I like Don Newton, just not as wild about his NEW GODS run. More so for Conway's part than for Newton's. I think one of the things that bothered me was they put Orion in a new costume, tamed him down, and made him a little too much like the other superheroes. He lost the heroic monster aspect that he had in the Kirby run.
Newton I felt was at his best in the Shazam stories in WORLD'S FINEST, and a good percentage of his BATMAN, DETECTIVE and BRAVE & THE BOLD issues. And for his anthology stories in TIME WARP, Newton's THE PHANTOM work for Charleton, and lots of other stuff he did. He was only 49 when he died!
I think my favorite non-Kirby NEW GODS stuff was by Simonson. Especially the X-MEN/TITANS special in 1982.
And the DeMatteis/Paris Cullins FOREVER PEOPLE series in 1988.
And ultimately, the Levitz/Giffen "Darkness Saga" in LEGION.
