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Jack Kirby's Fourth World #OGN
DC Graphic Novel #4: The Hunger Dogs
The stockpiling of bombs on the planet, Apokolips, leads to its destruction when evil Darkseid detonates a demon weapon.
48 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kirby
2,812 books480 followersJack 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."
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 16, 2021
Firstly, I’d like to say I have not kept up with the New Gods so that did create some confusion as to what exactly was happening.
The art was great. The panel layout was great.
However, the way the story flowed left me asking how we got to certain conversations.
I would love to know the reason behind this graphic novel. Why exactly did Kirby write this story?
It was definitely interesting. We saw Darkseid emote, the destruction of New Genesis as well as the repositioning of Apokolips.
But why was it necessary?
I checked to see if there were any future consequences from these events but it seems like it’s barely ever mentioned again....
The art was great. The panel layout was great.
However, the way the story flowed left me asking how we got to certain conversations.
I would love to know the reason behind this graphic novel. Why exactly did Kirby write this story?
It was definitely interesting. We saw Darkseid emote, the destruction of New Genesis as well as the repositioning of Apokolips.
But why was it necessary?
I checked to see if there were any future consequences from these events but it seems like it’s barely ever mentioned again....
June 8, 2021
The creation of Darkseid, the New Gods and the whole 4th World saga for DC Comics in the 70s, showed that Kirby had lost none of his creative abilities. This graphic novel proves a disappointing end to the saga. The artwork is everything we love about Jack Kirby - dynamic, action-packed, and larger than life - perfect artwork for these characters. Based on the artwork, this would be 5/5.
The story is hard to follow. There are scene jumps seemingly at random, and some are quite jarring, leaving me wondering if I had skipped some pages. The dialogue is even worse. I know there were production problems and large parts had to be rewritten - I don't know how much of the dialogue was changed by decrees from the editor and/or publisher - but the dialogue just doesn't ring true for these characters. Darkseid should never be the passenger that he seems to be in this story, standing on the sidelines as events pass him by, and instead of acting to achieve the outcome he desires, he philosophises. The Hunger Dogs, who, from the title, should be front and centre of the story, are bit players, rarely seen.
Overall, very disappointing.
The story is hard to follow. There are scene jumps seemingly at random, and some are quite jarring, leaving me wondering if I had skipped some pages. The dialogue is even worse. I know there were production problems and large parts had to be rewritten - I don't know how much of the dialogue was changed by decrees from the editor and/or publisher - but the dialogue just doesn't ring true for these characters. Darkseid should never be the passenger that he seems to be in this story, standing on the sidelines as events pass him by, and instead of acting to achieve the outcome he desires, he philosophises. The Hunger Dogs, who, from the title, should be front and centre of the story, are bit players, rarely seen.
Overall, very disappointing.
December 21, 2014
Almost incomprehensible. I suppose if you're read all of Kirby's preceding Fourth World comics (New Gods, Forever People, and Mister Miracle), cancelled years before this "conclusion" to the far-flung concept was published, this might make slightly more sense, but it's hard to imagine it'd be much more coherent. Admittedly, I haven't read all of those comics, but I have read enough of them to have the basic concept down and to know what a lot of the (unexplained) stuff here that would be literally incomprehensible to a newcomer (mother box? boomtubes? anti-life equation?), and this still comes across as an incoherent mess. Part of that, no doubt, is because there was disagreement between Kirby and DC over how he could wrap things up--he wanted a definitive ending, they wanted their corporate properties still to be usable after the graphic novel came out--so, Kirby could not end with the intended fight to the death between Darkseid and Orion. But a large part of it, to be blunt, is because Kirby is just not that good a writer. Sample dialogue: "This is Micro-Mark's hour! There's no need for intrigue or great strivings . . . the cosmos lies open to button-pushing babes!" or "You speak like an adolescent! Love, like hate, is a thing of many facets!" "Don't lead me into a labyrinth of semantics!" Yikes!
The plot, such as it is, makes little sense and remains disappointingly unresolved by the conclusion. Darkseid, the villainous ruler of Apokalips, is sort of defeated when his enemies on New Genesis blow up their own planet (yes, really), thereby making the amazingly repressed slave "hunger dogs" so concerned that their own planet might suffer that fate that they rise up against their overlord (with a little prodding from New Genesis hero/son of Darkseid--naturally--Orion) and manage through sheer force of numbers to defeat the massively technologically superior forces of Darkseid: "No force in the cosmos has ever held against the 'hunger dogs'! Their numbers are endless! Their fear is contagious! Their anger is raw power!" Oh, if only the poor repressed masses, fenced into electronically monitored ghettoes and guarded by trained military forces with supremely powerful weapons, would realize their inherent power, all repressors everywhere would be overthrown! Well, for a while, anwyay, as we're told before this is over that despite the irrepressible force of the 'hunger dogs' (why are they called hunger dogs? you'll never find out in this book!), Darkseid will in short order rebuild his power. So score one for DC keeping their big villain viable, score zero for Kirby providing a meaningful ending.
The art doesn't even look that good, perhaps a function of the editorial meddling, or the fact that three different inkers did the finishing. Kirby's characteristic dynamism often looks stiff and posed here. His usual clarity of page design is often absent. At times, even figuring out how to read a page or what is going on on it is difficult. Not as difficult as it can be in many current comics, but much moreso than it usually is for Kirby, which makes one wonder how much his heart was in it, or how much meddling was going on.
Anwyay, this is a huge disappointment.
The plot, such as it is, makes little sense and remains disappointingly unresolved by the conclusion. Darkseid, the villainous ruler of Apokalips, is sort of defeated when his enemies on New Genesis blow up their own planet (yes, really), thereby making the amazingly repressed slave "hunger dogs" so concerned that their own planet might suffer that fate that they rise up against their overlord (with a little prodding from New Genesis hero/son of Darkseid--naturally--Orion) and manage through sheer force of numbers to defeat the massively technologically superior forces of Darkseid: "No force in the cosmos has ever held against the 'hunger dogs'! Their numbers are endless! Their fear is contagious! Their anger is raw power!" Oh, if only the poor repressed masses, fenced into electronically monitored ghettoes and guarded by trained military forces with supremely powerful weapons, would realize their inherent power, all repressors everywhere would be overthrown! Well, for a while, anwyay, as we're told before this is over that despite the irrepressible force of the 'hunger dogs' (why are they called hunger dogs? you'll never find out in this book!), Darkseid will in short order rebuild his power. So score one for DC keeping their big villain viable, score zero for Kirby providing a meaningful ending.
The art doesn't even look that good, perhaps a function of the editorial meddling, or the fact that three different inkers did the finishing. Kirby's characteristic dynamism often looks stiff and posed here. His usual clarity of page design is often absent. At times, even figuring out how to read a page or what is going on on it is difficult. Not as difficult as it can be in many current comics, but much moreso than it usually is for Kirby, which makes one wonder how much his heart was in it, or how much meddling was going on.
Anwyay, this is a huge disappointment.
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March 11, 2016Reseña de Álvaro Pons para su cárcel de papel:
http://www.lacarceldepapel.com/2006/0...
Tenía verdadera curiosidad por leer Perros Hambrientos, la conclusión de la saga del Cuarto Mundo que Jack Kirby abordó una década después de su abrupta cancelación. Una saga excesiva en todos los aspectos, pero definitoria de la concepción cósmico-épica que tenía Kirby de la aventura, cima de las ideas que ya se apuntaban en las sagas galácticas de los 4 Fantásticos (y que ahora, con la distancia del tiempo, parecen cada vez más atribuibles a Kirby y no a Lee). Sin embargo, el ecuador de la década de los 80 ya empezaba a dar muestras de lo que Moore denominaría la “Era Oscura” de los superhéroes, donde difícilmente encajaba la visión del género que Kirby mantenía casi desde los 60, algo que no se le escapaba al autor, sabedor de que su tiempo había pasado.
Y esa sensación es palpable en Perros Hambrientos, una novela gráfica en la que el gigantesco plan del Rey es comprimido y sintetizado en apenas unas páginas, reduciendo la grandilocuencia habitual del Cuarto Mundo a un confuso y apresurado fluir de la acción, apelotonada, vomitando ideas una detrás de otra. Kirby parece presuroso por acabar una historia que no tiene demasiado sentido acabar.
Un triste final para una gran saga que es, además, masacrada por la labor de entintadores y coloristas. Pese a que las páginas entintadas por Royer son fieles a los lápices del dibujante, los otros dos entintadores masacran sistemáticamente su trabajo, convirtiendo el dibujo cortante y dinámico de Kirby en una caricatura de su estilo. Un resultado que todavía es más destrozado por unos coloristas que no entienden que el color no puede dar volúmenes a su dibujo y que, en muchos momentos, restringen su trabajo a un simple caleidoscopio de colores, sin el más mínimo sentido del balance o la armonía cromática. Un tebeo, por desgracia, totalmente olvidable, sólo para completistas de Kirby.
Personalmente, prefiero ver en la saga de Orion que actualmente publica Planeta en su colección de Clásicos DC la verdadera continuación de la saga del Cuarto Mundo. Un trabajo lleno de respeto y admiración por el Rey, que continúa sus conceptos e ideas con la única idea en mente de divertir y entretener al lector con una saga épica y colosal.
http://www.lacarceldepapel.com/2006/0...
Tenía verdadera curiosidad por leer Perros Hambrientos, la conclusión de la saga del Cuarto Mundo que Jack Kirby abordó una década después de su abrupta cancelación. Una saga excesiva en todos los aspectos, pero definitoria de la concepción cósmico-épica que tenía Kirby de la aventura, cima de las ideas que ya se apuntaban en las sagas galácticas de los 4 Fantásticos (y que ahora, con la distancia del tiempo, parecen cada vez más atribuibles a Kirby y no a Lee). Sin embargo, el ecuador de la década de los 80 ya empezaba a dar muestras de lo que Moore denominaría la “Era Oscura” de los superhéroes, donde difícilmente encajaba la visión del género que Kirby mantenía casi desde los 60, algo que no se le escapaba al autor, sabedor de que su tiempo había pasado.
Y esa sensación es palpable en Perros Hambrientos, una novela gráfica en la que el gigantesco plan del Rey es comprimido y sintetizado en apenas unas páginas, reduciendo la grandilocuencia habitual del Cuarto Mundo a un confuso y apresurado fluir de la acción, apelotonada, vomitando ideas una detrás de otra. Kirby parece presuroso por acabar una historia que no tiene demasiado sentido acabar.
Un triste final para una gran saga que es, además, masacrada por la labor de entintadores y coloristas. Pese a que las páginas entintadas por Royer son fieles a los lápices del dibujante, los otros dos entintadores masacran sistemáticamente su trabajo, convirtiendo el dibujo cortante y dinámico de Kirby en una caricatura de su estilo. Un resultado que todavía es más destrozado por unos coloristas que no entienden que el color no puede dar volúmenes a su dibujo y que, en muchos momentos, restringen su trabajo a un simple caleidoscopio de colores, sin el más mínimo sentido del balance o la armonía cromática. Un tebeo, por desgracia, totalmente olvidable, sólo para completistas de Kirby.
Personalmente, prefiero ver en la saga de Orion que actualmente publica Planeta en su colección de Clásicos DC la verdadera continuación de la saga del Cuarto Mundo. Un trabajo lleno de respeto y admiración por el Rey, que continúa sus conceptos e ideas con la única idea en mente de divertir y entretener al lector con una saga épica y colosal.
December 30, 2021
Jack Kirby was the undisputed "King of Comics". When he left Marvel Comics at the end of the 1960s and went to DC Comics, he had his choice of what he wanted to do as far as creating new comics.
He created what is now referred to as "Jack Kirby's Fourth World". His epic played out in the pages of three titles he created and produced from scratch; The New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People. Characters would also appear in the pages of the fourth book he worked on for DC, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
The three interlocking comic books premiered in 1971 and ran for a shorter time than Kirby anticipated. His finite series was halted before he could craft the climax. Kirby moved on to other projects.
Ten years later, DC was changing. New editors filled top positions in the company. They were fans of Kirby's Fourth World epic. He was approached to complete his epic saga of good versus evil, resulting in this book.
DC wasn't the only thing that had changed. The world itself was different. Vietnam had come and gone. The Cold War continued. The nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union had people living in fear.
Kirby had changed too. The optimistic Forever People who embodied the flower child of the late sixties are absent from The Hunger Dogs. Out of three generations represented in The New Gods, Kirby identifies with the older generation. Kirby uses the character Himon to represent himself and his views.
There is a theme running throughout this book of the distrust between generations. The young want to come into their own. The seasoned and elderly have wisdom.
I could go on and on about what this story, published in 1985, represents other than just Kirby's farewell to his Fourth World. The better alternative would be to read the graphic novel yourself.
He created what is now referred to as "Jack Kirby's Fourth World". His epic played out in the pages of three titles he created and produced from scratch; The New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People. Characters would also appear in the pages of the fourth book he worked on for DC, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
The three interlocking comic books premiered in 1971 and ran for a shorter time than Kirby anticipated. His finite series was halted before he could craft the climax. Kirby moved on to other projects.
Ten years later, DC was changing. New editors filled top positions in the company. They were fans of Kirby's Fourth World epic. He was approached to complete his epic saga of good versus evil, resulting in this book.
DC wasn't the only thing that had changed. The world itself was different. Vietnam had come and gone. The Cold War continued. The nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union had people living in fear.
Kirby had changed too. The optimistic Forever People who embodied the flower child of the late sixties are absent from The Hunger Dogs. Out of three generations represented in The New Gods, Kirby identifies with the older generation. Kirby uses the character Himon to represent himself and his views.
There is a theme running throughout this book of the distrust between generations. The young want to come into their own. The seasoned and elderly have wisdom.
I could go on and on about what this story, published in 1985, represents other than just Kirby's farewell to his Fourth World. The better alternative would be to read the graphic novel yourself.
April 30, 2021
Jack Kirby's The Hunger Dogs serves as a sequel to 'The New Gods'. It is merely one long issue of around 60 pages.
This review is a SPOILER ALERT to those who are yet to read The New Gods.
From The New Gods to The Hunger Dogs; from one heavy title to the one sounding like a bunch of low-life syndicates? What is Hunger Dog? Hunger Dog is actually one of the lowest classes living on the planet Apokolips, the dystopian state ruled by the mighty cruel, Darkseid.
A revolt is sparked and the rebels are out of control. Himon and his daughter Bekka have nursed Orion and he is ready to take on from where he left. Meanwhile, Darkseid has found a technology, Micro-Mark, that can destroy a planet. So we know what planet will Darkseid consider destroying first.
(Himon is the scientist and a New Genesis citizen who secretly lives in Apokolips as a Hunger Dog with Bekka. He is the one who discovered Element X through which the Mother Boxes were created. Bekka is the love interest of Orion who made her first comic appearance in this story.)
The Hunger Dogs may not be that popular or anywhere close to the rank where 'The New Gods' is distinguished from the others but it is considered to be the end of the saga Jack Kirby started with The Forever People and The New Gods.
The drawings are still impressive as the previous storyline. Just look at the sketches of Hunger Dogs revolt and full-page planet destruction in one of the last pages.
The precise reference to find this story is by searching the 4th issue of the first volume of 'DC Graphic Novel published in 1985.
This review is a SPOILER ALERT to those who are yet to read The New Gods.
From The New Gods to The Hunger Dogs; from one heavy title to the one sounding like a bunch of low-life syndicates? What is Hunger Dog? Hunger Dog is actually one of the lowest classes living on the planet Apokolips, the dystopian state ruled by the mighty cruel, Darkseid.
A revolt is sparked and the rebels are out of control. Himon and his daughter Bekka have nursed Orion and he is ready to take on from where he left. Meanwhile, Darkseid has found a technology, Micro-Mark, that can destroy a planet. So we know what planet will Darkseid consider destroying first.
(Himon is the scientist and a New Genesis citizen who secretly lives in Apokolips as a Hunger Dog with Bekka. He is the one who discovered Element X through which the Mother Boxes were created. Bekka is the love interest of Orion who made her first comic appearance in this story.)
The Hunger Dogs may not be that popular or anywhere close to the rank where 'The New Gods' is distinguished from the others but it is considered to be the end of the saga Jack Kirby started with The Forever People and The New Gods.
The drawings are still impressive as the previous storyline. Just look at the sketches of Hunger Dogs revolt and full-page planet destruction in one of the last pages.
The precise reference to find this story is by searching the 4th issue of the first volume of 'DC Graphic Novel published in 1985.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2024
Questa GN è stata tradotta e pubblicata nei primi anni '90 dalla Play Press in Italia.
Presenta alcune peculiarità, tra cui il fatto che la figura di Orion compare come recuperata dai pozzi di fuoco di Apokolyps, cosa che non si è mai vista in Italia.
Inoltre alcuni passaggi della traduzione risultano un poco criptici.
Molto probabilmente la colpa è dell'edizione americana, rimaneggiata più volte dalla DC come mostrato nel Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 4.
Come storia presenta un buon tentativo di avere un finale, anche se aperto, alla saga di Kirby, senza modificare troppo lo status quo dei personaggi, come richiesta della casa editrice.
Si nota una certa stanchezza di Kirby in alcune tavole, nonché il cambio di inchiostratore da Royer a Theakston che di certo non giova. Nonostante tutto una certa enfasi epica permane e mi fa ritenere che 4 stelle possa essere il voto corretto, anche se dovrebbe essere un poco più basso.
Presenta alcune peculiarità, tra cui il fatto che la figura di Orion compare come recuperata dai pozzi di fuoco di Apokolyps, cosa che non si è mai vista in Italia.
Inoltre alcuni passaggi della traduzione risultano un poco criptici.
Molto probabilmente la colpa è dell'edizione americana, rimaneggiata più volte dalla DC come mostrato nel Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 4.
Come storia presenta un buon tentativo di avere un finale, anche se aperto, alla saga di Kirby, senza modificare troppo lo status quo dei personaggi, come richiesta della casa editrice.
Si nota una certa stanchezza di Kirby in alcune tavole, nonché il cambio di inchiostratore da Royer a Theakston che di certo non giova. Nonostante tutto una certa enfasi epica permane e mi fa ritenere che 4 stelle possa essere il voto corretto, anche se dovrebbe essere un poco più basso.
July 31, 2024
I just finished reading all of Kirby's Fourth World comics from the early 70's, which are great. This is not. It's an indecipherable mess. The story is just all over the place. I don't know if Kirby forgot about what he did originally or if it was a DC editorial thing but I couldn't tell what was going on at all. The dialogue is so bad. The story is difficult to follow. Even though the term 'micromark' is used dozens of times, I still don't know what it is.
While I did like the art, it doesn't look like The King at all. Not sure if it was the three different inkers or Kirby just changed his style as he got older. I will say the coloring is top notch, especially for the 80's. So much better than the four colored art of its time.
While I did like the art, it doesn't look like The King at all. Not sure if it was the three different inkers or Kirby just changed his style as he got older. I will say the coloring is top notch, especially for the 80's. So much better than the four colored art of its time.
May 19, 2019
The art is good in this. And sadly that's pretty much the only good thing I can say about it.
It's an unmoving, incomprehensible mess. The charm of Kirby's New Gods dialogue from the 70s has been replaced by pretentious babbling. Whatever story Kirby was trying to tell here got buried under the terrible dialogue.
It's a really disappointing end to his Fourth World Saga. I know there were problems behind the scenes but I think DC forcing him to change his story is the least of this book's problems. It's just not really readable unless you have the patience to sort through and try to figure out what he's trying to say, which I do not.
It's an unmoving, incomprehensible mess. The charm of Kirby's New Gods dialogue from the 70s has been replaced by pretentious babbling. Whatever story Kirby was trying to tell here got buried under the terrible dialogue.
It's a really disappointing end to his Fourth World Saga. I know there were problems behind the scenes but I think DC forcing him to change his story is the least of this book's problems. It's just not really readable unless you have the patience to sort through and try to figure out what he's trying to say, which I do not.
August 29, 2021
Let me say something. I LOVE Jack Kirby's work. And you don't get more Jack Kirby than the New Gods. You just don't. And you don't get more New Gods than the final chapter 'The Hunger Dogs'. But there is a taint of melancholy with this book. While it was published about a decade before his death, you get the feeling Kirby knew something.... while he might produce other comics and cartoons after this... and he did... never again would he produce something this good again. It shows in the story he's telling, the theme's he's addressing... and most importantly... the way it ends.
However, what an ending it is... it is perhaps the most Jack Kirby of Jack Kirby stories ever told.
However, what an ending it is... it is perhaps the most Jack Kirby of Jack Kirby stories ever told.
March 20, 2022
This book seems a little controversial according to the little bit of research I’ve done on it and I can understand why. Even then, I still enjoyed it. It doesn’t feel like a real ending and towards the last part of the book, it gets kind of confusing. Highfather seems kinda dumb with how he blows up his own planet to only temporarily stop Darkseid with this entirely luck based plan. However, the art is good and the story is entertaining to me. It does have problems but I would still recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2017
The Hunger Dogs is classic Jack Kirby. A lot of action, though more subdued than most of the original eleven issues of the 1970s comic series, and appearances by most of the cast of The New Gods. Darkseid, Orion, Highfather and Lightray are all in top form. A warning, if you haven't read the originals you may get lost in this book. There is a large cast to it.
October 23, 2024
A big downgrade from the previous New Gods titles by Jack Kirby. The story isn’t as good but the art is still top notch. The story is all over the place. There never seems to be a true plot. The story just meanders with occasional gaps where you can’t help but wonder if there were pages missing before it was printed. Honestly, you’re better off just reading a summary online.
September 30, 2024
"THE PAST IS BECOMING OUR FUTURE."
October 18, 2016
Iconic Jack Kirby puts an end to his New Gods (4th world) story (with awesome art as usual by "The King").
December 13, 2016
Grading this on a curb given the circumstances in which Kirby was given to write it, I'd give it 4/5 stars.
The story certainly feels rushed, but that couldn't be helped. One thing I think this actually did better than the prior 4th world stuff was that it was (forced) to be more focused on a single story between New Genesis and Apokalips rather than random 70s high jinks.
The story certainly feels rushed, but that couldn't be helped. One thing I think this actually did better than the prior 4th world stuff was that it was (forced) to be more focused on a single story between New Genesis and Apokalips rather than random 70s high jinks.
October 5, 2011
The quality of this story is largely compromised by the length of time between Kirby's prior work on the property as well as numerous editorial errors. A superior version of the story exists in Jack Kirby's Fourth World Vol. 4 and I recommend reading it there.
Want to Read
March 2, 2016Supongo que si me animo a hacer maratón de los 10 Cuarto Mundo de Kirby que sacó Planeta la conclusión lógica sería leerme este tomo. Espero lograrlo antes de que se nos venga encima el Quinto Mundo.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews