Did star wars rip off the new gods?

[mortymantis]

A lot of comparisons!

Thoughts?

[Starchild]

They are nothing alike at all. The only thing that they have in common is that they both take place in the cosmos.

[colonyofcells]

The jedi knights maybe had more rip offs from shaolin monks movies and Flash Gordon.

[BohemiaDrinker]

Star Wars is a huge mish-mash of influences, and I'm sure the New Gods are among those, as I'm also sure that both New Gods and Star Wars have some influences in common.

But the whole Orion/Drakseid - Luke/Darth-Vader is just to similar, IMHO.

Thern again, it'sw been ages since I read Kirby's stuff or watched the original SWs, so I maybe seeing too much.

[MajorHoy]

And those ancient Greeks and Romans with their myths . . . I bet they ripped off the New Gods as well!

(And you know, come to think of it, whoever created The Eternals at Marvel definitely stole from Kirby's New Gods playbook! I bet it was a corporate spy involved! )

[Robotman]

I've heard this theory before. Lucas "borrowed" a lot of concept and story ideas from a number of sources. Westerns, Samurai films, and of course Tolkien. He used to read comics so he may have been influenced by the master, Jack Kirby.

Roy Thomas apparently noticed the similarities as well:

George Lucas's Star Wars series has notable influences from the New Gods. At a 1972 dinner that included comics writer/editor Roy Thomas and comic shop owner Ed Summer, George Lucas told his story for Star Wars, after which Roy Thomas noted that it sounded very similar to Jack Kirby’s New Gods.

[mortymantis]

They are nothing alike at all. The only thing that they have in common is that they both take place in the cosmos.

Really?

Apocalypse foot soldiers - storm troopers
Mark moon rider - Luke skywalker
Darkseid Orion - Vander Luke (fathers and sons with reveal)
New genesis apocalypse- light dark
The source- the force

[FanboyStranger]

I've heard this theory before. Lucas "borrowed" a lot of concept and story ideas from a number of sources. Westerns, Samurai films, and of course Tolkien. He used to read comics so he may have been influenced by the master, Jack Kirby.

Roy Thomas apparently noticed the similarities as well:

George Lucas's Star Wars series has notable influences from the New Gods. At a 1972 dinner that included comics writer/editor Roy Thomas and comic shop owner Ed Summer, George Lucas told his story for Star Wars, after which Roy Thomas noted that it sounded very similar to Jack Kirby’s New Gods.

Two of his major comics influences were Howard Chaykin's "Cody Starbuck" from Star*Reach, whose has been cited as a major influence on Han Solo (right down to the vest), and Al Williamson's Flash Gordon comics. He'd pay both of those gentlemen back by suggesting them for the Marvel Star Wars series. In fact, it's been rumored that he actually demanded that Williamson illustrate the movie adaptations.

I remember that there was a Comic Book Legends Revealed that featured a Mexican comic that looked suspiciously like the Star Wars movie poster that came out about a half decade before the movie. It had a character that looked exactly like Darth Vader. Lucas said he wasn't familiar with the comic, but said Ralph Macquarrie, SW's designer, may have taken some inspiration from it.

[Tony]

the hero with a thousand faces by Joseph Campbell.

[blackbolt396]

The Hidden Fortress, he borrowed from this movie too.

[Angilasman]

I remember that there was a Comic Book Legends Revealed that featured a Mexican comic that looked suspiciously like the Star Wars movie poster that came out about a half decade before the movie. It had a character that looked exactly like Darth Vader. Lucas said he wasn't familiar with the comic, but said Ralph Macquarrie, SW's designer, may have taken some inspiration from it.

I've hear something similar, but with the famous European comic series Valerian.

For me, despite all the sci-fi trappings Star Wars really feels like a fusion of Kurosawa samurai picture and old-fashioned Hollywood swashbuckler.

[Vision]

yes dc should sue disney asap

[Starter Set]

Star Wars' story is so generic that you can make comparaisons with everything really.

And that's one of the reason why a new hope was so successfull, that's an universal tale.

The idealistic young blood, the old mentor, the princess to save, the diamond in the rough and his pet, the evil villain...all the stereotypes are there.

[Jim Kelly]

Here's the thing. If they had done a faithful adaptation of Kirby's NEW GODS and put it up on the screen in the early '80s, audiences would have howled loudly that the movie was a complete rip-off of STAR WARS. Darkseid, his son Orion, the Source--all these elements would have looked like they were completely lifted from the Star Wars movies.

That's really what has always burned me about the Lucas movies. He pretty much made it impossible for anyone to look at NEW GODS and see it as a fresh concept from Jack Kirby.

[JLH]

Gotta agree with you, Jim--and I'd add Highfather/Obi Wan to the list of similarities. Although I wouldn't say SW is a direct rip-off, it definitely "borrowed" quite a bit from Kirby's NG.