Rating:  -
I waffled a lot before buying the volume (hearing tales of the paper quality and such).
My first impressions upon handling it were that if felt light for such a thick book, but after removing the shrink wrap I was pleasantly surprised.The paper felt just right, and while reminiscent of the type of paper used in comics, it was clearly of a higher quality.
Then lets talk color, they were beautiful, you feel like you are back in the 1970's buying the comics right off the rack. Some collections recolor the colors of the book in a garish manner, not here, though I don't have the originals to compare them to directly the way this book was colored was a joy to behold and felt true to the artist's intentions.
The binding was not tight, easy to read and stayed open.
Since the way this book is supposed to run is in chronological order the way the original comics were published, you get Kirby's fantastic run of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen as handled by Kirby. The only irony I find in this is a few years ago when they reprinted the New Gods, Forever People, and Mister Miracle, along with Jimmy Olsen, only Jimmy Olsen received the color treatment, the rest were in horrid black and grey with some sort of tone added to them which I found distracting to say the least. Now they are all in beautiful color
Even if you have bought them before in other formats, this is the definitive edition.
We can only pray DC will do the same with The Demon and Omac, two short lived Kirby Classics.
Rating:  -
I have to say, I'm as surprized and disgusted by the defense certain reviewers have shown this volume as they are that others would complain about the shoddiness of it.
This book deserves a bad review; it serves as a blatant example of how little respect Marvel and DC have for the work they've continued to mine and desecrate for the better part of three decades. (And do the big two really need to hear these gourmands defend printing classic works on toilet paper for Fifty Dollars? They seem to be content enough on their own.) I'll add only two more remarks to the many that have already been made on the matter--the first of which is a quote from the volume in question. From Mark Evanier's afterword, regarding Jack's apspirations in doing the work reprinted in this very book:
"He [Kirby] just wanted to do something successful and lead comics away from the cheap, disposable format in which they were then published. It was partly a matter of believing the material deserved better and partly a prohpecy that the old format was doomed...So he talked of larger comics, better paper, more sophisticated printing--product that could be sold in bookstores and other heretofore-untapped outlets."
Lastly, in light of that testimonial how are we to think, in this age of Mouse Guard, Absolute Kingdom Come, and Fantagraphics' Prince Valiant reprints, Jack would like to know that his work is deemed deserving of paper, ink, and printing plates of even lesser quality than he was afforded in 1970?
Rating: -
This book really is a treasure. As comics embraced the "graphic novel", and time brought depth and adult themes into the four-color world, much was gained, but much was lost as well. One thing that the adult world of comics could never equal, is the sheer exuberence and wonder generated by Jack Kirby.
In its time, Kirby's Fourth World was startlingly new. It had the feel of a novel, with vast scope, playing out across four books in an interwoven tapestry of chapters. It was also a hothouse of creative energy; Kirby's sweeping imagination had free rein here.
In the beginning, and on through its middle chapters, Kirby was equal to holding this vision together coherently. Sometimes his scenes had operatic power. His critics have endlessly pointed out the childish aspects of his writing, but the point here is not a gritty realism. This story was a modern reworking of the great myths, aimed at an audience of preteens and teens, and as such, it was a source of intense wonder.
For thirty five years the Fourth World has cried out to be presented properly. In color, in the sequential order of each chapter's release,
as a hardcover. This book gives us all of that.
Some of the reviews I've read are disappointed in the paper. I could not disagree more strongly. The newsprint-feel of the paper makes it seem as
if the original comics themselves have been purged of ads and assembled between hardcovers -- exactly the look and feel that is perfect for these works.
Kirby created a world in broad strokes, bursting with vitality. Reading these works is exhilirating, and kindles a sense that imagination is the greatest power of all.
Rating: -
Upon close examination of this book, I find the paper and binding to be just fine. The paper is thicker than newsprint and the old comic book paper, and the binding is at least partially sewn because I can see part of a thread sticking up. The binding seems quite sturdy and does not look like it will fall apart any time soon. The pages were cut evenly on my copy. The printing on the dust jacket and the hard cover itself is beautiful. There are almost 400 full color pages in this book! At the price you can buy this for on Amazon it is well worth the money.
Rating:  -
My copy has identical paper issues to the one the guy complains about and shows in the pics above - misaligned pages, some curling.
However, it looks much worse in the pics (close ups) than in real life. And comparing the page curl / warp to that of the Spiderman & FFv2 omnibuses I got at the same time (which have heavy slick paper) they are pretty much the same.
I don't think I'd've even noticed if not for the comments here. To me it's not so bad, but be aware that it seems to be a consistent issue.
I guess we'll have to see about the paper's archival quality.
To me, though obviously newsprint, it feels thick and solid, and seems to hold the art nicely. It's much better than the showcases' paper (which is better than the essentials). It may be newsprint, but it's pretty clearly a high quality newsprint.
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