Jack Kirby's cosmic stories are taking over movie screens, and DC could have the better commodity in hand with his Fourth World. Here are the keys you'll want to add to your collections.
From the silver age Eternals to the bronze age Fourth World, "King" Kirby's ideas are dominating the rumor mills. Both projects are poised to be major hits, and they will bring a renaissance for both the MCU and DCEU in terms of cosmic storytelling.
The Fourth World has great potential to spawn an entire creative branch of its own in the DCEU. As we get ready for these characters to arrive on screen, here's where to start collecting their keys.
SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #134 (1970)
In a backup feature to the comic, Kirby introduced readers to his newest cosmic adventure, the Fourth World. This issue has been popular among collectors for years namely because it not only introduced the New Gods but it also gave us Darkseid's first cameo appearance. Out of all the characters from the Fourth World, he has endured and remains one of the most imposing villains among the DC Universe. While he was mentioned in Justice League, hopefully he'll not only be brought to life in the New Gods, but he will be given the proper treatment he deserves.
A year after Darkseid announced the coming of the Fourth World, Kirby wrote and drew New Gods #1, which was originally intended to be a limited series. This issue introduced the major characters Orion, Metron, and Highfather. This will be the comic to have in the coming months as we learn more details about the New Gods movie, but it is almost a guarantee that these three characters will play important roles in the film.
Around the same time as New Gods #1 was hitting shelves, Kirby expanded with the Forever People. They are part of the New Gods, but they're the younger version with more of a 1960's flower-child vibe with names like Beautiful Dreamer, Mark Moonrider, and Big Bear. This also marks the first full appearance of Darkseid, which only adds to the collectibility.
As I wrote in "Scrambling for Mister Miracle," there's a very good chance that Scott Free will be the star of the New Gods movie. Since Tom King, the writer of the acclaimed Mister Miracle series from 2017, is the co-writer for the New Gods screenplay, it would make sense that King would heavily feature Mister Miracle in the story. With the success DC's had with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam, New Gods is poised to be another hit, which could elevate Mister Miracle into the mainstream and make this comic even more valuable.
You can't have Mister Miracle without his wife, Big Barda. Originally one of Darkseid's lieutenants, she fell in love with the escape artist, and the two married. Much of King's 2017 series centered on the two trying to have a normal life while moonlighting as superheroes, and the film could set up that story arc if it's going for a lighthearted Guardians of the Galaxy tone. At any rate, this issue has been climbing since last year, and it's truly taking off so far in 2019.
