Jack Kirby New Gods Concept Presentation Oversized Collage Art

This particular piece of artwork demonstrates yet another aspect of Jack Kirby’s fantastic imagination, vision and talent. It is a gigantic collage that utilizes stats of his original drawings in order to advertise his then forthcoming Fourth World series, The New Gods. Looked at in this light, this is somewhat different from the occasional collages that would appear in his comic books inasmuch as it is much more holistic and thematic. I was also drawn to this piece because Kirby personally hand colored this particular piece. That the coloring was meticulous, nuanced and a labor of love is evident from the final product itself.
Insofar as the more specific description of the artwork is concerned, I can do no better than to reproduce the following description by the auction house itself as follows:

This highly unique offering is a collage of epic proportions created by the legendary King of comic book artists, Jack Kirby circa 1969-1970. As documented in the highly respected Jack Kirby Collector magazine (see image below), Kirby created this work of art to introduce the concept of his visionary New Gods series to prospective publishers. With an impressive art image area of 26" x 16.5" and a total size of 28" X 18", this piece makes an indelible impression in person. Kirby created this collage using stats of his original drawings and then he watercolored the piece by hand. The collage features such key New Gods characters as Darkseid, Orion, Lightray and Metron set against a background made up of multiple prints with hand-colored accents that brings new meaning to the term "cosmic". The coloring of the characters is much more sophisticated and nuanced than comic book publishers were able to achieve in the actual comic books of the era given the limited printing technology of the time. Most Kirby fans will immediately recognize that the image of Orion comes from the now iconic cover to New Gods #1.

The verbiage on the piece gives insight into Kirby's vision for the New Gods: "CONSIDERED A MAJOR WORKS IN ITS OWN MEDIA, THIS EPIC CAN NO LONGER BE CALLED JUST 'COMICS!' AS VISUAL LITERATURE, THE SAGA OF THE "NEW GODS" MAY WELL PIONEER A NEW AND EXCITING ART FORM!"

The back of the piece features a DC Comics, Inc. copyright notice (see the additional images posted) so it appears to have been copyrighted once DC and Kirby came to an agreement to work together. The piece was then returned to Kirby and it was sold later by his estate.

If it's not already clear from the verbiage quoted above, the King had high hopes that his "Fourth World" saga would take comic books to the next level. New Gods and its "Fourth World" companion titles Forever People and Mister Miracle were launched by DC with much fanfare in late 1970/early 1971. Kirby also took on the unlikely title Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and tied it into his larger saga, even introducing his primary villain Darkseid in the long-running Superman spinoff title. DC's management was clearly excited by Kirby's vision and gave him an unprecedented level of control over his own titles in the early 1970s. Kirby was able to work from California, far away from DC's New York editorial offices, and there was minimal interference with his vision. The primary exception was DC chose to have Superman's face redrawn by artists including Al Plastino and Murphy Anderson. Kirby wasn't at all pleased by this but DC was protective of their best-selling and most heavily merchandised character and felt it was important that he be presented in the "house style" of the time.

Sadly, two years into "The Fourth World", DC pulled the plug on New Gods and Forever People due to lower than anticipated sales. The titles went over the heads of the prime comic book reading audience of the time, which was still children. Kirby was under contract to DC for three more years, so he launched new titles including The Demon and Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth. Kirby returned to Marvel in 1975 after his five-year contract ended, but younger generations of creators brought back his New Gods characters many times in the decades to follow. Darkseid became one of the most prominent villains in the broader DC Universe, in the same league as the Joker and Lex Luthor. As the average age of comic book readers moved from children to young adults, Kirby's past work saw a new level of appreciation among fans. His New Gods run would go on to be reprinted multiple times in several different formats.

Today Kirby's "Fourth World" saga is highly respected and loved by legions of fans.