50 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.

Part of 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.

73 YEARS AGO TODAY

Another is-it-or-isn't-it Kirby cover hit the stores.

54 YEARS AGO TODAY

 Kirby gets Stoned!

All nine of the Kirby covers that shipped September 1964 were inked by Chic Stone.

53 YEARS AGO TODAY

Hogun establishes himself as a staunch Thor ally in his third "Tales of Asgard" appearance.

from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #122

Inks by Colletta

55 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.

56 YEARS AGO TODAY

One-quarter of most shops' 40 pocket spinner rack would be displaying Marvel product. 90% of that product had Kirby covers. 80% had interior art by Kirby totaling 121 pages.

Full-time Kirby embellisher Dick Ayers was able to finish 108 of those pages.

Fun fact: "Marvels carrying dates of 1962-1964 featured 3,130 pages of Kirby art plus 285 covers - roughly the equivalent of a book a week." - Mark Evanier KIRBY: KING OF COMICS

Evanier did not quantify Ayers contribution.

56 YEARS AGO TODAY

There was 9 comics with Kirby covers available for the discriminating consumer. 

 More than half of those covers were inked by Dick Ayers. 

If you were seduced by this Kirby/Ayers cover into purchasing this comic you were rewarded with 24 pages of interior art by the same team. Their combined talents made it possible for Stan Lee to establish that the Fantastic Four was set in the real world by having guest stars anyone would recognize. For an example of just a few of these celebrities 

click HERE.