The end is nigh. We can see the end cresting the horizon. In this, the third volume of Kirby’s Fourth World, we begin winding down. Not by choice, of course, you know Jack had another series worth of issues to get through. But, while we’re facing down the final few issues in the final volume, the penultimate has some of his strongest storytelling thus far—adding further insult to the eventual cancellation of the series he’d made iconic. 

We begin, as we always do, on the verge of apocalypse. Darkseid is, of course, plotting the lines of domination across Earth and there’s scant much anyone can do to stop every one of his plots from coming to fruition. Even if Orion can fight Kalibak in the middle of Metropolis, that doesn’t stop an underground cult from attempting to extract the Anti-Life equation from the mind of a random gangster. I mean, the Forever People do stop his cult from getting the Anti-Life equation again, but nearly through happenstance opposed to actual planning. Although we do see a great deal of planning on the part of Himon, a legendary figure among Apokolips who stands opposed to Darkseid and someone who had an interest in helping Scott Free escape before his mind and life could be fully subsumed by Granny Goodness. 

This series of issues plays with the idea that Darkseid has invaded the Earth silently already, instilling a strange omnipotent paranoia throughout each story. We don’t know if many of these events are random occurrences or the machinations of Darkseid building up an ever-present sense of dread as he can appear behind any corner or under any cloak. But that’s what makes his approach through these issues so fascinating to read—his plan is never just one concerted push to conquer Earth, but a series of small infestations to chip away at our heroes until there’s nothing left. Even the bug people under the soil of New Genesis play a role in his scheming as Mantis returns to lead an invading force of these bugs to Earth. Last week, I wrote about how Darkseid began his career as a scheming presence behind his mother and uncle. From these issues, we see that hasn’t changed for him. Even if he is the figure of power over Apokolips, “The Pact” story shows us that every plan and ploy is there to keep him from having to really get his hands dirty.

We wonder now how the Fourth World was left the way it was—either sales or a dissatisfied editor-in-chief—but we can’t deny how much there was to each of Kirby’s arcs throughout. Every issue burst with ideas from a man who was able to produce a hundred pages a month for multiple years. We can still dive into each to pluck new wisdom he left behind.

Get excited. Get penultimate.

Drew Barth (Episode 331, 485, 510, 651, & 674) resides in Winter Park, FL. He received his MFA from the University of Central Florida.