10 DC Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die

6. Jack Kirby's New Gods

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Jack Kirby/DC Comics

Although Jack Kirby has managed to develop a certain level of synonymy with Marvel, owing to the raft of characters he co-created along with Stan Lee, John Romita and Steve Ditko, the writer/artist truly excelled while at DC.

Having switched sides in 1970, dissatisfied with his treatment at Marvel, Kirby set about unleashing his full artistic potential. Creating what would later be called 'The Fourth World Saga', Kirby introduced us all to a world of New Gods, cosmic architecture and a bevy of brilliant characters that are still making waves today.

Every DC fan should know who Darkseid is, but it's not just the villainous lord of Apokolips who's worthy of attention. Orion, Mister Miracle and Big Barda were all conceptualised in this saga too, and while Kirby's time at DC tends to get overlooked by mainstream narratives, his time spent with the New Gods in particular made for one of the most influential story-arcs of all time.

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Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.