JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD FIASCO?

Copyright DC COMICS

Nowadays, DC Comics' Fourth World saga is sometimes hyperbolically (surely) described as 'Jack Kirby's Masterpiece', usually on the dust-jackets of books reprinting (yet again) his '70s series, and/or by rabid JK fans who think the 'King' could do no wrong.  However, not only isn't it a masterpiece by today's standards, it wasn't one back in the day either.  Some readers are prone to imbue things with a depth that simply doesn't exist, solely because there are aspects of the subject matter they don't fully understand and therefore assume must be profound, but vagueness doesn't necessarily equate with value.

Add to that, if they first read the various series back in their youth, the stories inevitably become intertwined in memories of their lives at the time, and it's difficult to view things objectively if one's childhood or teenage years are involved - it's almost impossible to separate one from the other.  However, facts are facts!  Many of those who followed Jack from Marvel to DC soon returned to Marvel because Forever People, New Gods, and Mister Miracle failed to capture their interest.  In my view, only Jimmy Olsen's mag was of any merit, and it was probably Superman's inclusion that swung things in its favour.

As for the other three - convoluted plots, uninteresting and uncharismatic characters, clunky dialogue and dry exposition, well, they didn't exactly make for a satisfying read guaranteed to bring readers back for the next issue.  Nowadays it's asserted in certain quarters that the sales figures weren't actually as bad as was later claimed, but why would DC cancel mags that were making money?  Remember, Kirby was being paid slightly more than the usual rate and he had two assistants to pay (out of his own pocket), so one inarguable fact is that DC wouldn't have 'suspended' the Fourth World comics if they were selling well and making a profit.

Did DC hope that by employing Kirby, Marvel would flounder without him?  It must've occurred to them if they believed the rumours that Jack was behind every good thing at Marvel and Stan Lee was merely a hitch-hiker, but the one thing Jack proved with his DC mags was just how essential an ingredient Stan was to the recipe.  One thing to remember is that comics were regarded as ephemeral entertainment for kids and teens, not classic literature.  Has there ever been a superhero series of comics that could legitimately be described as a 'masterpiece'?  Well, I suppose that's debatable, but Kirby's Fourth World definitely wasn't it.