New Gods #1 (February 1989)

The Gods walk among us! The statement can be quite true when it comes to a certain group of creations by the late great Jack Kirby. We've met one of the New Gods before in Mister Miracle #1. But there were other members of the Kirby-created pantheon. And they have had numerous adventures chronicled since their debut in 1971.

The comic we're look at here is the first issue of their third series. This was the longest lasting of the New Gods' books, going 28 issues from 1989 to 1991. The series was helmed by writer Mark Evanier and artist Paris Cullins. In a way, Evanier penning a New Gods series was strangely appropriate as Evanier started out in the comics industry as an assistant to Kirby himself. So, how did Evanier and Cullins do as the then-new chroniclers of the lives of the New Gods? Let's find out by looking at New Gods #1!

The cover is a Paris Cullins piece, and I think it's pretty cool. It depicts Orion in the center, surrounded by the faces of various other New Gods characters, all looking somewhat like a film negative. Orion being in the center and in full color makes him stand out from everything else. I also admit, I do like this masthead logo for the book. It is admittedly a bit plain, though. That's the only real issue one can have with this cover, in my opinion.

"Hordes"
Writers: Mark Evanier, Paris Cullins
Penciler: Paris Cullins
Inker: Bob Lewis
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editor: Mike Carlin, Renee Witterstaetter
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins on New Genesis, the home of the heroic New Gods, led by Izaya the Highfather. Speaking of Izaya, the man himself is checking on another New God, Metron. The Seeker of Knowledge has been lying in his chair for days, making no movements and saying no words. It's like he's a corpse. However, his mind is as active as ever.

The scene then shifts to Atlanta, Georgia. It's seemingly an ordinary day in the Gate City...until it's attacked by Darkseid's forces. They go after two people, a man and a woman named Wilson Gilmore and Eve Donner. For you see, these two seemingly regular people carry a secret within their souls, a secret that could shatter the universe. But these two people, and the rest of the city, has protectors. 

Page 5, Panel 1

Orion and his New Gods allies, including Lightray, Fastbak, and Jezebel, race into combat. Eve tries to get Wilson to stay. Wilson is understandably freaked out and wants to get the heck out of there. Also during the battle, the cops stop a man named Dave Lincoln. Orion engages his half-brother Kalibak. During their fight, Kalibak taunts Orion over his own Apokoliptian heritage. The heroic New Gods are able to drive Darkseid's Parademon forces back to the Boom Tube that spawned them. But the last Parademon leaves a nasty little surprise for our heroes.

Page 11, Panel 5

This wannabe Thwomp here is called a Morrow Block. The Morrow Block is basically a doomsday weapon. It absorbs the life force of an entire world. The heroic New Gods and their forces try to destroy the Block, but their assault fails. During the conflagration, Gilmore is kidnapped. You see, Eve and Wilson are humans who both unknowingly carry parts of the Anti-Life Equation, a sort of mathematical proof that life is futile and pointless and grants its user the power to utterly dominate the minds of others. It's been Darkseid's Holy Grail, for if he gets the Equation, he can easily dominate the universe.

Orion can't save Gilmore right now, as the Morrow Block is absorbing all the life force of the planet. Using the Astro-Force, Orion is able to destroy the Block. Afterwards, the heroic New Gods return to New Genesis, and Orion is none too happy. Darkseid's obsession with obtaining the Anti-Life Equation has not faltered, despite what seemed to be a living form of the Equation nearly causing the destruction of the universe in the then-recent Cosmic Odyssey story. 

Orion's adopted father, Izaya the Highfather, tries to assure Orion by pointing out that Darkseid's infinite arrogance is the reason for this. He gets angry at Highfather when he reminds the Dog of War that he has to return the body of the first Forager to his people...who Orion was none too fond of. You see, the original Forager was a member of the Insect Empire, a species of insectoid people that live underground. Orion doesn't like them very much. The Forager gave his life to help stop the Anti-Life Equation in Cosmic Odyssey. Orion admits that he had grown to respect Forager, as he showed himself to being a being of honor and a valiant fighter. But it's easier for him sometimes to just lose his temper than admit he is wrong. 

Back on Apokolips, Gilmore is strapped to a machine.

Page 22, Panel 1

Desaad activates the device, painfully ripping into Gilmore. Desaad takes great enjoyment and thrill from the hapless man's screams. Ultimately, the part of the Anti-Life Equation inside of Gilmore is ripped out and put into a small crystal...with Gilmore dying in the process. The story ends with Darkseid grinning in triumph.  

I enjoyed this issue personally. As a first issue, it does what it should do, in my opinion. It sets up the current status quo of the New Gods, sets up a couple storylines, and in this case, deals with some of the fallout of Cosmic Odyssey. The main thing it seems to set up is Orion's growing frustration with what seems like the endless war between New Genesis and Apokolips. It makes sense that a temperamental man like him would be struggling with what appeared to be a war that seems to have no end on the horizons, especially with an enemy who seemed to have learned nothing after nearly causing the end of everything. 

To me, Paris Cullins' art gives a bit of a cartoony vibe to the story. One of the things that made the New Gods memorable was Jack Kirby's art making them seem larger-than-life. Cullins's art is pretty dynamic in my opinion. However, I do think the cartoony vibe does make it look a little less epic. It comes off more as a standard battle between superheroes than supposed gods. That's not saying Cullins's art is bad. It's not bad at all, but the vibe is a bit off to me.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2021 trade paperback New Gods Book One: Bloodlines. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get vaccinated! See you next time!