new_gods_frustrationJack Kirby's premiere issue of the New Gods opens with the bold proclamation, "There came a time when the Old Gods died!" It is an iconic and instantly recognizable phrase that has shaped pop culture for decades. A few years ago, it was announced that Selma director Ava DuVernay would helm a New Gods feature for Warner Bros/DC, and while updates have sprung up now and then... the movie is taking so long that these New Gods are turning old! It is with this, that we discuss the frustration with DC's New Gods.

One of the reasons why I normally avoid investing in DC related books is because of how wildly inconsistent their film production seems to be. While they have certainly improved over the years, Warner Bros still has a stupid habit of announcing a batch of projects and moving forward with one or two of them. Hell, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was cast as Black Adam in 2007; that film is finally set to begin production later this year.

The Frustration with DC's New Gods

All that said, I thought the New Gods would be different. I stupidly believed that Warner Bros would see the ridiculous potential in Jack Kirby's brilliant creation and jump onto it as soon as possible. When DuVernay was given the job, I leapt with joy as I am a huge fan of Selma (not so much A Wrinkle of Time, but whatever). Over a year later, it was revealed that Tom King (most known for his fantastic run on Mister Miracle) would co-write the script with DuVernay. Now, at the end of February, we have no new updates. For all we know, this New Gods film could be another Cyborg standalone movie.

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To make matters worse, during Warner Bros's slumber, Marvel Studios raced to the finish line with this year's Eternals. Yes, despite being ahead in this race to make the first Kirby-adaptation (by over a year) Warner Bros have somehow managed to mess this one up. Now, of course, I am no advocate for a rushed film production, not at all. However, no one forced Warner Bros or DuVernay herself to announce that New Gods was in the pipeline. Because of this stupid habit, Warner Bros look like fools once again, and when Eternals crosses the billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office later this year, they will look even worse.

Thankfully, I was not foolish. Early last year, I purchased Eternals #1,  New Gods #1 and Mister Miracle #2. While the first two are self-explanatory, Mister Miracle #2 features the first appearance of one Granny Goodness, leader of the Furies, the rumoured villains of the New Gods movie (if it ever decides to come out). At the moment, investing in New Gods #1Mister Miracle #1 (first appearance of Mister Miracle, who is set to lead the New Gods movie) and #2 seem unnecessary. However, considering how relatively low-cost these books are (seriously, check out some graded copies on eBay), I say they are worth picking up for the future (whether that be near or far).

In fact, a 9.8 copy of New Gods #1 sold in January for $2,000 (USD). The demand for the New Gods is certainly there, and hopefully Warner Bros and DC can get it together and give the fans what they want. When all is said and done, perhaps Warner Bros needed to lose the Kirby race to actually give us a beautiful adaptation of the New Gods, as if The Eternals is a smash-hit, I could see Warner Bros and DuVernay stepping up production for the film at a wicked pace.

 

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