Jack Kirby’s The Eternals wasn’t exactly a smash hit after the legend returned to Marvel at the end of the 1970s. His Fourth World saga hadn’t done well at DC a few years earlier, either (though a lot of editorial meddling played a part in that debacle). The Eternals aren’t quite considered a classic these days: despite being Marvel Jack Kirby at his most singular of vision, the property never took hold. Even now, back issues of the series can be had at reasonable prices – for an original Jack Kirby brainchild, that’s rather surprising.
The book lasted a tragic 19 issues. Fantastically weird issues: the Uni-Mind is not an easy concept to swallow, nor are the incredible Celestials, whose very nature called the structure of the Marvel Universe into question.
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There was no better title to wrestle with those massive questions than Thor, a book that still bore the indelible thumbprints of The King of Comics. And there were no better creative minds to take on the exacting challenge of folding Kirby’s strange godhead than Roy Thomas and Mark Gruenwald; the two writers had begun their comic book careers speculating on the medium in their fanzines. Gruenwald’s Omniverse, in particular, proved the writer was ready to wrestle with The Big Questions of the Marvel Universe. Omniverse was a (and this is a direct quote) “TREATISE OF REALITY IN COMICS LITERATURE” (bold and capitals his). This high-minded, esoteric thinking can be seen in the back matter found in Thor Epic Collection: The Eternals Saga, which reprints an editorial by Gruenwald originally found in issue #294 of Thor.
The editorial deals with the practicalities of Ragnarok and the cosmic Zodiac. Naturally.
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Jack’s Eternals concerned itself with the cosmic judgment of God, but The Eternals Saga moves Kirby’s theological damnation aside for the aspects of the beings that most conflicted with the established Marvel mythology. That is to say: Thor, a book about Gods, had already worked hard to establish a mythological excuse for such beings. Odin, the All-Father, had created our world, hadn’t he? Or had Zeus? Wasn’t the Big Bang part of the cosmology – hadn’t Galactus survived the collapse of one universe only to be born into this one at the very dawn of time, thus outdating the Gods?
The Eternals Saga doesn’t quite finalize the marriage between these concerns – by its end, the Celestials and the titular Eternals don’t find themselves any more established in the Marvel History timeline. That wouldn’t happen – if it can be said to happen at all – until much later works, including the recent and excellent History of the Marvel Universe.
No, rather than cleaning up and explaining the cluttered theological clerical errors, Thomas and Gruenwald focus on the identity crises inherent for the Gods to be confronted with bigger, older Gods. Thor is thrown into a spiral, but the story is truly Odin’s. Understanding the threat inherent to the judgment of the Celestials, Odin approaches Zeus and the two call the very first congress of Gods, drawing in the deities of Earth. The book features the first appearances of supreme beings (treated with varying degrees of cultural sensitivity) like Vishnu, Buddha, the Finnish sky god Ukko, and Mayan sun god Itzamna Kauil.
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The Eternal Saga is, sadly, not all existential concerns and cosmology, and despite the title, the Eternals barely play a part in the proceedings. Instead, Thor bops off to converse with Odin’s sentient, giant, disembodied Eye, who narrates Thomas and artist Keith Pollard’s loose, Marvelized adaptation of Wagner’s opera, Siegfried. It’s a twisting, treacherous tale that leads to Odin’s revelation of existence. It’s slow going, occasionally boring, and lasts eight long issues.
This guy’s the worst.
Marvel Comics
It concludes, however, in Godhead Congress, Destroyer Armor Vs Celestials Thor #300, which might be one of the most epic issues of the Silver Age. Ultimately, Thor Epic Collection: The Eternals Saga is an important piece of the theological puzzle, and though it occasionally drags – and though later works do a cleaner job of drawing connections – it’s an incredible ride.
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