How to Start Reading New Gods?

General Discussion Comic Books
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1

As I’m reading all the prequels to final crisis I realized I don’t know much about the new Gods.

How would I read the new gods? I heard jack kirbys Original series don’t really have much to do with continuity because it’s been changed so much since.

So where would I start, what series and story lines do I need to read?

I know I also look into characters like Mr. Miracle and Orion.

2

The New Gods change a lot every time a new writer puts their own spin on it. If you’re looking for one conclusive chronology, you won’t find it. They’re ideas personified which change in each iteration of the telling, their true natures always a mystery.

3

Check out this thread:

If you want post-Crisis stories, start with Legends and Cosmic Odyssey.

4

That’s my understanding too.

So I just started reading death of the new gods because I’m about to read final crisis.

I noticed there are multiple new gods series. Do I just read the one in the 1990s?

5

I’d recommend reading the one from the 70s.

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6

I never even heard of cosmic odyssey before. Is it or legends any good? Does the continuity even matter after infinite crisis?

7

They’re both decent stories, but I really would recommend checking out Kirby’s original New Gods first. And frankly, I’m not sure if Morrison was all that worried about continuity when he wrote Final Crisis. Some fans feel that his depiction of the New Gods is incongruent with any previous depiction.

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8

Can anyone explain to me how mister miracle has part of the anti life equation, also why Superman and Orion seem to hate each other?

In death of the new gods #2 they say Superman and Orion are mad at each other over something they won’t talk about that happened on Thaanagar

9

The Superman/Orion thing is a reference to Cosmic Odyssey, specifically something that happens in issue #3. Mister Miracle explains his history with the Anti-Life Equation in Orion #25.

10

Thanks! You always seem to know everything. How long you been reading comics?

11

I believe I first started reading and collecting them when I was in kindergarten, so it’s been a few decades. That said, I didn’t start heavily researching comic book history until after I had received my bachelor’s degree, so it probably wouldn’t have done much good to ask me about anyone other than the most famous superheroes before then.

A good resource for learning about this stuff yourself is the DC Database:

12

You should check out the Jack Kirby Mister Miracle and New Gods collected editions. The writing is a little stiff, but you will get familiar with the characters and concepts enough that any newer, in-continuity stuff will be a lot easier to understand.

13

I should also add that I’ve been buying copies of Tom King’s Mister Miracle for all my new parents friends, and most of them rarely read comics. Everyone thinks it’s great, so far, and don’t seem to be confused by not reading anything previous.

14

I’m not a big fan of Tom king. That said I know a lot of people who don’t like his work almost all said the first few issues were great of Mister miracle but then Tom King goes back to his bad ways and halfway through the story ends up becoming the same old boring depressed Tom king story.