By: Jim Starlin Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: September 09, 2008 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: September 09, 2008
Product Description: Thousands of years ago, the fearsome planet of Apokolips, under the leadership of the evil Darkseid, waged war against the peaceful civilisation of New Genesis, home to the 'New Gods' including Highfather, Mister Miracle, Orion and many more. But now, a mysterious force is slaughtering both New Gods and villains of Apokolips alike...and when Mister Miracle's wife, Big Barda, is killed, he harnesses the dread power of the Anti-Life Equation on a search for answers by any means necessary. What he - and allies Superman and Orion - will discover will change the very galaxy! Master of cosmic comics Jim Starlin ("Infinity Gauntlet") and penciller Matt 'Batt' Banning ("X-Men") tell the last tale of Jack 'King' Kirby's most memorable creations!
Fourth World- Starlin Opus! I highly recommend The Death of the New Gods to fans of Kirby's Fourth World or Starlin's Cosmic Operas. I loved Starlin's insightful Introduction where he shares that the story was one he so wanted but didn't want to take on. I agree with his assessment of his own story saying he feels it's his strongest work for DC in the recent past. His artwork has strong leanings to the 70's and 80's ,but I found his highly detailed single and double page splashes of exotic locales like the triple threat of Orion, Mister Miracle, and Superman battling an army of Parademons over the surface of Apokalips to be a spectacular treat to comic fans, this is just sample of the cosmically big, and bold visuals throughout the book. Starlin's art is enhanced by inkers like Mckenna and Thiebert, Especially in Superman's facial expressions. Starlin is also no stranger to ultra powerful, cunning and evil space lords (Thanos) and his Darkseid is impressive as well. Thanks Jim I loved this Send off to the Fourth World ! I found this to be far superior to Gaiman and Romita,jr's Eternals book from a few years back.,
Nice story, really poor end... The story kept me interested on it almost the 75% of the comic... but the last chapters really disappointed me for the true "villain" of it... i'm not going to spoil anything, but it really disappointed me.
just for "new gods" fans.
What a gosh-awful mess of a story Jim Starlin - I love Dreadstar and Captain Marvel. Warlock was great! Why don't they put the original Warlock stories in hardback? I'd buy that.
But I'm sorry that I read this, let alone bought it. Death of the New Guards is very bad. Not the art, which is splendid as always (that's why I'm giving this three stars), but the story is rambling, long-winded and boring, boring, boring. I like to think that this is a satire of DC management. There is no real mystery, the killer was going to reveal him/her/itself anyway.
The mystery to me is, why kill these characters off if you're not going to do a very good job of it?
I liked Cosmic Guard, why not do some more of that?
The road to Final Crisis gets paved with blood As the road towards Final Crisis became more visible, it was known that the New Gods would be playing a vital role in DC's latest universe-shattering mega-event. Jim Starlin, one of the best writers ever in terms of cosmic comic events, scripts and draws Death of the New Gods, in which the beloved creations of Jack Kirby find their world coming to a violent end. Orion, Mister Miracle, Big Barda; their all here, and they all find themselves as pawns in Darkseid's master plan. And speaking of Darkseid, as the previous review pointed out, the villain hasn't appeared this menacing in quite some time. Starlin's tale takes operatic turns, and his artwork is wonderful as well. The only real flaws of Death of the New Gods is that the book loses steam as it reaches it's conclusion, but does manage to nicely set the stage for the cataclysmic events to come in Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. All in all, whether you've been following the events leading up to Final Crisis or are just a longtime fan of Jack Kirby's Fourth World, consider Death of the New Gods a more than worthy pick up.
As the fourth world turns If only they were all this good. A story that starts out as a classic and compelling whodunit centering on the mysterious and inexplicable deaths of various members of the New Gods magically coalesces at its midpoint into a cosmic tour de force encompassing and reflecting on the past 23 years of DCU history. Forget its curious connection to Countdown, this is a major event all by itself. Jim Starlin has masterfully crafted an amazing saga replete with dramatic and traumatic twists and turns at every juncture. Psychology, theology, sociology, anthropology, hope, despair, heroism, treachery; the entire emotional and philosophical spectrums are insightfully and astutely explored, with the imagination and intricacies involved remarkable in their depth and breadth of scope. The grand scale of events is played out over three massive stages, Earth, New Genesis, and Apokolips, with the latter two unquestionably never being the same again. We even bear witness to the original and subsequent reversal of the Big Bang involving these two inescapably intertwined yet diametrically divergent planets. As for Darkseid himself, he has rarely appeared this keenly Machiavellian and wickedly imposing, and for a refreshing change opposed by a formidable adversary worthy of his overwhelming might. Much of the New Gods lore is examined and further embellished on, with the only minor downside being that people not overly familiar with this or the characters themselves may not be able to fully appreciate the emotional pain and loss that is so central to the resonance of this story. It also is a sparkling book visually. Seldom have double splash pages been used so effectively, perfectly illustrating and greatly enhancing the vast significance of many critical and climactic scenes. Everything is made all the more impressive considering Starlin's double duty dynamics on both script and art, with the final result being a stellar example of the rarefied heights that a graphic novel can attain. Jim Starlin, take a bow.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
