Marvel Revives The Eternals

Posted on June 12, 2006

Marvel is reviving a comic series originally created by Jack Kirby in 1976 called the Eternals. Bestselling author Neil Gaiman and comic artist John Romita Jr. have been handed the task of reviving the tales of the Eternals. The Eternals are not as well-known as other Marvel comic characters, nevertheless they are very appealing characters. If you are unfamiliar with the immortal eternals an entry on Newsarama called Know Your Eternals should help you find enlightenment.

Created by Jack Kirby in 1976, the Eternals have always had an uncomfortable fit in the Marvel Universe. Created in the prehistory of earth by the space-faring busybodies known as the Celestials, the Eternals are a race of super-powered humanoids with a family tree that would make most Mormons sigh with envy.
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Traits: The Eternals' bodily cells contain cosmic energy, and they maintain constant mental control over every molecule of their bodies. Eternals are virtually immortal, and can be restored to life even if the molecules of their bodies are scattered. All Eternals possess the capacity for superhuman strength, telepathy, flight, teleportation, illusion-casting, transmutation of organic and inorganic matter, and the generation of various forms of energy from their bodies, including force, heat, light, and other electromagnetic radiation. Some Eternals have devoted themselves to specializing in a particular facet of their powers, and can increase their proficiency in one area by decreasing their power in another. The Eternal who serves as Prime Eternal can generate blue flame which will merge anyone who passes through it into a Uni-Mind, a powerful psychic entity which embodies the collective power of every individual who created it. A Uni-Mind requires the participation of at least seven Eternals in order to succeed.

The Newsarama entry also includes a list of all the Eternals and background about the Eternals' history. We think that Neil Gaiman, the bestselling author of American Gods (not to mention the creator of the Sandman), is just the writer to bring the thousand-year-old Eternals back to life.