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Eternals (1976) #1-19
The Eternals: The Complete Saga
When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel in the 1970s, scores of amazing concepts would spring forth from his limitless imagination - and THE ETERNALS was his mind-blowing masterpiece! Kirby unveiled a secret history of humanity, races known as Eternals and Deviants, and a host of towering Celestials come to bear judgment on the Earth! It was a jaw-dropping saga that could have only come from the King of comics. And after Kirby's tenure ended, creators including Peter B. Gillis, Sal Buscema, Walter Simonson, Roy Thomas and Mark Texeira continued to weave stories within the epic mythology that he created! Now, thrill to the complete classic saga of the Eternals! COLLECTING: ETERNALS (1976) 1-19, ANNUAL (1977) 1; ETERNALS (1985) 1-12; ETERNALS: THE HEROD FACTOR (1991) 1; NEW ETERNALS: APOCALYPSE NOW (2000) 1; IRON MAN ANNUAL (1971) 6; AVENGERS (1963) 246-248; material from WHAT IF? (1977) 23-30
1120 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2020
14 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kirby
2,799 books476 followersJack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 19, 2021
3.25 stars. Been wanting to read this forever and then Marvel reprinted this last year. Now with the movie looming, what a great time to finally read it. So the Jack Kirby portion, issues 1-19 plus the annual, was decent. The art was good and it was nice reading about these characters. The story was up and down. At some points it was a little bland and at some points it was pretty cool. Reading this after seeing that new trailer definitely got me more excited to see the movie as I got a little insight on why things went down the way they did in that trailer. I hope Karkas makes it in the movie. The next part was the story strung together at the back of the 8 What If comics. The was actually my favorite part of this omnibus. This shows how some of the Eternals ended up in space and on Titan. Would have loved to read more of that. Then we get the few Avengers comics. I think the point of these was to try to integrate the Eternals into the Marvel universe. Having them interact with the rest of the characters from Marvel and not just be to the side by themselves all the time. A little rescue mission that was also decent. Then we get to the 12 issues that Gillis started and Walt Simonson finished. This was also kind of up and down until Walt came in. The story ramped up a bit and got a bit more interesting. The final two one shots were pretty solid also. One error I noticed was they Karkas in bright red throughout this omnibus. Then in that final issue he was green yet the writers still wrote people calling him the red monster. 😂 A little mix up from the colorist in that. There were some story beats they were teased or hinted at in here that I now want to also read the books where those stories continue.
November 7, 2021
This has been on the to-read list for quite awhile and since the movie is coming out, what better time.
The original Kirby series:It should go without saying, but the art is fantastic, at least initially. The power that exudes from some of his panels is truly astonishing. His ability to either emphasize the size and scale of something is without question. At some point in the series though, some of the art duties are partially taken over by others. It's still good and matches his style but it isn't quite the same.
For the story, it's very easy to get caught up in the mystery and wonder of those first 12 issues. The fear and amazement at both the origin of man and the coming of celestials is infectious and the reader is quickly enthralled by those elements. However, both the human characters and the Eternals take a back seat to this, with very little characterization. All of this amazing buildup comes to a screeching halt, after which the story meanders as Kirby and Marvel try to figure out how to integrate them into the Marvel Universe. It's slow and wandering, and you come to the realization that they are just another set of super-powered beings (and one might even say over-powered) with only the barest of personality (Sersei and Ikaris show the most) and perhaps even too much likeness to other creations and archetypes.
What If: A couple backup stories that aren't What If per se, more just straight up answering questions about the background of the Eternals and Celestials. It's pretty good if you like classic Marvel origins and minutiae of it's history.
Iron Man Annual and Avengers: Basically another step towards integrating the Eternals into the mainstream MU. All of it is pretty decent, back in a time when Marvel was actually a connected Universe where titles affected one another aside from the big crossovers.
The second series: This one attempts to bring focus back to the conflict between the Eternals and the Deviants. Initially written by Peter Gillis, it attempts to provide what was missing from Kirby's initial run: some characterization and fleshing out of the Eternals themselves. In the first 8 issues, he adds in a classic love story between two warring factions, a couple humans to tie it to humanity, and brings some inter-Eternals conflict. He has to backtrack a little bit, explaining away a few things from the original story or undoing something that was written before. It's quite a bit and a strong attempt, although not grossly intriguing. The Deviant society is most interesting but not really delved into: a society where everyone is not only different but ugly? The most horrific looking people are sacrificed? A race of powerful, perfect looking people want to destroy you? The psychological impact on the people is fascinating but at best only hinted at.
At issue 9, Walt Simonson takes over as writer and the book becomes more palatable. The pace picks up and the dialogue is more natural, albeit classic "superhero" fare, along with classic team-up finale and resolution. It wraps up well, tying together many loose ends, leaving the Eternals in a place that another writer can try and find something to do with them. Which brings us to...
Giant-Sized One-Shot (1991): Written by none other than Roy Thomas and includes some pretty good art by Mark Texeira. Thomas gives the Eternals a modern adventure, tying it to their past and even using some forgotten plot threads back from Kirby's original series. It makes for a good bookend to the first two series, although Thomas does retcon some of what was written in the second series.
New Eternals One-Shot (2000): This was pretty much a waste of time. An attempt at revitalizing the characters, they get new costumes AND a completely new team name AND all new code names, basically turning them into your run of the mill superhero team. Along with the extremely 90's artwork, this was a poor attempt and is best left forgotten.
The original Kirby series:It should go without saying, but the art is fantastic, at least initially. The power that exudes from some of his panels is truly astonishing. His ability to either emphasize the size and scale of something is without question. At some point in the series though, some of the art duties are partially taken over by others. It's still good and matches his style but it isn't quite the same.
For the story, it's very easy to get caught up in the mystery and wonder of those first 12 issues. The fear and amazement at both the origin of man and the coming of celestials is infectious and the reader is quickly enthralled by those elements. However, both the human characters and the Eternals take a back seat to this, with very little characterization. All of this amazing buildup comes to a screeching halt, after which the story meanders as Kirby and Marvel try to figure out how to integrate them into the Marvel Universe. It's slow and wandering, and you come to the realization that they are just another set of super-powered beings (and one might even say over-powered) with only the barest of personality (Sersei and Ikaris show the most) and perhaps even too much likeness to other creations and archetypes.
What If: A couple backup stories that aren't What If per se, more just straight up answering questions about the background of the Eternals and Celestials. It's pretty good if you like classic Marvel origins and minutiae of it's history.
Iron Man Annual and Avengers: Basically another step towards integrating the Eternals into the mainstream MU. All of it is pretty decent, back in a time when Marvel was actually a connected Universe where titles affected one another aside from the big crossovers.
The second series: This one attempts to bring focus back to the conflict between the Eternals and the Deviants. Initially written by Peter Gillis, it attempts to provide what was missing from Kirby's initial run: some characterization and fleshing out of the Eternals themselves. In the first 8 issues, he adds in a classic love story between two warring factions, a couple humans to tie it to humanity, and brings some inter-Eternals conflict. He has to backtrack a little bit, explaining away a few things from the original story or undoing something that was written before. It's quite a bit and a strong attempt, although not grossly intriguing. The Deviant society is most interesting but not really delved into: a society where everyone is not only different but ugly? The most horrific looking people are sacrificed? A race of powerful, perfect looking people want to destroy you? The psychological impact on the people is fascinating but at best only hinted at.
At issue 9, Walt Simonson takes over as writer and the book becomes more palatable. The pace picks up and the dialogue is more natural, albeit classic "superhero" fare, along with classic team-up finale and resolution. It wraps up well, tying together many loose ends, leaving the Eternals in a place that another writer can try and find something to do with them. Which brings us to...
Giant-Sized One-Shot (1991): Written by none other than Roy Thomas and includes some pretty good art by Mark Texeira. Thomas gives the Eternals a modern adventure, tying it to their past and even using some forgotten plot threads back from Kirby's original series. It makes for a good bookend to the first two series, although Thomas does retcon some of what was written in the second series.
New Eternals One-Shot (2000): This was pretty much a waste of time. An attempt at revitalizing the characters, they get new costumes AND a completely new team name AND all new code names, basically turning them into your run of the mill superhero team. Along with the extremely 90's artwork, this was a poor attempt and is best left forgotten.
November 14, 2021
I'm a pretty huge comic fan. I've been reading them since I was about 8 years old, and have kept the habit going pretty steady for going on thirty years. Even though I love Marvel comics, and their cosmic stuff in particular, the Eternals were not the stars of their own comics when I was a kid and by the time they had any mini revivals I never bothered to check them out. With the new movie coming out (which I haven't seen) I decided to read this omnibus and find out what I've been missing.
The first thing I'll say is, Jack Kirby is one of the greatest comic artists ever. He's also very responsible for much of the mainstays of the Marvel Universe. It's become fashionable to say Stan Lee was stealing credit for creating characters when his artists did all the heavy lifting. I challenge the people saying that to read the Eternals. Jack Kirby writing his own comic book was... well, very bad. The series got cancelled after nineteen issues, and reading the letters pages (which are included for the original series), it's clear most fans were not enjoying the book before it got cancelled. The reason books like Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, and others were so successful initially was because Lee had a fun style of writing and the characters felt relatable, which made the great visuals all the better. Kirby's Eternals lack any personality, with most of the characters feeling totally interchangeable, whether you're reading human, deviant or Eternal. It was the worst portion of this (hefty) book.
As soon as the book gets away from Kirby's writing, it starts improving in quality. The What If? stories are actually in continuity Eternals stories. The Iron Man annual and Avengers storyline similarly feature more plot movement than we got in basically 19 issues of Kirby's run. This section of the book was probably the strongest overall. The twelve issue second volume is better than the first, if only because it tells a complete arc and the characters are more developed, but I can see why it didn't catch on and keep the Eternals in the spotlight. The final two issues include a lengthy storyline about Thena and Kro's secret twin children that was OK and a 90's attempt at a relaunch that was really really bad.
As I write this, the movie has gotten the worst reviews of any Marvel film. After reading this series, I'm not too surprised as the paper thing characters here are not compelling enough in either their abilities or their storylines to make me anxious to read more about them. Sersi is a partier, Ikaris is kind of dumb, and Thena is always blinded by her love. Two deviants were interesting, Reject (who looks like a man) and Karkas (who looks like a classic Kirby monster). Besides that, after reading 1000 pages the rest of the cast was completely forgettable.
The first thing I'll say is, Jack Kirby is one of the greatest comic artists ever. He's also very responsible for much of the mainstays of the Marvel Universe. It's become fashionable to say Stan Lee was stealing credit for creating characters when his artists did all the heavy lifting. I challenge the people saying that to read the Eternals. Jack Kirby writing his own comic book was... well, very bad. The series got cancelled after nineteen issues, and reading the letters pages (which are included for the original series), it's clear most fans were not enjoying the book before it got cancelled. The reason books like Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, and others were so successful initially was because Lee had a fun style of writing and the characters felt relatable, which made the great visuals all the better. Kirby's Eternals lack any personality, with most of the characters feeling totally interchangeable, whether you're reading human, deviant or Eternal. It was the worst portion of this (hefty) book.
As soon as the book gets away from Kirby's writing, it starts improving in quality. The What If? stories are actually in continuity Eternals stories. The Iron Man annual and Avengers storyline similarly feature more plot movement than we got in basically 19 issues of Kirby's run. This section of the book was probably the strongest overall. The twelve issue second volume is better than the first, if only because it tells a complete arc and the characters are more developed, but I can see why it didn't catch on and keep the Eternals in the spotlight. The final two issues include a lengthy storyline about Thena and Kro's secret twin children that was OK and a 90's attempt at a relaunch that was really really bad.
As I write this, the movie has gotten the worst reviews of any Marvel film. After reading this series, I'm not too surprised as the paper thing characters here are not compelling enough in either their abilities or their storylines to make me anxious to read more about them. Sersi is a partier, Ikaris is kind of dumb, and Thena is always blinded by her love. Two deviants were interesting, Reject (who looks like a man) and Karkas (who looks like a classic Kirby monster). Besides that, after reading 1000 pages the rest of the cast was completely forgettable.
August 15, 2021
A time capsule. This book is a time capsule. It collects the story of the Eternals from its inception right up to the point where it is completely integrated into the Marvel comic universe.
Starting off with the original run by Jack Kirby, it starts strong as the numerous characters - the Eternals, deviants, and homo sapiens - and concepts are introduced in highly sophisticated manners. As was the norm for its time it's text-heavy. While the art looks phenomenal, the collection of letters from the readers in its time captures the eccentricity of the idea of the book as viewed at that time. The major strength of the story is the dynamics of exploring the grey area between good and evil. Initially considered to represent the two sides of morality, the Eternals and deviants quickly evolve into unique characters who shatter the notion. The Celestials, if at all, embody the truth that everyone and everything is good and evil at the same time. However, as the series progresses past the 12 issue milestone, things get murky and the run ends abruptly.
A collection of What-Ifs allows for more exposition dump but does not contribute anything useful. The Thor stories involving the Eternals are missing in this Omnibus for some reason. An Iron Man Annual followed by few Avengers issues broadens the story of the Eternals in the Marvel Universe.
The second series involving Eternals, trying to revive the brand, fails abysmally at maintaining the high standards of the Jack Kirby era. Though the story is riveting, it devolves into the age-old adage of good vs evil thus sucking the life out of the conflict. It though progresses the story and marks huge changes to the Eternals dynamics filled with more losses than wins.
The Harod Factor is an interesting story that works best when the group dynamics are explored but again turns out to be a story involving Eternals rather than an Eternals story. The Apocalypse story is jarring; both in terms of story and art. This collection couldn't have ended on a lower note.
But fear not, there are entries about the Eternals, Deviants, and the Celestials at the very end that have been collected earlier in Marvel handbooks. While they add interesting backstories for few characters, most of the entries about Eternals regurgitate information about their history and power sets, reducing their individual charm.
A glimpse into the past but an arduous one at that.
Starting off with the original run by Jack Kirby, it starts strong as the numerous characters - the Eternals, deviants, and homo sapiens - and concepts are introduced in highly sophisticated manners. As was the norm for its time it's text-heavy. While the art looks phenomenal, the collection of letters from the readers in its time captures the eccentricity of the idea of the book as viewed at that time. The major strength of the story is the dynamics of exploring the grey area between good and evil. Initially considered to represent the two sides of morality, the Eternals and deviants quickly evolve into unique characters who shatter the notion. The Celestials, if at all, embody the truth that everyone and everything is good and evil at the same time. However, as the series progresses past the 12 issue milestone, things get murky and the run ends abruptly.
A collection of What-Ifs allows for more exposition dump but does not contribute anything useful. The Thor stories involving the Eternals are missing in this Omnibus for some reason. An Iron Man Annual followed by few Avengers issues broadens the story of the Eternals in the Marvel Universe.
The second series involving Eternals, trying to revive the brand, fails abysmally at maintaining the high standards of the Jack Kirby era. Though the story is riveting, it devolves into the age-old adage of good vs evil thus sucking the life out of the conflict. It though progresses the story and marks huge changes to the Eternals dynamics filled with more losses than wins.
The Harod Factor is an interesting story that works best when the group dynamics are explored but again turns out to be a story involving Eternals rather than an Eternals story. The Apocalypse story is jarring; both in terms of story and art. This collection couldn't have ended on a lower note.
But fear not, there are entries about the Eternals, Deviants, and the Celestials at the very end that have been collected earlier in Marvel handbooks. While they add interesting backstories for few characters, most of the entries about Eternals regurgitate information about their history and power sets, reducing their individual charm.
A glimpse into the past but an arduous one at that.
June 26, 2021
It's big, it's pretty, it really is all of the Eternals from The King, and then all of the efforts of Marvel editorial to bring them into continuity, into the 80s, and then into the 90s and beyond. Definitely a tome worth having (at 1100+ pages) for getting up to speed on this group before their movie comes this fall. It covers so much that it cannot be not without its flaws - the way some characters are dispatched, and the shoehorned attempt at hero-izing the group towards the end being chief among them. "Cosmic Hulk" was a big disappointment, but the letters pages sum that up pretty well.
Gorgeously re-colored and presented at an awesome size for reading, this is a must for any Kirby afficionado, and I enjoyed it and will come back to it again.
Gorgeously re-colored and presented at an awesome size for reading, this is a must for any Kirby afficionado, and I enjoyed it and will come back to it again.
September 28, 2021
Really loved almost everything in this book.
Jack Kirby's run: one of my all time favorites from him. He truly was on the top of his game after coming back to Marvel from DC
Iron man/avengers issues: these ones were ok. The iron man issue was pretty fun but I can't even remember what happened in the avengers issues
Maxi series: this one was a lot of fun. Expanded on all the characters, had good art and a compelling story. I wish it picked up more of the threads left in the what if backups or some sort of conclusion to the eternals that went to space.
The heroed factor: this one was cool. Weird art and probably unnecessary as a story but a cool continuation off the pretty grim ending of the maxi series.
Apocalypse now: absolute fucking shit
Jack Kirby's run: one of my all time favorites from him. He truly was on the top of his game after coming back to Marvel from DC
Iron man/avengers issues: these ones were ok. The iron man issue was pretty fun but I can't even remember what happened in the avengers issues
Maxi series: this one was a lot of fun. Expanded on all the characters, had good art and a compelling story. I wish it picked up more of the threads left in the what if backups or some sort of conclusion to the eternals that went to space.
The heroed factor: this one was cool. Weird art and probably unnecessary as a story but a cool continuation off the pretty grim ending of the maxi series.
Apocalypse now: absolute fucking shit
September 6, 2021
I'm about to commit sacrilege. I actually thought world-building aside, Kirby's was the weakest part of this book. The best part by far was Gillis' 12 issue run. Naturally you need Jack's foundation to get to the good stuff, but when you get to the second series? Oh my goodness, this is some of the best 80's Marvel goodness I've read yet. I felt things for just about every character that I usually only get from one or two in any given run.
Plow through the first 19 issues, and the remaining portion of the book is a very well-deserved reward.
Plow through the first 19 issues, and the remaining portion of the book is a very well-deserved reward.
January 7, 2022
Excellent read. The Kirby run and the 80’s run with Ghaur were my favorites. The storytelling was epic and kept building as it progressed. If you were disappointed by how Marvel handled the Eternals film, give this book a read. You’ll see why the Eternals are awesome and why they are as epic as the Avengers, if not more so.
July 6, 2021
A great collection of all the Eternals stories (sans the Neil Gaimen). The classic art of Kirby is perfectly captured and the added 2 Modern age stories are great. The book is a definite great piece of nostalgia. With a movie fortj coming it does make one wonder what material will be harvested?
March 23, 2022
Finally got to finish this long long omnibus on The Eternals, as inspired by the not-so-good MCU adaptation. Now, where to find Gaiman's own 2018 rendition of these age-old genetically-modified "super"-humans?
August 23, 2021
Over a thousand pages of reading spanning several decades! From the seemingly endlessly inventive mind of Jack Kirby we get the Eternals and Celestials, this compendium collects the entirety of his original mid-70s series, then the next 12 issue series introducing the villain Ghaur, and then a few giant-size one-offs and some guest Avengers appearances. For me, Kirby and Royers breathtaking illustrations are the best part of this somewhat not fully developed set of characters and storyline that ended too soon. (One other note for clarification: obviously this isn't the "complete saga"--many other adventures took place in the Thor comic and annuals that help fill in the gaps quite a bit. And of course, Neal Gaiman and John Romita Jr.s great saga in the early 2000's isn't here either.)
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