," beloved by the poor.

The remaining Forever People issues are not as good. I was particularly disappointed in the next issue, The Power, in which our heroes and Darkseid meet "Billion Dollar Bates," a human who possesses and has learned to control the Anti-Life Equation. It makes sense that a person who has the power of the Anti-Life Equation, but doesn't necessarily understand it, would use it to enrich himself and add to his own power. But Bates is a bland bad guy. It would have been more interesting if Darkseid had to contend with someone more like himself (and not a "yapping jackal," as Darkseid says). Big Bear is surprisingly ruthless during their confrontation with Darkseid and his forces; although Big Bear doesn't intend the specific result, a bad outcome for Bates is fairly predictable. This issue also marks the Forever People's second encounter with the Omega Effect, which this time is used on all of them. The Omega beams are a dicey power to give Darkseid. If a villain has such tremendous destructive power, why doesn't he always use it to kill off his enemies? So Kirby gives him a reason that is an authorial necessity but does deepen Darkseid's character: "Greatness does not come from killing the young! I'm willing to wait until they grow!"

But The Pact, immediately followed by The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin, are fantastic issues. The former explains how the conflict between New Genesis and Apokolips began, and how a tenuous peace was achieved. Darkseid's cunning and cruelty are revealed beautifully. We learn Highfather's origin and how he learned to communicate with the Source. And we find out the price of elevating personal goals over the common good , with Metron's devastating contribution to Apokolips' offensive capabilities. Further, we learn the origin of two crucial characters: Orion and Mr. Miracle. Orion's story is surprisingly sad. Darkseid's cruelty to his son--separating him from his mother, refusing to acknowledge his own paternity, and imprisoning and brutalizing the child--is chilling. Certainly, the pact that gives the issue its title gives Orion a better life. Scott Free's tale is even sadder. Whereas Orion is rescued by Highfather from a horrific life on Apokolips, Highfather, formerly known as Izaya, hands over his own infant son to Darkseid--knowing how cold and cruel Darkseid is. Although Highfather's devastation at his decision is revealed, that decision is still fundamentally selfish. After all, it was Izaya who began the war and continued with it to the ruination of his planet because of his own grief and pain. Yes, a peace needed to be brokered, but Izaya sells his child into slavery and torment to rectify his own mistakes. And Highfather takes no steps to protect his son. It is Metron, not Highfather, that points Scott to Himon, who will eventually put Scott in a position to save himself. And, following Scott's escape from Apokolips, Highfather makes no attempt to contact or help him, despite the constant attempts by Apokoliptian villains to re-enslave or kill Scott..

The Death Wish . . . is Kirby's testament to human courage. Most of the Fourth World epic is about the New Gods of Apokolips and New Genesis, and human beings are largely bystanders who provide awed commentary. If DC hadn't asked Kirby to write Jimmy Olsen, that series wouldn't have had any connection to the Fourth World, and there would be even less of a human dimension to the tale. But Darkseid has chosen Earth as the battlefield, and humans are affected by the resulting battles. Here, Kalibak has come to Earth and is holding Orion's friends Dave Lincoln and Claudia Shane hostage. The police, who besiege, are unable to make any headway until Turpin fearlessly goes head-to-head with Kalibak. Although Orion and Lightray join the fray, and Orion and Kalibak have quite the clash, Turpin is the star of this issue. He is brutally beaten, but he refuses to yield. And it is his strategy that defeats Kalibak.

Meanwhile, Mr. Miracle goes back to Apokolips to obtain his freedom according to Apokolips' rules: trial by combat. Barda, of course, doesn't hesitate to return with him, and she battles by his side throughout. The reader meets Kanto, Darkseid's personal assassin who models his life on Renaissance culture (and intrigue), with his own (Apokilips-flavored) chivalric streak. The weird thing about this issue is the different treatment afforded to Scott and Barda, both of whom should be considered traitors. While Scott is sent to Section Zero, where Granny plans his death, Barda is returned to her barracks, free to resume command, which she immediately does and uses the Furies to help Scott. It's just so weird that Barda--who has demonstrated her loyalty to Scott over Darkseid--is not only allowed to go free but put in a position to marshal significant military resources.

The best things about these issues (and some from volume 2) are the insights into Scott's past and how he learned to question and escape Darkseid's rule. Several issues before #9 ( Himon) have short segments about Scott as a child on Apokolips. Himon's titular issue expands on this history, introducing a New Genesis New God, Himon, who lives in disguise among the "Lowlies" on Apokolips, doing what he can to foster independence of thought and love of freedom among them. The majority of the Lowlies, however, are eager to betray and kill him. But Himon is a master escape artist, so these efforts never quite take. We learn that Himon remains on Apokolips out of guilt; he bears some responsibility for Darkseid's ascendancy and the war, even though this plot point is left murky (apparently, Himon created the "X" element that Darkseid traded to Metron--who needed it to build his Mobius chair--but it's not clear how Himon ended up in Darkseid's service when he comes from New Genesis). Like The Pact, the issue is episodic; we meet Scott after he's met Himon, and Kirby skips over a lot of their meetings and Scott's transformation (including how Barda became so loyal to Scott). We'll never know if Kirby intended to go back and fill in those gaps in later issues.

I haven't mentioned the various forewords to each volume and the afterwords by Mark Evanier. Glen David Gold's introduction notices certain similarities between Henry James' and Kirby's construction of narrative. I haven't read James, so I can't comment on the fairness of that comparison, but it got me thinking about Kirby's dialogue. In my review of the first volume of the Omnibus, I described Kirby's dialogue as portentous. As the epic progresses, however, the formal quality of the dialogue lends to its power. I don't know if I'd feel this way if I was only reading one a month, but reading issues back to back reminds me a bit of reading Faulkner; after a while, the style--which may have first distanced the reader from the story--becomes not only familiar but necessary to appreciating it.

Evanier's afterwords are interesting and informative. In this volume, he explains the increase in comics pricing that impacted sales of both DC and Marvel comics (but more so DC, as Marvel course-corrected sooner), and helped to doom Kirby's epic. Many of the key issues in the epic--most of those in this volume--were published following this price increase, and sales suffered. In a narrative as inter-connected as this one, missing a few issues would truly disrupt the experience. But to miss most of these issues would have made it almost impossible, when prices decreased, for those who had been following the epic, and definitely new readers, to understand what was going on.

[David Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is a bit tougher to rate than it's predecessors. It contains some of the best work Jack Kirby ever produced side by side with some real clunkers.

Though in fairness some of that is not entirely Jack's fault.

The Pact - which I remembered with startling clarity nearly four decades after I'd first read it, and probably a quarter century since I'd last seen it - is nearly unforgettable. The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin and Himon are right there beside it.

And Kirby's art looks as good as it ever did, with inker Mike Royer becoming ever more comfortable and the last remaining trace of the lackluster Vince Colletta relegated to the pages of Jimmy Olsen.

But clearly Jack was losing interest in Superman's pal as his tenure on the book drew to a close. Certainly the experience of having his lead characters redrawn by others had to be something he was losing patience with. How an artist of his caliber tolerated it for so long is beyond my understanding.

And though the fault lies not with Jack the two issue visit of Deadman to the pages of the Forever People might just be the worst shoe-horning together of two incompatible concepts since Batman teamed up with Jerry Lewis.

(Actually, I'm not sure that ever happened. But trust me, it couldn't have been much worse.)

That idea, however, was the brainchild of DC publisher Carmine Infantino. He asked Jack to revamp the character, then complained that it wasn't the Deadman he knew and loved. In all fairness to Carmine, he was a great artist, but how DC survived his tenure as publisher is beyond me.

I can't help but wonder, in retrospect, if Jack might have been better served had had launched one book instead of four. New Gods is consistently better written and more directed than its sister books, and churning out a sprawling epic through four titles at the pace Jack did it was nearly impossible, even for a man of his massive talent.

But still, Jack is Jack, and even in its lesser moments the tales are always entertaining. That the work in this book is on balance of slightly lesser import than that in the first two volumes is hardly damning.

So get it. Read The Pact, Himon, The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin. And if you decide to skip Deadman meets the Forever People, well...I'm sure Jack will understand.

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo terzo volumone della saga del Quarto Mondo contiene diverse storie significative, ed un paio di capolavori. Mi riferisco a New Gods 7, Il Patto, ed al suo seguito ideale, Mister Miracle 9, Himon. Se nel primo abbiamo una trasposizione di miti biblici abbastanza palese, nel secondo i riferimenti biblici non sono così palesati, ma l'atmosfera è quella di Daniele nella fossa dei leoni o di alcuni passaggi del libro dei Giudici.
Inoltre abbiamo alcune ottime storie come New Gods 8, Il Desiderio Di Morte del Terribile Turpin, in cui non è difficile intravedere qualche momento autobiografico dello stesso Kirby, il quale si sentiva probabilmente vicino alla fine della sua corsa con Quarto Mondo. La sua run su Jimmy Olsen trova la fine in questo volume, ma prima abbiamo il tempo di leggere una delle storie singole migliori di Superman fino a quel momento, Superman A Supertown su JO 147. Vedere Superman tra i suoi pari agire come se si trovasse tra gli umani, vederlo sorpreso di quello che fanno come i terrestri si sorprendono quando vedono Kal-el compiere le sue imprese non è semplicemente divertente. C'è una profonda riflessione sul senso della vita e del dovere che si contrappone al legittimo desiderio di farsi i fatti propri. Rimanendo a Supertown Superman potrebbe raggiungere la pace, essere uno tra tanti come lui. Ma gli amici sulla Terra sono in seria difficoltà, ed il dovere vince.
Tra le quattro serie finora lette, quella di Jimmy Olsen è sempre stata la più astrusa e divertente, ma mentre qui si passa al lirismo, nella serie della Forever People le storie si fanno meno incisive. Deadman ne è solo parzialmente la causa.

In definitiva penso di poter dare ancora 5 stelle a questo volume, anche se magari un poco risicate.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three volumes in, I'm still loving the boldness and imagery of Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" series, but it's increasingly apparent this epic isn't likely to progress to a conclusion.

In these issues, we learn more about the "New Gods" that make up Kirby's cast, from the origins of the latest war between Apokolips and New Genesis to the swapping of heirs that's intended to promote peace. It's an engaging read, and Kirby does reach near-mythical heights with stories like "The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin." But you can also see the stories beginning to introduce guest shots and gimmicks to boost sales, like the appearance of Deadman in the "Forever People."

Of the titles that make up the "Fourth World" universe, I most like "Mister Miracle" and "New Gods," with "Forever People" and "Jimmy Olsen" flagging behind. Regardless of the series, Kirby's art does remain at its otherwordly peak.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Kirby's Fourth World comics in chronological order. This is the third of four volumes and you can begin to feel things wind down. Kirby's phoning in the last few issues of Jimmie Olson, probably because he got tired of DC retouching his Superman. I like the Forever People and Mister Miracle issues though. Himon's story and how he helps Scott Free was good. The stuff with New Gods was just OK. Still it's Jack Kirby. Plus the Demon gets announced at the end of this. I also enjoyed the afterword by Mark Evanier. He talked about how Himon's appearance was based on the founder of San Diego Comic Con and how DC raising comics from 15 to 25 cents just about killed DC and signaled the death knell of the Fourth World at the time.

[Benja Calderon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Kirby sigue desarrollando el universo del Cuarto Mundo, pero en esta nueva entrega conocemos mejor el pasado de Apokolips y New Genesis, como surje esta gran guerra y como se llega a la paz. Conocemos mejor el origen de Scott Free, su relación con Big Barda y la gente de Apokolips.
Tambien se cierra la etapa de Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, el único título que siempre se sintió un poco fuera de tono

El trabajo gráfico de Kirby es fantastico, en este compilatoria tenemos algunas de las mejores splash-page del Cuarto Mundo

[Jesús Martín · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No existía ningún cómic ni remotamente comparable en cuanto a complejidad de escenarios y tramas interconectadas listo para ser revelado" (Paul Levitz).
Una compleja mitología urdida a marchas forzadas. Una obra maestra.

[Ramón Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

El Rey en,para mi,su cima de creatividad. Las ideas que otros te daban en años,Kirby te da ocho por número . Una vorágine de conceptos de la q hoy día todavía se sacan conceptos para explorar. Maravilloso

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, this volume contains some of the Fourth World's strongest stories, yet it also shows that the wheels aren't in danger of falling off, but they're getting wobbly. Still, it's Kirby with great inks by Mike Royer.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gems include "I'll Find You in Yesterday!", "The Pact!", "A Superman in Supertown!", "Death Wish of Terrible Turpin!", & "Himan!".

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really like the Bug character, and I haven't liked much of the Jimmy Olsen stuff since the beginning, but everything else is really creative and fun.

[▫️Ron S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just the best.

It can be argued that Kirby's best work was when he had hit his stride with Fantastic Four (from the beginning) - but this wasn't because his best work had actually happened... it's because times and preferences in art style later changed. Neal Adams was changing the look of comics, and Kirby - with hundreds of comics and decades of experience under his belt - was beginning to appear antiquated on the racks. The diminishing racks. Publishing expenses were also going through a weird flux, and Marvel figured out the best approach before DC... leaving Fourth World - Kirby's masterwork - in a dry place for comics publishing. It was cut short long before its time.

This third omnibus encompasses the best of Fourth World. Kirby's best ink collaborator (IMO) Mike Royer was on board (compare the pencil pages to the inks - and MR is most faithful, by far). The cancellation wasn't truly upon the books yet (but by issue 10's of the 3 series, it was entering JK's awareness). They were flying.

"The Pact" was Kirby's single favorite comic creation - this from a guy with almost 60 years in his profession. I liked the Mister Miracle backstory "Himon" best in this collection.

There are a couple issues in the collection that JK wasn't feeling - he was never real happy to be doing Jimmy Oleson/Superman (other people's characters... complete with unwelcome retouching) - and the Deadman arc in Forever People wasn't something he felt motivated with... but the rest of it - he was on fire.

Later would come OMAC and Kamandi - - Kamandi, his final long form richly personal/independent piece - - but Fourth World was the pinnacle. Creative genius that would only get to grow for a short window of time. Truly comics' Star Wars - not for its polish, but for its raw power. Meanwhile - don't for a second ignore the fact that George Lucas borrowed HEAVILY (less than 4 years later)... Darkseid, Moonrider, The Source - displaced orphans who later confront their all-powerful evil father? - - with all of GL's academic mentioning of Joseph Campbell, the bigger influence by far seems to be Jack Kirby's masterwork - and the lack of credit given seems like the result of legal advisement and shenanigans.

Biggest complaint about the Fourth World Omnibuses? DC doesn't keep them in print. You can't even get ahold of most of them. That's criminal, and a sad statement about comic readers' tastes/discernment.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 reread - Still five stars, still the greatest thing ever published by DC or Marvel Comics. Yeah, those last couple issues of FOREVER PEOPLE, saddled with that odd Deadman guest appearance/reinvention, are a bit off, but c'mon, "The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin"! "HIMON"! And "The Pact"!, the greatest single comic book ever published. Scott and Barda returning to Apokolips to face Kanto and the Lump. Billion Dollar Bates, and Darkseid and Desaad in weird creature masks! LOL

One thing I'd forgotten - or maybe never even consciously noticed - is that despite Orion and Scott being often viewed as the central heroic characters in the saga, particularly Orion, it's the Forever People who have the most direct contact with Darkseid throughout this original run. The naive hopeful heroism of youth is vitally important to the saga, which is interesting, because the Forever People have really fallen to the wayside of various Fourth World revisits in the years since. Partly because, if we're being honest, their individual personalities aren't really the compelling, but I feel their importance to the Fourth World is worth rethinking.
++++++++++
The first three volumes are, honestly, my favorite comics ever. Kirby puts so much energy and passion into each page, I'm just drawn right in. Although he's clearly making up a lot of the mythology as he goes along, DC's decision to print the Omnibuses in publication order allows you to see how each element of the cosmology was introduced and spread out into the other titles to become part of the core of the Fourth World.

And volume three... wow! "The Pact," "The Death Wish of Terrible Turpin," and Mister Miracle and Barda's invasion of Apokolips to earn their freedom from Granny Goodness's attacks. The book is just filled with relentlessly exciting and emotionally wrenching sagas - "The Pact" alone would've been a 12-issue maxi-series these days, but Kirby condenses it to 24 pages and captures all of the horror of the war between New Genesis and Apokolips, the cost paid by those involved, and the tragedy, yet hope, of The Pact itself.

Despite Kirby's often seat-of-his-pants plotting, he apparently had a clear enough idea of the bigger picture that the entire thing comes together very organically and very smoothly. It feels real, despite the outlandish technology and otherworld settings.

The fourth volume comes down from the highs of volume 3, focusing often on Mister Miracle's understudy Shilo Norman, completely eschewing the Fourth World elements until the final issue, which shoehorns in as many major Fourth World players as possible, to its detriment. The Hunger Dogs tries very hard to resolve the main Orion/Darkseid feud, and it's a valiant effort, but it's stiff and disjointed. Kirby's artwork also feels uneven and limited in the finale, which is amazing considering how intense and immense it seems in the original Fourth World comics.

Still, even with the uneven denouement, the passion and excitement is just unbeatable. Easily, my favorite comics of all time.

[Randy Lander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third or so of this book is among the strongest of the Fourth World stuff, with "The Pact" (arguably the best story of the Fourth World, and the origin story of Mister Miracle, Orion and the whole war between New Genesis and Apokolips), the time-traveling Forever People tales and the abrupt but full of potential tale of "Superman in Supertown."

But after that, it starts to look more like the goofy DC Silver Age stuff that I've got little patience for. I don't know if Kirby was trying to ward off cancellation by making the books "fit" better into DC's line, or if DC was forcing characters and more single-issue stories onto him, or both, but it's very different.

"The Sect" is a straight-up EC-inspired weird cult and alien story with the Forever People crammed into it. Victor Volcanum is a standard mad science villain, as is the creator of the "Monster in the Morgue" and Deadman doesn't really fit into the Forever People's world. Nor is the Kirby version of Deadman terribly interesting, featuring one of the first "retcons" as they "un-reveal" his murderer and give him a physical form.

The Bug/Mantis invasion is cut short, and unfortunately I didn't find the Bugs that interesting.

Only the Mister Miracle stories remain Fourth World focused, and they are the stronger ones in the book, serving up "Himon," among others. But it very much looks like The Fourth World is getting a rushed wrap-up, and so several of the stories here are disappointing.

But... even at their worst, they're still Kirby. The book is solid enough even in these weaker stories, and there are several really good tales. In addition, Mark Evanier's afterwords remain informative, an essential part of these hardcovers. But it does feel like the Fourth World hardcovers peaked in the middle of volume 2.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume made me think a lot less of the people of New Genesis. They may be better than the people of Apokolips, whose rhetoric is virtually indistinguishable from my cyberbullies, particularly in the flashback story, "Himon," but the previous Mister Miracle issues as well, where we see the most of Apokolips in this volume, since most of this is set on Earth. The people of New Genesis are arrogant enough when they meet Superman, but that pales in comparison to the treatment of "bugs," insect-like humanoids treated as vermin to be exterminated by the New Genesis people. One of these, Forager, is superior to the others in intelligence and skill, and looks really disturbing in a costume that looks like a fetish outfit. Forager was not amongst the Fourth World characters in the Super Powers line when I was a kid, and perhaps I might see him differently had I been exposed to him as a child. If Apokolips is based on Nazi Germany, then surely New Genesis is based on the United States a appear and on the surface, but in its own way more insidious than the palpable and ostensible evil of Apokolips. Lightray is almost as bad as Orion in his response to Forager, so it's not just that Orion is actually Darkseid's son, as we learn in the powerful prologue, "The Pact," which Evanier notes was regularly cited as Kirby's favorite of his stories, surpassing an issue of Boy's Ranch in the 1950s. Evanier's afterword emphasizes corporate stupidity--DC hated Kirby's Deadman stories here, which Kirby did not want to write or draw, for being too different from the familiar character, when they had explicitly instructed him to alter the character, considered a flop. I agree with the others who say that this is the best volume so far. Reportedly, the next issues flag in quality, but I look forward to reading them.

[Erline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume made me think a lot less of the people of New Genesis. They may be better than the people of Apokolips, whose rhetoric is virtually indistinguishable from my cyberbullies, particularly in the flashback story, "Himon," but the previous Mister Miracle issues as well, where we see the most of Apokolips in this volume, since most of this is set on Earth.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the first two volumes, this one is a bet of a let down. The MISTER MIRACLE and NEW GODS stories are great; the origin of Scott Free and Orion, fill in the gaps on the war between Apokolips and New Genesis, and read like an amalgam of the Norse and Greek myths. The Kirby and Royer art is great, especially the splash pages. The volume falls short though with the FOREVER PEOPLE which is dated by the language and commentary on the early 1970s, and the attempts to link it to the DC Universe. And don't even get me started on the deficiencies of both art and story with the SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN issues.

I do applaud DC for reprinting these issues. While a few haven't aged well, overall it is a classic comic series.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fouth World saga continues, but is clearly losing steam by the end of this volume. Kirby abruptly drops the Jimmy Olson/Newsboy Legion part of the story, which is really no big loss. He also includes "The Pact", the New Gods story that (finally) gives a lot of the background about what the hell has been going on this whole time. It's one of the best stories in the whole series, but it probably should have been done much sooner.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Athough Kirby's art and inventiveness is still high, one can sense the probelmes he was starting to have at DC and his lack of satisfaction with Jimmy Olsen. This volume holds some of Jack's best work (The Pact) but also work that is obviously company mandated (The two issues featuring Deadman). also as the conflict grows more intenses the sense of fun present in the first two volumes is a bit lacking. STill a must-read for any comic fan.

[Ruz El · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as the previous volumes are, this one gets truly biblical at points and really delivers. Jack Kirby's favourite story "The Pact" is in this one, and it is fantastic. Even with the book starting to go off the rails due to DC cracking down and canceling the book doesn't prevent this one from being entertaining.

Which leads to Volume Four, the end as forced upon Kirby. So it leaves this book ending on a bit of a melancholia note.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little different from the others in that Kirby both (1) starts explaining what the origin of the story is and (2) starts telling kind of pointless non-core stories as well. The origin stuff is interesting. A lot of the not-origin stuff in this book feels a little jumpy. It's possible to have an arc told in bits and pieces as the background of all the other actions in the book. Here, it feels a little more like the arc has lost its way. But who knows?

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these in the original comic format when they came out. Jack Kirby changed his style in the early 1970s and I fell out of being a fan of his art and stories. While I do like several of the characters he created for his 4th world stories, particularly Darkseid and Orion, overall I never could seem to get into the books. If you are a Kirby fan then these are the core of his creation. Recommended

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition frops from 5 to 4 stars only because a couple of the stories just aren't quite as good as the rest have been -- Deadman just doesn't fit with the Forever People, and Kirby's run on Jimmy Olsen kind of fizzles out. But we learn more about the origins of Mr. Miracle and the New Gods, and I thought The Bug was a fascinating new character.