IN THE SHOPS 60 YEARS AGO TODAY

Writer/editor/art director Stan Lee thought enough of both Ditko and Ayers to allow them to embellish Kirby's artwork.

58 YEARS AGO TODAY

Hulk appears to be flying in INCREDIBLE HULK #4.

    Lee's captions insist that the Hulk is leaping even though the art shows the Hulk changing direction in midair. It is probable that Lee didn't reject the page and have Kirby draw a new one because Kirby wouldn't be paid for the rejected page.

68 YEARS AGO TODAY

How much do the makers of the LEPRECHAUN movie franchise owe the Kirby Estate?

57 YEARS AGO TODAY

Even though Marvel had expanded their monthly output by 30% from a year earlier, Kirby penciled the same amount of covers - nine. Six of the Kirby-covered books had interior pencils by Kirby totaling 107 pages.

Dick Ayers did not embellish ANY Kirby artwork that was published September 1963 leaving a void that was filled by Sol Brodsky, Paul Reinman, Don Heck, George Ruossos and Steve Ditko.

51 YEARS AGO TODAY

What is better than a multi-part Lee/Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR story based on a Star Trek episode?

A Lee/Kirby trilogy based on two consecutive STAR TREK episodes “The Gamesters of Triskelion" (January 5, 1968) and “A Piece of the Action” (January 12, 1968). If you want to experience the zeitgeist of the late Sixties I suggest you watch these and then read FANTASTIC FOUR #91-93.

In the former Captain Kirk is abducted into slavery and trained to fight as a gladiator for the entertainment of gambling aliens. In the latter Kirk visits a planet with a 1920s gangster culture. 

To enhance the experience indulge in an authentic snack from that era such as SpaghettiOs and coke in an aluminum can.

52 YEARS AGO TODAY

This Lee/Kirby splash demonstrates how their decade of collaborating had honed their respective skills.

Kirby depicts the three characters that make it possible for Lee to craft  a synopsis disguised as a conversation, complete with a comedic punchline. 

52 YEARS AGO TODAY

If you had been a FANTASTIC FOUR reader for less than five years this never-before-reprinted story in MARVEL COLLECTORS' ITEM CLASSICS #18 would be new to you.

The fun of rereading Silver Age Marvels is knowing now that Lee would provide the beginning and ending and task the artist/co-plotter with supplying  the middle. Superhero stories being formulaic that was frequently as simple as choreographing fight sequences. Having the alien interact with gangsters was probably a Kirby contribution.