Absolute Fourth World by Jack Kirby 2

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Absolute Vol. 2 contains never seen before material and its beautiful. If you're familiar with this key comic book series, it's never looked better. I'm very happy with the book. I'm not happy that I paid the pre-order price of $150. I placed my order in May, 2021 and waited patiently for it's arrival. I see that it is priced $37 less just two days after it's release. Why? I'm disappointed in Amazon.I do recommend this book for the fans who want it. It's a classic done right.

I did not know until it came but the Hunger Dogs graphic novel is now in the canon! It was very controversial as an ending.The Pact might be the greatest Kirby piece

This was shipped in a custom box with shrink wrap on the book. That was packed with air packs in a second box, the the book arrived in mint condition.Beautiful slide out case. Huge heavy book with good paper.Amazing Kirby collection

Beautiful I only share some pictures. If you are here you know Kirby, you know 4th world and you either want or have these book.5 stard in all se senses.

Great read in a great oversize package.

Great edition of a fantastic work

Many years ago, when I was a youngster, I used a little bit of my weekly allowance my loving parents gave me, rode by bike to a nearby drug store and bought myself a small stack of comic books. One of them was a DC Comic. It was "New Gods" #7, written and drawn by Jack Kirby.To this day, many decades later, after lovingly reading countless comics during that time, "New Gods" #7, written and drawn by Jack Kirby, remains one of my all-time favorite comic reading experiences in my life.This particular comic issue was explained on its splash page accordingly by its creator, Mr. Kirby:"From time to time--this kind of segment will supplement the larger tapestry of the New Gods.'Thank you-Jack Kirby"For this adult comic lover, that above quote has always said so much to me on a personal level about the greatness of its creator, Jack Kirby. The matter-of-factness of the quote. The idea of this specific comic being described by him as merely a "segment." The exciting implication of "the larger tapestry of the New Gods" comics to come...! As I opened this comic for the first time all those years ago and read those words, little did I know that I was about to read one of the most epic, cataclysmic, awe-inspiring and wondrous comics I would ever read!!"New Gods" #7, first published in 1971, featured the classic story called "The Pact," a seminal tale of cosmic conflict and immortal kinship. But it is just one story in "the larger tapestry" and grand vision originally conceived by Jack "King" Kirby and contained within the monumental "Absolute Fourth World Volume Two," published by DC Comics. The "Absolute Edition" book format is a truly special archival series devoted to extraordinary works of what master Will Eisner called "sequential art," and if any comic creation deserves to be collected in this series it is Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" mythology! This second volume concludes a colossal two part comprehensive collection of Mr. Kirby's entire "Fourth Worth" saga. Within this massive tome, readers will find:"Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen (1954-1974)" #146-148"The Forever People (1971-1972)" #7-11"New God (1971-1972)" #7-11"Mister Miracle (1971-1974)" #7-18"New Gods (1984 6-Issue Mini-Series)" #6: "Even Gods Must Die!""DC Comics Graphic Novel (1985)" #4: "The Hunger Dogs""On the Road to Armagetto": a "lost tale" of the "New Gods" sagaPlus:"The Art of Jack Kirby"A section of art and essays on the "Fourth World" mythologyWith a page count of 816 pages for Volume One, released in 2020, and 840 pages for Volume Two, the complete chronicles of the "Fourth World" come to a total of 1956 pages of comic book reading, all written, drawn and edited by the "King" of comics! It stands the test of time as being the most ambitious and challenging artistic achievement of his amazing career.This climactic compendium to Mr. Kirby's imaginative magnum opus continues to build upon the personal mythology the comic creator of creators brought to DC Comics and its superhero universe. A vast fable of science fiction and fantasy, of youthful exuberance and idealism, rousing action and adventure and emotional drama and heroism, the "Fourth World" is all that and more. While it is historically noted for the surprise and ambition of its birth as well as its premature ending as a four comic cosmic cycle, its lasting influence is the spark of concepts and ideas it continues to inspire, helping the vision of Mr. Kirby to live on beyond his works' initial cancellation and even beyond the life of the "King" himself.The second volume of the "Fourth World" is highlighted by the now classic collaboration between Mr. Kirby and inker Mike Royer, which began with the cover to "Forever People" #2 (1971), featured in Volume One of this "Absolute Edition" series. Mr. Royer brought a level of respect, enthusiasm, precision and even reverence to his embellishing of the pencil line work of Mr. Kirby, something that fans like myself deeply appreciated. This reviewer would also like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Royer, and to John Costanza for contributing their lettering talents to these comics. Along with D. Bruce Berry, who also inked and lettered the story, "Even Gods Must Die!" from the 1984 "New Gods" Mini-Series Comic, and the 1985 "Hunger Dogs" Graphic Novel, these gifted professionals are too often unsung but help bring life and their own special artistry to this storytelling medium.Taken together with its companion, the "Absolute Fourth World Volume Two" is a triumphant hardcover and slipcased testament to one man's vision, genius and love for the art of comics.It comes with my highest recommendation.

In my opinion, the two greatest stories in the history of DC Comics are Watchmen by Alan Moore and The Fourth World saga by Jack Kirby. As the old saying goes, “There is nothing new under the sun” but as far as I know The Fourth World saga is unique in the history of comics. One writer, producing four separate series, tying together one massive crossover. Not only that, but DC clearly gave Kirby a TON of freedom to create. Ultimate, it was a failure in it’s time, and the plug was pulled before it was completed due to poor sales. However, it has stood the test of time in a way that few stories have in the history of comics.Unlike Watchmen, I’m convinced that in a large part Jack Kirby was making it up as he went along. For one thing, he introduces a lot of elements and characters that go nowhere. Also, the various comic series, including Forever People, Jimmy Olsen, New Gods and Mister Miracle don’t always fit together seamlessly. Jack Kirby was working at breakneck speed and his creativity was off the charts. This is the rare occasion where an unconstrained talent produces a masterpiece. Writers dream of creating enduring characters and Kirby was creating dozens in quick succession. This was world building right smack dab in the middle of the DCU and it all worked. Kirby was able to overlay his Fourth World on top of the DCU and connect the two brilliantly. By having four series running concurrently, it feels like we are reading elements of a multipronged attack by Darkseid on the Earth. At some point, Jimmy Olsen and the Forever People series end and then we get a whole bunch of Mister Miracle in a row.Your enjoyment of Absolute Editions really depends on how you like to read books. I have the Fourth World Omnibus and at over 1500 pages, it’s the largest book I own in terms of page count. However, it’s really a toss-up as to whether it’s more of a pain in the butt to read the Omnibus or the lower page count, but physically larger Absolute Editions. In both cases, I lay the books on the floor with one end propped against a wall or some other object. Not an ideal way to read for a lot of people but with the Absolute Edition you do get the largest pages of any DC line, and these are significantly thicker pages than the Omnibus edition. If I had my choice, I’d probably choose to read the Omnibus edition and my purchasing of the Absolute Editions is purely out of my love of the source material.Volume One of the Fourth World Absolute Edition included all the extras from the Omnibus Edition so I was very curious to see what we would get this time around. One thing I didn’t like about the original Hunger Dogs was the radical departure in inking and coloring from everything else in the Fourth World story and it’s faithfully reproduced here. Apparently even Kirby hated the inking and coloring in Hunger Dogs. We get a second version presented with proper inking and coloring and it looks significantly better. It’s not nearly the entire story but it’s still very cool to have. We then get a TON of Kirby original pencil drawings and although historically important, I was never that interested in this stuff. We also get sketches the Kirby did for the Super Powers Toy Line that was actually kind of cool. Finally, we get a bunch of writings from Jack Kirby regarding the Fourth World that were written as they were being produced. This is really awesome, and I love reading his thought. If you love DC and the Absolute Editions, this is one you can’t pass up.

There no doubting that Jack Kirby was a brilliant, talented and creative force in American Comics. This second volume, completing the "Fourth World" storyline and including the "Hunger Dogs" graphic Novel, contains everything one would expect of such a talent.Containing issues such as "The Pact" from New Gods #7 and "Himon" from Mister Miracle #9 this book is a dream come true for those of us who have waited almost half a century to see Kirby's work published on glossy paper, in full colour and all contained in a slip-case. Kirby at his worst remains better than 99% of new artists at their best. His energy, his ability to portray power, conflict and pathos is unmatched and needs to be better recognized. This book epitomizes Kirby at his zenith.If you are a comic-book fan then this book should be on your shelf . It's a milestone, an epic and still stands up today. Highly recommended.