When i was young ...in the 70's new god and eternals were some of jacks late works. of course being 10yrs old i didn't get it. i just took the time to reread both books. i think even in twilight of his career he was so ahead of his time pure genius!!!!.......what do you guys think!!!

Don't know about the core concept, but I still believe the Reject was one of the first "hardcore" characters to come out of Marvel in the 70s. One that was willing, happy, to kill his enemies, a pretty boy with Wolverine's killing rage. Aside from Deathlok and Conan, Dracula, maybe Annihilus, there weren't too many of these legitimately scary bloody-thirsty types running around. The Reject also had a unique bond with Kharkis, an ugly mutate with the soul of a poet. That relationship was the only thing in the ETERNALS that really elevated it for me.

Slightly behind the times, really. Even the most staunch Kirby-boosters (of which I am definitely one!) admit he cribbed most of this from "Chariots of the Gods". That book was already eight years old (and largely discredited) by the time Kirby launched THE ETERNALS (original title "Return of the Gods".)

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My older brother had that book once, but I was too young to have read it at the time.

Eternals also seems like an inferior imitation of Kirby's own New Gods work.

Not only did the book's content derive from von Danniken, but the original logo (for the RETURN OF THE GODS title, noted by JB) was in the same font as the one used on most editions of CHARIOTS OF THE GODS.  It was featured in some advance publicity.

Kirby also incorporated elements of the "Shaver Mystery," famous during the 1950s flying saucer flap.  Richard Shaver, writing what purported to be non-fiction articles in various science fiction magazines, posited a hidden super race -- the Deros -- who lived underground and caused many of mankind's ills.  The Deros were very much templates for the Deviants.

Marvel did another von Danniken knock-off in MARVEL PREVIEW, "Man-Gods from the Stars" or some such.  Very nice Neal Adams cover.

What interested me about the Eternals was the interaction of humanity between our two brother races of man.  Although it seemed shoehorned into the Marvel Universe, it actually managed to fit nicely for most part except the redundant godly pantheons.

To be honest, I'd be more excited if Mike Mignola was doing an Eternals/Deviants story than Gaiman.  I have the first issue, and am not very interested in the core mystery of why they don't remember.

Possible Spoiler in inviso-text -

Isn't it because of the Celestials - that whole amnesia thing, I mean? I can recall the 12 issue series from the 80's, and the Celestials were the cause of everyone's amnesia.

Anyway, that's what I can remember. It may be different this time around, though.