I’ll admit I’m still trying to figure out what Jack Kirby was trying to do with the New Gods. Once I got past some of the goofy names, I realized there was a lot of interesting stuff going on. My impression of his overall project is that he was attempting to create a modern mythos for our times, a contemporary update of the Greek and Viking pantheons with a distinctly American flavor–a sort of American Iliad.

I think the problem was that this pantheon of American gods was already established. Their names were Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four. Of course, Kirby had an integral role in creating that pantheon. But I think readers–particularly readers of mainstream superhero comics–weren’t prepared for the motley crew of new superheroes introduced in the Fourth World comics. (more…)

As a kid, I loved figures like Dr. Impossible–characters who had virtually no characterization in the cartoons or comics, and were basically an open template for whatever I wanted them to be.

To the best of my knowledge, DI has had one single appearance in the DC Universe, in the Justice League of America storyline “The Tornado’s Path.” His real name, origin, and even the extent of his powers are unknown. And now that Grant Morrison has shipped the New Gods off to Earth-51, it’s possible we may never get the lowdown on DI (yeah, right…). (more…)

Since his first appearance in 1938, Superman has inspired countless similar characters (“knock-offs” would be the unkind term), from Captain Atom to Supreme to the Sentry. But the first and greatest Superman clone is undoubtedly Captain Marvel.

Created a year after Superman’s debut by artist C.C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, Captain Marvel was Fawcett Comics’ answer to the Man of Steel. Unlike Superman, though, Captain Marvel’s alter ego wasn’t a mild-mannered adult like Clark Kent, but a well-behaved twelve-year-old named Billy Batson who transformed into the superhero by saying the word “Shazam!” (more…)