The eternals by Jack Kirby (volume two)

​   Ok then, Book two finished, All in all this has been the weekend of overlong superhero adventures, between  the obscenely long director’s cut of Justice League and both volumes of the not quite obscenely long but read that way volumes of The Eternals.
   There isn’t much to say about book two I didn’t say in my review of book one. So having read both of them the main thought is wow…so 70s. All the things traditionally associated with a decades of notoriously terrible tastes and ideas…from hilariously terrible fashions and styles, the wild ‘dos and oh so many don’ts to the wild far out ideas…trippy, man.
     And yes, once the kitsch factor gets old, the stories do get somewhat tiresome, but the most exhausting thing about them is the writing and having never read Kirby before I don’t have a base of comparison, so this isn’t a general observation about his style, it’s specific to this book, but boy, did he overwrite. It’s peculiar because he was doing both story and art, so you’d think he’d strike a finer balance between words and images, but no…he’d draw something and then tell you all about it. And the dialogue is just as hyperverbal and ponderous.
   But that’s really the main criticism. Because the overall production is still pretty fun.
 It’s interesting that despite the fact that the series only went on for two years and wasn’t especially well received (though obviously Kirby tried with this second volume, he even threw in some huge name guest stars, albeit his version of them), it still gained a significant place in the Marvel Universe, reused, revisited and referenced in many comics since. Guess that’s Marvel for you, waste not, want not. If they were a carnivore, they’d be the ones who eat every single ounce of the animal.
    So it isn’t necessary reading per se, but if you’re into the 70s zeitgeist (casual sexism and all), kitsch, ancient aliens, mythology ripoffs/pastiches inspired superpowered adventures, you’ll probably enjoy The Eternals. It’s just such a fun, cheesy, brightly technicolored extravaganza.