IN THE US

$995

Black Bolt TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR THIRTY-NINE

FAN FAVORITES!
COPYRIGHTS: Angry Charlie, Batman, Ben Boxer,
Big Barda, Darkseid, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern,
Guardian, Joker, Justice League of America,
Kalibak, Kamandi, Lightray, Losers, Manhunter,
New Gods, Newsboy Legion, OMAC, Orion, Super
Powers, Superman, True Divorce, Wonder Woman
TM & 2003 DC Comics 2001 characters,
Ardina, Blastaar, Bucky, Captain America, Dr.
Doom, Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, Human
Torch, Thing, Invisible Girl), Frightful Four
(Medusa, Wizard, Sandman, Trapster), Galactus,
Gargoyle, hercules, Hulk, Ikaris, Inhumans (Black
Bolt, Crystal, Lockjaw, Gorgon, Medusa, Karnak,
Triton, Maximus), Iron Man, Leader, Loki, Machine
Man, Nick Fury, Rawhide Kid, Rick Jones,
Sentinels, Sgt. Fury, Shalla Bal, Silver Surfer, SubMariner, Thor, Two-Gun Kid, Tyrannus, Watcher,
Wyatt Wingfoot, X-Men (Angel, Cyclops, Beast,
Iceman, Marvel Girl) TM & 2003 Marvel
Characters, Inc. Captain Victory, Silver Star,
Galaxy Green TM & 2003 Jack Kirby Estate
Foxhole, Fighting American, Bullseye, Stuntman
TM & 2003 Simon & Kirby Airboy TM &
2003 Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc. The
Fly, The Shield TM & 2003 Archie Publications,
Inc. Conan, Red Sonja TM & 2003 Robert E.
Howard, Inc. Tarzan TM & 2003 Edgar Rice
Burroughs, Inc. Addams Family TM & 2003
Estate of Charles Addams and Filmways TV
Productions, Inc. Batman TV show TM & 2003
20th Century Fox, Inc.

THE NEW
RETROSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
(the real Silver SurferJacks, that is)
COLLECTOR COMMENTS . . . . . . . . . . .78
(some very artful letters on #37-38)
#39, FALL 2003

C
o
n
t
e
n
t
s

OPENING SHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
(where the editor lists his favorite things)

KIRBY OBSCURA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

(Barry Forshaw has more rare Kirby stuff)

UNDER THE COVERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

(Jerry Boyd asks nearly everyone what
their fave Kirby cover is)

GALLERY (GUEST EDITED!) . . . . . . . . .22

(congrats Chris Beneke!)

INNER VIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
(Jacks on Entertainment Tonight!)
JACK F.A.Q.s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
(whos the better artist, Kirby or Buscema?)
RETROSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
(Ang Lee is green with envy)

KIRBY AS A GENRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

(its not Kirby, but its close)
RETROSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
(theyre creepy and theyre kooky...)
TRIBUTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
(better late than never, its the 2002 Kirby
Tribute Panel)

PARTING SHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

(weve got a Thing for you)
Front cover inks: MIKE ALLRED
Front cover colors: LAURA ALLRED
Back cover inks: P. CRAIG RUSSELL
Back cover colors: TOM ZIUKO
Photocopies of Jacks uninked pencils from
published comics are reproduced here
courtesy of the Kirby Estate, which has our
thanks for their continued support.
(below) Jacks cover pencils from
Marvel Super-Heroes #54 (Nov. 1975).
Hulk TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

The Jack Kirby Collector, Vol. 10, No. 39, Fall 2003. Published quarterly by & 2003 TwoMorrows Publishing, 1812 Park Drive, Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. 919-833-8092.
John Morrow, Editor. Pamela Morrow, Asst. Editor. Eric Nolen-Weathington, Production Assistant. Single issues: $13 postpaid ($15 Canada, $16 elsewhere). Four-issue subscriptions: $36.00 US, $60.00 Canada, $64.00
elsewhere. All characters are trademarks of their respective companies. All artwork is 2003 Jack Kirby unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter is 2003 the respective authors. First printing. PRINTED IN CANADA.

Opening Shot

by John Morrow, editor of TJKC

amilies are remarkable things. Theyre the only people you can
go to and get generally universal acceptance. And even though
Jack passed away almost ten years ago, the family of friends
and relatives united by the
name Kirby is as strong as
evera testament to how
remarkable a figure Jack was.
2004 marks the tenth
anniversary of this magazine,
which launched TwoMorrows
Publishing. Last July, my wife
Pam, daughter Lily, and I took
our annual sojourn to beautiful San Diego, California for
the tenth time (first in 1991,

tribute, with more material

being added all the
time, so check it out.
Things are also
afoot from other
FOOJs (thats
1994-2004
Friends Of Ol
Jack) thatll
impact the Kings
presence
on the Web.
Look for an
exciting announcement in September 2004
not so coincidentally, exactly ten years to the day of
the release of TJKC #1.
Another new addition to the Kirby family came
on August 13, as Kirby biographer Ray Wyman Jr.
and his wife Mary welcomed their second child
Thomas Francis to the world. Were sure hell be
properly taught the value of square fingers, toes, and

A Few Of My Favorite Things!

(top) My daughter Lily picking
out her Halloween pumpkin!
(center) The Kirby family at
the 2002 San Diego Con. Left
to right: Grandson Jeremy
Kirby, Ray Wyman Jr.,
granddaughter Tracy Kirby,
former Kirby assistant Steve
Sherman, family friend Mike
Thibodeaux, and Jeremys
wife Crystal (holding baby
Hannah as a one-year-old).
(above) Recent shot of
Jeremy, Crystal, and Hannah
Kirby, and (right) Jeremys
new website; check it out!
Characters TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

then nine in a row starting in 1995) to

attend Comicon. It was Lilys second year
(she was just shy of two years old at the
time), but she probably had the most fun
of any of us. Friends weve made over the
last decade flocked to our booth, ooohing
and aaahing over our little girl and giving
her gifts, while we all caught up on whats
been going on in
each others lives
since the last San
Diego con.
But perhaps our
ultimate experience
this year had little to do with comics, when Lily
got to spend an afternoon playing with Jeremy
and Crystal Kirbys daughter Hannah. There
was something so right about seeing my daughter walk off hand-in-hand with Jack and Rozs
great-granddaughter. Besides being absolutely
adorable, Hannahs awfully advanced for a
two-year-old, and she proceeded to amaze my
wife by teaching Lily all kinds of new things that day. It made us
both wonder if she inherited a little bit of Jacks non-stop mind.
Hannahs dad has a new website devoted to his grandfather
www.jackkingkirby.comand Jeremys put together a wonderful

squiggly knees.
Lastly, if you have listing corrections or updated additions that you wish to send to The Jack Kirby Checklist, please
send them to Richard Kolkmans new post office box or e-mail
address below. Your ongoing help and support results in the
definitive listing of the work of The King of Comics, and this
list is always being updated and expanded to become ever
more accurate.
Richard Kolkman
Seriocomics
Box 501905
Indianapolis, IN 46250
protista1@aol.com
On a more personal
note, Id like to dedicate
this issue to the memory
of the little Morrow who
didnt make it. Youre the
reason it was so late, and
though we never got to
know you, you continue
to impact our lives daily. Well see you again one day.

Must-Have Kirby Items From TwoMorrows!

Captain Victory TM & 2003 Jack Kirby Estate.

Characters TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Batman TM & 2003 DC Comics. Captain America TM &

2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

In February, were re-releasing THE COLLECTED JACK KIRBY

COLLECTOR, VOL. ONE, which reprints TJKC #1-9 plus 30 pieces
of Kirby art never shown anywhere else! $29 US postpaid
Now shipping is the debut issue of our new magazine BACK
ISSUE!, which features an even dozen pages of Kirbys pencil
art in the inaugural Rough Stuff section, plus a FULL-COLOR
presentation of Jacks hand-colored guides for the covers of
JIMMY OLSEN #133 and FOREVER PEOPLE #1. $8 US postpaid
Initial mail-only sales of the CAPTAIN VICTORY: GRAPHITE EDITION
havent done the trick, so were offering it through stores in
March (all proceeds go toward scanning the Kirby Archives!). To
avoid a sell out, order yours before March! $8 US postpaid
See the ads elsewhere in this issue for ordering details!

Under The Covers

Our front cover this
issue is inked by
Mike Allred, returning
for a reader-requested
second outing at a
TJKC cover (his first
being on issue #28s
wraparound beauty).
This Black Bolt piece
(at left) first appeared
in Fantastic Four
Annual #5 (1967),
inked by Frank
Giacoia, and we
originally ran the
pencils in TJKC #23
(see page 54 of this
issue). Mikes wife
Laura Allred added
her artful touch by
coloring Mikes inks
to make a truly
striking cover image.
Our back cover this
issue is a Hulk fan
commission inked by
P. Craig Russell, one
of the true fine
artists in comics.
Craig took time out to
do an interview with
TwoMorrows Eric
Nolen-Weathington,
which well feature
next issue! (Kudos to
Tom Ziuko for the
splendid coloring on
the back cover of this
issue!)

(right, top to bottom)

2001 Treasury
Edition, Jimmy Olsen
#139, Kamandi #12,
Fantastic Four #1
recreation, and
Foxhole #1.

Covering It All!

Written and compiled by Jerry Boyd (with help from John Morrow and John Fleskes)
erily, tis true that ye cannot judge a book by its cover. However, you can
judge a comic magazine cover on its own merits and a cover by our
beloved king usually stated a mouthful. Whether Jack was capturing the
essence of his own regularly drawn books, or a dramatic moment in time for
stories done by others, there was always something about a Kirby cover that
demanded your undivided attention.
The cover pieces the king produced in his long, stellar career number in
the thousands. Nevertheless, the memories they evoke remain so tangible
that one can probably pinpoint the place/placeswhether it be big city
newsstand, comics office, home-delivered subscription issue, or that familiar
spinner rack in your local drug store/convenience marketwhere one first lay eyes on the Fly cautiously approaching the malevolent
Spider Spry (Adventures of the Fly #1), or an outmatched Captain America almost cowering before the Enchantress and Power Man
(Avengers #22), or the Forever People in the evil grip of Desaad (Forever People #4), to name a few examples.
For this fan favorites issue, weve gathered an eclectic selection of writers, editors, artists, and fans and posed to them one
question: What is your favorite Jack Kirby cover and why? For some, this was a no-brainer and others
(understandably) needed days/weeks/months to narrow it down to a single precious choice (or two).
Special thanks go out to all who happily took on this admittedly daunting task and... away we go!

MARIE SEVERIN

STAN LEE

cartoonist/colorist without peer

I kinda liked the (Kirby) splashes more than
the covers! Jack had a way of capturing the same
excitement on the opening page or outdoing his
covers outright. Its hard to pick one because
they were all so good and had such impact...
and they all bumped into each other in quality. I
would say that the wraparound cover for 2001
(the treasury-sized edition) was a particularly
exciting cover to me and also unusual for Jack. I
believe he colored that one himself. The scope of
it was fantastic and I wish he couldve done more
wraparound pieces. I also wish Kirby had tried
sculpture. Can you imagine it if he had done
murals? Wed... have more pieces like 2001!

writer/art director/editor supreme

Im sorry but its impossible for me to say
which is my favorite Kirby cover. However, if
there absolutely must be a choice, then its the
cover for Fantastic Four #1. Not because its
Jacks best artwork, but because it was the cover
of the mag that started the Marvel Age of
Comicsand once seen, its almost impossible
to forget.
Excelsior!!

DANIEL CLOWES
artist/writer of Eightball, Doofus, & Ghost World
I like the Don Rickles and Goody Rickels
cover on Jimmy Olsen #139. It was a favorite of
mine because it was such a crazy idea!! I actually
had that one on my wall for five years! I should go
read that book again. I havent read it since 1972.
Aside from being one of modern-day comics brightest
talents, the talented Mr. Clowes also co-wrote the screenplay for Terry Zwigoffs excellent movie adaptation of
Dans comic, Ghost World. If you havent seen it, youre
missing out on a real treat! Dan did this drawing of
Enid, the movies main character,
especially for TJKC! Thanks, Dan!

JOHN MORROW
editor/publisher
Its Kamandi #12, with the
giant grasshopper leaping toward
the reader. This was my first Kirby
book, and it really threw me for a loop. I
remember looking at it, instantly hating the
square knees and fingers that Jack drew, and
then by the time I finished reading the issue, I
was a total Kirby fan for life.

Kirby and Ayers recreated the famous cover to FF #1 in

the early 90s (shown below).

MARK EVANIER
columnist/creator
Picking one or even ten Kirby covers is like
going into a Baskin-Robbins that has 31,000
flavors. Never mind which one you prefer, how
do you even begin to pick? But if you were holding
a few loved ones hostage and demanding a
selection, I suppose Id opt for Foxhole #1a
haunting image that was among the very few
times that Jack ever drew a cover scene as much
from memory as imagination. Jack told endless
tales of his days in World War II, often to the
impatience of fans who only wanted to hear
about Asgard and Apokolips. In his anecdotes,
as in his drawing, he did not glamorize the
killing, but did, in life-affirming manner, glamorize the heroism, memorialize the emotion,
weighing them against one another. Most of
his war-theme covers captured that ambiguity
but the first Foxhole did it as eloquently as any,
and without any tricks of forced perspective or
exaggerated anatomy. And if you made me pick
some others, Id probably go eenie-meenieminie-mo and namehmm, lets see... FF #29,
Tales of Suspense #80 or maybe Captain America
#107. But ask me again in an hour and Ill pick
completely different ones.

Tales of Suspense #71

Journey Into Mystery Annual #1

Tales To Astonish #34

Airboy Comics Vol. 4, #4

JERRY BOYD

DICK AYERS

TwoMorrows contributor
Time has witnessed many a warrior who has
fought through his anguish as fallen comrades lie
nearby. In addition, many warriors have survived in
battle and claimed the victory because of the inspirational charge of an ally. The Kirby/Ayers team, two
WWII veterans, captured all of this in the cover of
Suspense #71 with modern warriors in mechanized
armor in a battle televised before an entire world.
Happy Hogan was prone, unconscious, a seeming
martyr to the Golden Avengers (and the free worlds)
struggle against Communism. Set against a bleak,
rugged terrain, the vengeful Iron Man is positioned
between his fallen friend and the bloodthirsty
Titanium Man. Jacks design was in contrast to many
of the Marvel covers at the time which depicted the
heroes either at bay, beaten (see TOS #70 before
this one by Heck), or about to attack. This kingly
masterwork set up the fights denouement victory!!
This intimate, tension-filled, and dramatic cover,
just above a stupendous Lee/Heck/Wood effort,
was a Kirby tour de force and it caught all the glory
of Iron Mans greatest triumph. (It is too tough to
pick oneEvanier was right!) During the Renaissance,
my second pick wouldve fit in as a statue sculpted
by Michelangelo, a painting by Titian, or a drawing
by DaVinci. It screams classic art, and its the cover
of Journey into Mystery Annual #1with the warrior
gods Thor and Hercules in a locked fighting pose
that defies denouncements.

artist/inker extraordinaire
My favorite monster cover is Monster at My
Window! (Tales to Astonish #34). That was a beaut.
And my favorite story was (I Created) Sporr, the
Thing That Could Not Die!! (Tales of Suspense
#11). Monster stories were my favorites of all
the stuff that Kirby penciled that
I inked. I enjoyed those the most.

New Gods #1

Sgt. Fury takes a time-out from

stomping Sieg-Heilers in this convention portrait by Dick Ayers (shown
below).

JIM
VADEBONCOEUR, JR.
comics historian/publisher
of ImageS magazine
Kirbys post-WWII artwork
for Hillman was some of his
most raw and powerful as typified by the May 1947 cover for
Airboy Comics vol. 4, #4. The
story the image communicates is
immediate and obvious and
requires only a single glance to
comprehend. Compare this to the text-heavy
Charles Biro covers for such contemporary titles as
Crime Does Not Pay.
With Black Magic and other titles
at Crestwood/Prize, Kirby reached one
of his several artistic peaks. His ability
is exemplified by the cover for issue
#18 (vol. 2, #12, Nov. 1952) with its
incredible sense of place and its visually
easy-to-read scenario.

NEAL ADAMS
artist/writer/publisher
When I was a younger kid,
Kirbys stuff put me off in many ways!
His art was totally focused on action
and the villains were so ugly!! It was
the Challengers of the Unknown with
Wally Woods inking that made Kirby
palatable to me. I really became a fan
of the Challengers because the interior
Kirby/Wood material was fantastic
a new style of comic art to my eyes. So
Id pick a Challengers cover but I
believe someone else other than Wood
inked them... like George Klein? Also, I
dont know if this is generally known
but when I was going to go professional
4

Black Magic #18 (Vol. 2, #12)

I did a sample art page of the Challengers... from

still-strong impressions of their earlier stuff. So, the
first coming of Jacks importance in the field to me
came from Woods magical filter. Later on, I fell in
love with their Sky Masters, as well.
From a historical point of view, Ill go for
Fantastic Four #1. I dont know whether it was Jack
convincing Stan or Stan convincing Jack they ought
to concentrate on comics (and walk away from comic
strips) but their joint point of view in creating the
Marvel era was momentous. FF #1 was a monster
comicit wasnt even a super-hero book yet! The
huge monster clawing up out of the street played on
their earlier successes in the monster books. Hell,
the Things a monster, too! Jack, in his ugliness
period, teamed up with Stan and really started
something. Theres no charm there on that cover
and like a lot of Kirby work, its hardly ever exciting
because its beautifulits the dynamic!! The
cover... marked a second beginning for Marvel.
I dont have any strong favorites from the DC
period because I inked as many as I could because I
wanted to save them from others! I believe someone
told me then that Al Plastino would ink them. I didnt
like the idea of Plastino over Kirby so I stepped in
and tried to save as many as I could!
Because Neal is such a great guy and because this is the
Kirby Collector, he sent along this bust of comicdoms
greatest super-patriot, Captain America (shown above)!

INNER VIEW

Entertainment Tonight
(The following is a transcript of a
two-minute interview segment
with Jack Kirby which aired on
October 28, 1982, during the first
season of the television program
Entertainment Tonight. The
interviewer/narrator was
Katherine Mann, and this piece
was conducted in Jacks Thousand
Oaks, CA home. Thanks to Steven
Thompson for supplying the video,
and to Glen Musial for capturing
the images you see here from the
VHS tape.)

All images 2003 Entertainment

Tonight.

(this page,
top right)
The word balloon
Jack added to the
drawing he did of
Katherine has the supercharacter saying Never
fear, Katherine! Im fast
when Im flying!

During the afternoon we spent with him, Jack couldnt resist including
me in one of his action-packed plots. Thats me, being thrown from a
helicopter by two vicious villains. But in the nick of time, Im saved
by a flying passer-by.

KATHERINE MANN: How many characters have you created?

JACK KIRBY: It would probably come to an Army Division.
By his own
admission,
Jack Kirbys
super-hero
creations are
so numerous,
even he cant
keep track.
After some 40
years at the
drawing
board, and an
estimated
40,000 pages
of action with
such characters
as Captain America, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers, Kirby is the
undisputed King of comic book super-heroes.

MANN: Oh, youre endowing me nicely there, Jack! Thanks a

lot! (laughter) This is the Katherine Mann youve never seen
before, and probably never will again!
KIRBY: This is my normal masculine instincts coming out.
(laughter)

MANN: What do your characters represent?

KIRBY: Well, the characters represent a sort of transcendent
feeling we all have inside us; that we could do better. We want
to do better. We have the time to do better. We can be the
people we lionize.
To anyone passing by his Southern
California home, Jack looks like
anything but a
musclebound
super-hero. But
according to
him, its whats
inside the mind
that counts.
KIRBY: If you
look at my
characters,
youll find me.
No matter
what kind of
character you create or assume, a little of
yourself must remain there.

As he sits each day at his board along with his characters, Jack Kirby
is far from lonely.
KIRBY: I havent got
the trappings of a
circus, but there in
my mind is a very
active, and bright,
and colorful place,
thats as good as any
circus that Ive ever
seen. I live with
that, and I enjoy it
immensely.

Mark evanier

Jack F.A.Q.s

A column answering Frequently Asked Questions about Kirby

by Mark Evanier
Lets jump right in with this question from Tim Woolf...
I keep seeing on the Internet, people who say things like, I cant stand
the way Kirby drew. John Buscema was so much better an artist. How
do you deal with such people?

(below) An unused panel, still

in pencil, from Journey Into
Mystery #116 (May 1965).
While Jack may not have
been half the realistic
artist guys like John
Buscema were, he was
there to co-create most of
the characters the Johnnycome-latelies built their
reputations drawing.
Thor, Loki TM & 2003 Marvel
Characters, Inc.

(next page) Pencils

from the story The
Twin for the neverpublished DC magazine
True Divorce Cases
(circa 1970). Colletta
began inking the book,
but stopped partway
through when it was
shelved.
True Divorce Cases 2003 DC
Comics.

think the phrase, Everyones entitled to their opinion is not a

bad answer, and I wish some people wouldnt be so insistent
that their tastes are established facts with which the world
must concur. The Internet is a special haven for folks who have a
severe emotional problem in coping with alternative viewpoints.
Someone doesnt like Kirby art? Fine with me. I would think
it was some aberration of nature if everyone agreed on something
like that.
But it was also fine with Jack, who certainly didnt expect
everyone to like what he did, nor was he particularly willing or
able to change to perhaps broaden his immediate popularity. He
knew what he did well and what he wanted to do... and to the
extent that employers and his work situations allowed, those
were one and the same thing.
Ever-confident he was offering his best, he was generally
untroubled if someone decided to leave it and utterly uncompetitive when someone seemed to prefer another
technique. Except for a few

professionals with whom he had personal or

ethical problems, Jack had enormous affection and
respect for other artists. If you asked him about Buscema (or
Romita or Heck or Kane or Adams or any of his contemporaries),
he would usually say, Hes great and genuinely mean it.

Thus,
what comes
to mind
when I
encounter
someone like
the person you
quoted is this: Jack
Kirby and John Buscema
were not really competing. Jack
sure didnt seem to think so.
He felt that way for three reasons, I believe. One was that he
was a very selfless, munificent person. He liked to see everyone
do well. Secondly, he had a pretty healthy ego, well-rooted in
reality.
But mainly he didnt see himself as filling quite the role as
those other artists. To think that he was in competition with most
other artists is to miss the important things that Jack brought to
his work, which were in the concepts and storytelling. Few other
artists even attempted to do the kinds of things Jack did.
John Buscema drew beautiful pictures... and Im just using
John in this discussion because the questioner invoked his name.
He was a fabulous artist, better in many ways than
the assembly line nature of comic book production
ever allowed him to demonstrate. But he would
have been the first to tell you that he only did a
portion of the job that Jack Kirby did on a comic
book. John may have drawn a Silver Surfer or
Galactus or Thor that some found more pleasing
to the eye than Kirbys, but he did not create or
co-create those characters.
He also did not, by his own admission and
all accounts, contribute as much to the plots and
storyline of the comics he drew as Jack did to
his. Kirby and Buscema both found a certain
pride in drawing Marvel Comics but because
they were different men with different strengths
and interests, I suspect each found his joy in
a different end of the job description.
Understanding how Kirby did what
he did begins, I believe, with accepting that
Jack was not just a comic book penciler.
Not that theres anything wrong with that
but Kirby was a conceptualizer, a storyteller, a plotter, sometimes a dialoguewriter in whole or part, a creator and
designer of characters... and a guy who
penciled pages of comic books.
Of those functions, the one that
interested Jack the leastdrawing
picturesis the main (often, only)
contribution of most other artists.
And as Ive said before, I believe that
as Jack got older, his interest in the
illustration part of the job declined
and his interest in the writing and
storytelling increased. This is why
his later covers were not, generally,
as interesting.
Its also why he didnt object too much to poor inking. Al
Williamson would have beaten you to a pulp if youd given his
pencil art to one or two of the guys who finished Jacks work. But
those lesser inkers didnt do much damage to the part of the work
that mattered most to Kirbythe concepts and panel-to-panel
storytelling. When Jack finally decided that Vince Colletta was
injurious to the pages, it was not because of how the art itself

He was power and pathos personified in green.

Retrospective

He was the Silver Age heir to the Golden Age anti-heroes

who epitomized destructive force propelled by uncontrollable rage. He was
Jack and Stans first solo-star, and likewise, their first flop. Characteristically, he
smashed his way back from obscurity, raging and rampaging into the hearts and minds of millions
along the way. Four decades later, he shows no signs of stopping. Move over Man of Steel:

The Strangest Man

Of All Time!
hat do you do for an encore after
launching The Worlds Greatest
Comic Magazine? When faced with
that question back in 1962, Jack Kirby and
Stan Lee responded by creating a solo-star
who, if anything, pushed the envelope even
further than The Fantastic Four. They gave
him the power and pathos of the Thing,
and the shape-shifting ability of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde. They took the visage of Boris Karloff s
Frankenstein, and the sympathy-evoking persona of
Quasimodo; the pathetic, hunted-beast with limited
intellect. To this, they the added angst-ridden characterization that was serving them so well in The
Fantastic Four, along with some Golden Age antihero attitude (as personified by the 1940s SubMariner). Finally,
they took the name
of a wisely forgotten
Journey Into Mystery
monster (right) , and
from this wildly
diverse synthesis,
came their new creation. The fact that
the Incredible Hulk
bore a clear resemblance to many of
Marvels pre-super-hero monsters, may indicate that
the writers (along with Martin Goodman) were
hedging their bets on a full-fledged 1960s superhero revival. However, it was more likely a conscious
effort by
Lee and
Kirby to
Kirbys enigmatic emerald enormity, effusively examined and expounded on by Mark Alexander
put as
much
stylistic distance as they could between their new star, and the cheerful, pro-social super-heroes their Distinguished
Competitors were churning out, as epitomized by Superman.
Indeed, Marvels Green Goliath had more in common with kryptonite than he did with the Man of Steel. The very image
of Superman, a smiling, utopian figure, standing on a mountain topwith his bright red cape floating in the summer breeze
was totally antithetical to Kirbys tortured behemoth-in-rags, who savagely pounded his prison walls in The Incredible Hulk #3
(left). Moreover, the idea that acquiring super-powers could bring misery (instead of fame and glory) and drive a wedge
between man and his society, was light-years away from concepts like Krypto, the caped Super-dog. Suddenly, even to the preteen eye, National Comics would seem simplistic and clichd.
Jack Kirbys creativity seemed a force as unstoppable as The Hulk himself.

14

The Strange Case of

Dr. Banner and Mr. Hulk
Q: In the past, youve mentioned writers like Robert Louis Stevenson
and Jack London as favorites. Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
obviously influenced The Hulk.
KIRBY: Sure. Those writers were good writers. They were professionals
and men who knew the craftand of course they could write about a
thing like the Hulk as well as I or anybody could, and maybe see some
insights that I couldnt.
from TJKC #23
Another aspect of Kirbys beleaguered behemoth that set
him apart from the rest of comicdom, was Banner and the Hulks
unique relationship with their alter-egos. It was a personality
divided against itself. Banner, a bespectacled, introverted version
of Reed Richards, lived in constant fear of the Hulks uncontrollable rage, while the monster within despised Banners frailty and
weakness. In the Hulks clouded mind, he viewed Banner as a different person altogether: an enemy whom he wished to destroy,
but was never able to find. Obviously, Lee and Kirby (like Robert
Louis Stevenson before them) were capitalizing on the idea that
everyone has a darker entity raging within. In The Incredible Hulk
#1, Banner stated: I despise men who think with their
fists, while the Hulk, who was anti-intellectualism
personified, reveled in his bestial power. The harder
Banner tried to repress his capacity for rage, the
more the beast within would lash out. The ultimate
irony was that Banner, a scientist who developed
weapons of mass destruction for the military, wasif
anythingeven more dangerous to humanity than the Hulk.
Moreover, Banners intellect, which enabled him to create a
monstrous weapon without considering the moral
consequences, would prove his
ultimate undoing. In an entirely
fitting twist of fate, Banners life
would be irrevocably altered by
his own insidious invention (the
gamma-bomb) and a chance
encounter with a mysterious orphan.

Rick Jones (The TeenEnigma, Part I)

The supporting characters Kirby
and Lee introduced in the Hulks debutissue were (typically) potent enough to
keep the books storyline rolling for decades: There was General
Thaddeus E. Thunderbolt Ross, a blustering, ill-tempered, old
firebrand who was the 1960s military-industrial-complex personified. Ross loathed Banner: The trouble with you is youre a
milksop! He chided: Youve got no guts! Ironically, Banner was
about to unleash a weapon more powerful than anything even
Thunderbolt Ross could imagine, and within the frail frame of
Bruce Banner lay a rage that would make the geriatric general
seem feeble by comparison. Betty Ross, the Generals daughter,
was as demure as her father was domineering. Betty was attracted
to the mild-mannered scientist, despite (or possibly because of )
the dark, terrible secret she sensed he was hiding. This
loved by the daughter, loathed by the father Freudian
syndrome would (naturally) become the matrix for some
classic Marvel-style conflict. Oddly, Betty Ross had the
same name as the leading female protagonist in the original
1940s Captain America series (the Simon/Kirby Betty Ross
was a blonde special-agent for the U.S. government). To
further compound this coincidence, the Hulks teen-sidekick, Rick Jones, was a dead-ringer for Caps adolescent ally,
Bucky Barnes. The fact that a third Simon/Kirby CA alumnus,
The Ringmaster of Death, was resurrected in Hulk #3,
advances the possibility that this self-plagiarism was premeditated. The writers were presumptively reanimating
characters they knew would workjust as theyd done with

the Human Torch in 1961.

Rick Jones, the enigmatic
orphan, was by far the most
intriguing supporting character
in The Incredible Hulk, if for no
other reason than his ubiquity. He
alone would break the bonds of the series to
play a larger role in the ever-expanding
Marvel Universe; a role that would prove to
be both contrasting and complex. Stan Lee
has stated in numerous interviews that
he abhorred the idea of the teen-sidekick who proliferated in the early days
of comics. In view of this, its odd that
Marvels first solo-star was immediately
given an adolescent associate. Perhaps it
was Kirbys input, or perhaps the writers
felt the kids who read the magazine
would relate to Jones more than they
would a mutated freak. In any event,
after Banner saved Jones from the
gamma-bomb, he had Ricks loyalty,
sympathy and confidence. Throughout the original series, Rick
Jones was along for the ride, trying in vain to keep the Banner/
Hulk equation under control, and guarding Dr. Banners terrifying
secret. The Hulks view of the indebted, ever-present youth vacillated from contempt, to annoyance, and (finally) to a grudging
acceptance of the situation. This uneasy alliance between monster
and mascot would change drastically with the return of Captain
America (Avengers #4, March, 1964).
In the last issue of The Incredible Hulk (Jan. 1963) Rick formed
the Teen Brigade, a group of young ham-radio buffs, who used
their telecommunications talents to aid
the army, the police, and (mainly) the
Marvel super-heroes. Ironically, Marvels
only Silver Age kid gangthe type
which Jack Kirby was noted forseems
to have been a Lee/Ditko concept.

The Kirby ISsues

(Hulk #1-5 & FF #12)
Fan out men! Weve got to
find thatthat Hulk!! (And thus a
name is given to Bruce Banners other
self, a name which is destined to becomeimmortal!)
Incredible Hulk #1.
In The Coming of the Hulk (Hulk #1, May 1962) Banner
rescues Rick Jones from a secret bombsite, and takes the full brunt
of the mysterious gamma rays which cause him to become a
hideously mutated beast with every sunset (a concept that was
probably borrowed from Dracula). The story is set in New Mexico,
making the Hulk the only early 1960s Lee-Kirby hero who wasnt
indigenous to New York. The acquisition of super-powers transmuted through radiation was a reoccurring motif in the 1960s
Marvel comics (see the FF, Spider-Man, and Daredevil). Kirby recalls

(above) A (re-)cast of characters? Some of the

1940s Simon/Kirby
Captain America luminaries may have been recycled for the 1962 Hulk
series. You be the judge!
(left) A prototype for the
Leader? The Gargoyle: the
diminutive, evil genius
(from Hulk #1) whose
large, misshapen skull
was expanded via radiation. Color him green and
its clear that Kirby almost
nailed the perfect adversary for the Hulk right off
the bat.
(below) The Teen Enigma:
Like many teenagers of
his generation, Rick Jones
was somewhat confused
as to where his loyalties
lay.
Hulk, The Leader, Gargoyle, Rick Jones,
Betty Ross, Ringmaster TM & 2003
Marvel Characters, Inc.

15

Obscura

Barry Forshaw

Want inexpensive
reprints of this issues
selections?
As stated in Barrys
column, Double Life
of Private Strong #1
was reprinted in its
entirety in Blue
Ribbon Comics Vol.2,
#5 (Feb. 1984), featuring a new Kirby
cover inked by Rich
Buckler (pencils
shown below).
Pvt. Strong/Shield 2003
Archie Publications.
House of Secrets TM &
2003 DC Comics.

A regular
column focusing
on Kirbys least
known work,
by Barry Forshaw

hile Jack
Kirbys career
repeatedly threw up
examples of The Master
creating a brilliantly
winning concept which
other hands later took over
(and utilized to far less interesting effect), there are, in fact, some
cases where wonderful ideas were
essentially stillborn; nobody took up
baton after Kirby.
A classic case here is the pitifully
small run (just two issues) for The Double
Life of Private Strong, a Captain America/
Fighting American knock-off that Simon & Kirby
turned out for Archie comics in the Fifties. The
first issue of this title (which some reports
claimed was torpedoed for its protagonist The
Shields Superman-like associations) contains
some of Kirbys best work in the period, and is certainly the
equal of its companion title, Adventures of The Fly (a title which
did survive, executed with far less imagination by lesser talents).
But Private Strong was a gem: take the splash
panel of the first tale, as
Lancelot Strong
strips off his army
fatigues to reveal
the red white and
blue of his Shield
outfit, a series of
tableaux around him
demonstrate powers
(hurling bolts of lightning generated by his
own body, defying
weapons at point blank
range, adapting to
temperatures at which
nothing could live, etc.).
In fact, this page is actually better than the actual
cover, striking though that
is. While the central
figure has
features that
are clearly
inked by George
Tuska, the
battling spaceman and soldiers in the distance are
clearly Kirby, as is the most distinctive feature of the
cover, a series of frames of film which in just 19 panels
manages to tell a complete Shield mini-adventure.
Irresistible back thenstill so today.
The first tale, detailing the creation of this assemblyline super-hero was, admittedly, off-the-shelf stuff for
Simon & Kirby, but no less entertaining for that. In fact,
the gargoyle-faced Communists in the first two panels
could be straight out of the sardonically satirical Fighting
American strips, and suggest that a similar sense of fun
will be found in these pages. More than The Fly, the actual
design of the panels here is notably sophisticated, and there
are some striking touches, such as the highly futuristic mobile
lab that a persecuted scientist escapes in with his son (who

will, of course, later become The Shield. But with the second tale,
Spawn of the X-World, we are in for a treat. This is a hint-oflater-things reading experience for Kirby fans. This marvelous
splash panel displaysin fact, it featuresa classic destructive
monster of the kind that Kirby would make his speciality when he
moved over to Marvel with Stan Lee; and the opening panel (The
Shield leaps towards a gigantic green monster throwing destructive rays from its eyes) is the kind of
thing calculated to warm every Kirby
fans heart. In fact, the piece makes it
quite clear who was the prime creative
force in those Lee and Kirby monster
tales: every element of the later work is
here, notably a panel which became a
clich in the monster fests, Kirby visualizes a characters vision of the monster
laying waste to a city, when in actual fact
it never gets the chance to do so.
The second tale is a filling-in of more
of The Shields origins, but the last piece,
The Menace of the Micro Men, is a typically delirious Simon/Kirby piece of the
period, crammed full of wacky pseudoscientific concepts and headlong plotting
(the splash panel is an eye-catcher: The
Shield crashes in through a window, as a
mad scientist supervises his green micromen feeding the heroine into a very typically
Kirby piece of super-scientific equipment). The use of forced
perspective throughout this tale is also very characteristic of the
Kinginterestingly, its one of his artistic fingerprints that the
legion of artists inspired by him didnt often pick up on.
Kirby fans should have no trouble tracking this issue down,
and there is also an affordable alternative: in the Eighties, the
entire comic was re-issued by Archie as Blue Ribbon Comics #5,
with a new Kirby cover (striking, but showing the element of the
slapdash that had crept into Kirbys at about this time).
No true Kirby fan should be without House of Secrets #11,
published by DC in 1958. And I make no apologies for recommending this one, even though Kirbys contribution is confined to
a striking cover showing a giant trying to save a city from
destruction (needless to say, the cover is full of classic Kirby
design elements, the buildings, the giants futuristic costume), but
if youre hesitating to purchase a title in which there is no Kirby
interior art, you should be aware that the cover is not the only
reason for buying this. The first tale, The Guardian of the Past
contains some of the finest work that Nick Cardy ever did for DC
(in fact, his pre-super-hero stories for DCs mystery and SF titles
were actually more refined than his later work), and the story that
Kirbys cover illustrates, The Man
Who Couldnt Stop Growing is
something of a find, illustrated as it
is by the underrated Lou Cameron,
an artist who at times matched The
Master in terms of his imagination
and panache, even if his grasp of
anatomy was a touch wayward
(but then... think later Kirby!).
Take the fifth panel on page 4,
in which the eponymous giant
straddles a dwarfed world, his
footsteps leaving massive
imprints in a continent, his
shadow stretching across
oceans... this is quite as
impressive as anything in
Jack Kirby, and more than
justifies whatever the Kirby
collector may have to shell
out for this rather rare
issue.
21

Gallery

And the winner is...

hris Beneke of
Brooklyn, NY! We
put all the entries we
received from last
issues Guest Editor
contest in a really big
box and drew his out.
So congratulations,
Chris; you got to pick
this issues Kirby Art
Gallery! (Well keep
all the other entries
for choosing future
Galleries.) Now, lets
let Chris take it away!

Page 22: Kamandi

#22, page 18
Kamandi #21 was
probably the first Kirby
comic I bought from
the newsstand. I
turned 11 that summer, but this page
from the following
issue was a shocker,
if not a heartbreaker.
Page 23: Kamandi
#26, page 9
A glimpse of the
mutant Canadian
wilderness that is
beautifully portrayed in
the (missing) two-page
spread that follows.

Pages 25-27:
OMAC #2, page 5
OMAC #3, page 17
OMAC #5, page 19
I am quite a fan of D.
Bruce Berrys inks,
perhaps for nostalgic
reasons. Royer does
seem to have been
more faithful to the
spirit of Kirbys pencils,
but theres often a
fragility or delicacy to
Berrys inks, even an
echo of the Herg/
European clear-line
style, that works for
me, especially with
(Jerry Serpes) colors.
22

Kamandi TM & 2003 DC Comics

Page 24: OMAC #1,

page 16
Probably my favorite
Kirby series: Jampacked with too many
ideas, dropped subplots, social satire,
self-conscious selfparody, funny villains,
and a piss-take ending. OMAC would
make a great, possibly
frustrating (if it was
faithful to Kirbys plotting) video game.

Adam M c Govern
Know of some Kirby-inspired work
that should be covered here? Send to:

As A Genre

Adam McGovern
PO Box 257
Mt. Tabor, NJ 07878

A regular feature examining Kirby-inspired work, by Adam McGovern

JACK OUTSIDE THE BOX

f course comics are a legitimate artform; no
ones denying that. But theres also... well,
websites about comics. And painters inspired by
comics. And works of literature that remind us of
comics. And so much more. Come, let me expand
your horizons. Well start with some comics.

O
(right and below) Tom
Sciolis striking art from
Seneschal. Look for an
upcoming interview with
Tom in TJKC!
(next page, bottom)
Dogrion of the New Dogs
lovingly pokes fun at
Kirbys Fourth World, with
an art homage thats a
sight to see.

Seneschal TM & 2003 Tom Scioli.

Fighting Yank TM & 2003 AC Comics.
You Shall Know Our Velocity 2003
Dave Eggers. Painting 2003 Michael V.
Bennett. Unstable Moledules TM &
2003 Marvel Characters, Inc. Dogrion
of the New Dogs 2003 Gabriel
Morissette.

Magnum Opus
Readers whove been wondering at the
whereabouts of Tom Sciolis sleeper epic The
Myth of 8-Opus will find their wait worth it in
a new graphic novel that gives an economysize reintroduction to Sciolis psychedelic scifi odyssey. With its blockbuster spectacle
and movie-serial pacing, The Doomed
Battalion delivers the definitive space-opera
page-turner, which is why its good theres
a hundred of em to turn and let you soak
in Sciolis sensibility. By the time you read
this the book will have been out for a few
months (at $13.95 from A-Okay Comics,
5645 Hobart St., Pittsburgh, PA 15217;
www.geocities.com/sciolit); another
highpoint for Scioli-watchers may be a
hacker collectors item by now, so were
proud to present some of its images: a
roiling cyber-Arthurian battle-royal
titled The Seneschal, posted this
past spring as part of Dark Horse
Comics unfortunately-named Strip
Search competition for emerging and
indie talents (www.darkhorse.com/
community/ stripsearch/index.html).
More than just a Kirby clone

(though one of the

best, and justly proud of it) Scioli brings wild
compositional imagination to a field that too often favors generic
technical overkill. Sciolis style is the kind of throwback that actually
moves the medium forward.

Fightin
Pictures
The newest incarnation
of Kirby crossed our desk with a
mailing from Mark Glidden, who
drew the second story in AC
Comics Fighting Yank #5 (right).
Though this was Gliddens first
professional assignment, its more
like his first several, with echoes
of Steranko, Starlin, and at least
two Kirby periods (50s-monster
and 60s-spandex). What ends up
getting evoked is the ferment of Marvels post-Kirby era of the early 70s, with a pantheon of new
talents vying to sustain his dynamism while nurturing their own unique offshoots. The intricacy,
scope and ambition of Gliddens visuals make him someone to watch, while the two issues preceding
his debut marked the fond farewell of Eric Coile (a.k.a. Hack Koilby) to the title. Coiles scorchedearth policy toward comics clichs saw him laying waste to both the jungle-hero and space-cadet
42

Retrospective

The Royal Attilans!

A look at Jack Kirbys enigmatic Inhumans
by Mark Alexander (aided and abetted by Phyllis Chappell)

It had all the

makings of a Shakespearian
tragedy: a reclusive royal
family who hid themselves
from a xenophobic world.
Young star-crossed lovers whose
warring families kept them apart.
A lunatic/genius brother with
mad political ambitions.
Conspiracies, coup detats,
subterfuge, pathos, and romantic
melodrama. Overtones of
madness, undertones of incest,
and royal intrigue brewing just
below the surface. Move over
Macbethmake way for the
incomparable Inhumans!

Xenophobia (Those Who Would Destroy Them)

n comic-books, alienation really mattered.
The key to Marvels success right from the beginning, was the alienated hero;
and if the concept had become formulated by the time of the Inhumans debut,
it still worked. Since their inception, the Royal Family has suffered the slings and
arrows of a human race that fears and distrusts them. Like intergalactic gypsies,
their fate has been to wander aimlessly; a persecuted minority, in search of
refuge. [Note: Displacement is still a key theme in the Inhumans saga: at the time of
this writing, Dr. Doom has recently offered the nomadic Attilans sanctuary in Latveria.]
The concept of super-powered beings as social pariahsunimaginable in the
sunny, positivistic Superman comics of the 50s and early 60swas a theme that
proliferated in Marvel comics from the beginning. It started with the arrogant
and anti-social Prince Namor in 1939, followed by The Human Torch, who was

44

originally dubbed a menace when he wreaked havoc on New York, burning out
of control. Both were significant precursors to the next generation of comic book
anti-heroes.
Kirby and Lee picked up the gauntlet in the early 1960s: First with The Thing,
who originally instilled terror in the general public, and latermore significantly
with The Hulk, who was the first totally alienated comic book characternever
gaining the trust or acceptance of any segment of society. The idea that a hero
could also be perceived as a menace was, at this point, a minor theme in the
Marvel Universe.
Then, two closely-timed events occurredin the X-Menthat would have a
catalytic effect on the entire comic book culture.
In X-Men #5, Magnetos sycophantic underling The Toad demonstrated his
super-human abilities in public, triggering a riot from which the X-Men had to
rescue him. Hank McCoythe groups intellectualwas soon questioning the

wisdom of protecting a populace that apparently hated them.

Soon after, in issue #14, Kirbythrough his layouts and margin
notesintroduced The Sentinels.
Enter: Xenophobia.
The Sentinels were an army of murderous robots created to
purge mutants from the face of the earth. Their creator, Bolivar
Traskan alarmist intent on spreading fear and unease among
the publicrallied his followers against homo superiors, with
rabble-rousing Hitlerian propaganda.
Dark, ominous themes began to germinate in the Kirby-plotted
X-Men: Disenfranchised super-beings as persona non grata, hated
by society. An all-powerful fascist police force, dedicated to exterminating a minority group. Ill-boding themes with dark edges of

intolerance, ostracism and genocide, whichunavoidably

harkened back to Nazi Germany of the 1940s.
Hindsight illumines what a significant turning point this
was for the comic-book genre: It brought an air of darkness and
paranoia to the previously sunny world of early 1960s comics,
and future creators would extrapolate these harrowing themes
quite prominentlyin the Inhumans saga.
For better or worse, the medium was changed fundamentally
and foreverand Jack Kirby was just getting warmed up.

Rooting Out The Royal Family

(Batman Meets The Addams Family?)
I created the Inhumans because the competition was coming up in the
fieldso I thought we would try a new concept: The family concept.
So, when someone came up with one super-hero, we would slap them
with five. As simple as that.
Jack Kirby, 1969, first printed in The Nostalgia Journal, 1976
As the story goes, sometime in mid-1965, Stan Lee, having
prior knowledge of a forthcoming Batman TV seriesand anticipating the inevitable glut of super-hero comics it would trigger
asked Jack Kirby to come up with some new characters to stave
off the competition. [Note: There was one hitch: due to Marvels
dismal distribution deal, Lee couldnt launch a new book without
canceling an existing title.] The end result was The Inhumans
an ancient race of bizarre characters from a hidden city; no two
of whom were remotely alike. These characters (according to
Kirby), had been developed with no input from Lee.
When asked if The Royal Family was Kirbys response to the
mid-60s Batcraze (and if there was a Batman/Black Bolt nexus),
Mark Evanier replied: As far as I know, no. However, with all
due respect to the man whose contributions to this article were
invaluable, a synchronicity of events in the comics industry circa
1965 (along with Kirbys abovementioned statement) seems to
substantiate a Batman tie-in.
The creator of the 1966 Batman seriesBill Dozierclaims
he pitched the idea for the show to ABC in March, 1965 (ABC
television network had already secured rights to the character).
Two months laterwhen Kirby was creating the Inhumans story
arcnews of the forthcoming Batman series (which premiered
1/12/66) wouldve been common knowledge in the comics trade.

Batman TM show TM & 2003

Batmania was coming, and the
20th Century Fox, Inc.
industry would have a ton of
product ready to
exploit it.
The rush
was on.
It was hardly
coincidence that
just as the Inhumans
saga began (FF #44,
cover date Nov. 1965),
an industry-wide
floodgate of new
heroes opened up. Archie Comics Mighty Crusaders also
premiered cover-dated Nov. 1965, as did Harvey Comics
Pirana. Dell Comics got the jump on them all, with the
premiere of their new super-hero Nukla, cover dated Oct. 1965.
Archie came back with Mighty Comics, and (later) Super Heroes vs.
Super-Villians, featuring a whole horde of heroes. [Note: Even
Archie Andrews contracted bat fever, transforming into a super-hero
send-up called Pureheart the Powerful.]
Harvey Comics soon developed Jigsaw, Bee-Man, and Spyman
(whom they bought from a young ad-artist named Jim Steranko).
Gold Key added The Owl and Tiger Girl; Charlton began a new
super-hero push, Tower Comics expanded its line, and someone
named Milton Fass published a poorly-revised Captain Marvel.
Holy escalation!
In regard to the claim that Black Bolt was designed to look
Batman-esque, it seems unlikely that Jack Kirby (comicdoms
inveterate originator) would consciously purloin such a well
known rival creation. And yeton the cover of FF #46Black
Bolts gliding membranes certainly resemble bat-wings!
Its also been reported that The Addams Family (the hit TV
series that ran from 9/64 until 4/66) was Kirbys primary inspiration for the Royal Family! [Note: Accordingly, The Munsters may
have heen a secondary thematic-progenitor.] The Addams (like the
Attilans) were a bizarre family unit with supernatural abilities. The
only normal looking InhumanCrystalemulated the blacksheep of the Munster family, Marilyn; i.e., a beautiful young girl
with an ordinary name, who dressed normally compared to her
bizarre brethren. (Remember, Crystal was depicted
in a simple white dress for over a year before Kirby
gave her a costume.)
This creepy, kooky (mysterious and spooky)
scenario, sounds just bizarre enough to be true.
Considering Kirbys infinitely convoluted thought
process, its easy to imagine that Gomez and
Morticiaafter going through Kirbys head
could have surfaced on paper as Black Bolt
and Medusa!

(above) Holy Batspoitation!

Black Bolt (and possibly
the Black Panther) might
have been Marvels
answer to the mid-60s
Batman craze that was
sparked by the campy hit
TV series starring Adam
West. Black Bolts gliding
membranes, certainly
seem to resemble batwings.
(left) The Kirby-created
Sentinels, with their
fascistic implications,
brought harrowing
themes of xenophobia
and genocide to the
hitherto sunny world of
comics. The ripples they
created in the X-Men
would spill over into the
Inhumans saga as well.
Inhumans, Sentinels TM & 2003
Marvel Characters, Inc.

Medusa Revisited
(A Minority Opinion)
Who is she Reed? Where did she come from?
Shes the most menacing female Ive ever seen!
Sue Storm (FF #36,1965)
The licentious lady of the living locks
who exploded out of FF #36was proof
positive Jack Kirby could create genuinely potent femmes
fatale. She was also the precursor of an entire race of geneticallyengineered super-humans. The general (perhaps apocryphal)
opinion is that Kirby didnt have his Inhuman race conceptualized
at the time of Medusas debut.
Or did he?
Consider this: In the first 36 issues of The Worlds Greatest
Comic Magazine, 18 new antagonists were introduced. All were
given a detailed origin, and/or a plausible explanation for their
unique powers.
All but one.
The malicious madam with the mentally-manipulated mane

Match-ups, anyone?
Gomez = Black Bolt
Morticia = Medusa
Lurch = Gorgon
Thing = Karnak (both were
good with their hands)
Uncle Fester = Triton (no
hair on either)
Wednesday = Crystal
Pugsley = Lockjaw
Addams Family TM & 2003 Estate of
Charles Addams and Filmways TV
Productions, Inc.

45

Tribute

2002 Kirby Tribute Panel

Held August 4, 2002 at Comicon International: San
Diego, featuring (shown at right, top to bottom):
Dick Ayers, Todd McFarlane, Mike Royer, Paul
Levitz, John Romita, and Herb Trimpe. Moderated
by Mark Evanier, transcribed by Steven Tice.

(below) Catch! A 1977

Kirby convention drawing
of ol Greenskin!
Hulk TM & 2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

MARK EVANIER: Were going to get started.

Weve got lots to say about this man and were
going to try to say it. I am purportedly Mark
Evanier. Merely as a means of getting cheap
applause, this is my twelfth panel of the convention, [laughter and applause] and in many ways
the most important. We started doing Jack
Kirby tribute panels right after Jack passed
away, because it didnt feel like a Comicon
International without Jack Kirby in some way,
shape or form. We found if we didnt have this
panel, we were talking about him on every other
panel and people were talking about him everywhere. Theres been a certain presenceyou
were all probably stunned by how large this

convention is. This convention has officially run

out of badge holders. [laughter] They do not
have badge holders anymore. They are recycling
them, and as you leave, they ask you to please
turn your badge holder back in so you can give
it to someone else whos in a line that wraps
around the city to get in here. I think the first
one, we had five hundred people and we thought
that was the size of it. There was only one person
who envisioned what this convention was going
to become, and it was Jack Kirby. Jack always
knew what was going to happenhis ability to
see the future and perceive it. He didnt always
have the ability to capitalize on those visions,
and did not make big money off of them, but he
sure knew what was going to happen, and it was
amazing all the time. Weve got a bunch of people
here who have interesting things to say about
Jack, and well ask them for their remembrances
of Jack. A little later, were going to break out
some time to talk about a man named John
Buscema, who was on this panel last year at
this convention. [applause]
Let me start now and introduce
these people, and Im gonna talk a little
more about each of them than you
might ordinarily expect, because
Ive got a few things I think should
be said here. On the far end is a
gentlemen who, you probably
know himthe phrase Jack Kirbys
inker comes to mind. I happen to
think this man should have done less
inking of other people and more stories
of his own, because Ive never thought
the work lookedIm phrasing this badly,
forgive me, its my twelfth panel of this convention. [laughs] Im going to come in tomorrow
and just do panels for myself here at the convention. [laughter] But I just always loved when
this man penciled and inked everything on
his own. A terrific artist, and a gentleman
who Jack really respected his work and loved
what he did with his pencils. Mr. Dick Ayers,
everyone. [applause]
Jack admired artists who brought something
new to the table. If you went to Jack with samples
of your artwork that looked exactly like his, or
purported to look as close to his as you could
manage to do them, he would be polite, but he
wouldnt be that impressed, because doing work
that looked like Kirby was not work in the Kirby
tradition. Work in the Kirby tradition meant
making something new. And he very much
respected and admired this gentlemans work,
and also respected and admired his courage and
ability to take over command of ones
own career. Jack was jealous of him,
because for too much of his
career, he was not the master
of his own destiny, he didnt
own his own properties, he
didnt really control what
happened to him, and he very
muchhe lived long enough
to see the Image Comics
55

organization begin to flourish and

to show Marvel we dont need you to do it, and I
think Jack very much respected and loved the work
of Mr. Todd McFarlane, ladies and gentlemen.
[applause]
Ive known Mike Royer for 33 years, I believe...
MIKE ROYER: Im only 23. [laughter]
EVANIER: Oh, well, I knew Mike in his prenatal
period [laughter], and when I first went to work for
Gold Key Comics, they used to say Mike Royer was
the most reliable artist in the history of mankind.
They were right, and you all saw over the years the
very, very fine work he did on those pages, inking
Jacks work, lettering it, for hundreds of wonderful
pages. What you may never have perceived is that
Mike had the impossible task, he not only had to
ink Jack Kirby and letter Jack, but he had to do it as
56

fast as Jack Kirby did. [laughter]

There are few human beings in our business who
could have physically done it, period, let alone done
it so well. He was very diligent at it all, and we owe
him a great debt of gratitude. Mr. Mike Royer,
ladies and gentlemen. [applause]
If you have followed me writing about comics
for thirty years, you know that I generally look at
the people who run comic book companies and
editors as, for the most part incompetent, and in
many cases, unethical. I believe this is true, I believe
many of the people who have made fortunes in this
industry have done so in spite of their abilities, not
because of their abilities. I dont have a very high
opinion of publishers or editors or presidents of
companies, and I think I am right most of the time.
There are exceptions to this. There are one or two
people who have been in those capacities for whom
I have enormous respect and admiration, and Im
going to take a minute here and tell you two very

fast stories, because I think they should be said,

they should be out in the public arena. About two
weeks before he passed away, I spent an evening
with Jerry Siegel at his place in Marina Del Rey, and
we spent an evening talking aboutI got a feeling
Jerry kind of knew the end was near, because he was
in that philosophical bent and such, and at one
point he turned to me. He had this lovely little
they did a stamp of Superman in Canada. Joe
Shuster was of Canadian origin, and theyd done a
stamp of Superman in Canada, and in this miserable,
bad picture frame that you buy at the drug store,
next to a little, badly framed letter that had come
from President Clinton, congratulating Jerry Siegel
on his most recent birthday or some anniversary.
And Jerry was so happy. And he turned to me and
he said, You know, Paul [Levitz] has been so good
to us. Now, I remember meeting Jerry Siegel in
1968, when if you said DC Comics to him, he
turned red in the face and started sputtering. You
had to not ask him questions about this because it
upset him so much. And to be able tonobody
could have undone all the damage that was done
to Siegel and Shuster over the years, and to be
able to do as much as they could, I just wanted to
call Paul in tears and thank him for all he did for
Jerry and Joe over the years. But it isnt just Jerry
and Joe. Theres an awful lot of people over the
years in the comic business whove been wronged
or have been mistreated. Some of them more
than others, some of them maybe their own
fault, whatever. But to see a certain amount of
decency in this business, to go out and quietly,
not for show, to put things right, I think is just
a wonderful thing. Its probably good business,
but its also a wonderful thing. And Im going
to come and ask Paul to tell a little bit about
the fact that Jack Kirby got from DC a royalty
deal, some sort of profit participation, on the
New Gods, that they were not legally obligated
to do. And I think, and we have to be honest,
it was good business for DC to do that, they
showed up Marvel and they showed up
other publishers. They told the industry
that as new management that took over DC
that time, This is a new company. Look
how were treating Jack Kirby. Were giving
him more money for the Steppenwolf doll
than Marvel ever gave him for every piece
of merchandise with the Hulk and the
Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer and
all those. And thats probably good one-upsmanship business-wise, but it was also a very decent thing
to do, and I want him to talk about what happened.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Paul Levitz. [applause]
This week hes president and publisher, next week
hell be publisher but not president, the week after
hell be president, publisher, and... you never know
whats up with Paul.
I asked this next gentlemen to be here again
this yearhe was here last yearbecause I thought
he was the best possible person to talk about Mr.
Buscema, but he also was an artist who Jack admired
greatly. Hes referred to always as the guy who saved
Spider-Man. We had an interesting discussion on
the Gene Colan mailing list (and Genes very sorry
hes not here this year) about the fact that when
Steve Ditko left Spider-Manforgive me for getting
off subject for a secondit wasnt just that John
Romita was the best choice. He was the only choice.
If you look at the list of people who worked for
Marvel at that time, the talent pool was about eight

Retrospective
(throughout this article)
Kirbys uninked pencil
pages and panels from
the Silver Surfer Graphic
Novel.
(next page, top right)
Besides his fill-in on
Silver Surfer #18, Jacks
one other shot at a soloSurfer story was this
back-up that ran in FF
Annual #5 (Nov. 1967).
Silver Surfer, Galactus, Ardina TM &
2003 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Only Truth Is Constant...

A Closer Look at the Silver Surfer Graphic Novel

by Rex Ferrell

Introduction
wasnt always a Silver Surfer fan. My first encounter with the
character was in a mid-70s issue of the Fantastic Four, and a
pretty lackluster one at that. After years of indoctrination by
well-meaning, albeit slightly misguided parents, I remembered
being terrified by the appearance of the devil (Mephisto) on the
last page; but other than this, nothing, and I do mean nothing,
impressed me about the comiccertainly not some goofball on a
flying surfboard.
My opinion elevated slightly when a friend loaned me a covertattered copy of Origins of Marvel Comics. I thoroughly enjoyed
the witty comments by Stan Lee and thought the stories werent
bad. However, one tale in particular really stood out, the story I

reread constantly: When Strikes the Silver Surfer. The story

was mindless, nothing more than an excuse for the Thing to duke
it out with the Surfer, but to a 12-year-old, it was mind-blowing! I
was very impressed with the art of Jack Kirby, who I was slowly
becoming a fan of via the powerful conclusion of the Madbomb
storyline (would Cap really shoot this Taurey guy?). Kirbys rendition of the Surfer and the explosive nature of the battle sequences
were like nothing I had ever seen in comics up to that point; not
68

in Captain America nor even in The Avengers, which was the number
one crowd pleaser on the playground (sorry, Mr. Prez!). This
goofball on the surfboard wasnt so bad after all!
I eagerly sought out every story that featured the Sky Rider
of the Spaceways but unfortunately, in those days, they could
only be found in Lees self-aggrandizing Origins series, wherein
only the best ones were chosen and spoon-fed to nave souls such
as myself. Surely, I thought, the Silver Surfer was one of the greatest
characters ever created! Okay, he was no Batman, but hey, we cant
have everything! Adolescence, encroaching adulthood and an
increasingly critical and discerning eye would change everything.
Over the years, in-between art school and world literature, I
would still read the adventures of the former Norrin Radd, and
since many of his appearances in other magazines had mixed
results, I concluded that only Stan Lee really knew how to write
Surfer stories. (After purchasing The Essential Silver Surfer a few
years back, I even revised that assessment!) What the heck
was wrong? What was missing? Why didnt I feel that same
feeling of wonderment I had encountered in the reprints
of the Fantastic Four? Where was the Norrin Radd who
blew my mind away in the Silver Surfer graphic novel?
What was missing? Two words: Jack Kirby! A few articles
in The Jack Kirby Collector made me come to the realization
that over the years, I had been reading the adventures of
two different characters who shared the same name!
The first version, who I shall refer to as The Classic
Version, was from the far-off planet Zenn La, transformed
by Galactus and served for a time as his herald; he defied
his master, was imprisoned on Earth for about ten years
(Im using Franklin Richards age as a reference point) and
recently was set free to pursue some cosmic adventures
with Alicia Masters (?!). The other Surfer, whom I shall
refer to as the Kirby Version, was a creation of Galactus;
nearly as old as the Planet Devourer himself and whose name would
cause shivers in all those who heard it, for he was literally a herald
of destruction. He came to Earth, was shown the meaning of
compassion by the aforementioned Ms. Masters and was then
persuaded to turn against Galactus in defense of those who had
previously been inconsequential to him. For his defiance, he was
imprisoned on Earth to live among those same human beings.

KIRBY COLLECTOR #39

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