This is Day 22 of Howard Simpson’s month-long Jack Kirby Tribute, in honor of the King’s birthday this month. It’s open to all creatives, and you can find their tributes on your favorite social media platforms by the hashtag #KirbyArtTributes.
Today’s prompt is Jack Kirby’s New Gods. This was a key book in his Fourth World saga. Those who know their Kirby know that one of the things that always fascinated him and found its way into his work were myths and legends (as seen in Thor for Marvel). The conceptual seed of New Gods seemed to be “The old gods in the myths and legends of the past are something of a larger-than-life embodiment of the qualities those people prized. What are the concepts we value in our modern world, and how would you embody those?”
Obviously this isn’t all of the New Gods characters. It would’ve been impossible to do in this space. So I limited this to those who appeared in the New Gods title, who I hadn’t already depicted (like Orion), and only those from New Genesis, not from Apokalips (like Darkseid). That leaves (from left to right) Metron in his Mobius Chair, Highfather, and Lightray. At the bottom is young Esak. It was still a challenge to try to fit all these characters in!
I hope you like it, and please feel free to come back again tomorrow.
Great question…“What are the concepts we value in our modern world, and how would you embody those?” With the golden calves and all sorts of Loki’s out there, commonality sort of gets overwhelmed. Speaking for myself, I still think it is not unusual for someone to give a helping hand to someone they do not even know. I see it happen much more frequently than someone stepping on that person’s hand who needs help. I am more likely to run into a Highfather than a Darkseid. But both exist. I remain hopeful. Again you have created another nice piece. Thanks.
Glad you like it. It was a bit of a challenge trying to fit these characters in here!