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Post by Admin on Apr 16, 2008 17:32:11 GMT -5
Please let us know what you think!
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impulseallen
Staff 
Much More Than The Guy Runs Fast and the Guy Who Talks to Fish!
Posts: 561
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Post by impulseallen on Apr 16, 2008 18:23:45 GMT -5
I liked it a lot! Orion's a very cool character and I loved the line "Let's show them how real gods do battle!" Very well written. I look forward to reading more.
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Post by >>Riz! on Apr 17, 2008 3:22:14 GMT -5
Good first issue, though the first part seemed a little bit stiff.
I like how you handle Orion.
Barda on the other hand... I think I have to read more about her in the next issues to get her characte more.
Looking forward to the next issue.
And the Cover of Craig and Ramon was awesome.
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Post by David on Apr 17, 2008 8:00:13 GMT -5
Holy Moley! What a fantastic five star debut! This issue was epic--- that's the only word for it. I love the machinations of the various New Gods, and there is a very real feeling of big, cosmic dread building. I really feel that this is a battle of good vs evil!
The extinguishing of the fire-pits was nicely done--- and will provide a heartbreaking moment when they inevitably flare up again! Maybe that will be enough to send Orion over the edge?
Who's the 'him' Desaad referred to?!? What is their infernal plan? Awesome scene with the Furies busting into the prison. In fact, the pacing in this issue was very well-done, indeed.
Interesting development with Scott and Barda, though I had to roll my eyes at the appearance of everyone's least favorite DEO agents, Clevenger and Nodell. But to be fair, maybe they will find a more suitable home here than they had in the pages of Action Comics... And they were slightly less annoying this time (their quippage helped to lighten the otherwise heavy tone of the book), so I will reserve judgement--- for now!
Also, Barda has become one of my new favorite characters.
Just a couple of complaints: while I heartily approved of the syntactical choices the writer has chosen for this series, there are points where the florid language gets a bit unwieldy and awkward. I'm not saying tone it down, but definately tighten it up in those few spots (in short, don't sacrifice substance for style). In fact, the tone of this book is perfect--- if hard to execute with consistency.
The only other complaint is a minor continuity error: Scott and Barda met as kids in Granny Goodness' orphanage, and not (as this issue indicates) during the war.
But for all that, I can't bring myself to penalize the issue. I had so much fun reading it, I had to give it a five-star rating!
Now for the cover: OHMIGOD! Craig and Ramon you guys keep raising the bar every day. This image is in a whole new catagory of awesome, and a perfect example of how a colorist can take a great picture and transcend the original concept. I really believe Jack Kirby would look at that image and be proud.
Looking forward to the next issue!
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Post by Merai on Apr 17, 2008 15:22:36 GMT -5
I liked it a lot! Orion's a very cool character and I loved the line "Let's show them how real gods do battle!" Very well written. I look forward to reading more. Thanks very much, it's great to hear such positive feedback! Orion is probably my favourite of the New Gods (Well, besides a certain forbidden word that starts with 'D' and isn't the Light Side!) and I'm glad you thought he was cool! Sorry you felt the start was a little stiff- I felt it was necessary to pick up from where we last saw our resident pantheon in full glory (Though they've appeared a few times here and there) and set the tone for the series. Again, glad you liked how Orion was handled, and you'll see plenty more of Scott and Barda, so I hope you grow to like her as much as I have! Actually, I wasn't the biggest fan of Barda until I first got to write her over on DC3's Ultimate Fourth World, and sicne then she's been growing on me immensely. I know! I'm hoping everyone comes to check out those magnificent covers and stays for the stories.  Seriously though, I owe both of them huge thanks for producing one of the best covers I've seen on the DC2. : Well wow, this is VERY high praise from the First Father of the site! I'm really glad you enjoyed it, Dave- epic was what I was stirving for and I'm glad it made it through! As you can see, Orion has tempered down a bit since we last saw him. Things would need to get really, REALLY bad for him to start getting harsher again, right? And what cruel, callous writer would inflict that on his characters? That said, the firepit stuff is leading somewhere... but it may not be where you think... Well, I needed DEO people, I needed a lighter side of the issue, and I wanted to play around with some DC2-specific characters, so Clev and Nodell to the rescue! I can't promise they'll be sticking around long-term, but though I may be in the minority, I enjoy them precisely because they're irritating! D'OH! You're right- my mind was thinking on how they only got together during the war, and I was so busy trying to remember that this isn't the normal DCU that I managed to mess up something which is true in both universes! Thanks for pointing it out though! As for the language, I'm pretty sure I understand what you mean. The more elaborate language is more unwieldy than usual structuring, but hopefully I'll get more comfortable with it as the book goes on, and be able to make it less clumsy! I know I already praised our artists but C'MON, I think it all bears repeating! If this doesn't win "Cover of the Week", it's a crime against art! |
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Post by Romans Empire on Apr 18, 2008 23:49:32 GMT -5
I have to start off with the fact that the cover was simply amazing! Craig and Ramon have topped themselves here teaming up for a cover that would certainly make the 'King' proud. Now on to the story... Maybe it is my lack of sleep on my part but the beginning really confused me and I almost stopped reading it and went to bed. So am I to take it that this story picks up after the Apokolips Imperative finished off? Was the death toll on Earth after the Crisis well over a million? If so then I don't see how anyone could claim victory and just move on with their lives. Again maybe I am confused here so I will just move on. It was a bit slow in the beginning but as it is with reading any new writer for the first time I really began to get a feel for what you brought to the table. I quickly found myself wide awake and completely enthralled with a truly remarkable first issue. You managed to set things up in such a way that I really didn't care that there wasn't much action. I loved the focus on Orion and the Female Furies are some of my all time favorite Forth World characters. I was enjoying the Scott and Barda stuff until they showed up. Not being a fan of those characters or the DEO I was disappointed to see them show up. Though I did find the lightheartedness a welcome break and since it wasn't over the top...I manged through it. I liked the idea that they weren't really there to try and take them in since the DEO should have moved past that after all the Crisis crap went down where they spied on heroes and tried to make their lives difficult. (I know I am in the minority here but it bugs me.  ) Overall I enjoyed the first issue and the true epic feel you have brought to this title Kevin. You have manged to impress me with not only your writing but also the various storylines that were set up. I am eagerly awaiting the next issue. Also I forgot to ask why was the issue set up differently then the standard issue? I didn't mind that the cover was placed where it was but why was the creative team listed at the end? Was that simply because of the storyarcs name having a bigger part of the story? It bugged me because I like to know who's who from the beginning. ;D |
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Post by Merai on Apr 19, 2008 16:46:40 GMT -5
I Maybe it is my lack of sleep on my part but the beginning really confused me and I almost stopped reading it and went to bed. So am I to take it that this story picks up after the Apokolips Imperative finished off? Was the death toll on Earth after the Crisis well over a million? If so then I don't see how anyone could claim victory and just move on with their lives. Again maybe I am confused here so I will just move on. Apologies- if there was a lack of clarity in storytelling, it is (obviously) my responsibility. The intro of the story takes place three days after the conclusion of the IXE, the bulk of the issue (and the series) is set at the same time as the present-DC2U, as shall soon become apparant. The death toll was a guess, but an educated one. Considering it was a full scale invasion globally, the Dark Gods' temporary takeover of Earth, Darkseid's gaining of the ALE etc, I felt that this was a fairly conservative estimate of global casualties. This may just be me applying hyper-realism here, but it's not a major plot point so feel free to view it as an error if you don't like the implications. Well, thanks very much for all the compliments! ;D The next issue is pretty Fury-tastic, and will hopefully make up for the lack of action! You can expect the focus on Orion to continue pretty much forever- he is is the main character. In fact, I'll actually be delving more deeply into his character with a one-shot focusing completely on him soon to really set him up fully for his role in the series! This seems to be a bit of a consensus here, but as I said, Clev and Nodel aren't in the book long-term! But this plotline will tie back to some of what we saw the DEO doing in the first Crisis- a plot thread I found interesting which has been largely ignored ever since, but will be picked up in full force! I really appreciate it, I couldn't have asked for a better response to my first DC2 issue- or a better cover! That was a stylistic choice on my part because I didn't want the title to give away the ending at the very start! It was a one-off, and I know Charlie had to work around it by not putting the name of the story in the thread title etc, so thanks to him for that. So there you go- reason 1, to avoid spoilers, reason 2 because I enjoy making Charlie's life difficult. |
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Post by HoM on Apr 19, 2008 18:10:31 GMT -5
I didn't remember the first part of the story occuring elsewhere. That was distracting. Apart from that... The entire story was wonderful from beginning to end. The thing with Kirby and the New Gods is that the concept lends itself to big, planet sized ideas, and if you come to this book with anything less, you automatically fail. You'll crash and burn, because Orion, Lightray, Metron, all those people, they're Gods! They ARE Gods! They take a more active role than most of the Gods we see in books (More so than the Greek Gods, or the Roman Gods, or even plain, singular God) so there's this idea that they're just powerful beings from another world. WRONG. They're Gods. Crazy, angsty, fucked up Gods, and that's how it should be. Anyway, it was nice to see some familiar faces, the characterisation was spot on, and there was a lot of intrigue inherent to a lot of the story threads you started.
As editor of this book, I shouldn't really be commenting, but as I know what Kevin has planned for this book in the upcoming months, haha! it's going to be GENIUS!
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Post by Merai on Apr 20, 2008 15:34:24 GMT -5
This is one area where Charlie and I are in DEFINITE agreement! I've always held a strong view that the New Gods are Gods, not heroes, so they shouldn't be running around like just any old heroes. Apart from Mister Miracle, who effectively "cloaks" himself as a normal person, and to a lesser extent Barda due to her association with him, the New Gods should always be above the people they're interacting with. Superman shouldn't be a patch on the Deep Six in a fair fight, let alone Darkseid, because, as the big D said in JLU, "Super or not, (he's) still just a man, and I am a God". Thanks for the vote of confidence! As Charlie attests, I have big plans for this book. The Fourth World has always worked best not as a device for continuous never-ending stories like most books, but as one larger epic with it's own beginning, middle and end. As far as I'm concerned, the Apokolips Imperative was the "end" of the first saga of the DC2 New Gods, with Darkseid and Highfather as it's final battle. This is the second, and it's a story I'm really eager to tell.  Since it looks like that's it for the feedback to New Gods #1, (Though I'd love any more anyone wants to offer) I'll briefly tease out 2! More details of Vunderbar' and Desaad's nefarious plan are revealed! Things go wrong on Earth as elements from the Apokolips Imperative bite the DEO on the ass! Barda and Mister Miracle confront an all too familiar threat! Cosmic evil is gathering on an unimaginable scale. Oh, and THE GODS OF SUPERTOWN VS THE FEMALE FURIES IN A KNOCKDOWN BATTLE TO THE FINISH! The Gods have come to the DC2... and they're here to stay! |
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Post by starlord on Apr 20, 2008 21:48:26 GMT -5
This was an outstanding first issue, and I'm glad that I saved it for last. I thought the flourish and style of it made it as grand as it should be. Changes are definately coming for the 4th world, and I for one am glad that we obviously have such an incredible writer in charge.
The cover was just as incredible and I think this title will sit proudly with the rest of DC2's incredible body of work. Bravo!
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Post by Merai on Apr 25, 2008 12:35:04 GMT -5
This was an outstanding first issue, and I'm glad that I saved it for last. I thought the flourish and style of it made it as grand as it should be. Changes are definately coming for the 4th world, and I for one am glad that we obviously have such an incredible writer in charge. The cover was just as incredible and I think this title will sit proudly with the rest of DC2's incredible body of work. Bravo! Much appreciated, Brian. And thanks everyone for the fantastically positive response for my DC2 debut. The Fourth World is one of the areas of the DCU with the greatest potential and yet also one of the most neglected, and hopefully it can find its place here on the DC2! As you say, Brian, change is gonna come, whether our Gods want it to or not! |
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Post by jmk91790 on May 14, 2008 19:41:09 GMT -5
new gods rule
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Post by HoM on May 15, 2008 20:48:49 GMT -5
BOOYA!
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Post by Merai on May 16, 2008 16:32:33 GMT -5
Always good to hear such positivity, jmk! |
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a2uton
Junior Member
Posts: 63
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Post by a2uton on Jul 22, 2008 23:04:54 GMT -5
Exodus is an Earth religious book. It might be natural for Terrans to mention Exodus. But Earth theology and New Gods theology wouldn't necessarily be the same would they?
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Post by Merai on Jul 31, 2008 5:02:48 GMT -5
Apocalypse and Genesis are also Earth religious books- it has always been my personal take on it that long ago, the New Gods came to Earth and gave humanity many of our myths and words. Hence "Apokolips" is not a perversion of "Apocalypse" (Since the New Gods existed long before humans), rather humanity derives its word "Apocalypse" from the name of the planet, due to contact with the New Gods in ancient days....
Though of course, that's just one personal interpretation.
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Seriously though, I owe both of them huge thanks for producing one of the best covers I've seen on the DC2. :
)
