Newer Gods 11. A trap within a trap!
Newer Gods is a monthly feature where I take a look back at the history of DC Comics’ New Gods from the era after original creator Jack Kirby. It’s a study of creators as they take a look back at work of the King of Comics and re-create it.
A decided step up from Al Milgrom. All art in this entry owned by DC Comics.
Return of the New Gods 14
The cover gets an upgrade for Return of the New Gods 14 as previous cover artist Al Milgrom is gone, replaced by the superior Kirby aficionado in Rich Buckler. While Buckler has talent, he's still nowhere near as good as Don Newton on interiors. The creative team on the interior remains completely intact with Newton joined by Gerry Conway and Dan Adkins as writer and inker.
Orion shouts to the heavens at his father. Darkseid watches from afar, proud to see the darkness overcome his son as Orion grows more like Darkseid himself. He summons Doctor Bedlam to his side with a new grand step in his plan.
On New Genesis, the parents of Esak question Highfather's interest in their son. Highfather confirms the boy is different than his peers, telling his father, "Esak is special, though I cannot tell you why. I have... hopes for his future." To a modern reader, this makes Esak sound like he's in some Harry Potter and Dumbledore level of poor childcare.
This experiment looks an awful lot like some kind of medieval torture to me. Art by Don Newton.
On Earth, we check in with Forager. He's agreed to experiments performed on his person at the Cadmus Project. Doctor Bradford is nearly fried by the experiment though. As Forager recovers, Doctor Bedlam strikes and the two are locked in instant battle!
Jezebelle finds herself in Metropolis' fashion district as she looks for more human attire. But along with her human allies, she also comes under attack by Doctor Bedlam! Dave and Claudia have treated her as an equal or better, something Jezebelle never knew on New Genesis. She's grown fond of them, so she fights Bedlam with a renewed vigor!
Two thousand miles away, Anthony Masters and General Torch also are attacked by Doctor Bedlam. Masters uses the distraction to slip away and change to Orion so he can face down the foe! The three battles are brutal, but we soon learn that Doctor Bedlam is actually attacking all six heroes, though the events with Metron, Lonar, and Lightray don't merit showing here. And while Jezebelle dispatches her foe, the others seem unable to overcome their own enemy. Orion, in need of help, learns the others are also endangered and calls out to Highfather on New Genesis.
She doesn't make it through the issue unscathed, but Jezebelle shows up the other New Gods quite well this month.
Highfather hears his call and in one of the few times I've ever seen Highfather act proactively, he sends a bolt of energy that splits in six as it reaches Earth. It strikes down all six Bedlam robots at once.
But Esak's parents arrive seconds later to reveal their son was captured by Apokoliptan bandits! They used Highfather's distraction to slip into New Genesis and abscond with the child. Highfather realizes he's played right into Darkseid's plan. Highfather screams "You will pay!" loudly to the stars. On Earth, Orion picks up his cry and vows to renew his offense on the demonic Darkseid!
For the first time in this new run, Darkseid feels like the master manipulator created by Kirby. Conway grows more comfortable with the characters and his plot as each issue progresses and Don Newton remains Don Newton, one of the most underrated artists in comics history.
Next issue, we're promised a "Pact of Evil," but we're stepping away from this book for a bit as the adventures of Mister Miracle take the lead in our column!
