Prior relevant discussion: The Belated Testament of Jack Kirby
So if Jack Kirby's Fourth World is a new comic book myth, how does that myth manifest itself?
Well, one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that just as ancient sacred texts were working from their cultural and historical context, Kirby's Fourth World is working from the pure superhero comic book context. That's why it's such a hodgepodge in the first place. The Fourth World myth is at once mythology, science fiction, messianic gospel, new age philosophy and superhero action. Superhero comics have likewise always been a fluid mix of action, pulp, science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy, etc. Is their any genre that you can't fit in a superhero comic in some way? I bet there isn't. And many comics have dipped into them all.
In all four titles - Jimmy Olsen, Forever People, New Gods and Mister Miracle - Kirby's gods, angels, devils and prophets are high concept, costumed, codenamed superheroes and villains. Combined with the previous concept (cross-genre), this is an important element to understand about the Fourth World to fully enjoy it. After all, without accepting that this is pure comic book myth, it is hard to accept a young alien godling who dresses like a cowboy (Serifan), or Darkseid's lieutenants modelling themselves on anything from Renaissance assassins (Kanto) to Prussian officers (Vermin Vundabar). The names of most Fourth World characters are often ridiculous puns that only make sense in English. If read like any other story, it is hard to maintain suspension of disbelief. If read as comic book myth which uses all comics tropes together, it becomes something else entirely.
Another essential notion: Kirby's Fourth World is written in the language of comics. Obviously, there are the unnatural but dynamic poses and the driving energy of panel transitions, but it's in the words too. Read any sacred text and you will find an archaic style. Heightened prose, antiquated turns of phrase, parables. The Fourth World's hyperbolic style must have been already archaic in 1970 when the books came out, and from today's point of view, might as well have been written in the Golden or Silver Ages when crazy was beautiful. But this is pure comics, and just like we don't speak like the prophets of the Old Testament, no one really talks like Kirby's characters, the most energetic of which is the Fourth World's omniscient Narrator (think of him as part Homer, part Mark, part J Writer, if you must). A close cousin of Stan Lee's salesman persona, he outStans even "The Man". One of the Narrator's big things is the cover blurb:
Just how many does he need? Like a cosmic carnival barker, the Narrator uses this comic book staple to its fullest extent taking his cue, perhaps, from EC books and 80-page Giants that had to advertise multiple stories, but caring little that only one is contained in the current issue's pages. Kirby's Narrator doesn't just present and explain the stories, he orders us to steal the next issue from the printer's rather than wait for it to appear at the newsstand. He tries to scare you by sicking the Black Racer on you. The prose isn't just purple, it's relentlessly IN YOUR FACE. Look for the same thing in the dialogue.
If Jack Kirby creates a new myth, a new way, a new gospel of comics, it must have a message, and that message is Freedom. Taken as a whole, the Fourth World myth is about a conflict between the forces of New Genesis and Apokolips. Darkseid's goal is to find the Anti-Life Equation which will give him control over everyone, everywhere. Darkseid is fascism, and the Equation the ultimate fascism. Anti-Life is not death. Anti-Life is the loss of free will. Kirby's messianic figure is thus Mister Miracle, a super escape artist who has escaped the fascist world of Apokolips and bimonthly would free both his mind and his body from all manner of traps and cages.
But beyond that. Kirby was given a great measure of creative freedom with these books, and as I have discussed elsewhere, teaches us to be ourselves, to go our own way, to in effect, free our creative drives and create unique works of art, even within the boundaries of shared (corporated) universes. Not only does he reinvent Jimmy Olsen and create three new titles filled with hordes of new characters and concepts, but he feels free to experiment artistically with psychedelic photo montage as well.
He is free to try anything. As his disciples, so should we.
So if Jack Kirby's Fourth World is a new comic book myth, how does that myth manifest itself?
Well, one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that just as ancient sacred texts were working from their cultural and historical context, Kirby's Fourth World is working from the pure superhero comic book context. That's why it's such a hodgepodge in the first place. The Fourth World myth is at once mythology, science fiction, messianic gospel, new age philosophy and superhero action. Superhero comics have likewise always been a fluid mix of action, pulp, science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy, etc. Is their any genre that you can't fit in a superhero comic in some way? I bet there isn't. And many comics have dipped into them all.
In all four titles - Jimmy Olsen, Forever People, New Gods and Mister Miracle - Kirby's gods, angels, devils and prophets are high concept, costumed, codenamed superheroes and villains. Combined with the previous concept (cross-genre), this is an important element to understand about the Fourth World to fully enjoy it. After all, without accepting that this is pure comic book myth, it is hard to accept a young alien godling who dresses like a cowboy (Serifan), or Darkseid's lieutenants modelling themselves on anything from Renaissance assassins (Kanto) to Prussian officers (Vermin Vundabar). The names of most Fourth World characters are often ridiculous puns that only make sense in English. If read like any other story, it is hard to maintain suspension of disbelief. If read as comic book myth which uses all comics tropes together, it becomes something else entirely.Another essential notion: Kirby's Fourth World is written in the language of comics. Obviously, there are the unnatural but dynamic poses and the driving energy of panel transitions, but it's in the words too. Read any sacred text and you will find an archaic style. Heightened prose, antiquated turns of phrase, parables. The Fourth World's hyperbolic style must have been already archaic in 1970 when the books came out, and from today's point of view, might as well have been written in the Golden or Silver Ages when crazy was beautiful. But this is pure comics, and just like we don't speak like the prophets of the Old Testament, no one really talks like Kirby's characters, the most energetic of which is the Fourth World's omniscient Narrator (think of him as part Homer, part Mark, part J Writer, if you must). A close cousin of Stan Lee's salesman persona, he outStans even "The Man". One of the Narrator's big things is the cover blurb:
Just how many does he need? Like a cosmic carnival barker, the Narrator uses this comic book staple to its fullest extent taking his cue, perhaps, from EC books and 80-page Giants that had to advertise multiple stories, but caring little that only one is contained in the current issue's pages. Kirby's Narrator doesn't just present and explain the stories, he orders us to steal the next issue from the printer's rather than wait for it to appear at the newsstand. He tries to scare you by sicking the Black Racer on you. The prose isn't just purple, it's relentlessly IN YOUR FACE. Look for the same thing in the dialogue.
If Jack Kirby creates a new myth, a new way, a new gospel of comics, it must have a message, and that message is Freedom. Taken as a whole, the Fourth World myth is about a conflict between the forces of New Genesis and Apokolips. Darkseid's goal is to find the Anti-Life Equation which will give him control over everyone, everywhere. Darkseid is fascism, and the Equation the ultimate fascism. Anti-Life is not death. Anti-Life is the loss of free will. Kirby's messianic figure is thus Mister Miracle, a super escape artist who has escaped the fascist world of Apokolips and bimonthly would free both his mind and his body from all manner of traps and cages.But beyond that. Kirby was given a great measure of creative freedom with these books, and as I have discussed elsewhere, teaches us to be ourselves, to go our own way, to in effect, free our creative drives and create unique works of art, even within the boundaries of shared (corporated) universes. Not only does he reinvent Jimmy Olsen and create three new titles filled with hordes of new characters and concepts, but he feels free to experiment artistically with psychedelic photo montage as well.
He is free to try anything. As his disciples, so should we.
Comments
You remember Siskoid when we did an essay in Media Studies classes about the evolution and the current (1990) trends in comics? Remember we got an A on that mostly on originality?
Man, we were just scratching the surface...
When I now read about your Cult of Kirby, your bubbleworlds, etc you just keep going. And you come up with these great texts on a weekly basis. Is it because you feel our original essay was incomplete? Of course, such works are always incomplete. Every week, I look forward to reading the next chapter in the neverending essay about comics.
I haven't even thought about it since then probably. I'd say I owe that aspect of the blog to my admiration for other bloggers that have done some though-provoking essays on the subject, most notably, but not limited to, Scipio of the Absorbascon.
Bad because we couldn't have had the inspiration as you now mention.
Good because, in such a vast blogosphere as we now have, how can you NOT be accused of plagiarism as there is likely an essay written about almost anything???
As for our original work, i likely still have it (on a floppy no less!) somewhere...
Kirby's Fourth World stuff was pure fun. Hell, even my mom, who was in her fifties at the time and generally enjoyed things like classic opera, loved reading Jack Kirby's MISTER MIRACLE.
You learn me well about the relationship between Jack and Stan. My comment remains correct in effect if not in intent or causality.