We will have to wait until next year for the film adaptation of “Eternals”. This is a great opportunity to first read the source material and get to know some of the oldest characters in the Marvel universe. Thanks to Egmont we can do it with a special edition of “The Ancients”.
The comic book series The Ancients from 1976–1978 is the last great work created for the Marvel publishing house by the cult cartoonist and screenwriter Jack Kirby, known as the King, the father of such superhero icons as Captain America, Thor, Hulk and X-Men. It is an epic science fiction story about the adventures of immortal heroes, in which we can recognize characters from myths and legends (such as Gilgamesh, Circe or the Aztec Quetzalcoatl). For thousands of years they have guarded the Earth from sinister Deviants and secretly supported the development of
mankind, preparing it for the return of the Celestians – cosmic gods who will come to judge the inhabitants of the Blue Planet.
Egmont’s collector’s edition of the Ancient Ones includes all nineteen books from the Kirby series and its annual. Thanks to the large format (as much as 225 mm in width and 344 mm in height), fans of the King’s talent will be able to fully admire his masterful line and details of his amazing drawings of space vehicles, fallen Lemuria or Inca ruins marked with the divine mark. A treat for readers of interesting scenes of the comic book creation will be additional materials, shedding light on Kirby’s inspirations, publishing adventures of the Ancient Ones and their further fate in Marvel.
The Old Ones will open an exclusive Marvel Limited collection. Its subsequent volumes will also be published in a special enlarged format, thanks to which the readers will be able to fully appreciate the artistry of the greatest cartoonists from the House of Ideas.
Marvel Limited. The Ancient of Days
Screenplay: Jack Kirby
Drawings: Jack Kirby
Translation: Alicja Laskowska
Once upon a time the majestic Celestians came to Earth from the farthest reaches of the cosmos and spawned three races: the noble Ancient Ones from the tops of the mountains, the sinister Deviants from the deep sea, and the people who were unknown. Soon, the divine creators will return to judge the inhabitants of the Blue Planet. Their arrival will shake the foundations of the world, awaken old conflicts and force humanity to revise its entire history! Fortunately, she can count on the help of the immortal heroes whom she worshiped as gods in ancient times: brave Ikaris, wise Thena, full of life Sersi, swift Makkari and the mighty Zouras, the
First of the Ancients!
Here is the last great story written and drawn for Marvel by Jack Kirby. This legendary comic book artist presents an alternative history of human civilization, drawing abundantly from mythology, legends, science fiction themes and his own limitless imagination.
The elegant Polish edition in enlarged format contains not only all twenty notebooks of the series, but also a nostalgic introduction by Mike Royer, Kirby’s longtime collaborator, selected letters to readers in which the author of “The Ancients” reveals his inspiration, as well as extensive afterword presenting the history the birth of the series and the fate of the heroes in the Marvel universe. The history of the Ancient Ones will be re-told in Marvel’s Eternals , which will premiere in 2021.
