Rating:  -
Jeez, some of you guys are scary. Sadly, not knowing what constitutes "newsprint" is only a symptom. The paper stock this collection is printed on is much thicker, and holds ink far better than newsprint. As a friend of mine said, you can actually read this book in daylight, because it's not as absurdly glossy and reflective as the usual high-end archival comics reprint collection paper. Kudos to DC for understanding and respecting the proper context for this material. Newsprint wouldn't keep, but this will. The blacks are solid, the colors are properly saturated, Kirby's story, not the paper, shines.
Things are as they should be here. Flat colour for the most part, not the absurd misuse of computer shading so prevalent in most modern material (digital color can be done right, of course, but we rarely see it in mainstream comics). No "retro" fake halftoning here. Instead, an attention to subtlety, without jarring, attention-grabbing production techniques that have nothing to do with, and add nothing to the content. Asking for anything different is akin to wanting to "improve" black and white by colouring, or line art by painting. Let's get it straight: more "realistic" is not necessarily better. Slicker, glossier, thicker, more more more, is not necessarily better. It certainly wouldn't be here.
Among the blessings we should count: the collection is beautifully designed. with the dust jacket a different image from the actual cover beneath it. That's not lazy production.
And the contents, awesome as they are, will only get better in subsequent volumes as Vince Colletta is replaced as inker by Mike Royer.
Thank you, DC. This is a classy package.
Rating:  -
When it comes to comics, Kirby is a God. I would rate the Kirby part 5 stars! Heck, I'd rate it 6 stars if I could. 100 stars!
However, this book is an example of sheer greed or incompetence on the publisher's (DC) part.
Right out of the box, the paper is so inferior that the pages are badly curved and the cover doesn't lay flat.
I sent it back to Amazon and got a second copy. This had the same problem and, in addition, the pages were bound wrong or cut wrong.
*** See the pictures I posted under 'see customer images' at the top of the product overview page ***
If the paper is this badly curled on TWO separate copies, sent at different times, how much worse will it get over time?
I love Kirby and I love the 40-some DC archive editions I have, plus the 30 or so DC soft covers I have (Superman in the 50's, Supe in the 60's, Batman in the 50's, Batman 60's, Greatest Imaginary Stories, etc.)
However, this is just a rip-off on DC's part.
If we let DC get away with this, we will have only ourselves to blame as the quality of their reprints gets worse and worse.
I would expect better quality in a $15 book, much less a $50 book.
Cheap paper and cheap (glued, not sewn) binding.
DC owes its customers better.
They owe Kirby better, too.
Rating: -
I am aghast that several people have given this book a single star because they are unhappy with the paper it is printed upon. How shallow and petulant! What a disservice to potential new Kirby fans.
The imagination, invention and energy on display between these covers is fabulously fun, entertaining, giddy, OTT, bizarre, inspiring, awesome et alia. The book series also offers an innovation not covered by prior - rather disappointing - reprints: it sequences the saga, which was told in FOUR separate comic book series, in order of publication. I have already read ALL of these tales, but reading them as they were released has been an utter revelation. This completely changes my reading experience!
I would have preferred better paper stock (but NOT glossy stock, which would take away from the retro vibe) and would have gladly shelled out another 10 to 20 dollars (heck, I paid 75 bucks for Marvel1s reprint of Kirby's ETERNALS series), but after my initial dismay over DC's production choice I dug into the intro by Grant Morrison and the work itself and was transported.
Don't listen to the persnickety whiners who insult a great work by giving it a single measly star because they do not like the paper it is printed upon. Kirby's imagination shines through as always. I cannot wait for V2, to be released in August.
Rating:  -
The paper is fine. It's an improvement over the gloss. A heavy weight is always nice, but I'm all for going with matte paper, regardless, for all comic reprint editions. I actually dislike the glossy paper comics are being printed on now.
The problem I have is with the color. And I'm not talking the lack of dots Lichtenstein made so much of (though those would be great). I have some of the originals , and the color is much richer. Granted, there's the occasional offprinting and inevitable fading. But there are actually more colors being used in the originals. I thought this might just be with the covers at first. Compare a scan of the cover of the original New Gods with the one reprinted in this volume and you'll see what I mean. But the difference in color scheme extends to the interiors as well. Perhaps it's good that the originals continue to be distinguished by their inimitable patina. But one would like to see the genuine love, or at least the work ethic, matched by the reprints.
Rating: -
This volume reprints Kirby's solo work done right after leaving Marvel Comics in 1970 (after his work co-creating the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, and many many others). The stories represent Kirby stretching and creating something new and even more amazing than his previous work. New ideas practically litter the pages.
Oh yeah, the art is great also.
Some don't like the format much, and have given a low rating to the book. Please read their reviews, and note that their low ratings are NOT due to the content. In fact, they mostly express disappointment that these great stories are not given a better venue to shine. But virtually all agree the stories are extremely good. If you are a comics fan, or are interested in one of the most creative minds of the 20th century, you owe it to yourself to read this.
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