KIRBY RESPONSIBLE FOR MUTANT POPULATION EXPLOSION

In 1963 Lee/Kirby came up with a reusable explanation for characters having unique powers. Mutation. They collaborated on the first twenty issues of X-MEN from 1963 to 1966 and created the first 17 Marvel Universe Homo Superiors: Professor X, Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Marvel Girl, Magneto, Vanisher, Blob, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Toad, Mastermind, Unus, Lucifer, Juggernaut and Mimic.

A decade later Kirby created 5 more mutants for Marvel without Lee's input: Burner, Lifter, Peepers, Shocker and Slither.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Lee's twenty years of scripting experience and Kirby's craft, honed by drawing nearly 9000 pages by this point in his career, combined to produce the perfect 13 page Giant Menace story. (and create one of the three best-known dragons after Smaug and Puff).

What is the Subtext?

From August 1961's JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #73

 9% of U.S. households (3,880,000) had a TV in 1950.

87.1% of U.S. households (45,750,000) had a TV in 1960.

from http://www.tvhistory.tv/

The REAL reason Disney settled with Kirby's human creations?

See, there's been this series of science-fiction movies, three in all, the last few years. Maybe you've seen one or all of them. I've only seen one of them, myself, and it seemed altogether Kirbyesque to me.

- Mark Evanier, THE SOURCE column (1986 NEW GODS #1 reprint

A 1972 triptych from issue 9 of the series that MIGHT have inspired STAR WARS.

KIRBY ROCKS!

"That’s why my book sold. Captain America was real. When Captain America got into a fight with a dozen guys he could lick those guys, and anybody who read the book can see how he did it." - Jack Kirby

State of the art Kirby/Rule machinery: 1959

from WORLD OF FANTASY #18

AN EARLY HONING OF SYNOPSIS CRAFT WOULD BE A NECESSARY TOOL IN BUILDING THE HOUSE OF MARVEL.

This one-page retelling of the seven page "What was Gargantus"  from STRANGE TALES #80 is an early example.

From:

STRANGE TALES #85 - Kirby/Ayers cover - shipped March 1961

    "The Return of Gargantus" (13 Kirby/Ayers pages)

    "The Man Who Fell" (5 Reinman pages)

     "The Ape Man" (5 Ditko pages)

Reinman draws an impressive gypsy and a credible gypsy camp.

Ditko designs an entire prison island for his five-pager.

Nearly a year after Ditko depicted scary shadow creatures it was Kirby's turn.

From STRANGE TALES #79, one of many comics that had a Kirby/Ditko cover and interior art. 

HERE IS SOME CREDIT-BOX-CERTIFIED KIRBY/KLEIN ART FOR YOU TO COMPARE WITH YESTERDAY'S POSSIBLE KIRBY/KLEIN ART.

From THOR #168 and 169

After presenting 60 stories by 15 different artists* in 13 issues, the 14th issue of TALES OF SUSPENSE was the first to have only two stories by two different artists.

Of course, one of those artists was Kirby, who also provided the cover. The other was Ditko.

*Kirby, Ayers, Burgos, Crandall, Ditko, Everett, Reinman, Heck, Buscema, Forgione, Sinnott, Williamson, Forte, Lieber and Heath.

Fin Fang Foom marked the end of 13 page Giant Menace Era. Starting with STRANGE TALES #90 Kirby's lead stories were cut back to seven pages.

Coincidence-filled alien invader stories with twist endings supplied by unlikely heroes filled the void. 

There isn't a story that can't be made better by setting it at a circus.

No sense setting a giant monster story in China and not destroying the Great Wall!

Lee and Kirby hit the ball and touched them all with their lead story for STRANGE TALES #89.

"When I was a kid, I loved going to the movies. When I say a kid, I mean 10, 11, 12 years old. And there was one movie I'd seen. I remember nothing about it except the name. It took place in China, I believe, and the name of the movie was Chu Chin Chow. Now I have no idea what it meant — I don't know if it was somebody's name or a country or a city, but I never forgot that name. Those three words just stuck in my memory: Chu Chin Chow. So when I was looking for the name of a monster, I remember Chu Chin Chow ... and that particular meter, that beat, somehow led to Fin Fang Foom."  Stan Lee (from ALTER EGO #3)

KIRBY FED MY PRETEEN EPINEPHRINE ADDICTION BY PROVIDING REGULAR DOSES OF CONSEQUENCE-FREE VIOLENCE. MY NEED FOR NOSTALGIA IN MY SENIOR YEARS KEEPS ME COMING BACK.

Was the CCG the reason that the Kirby Estate didn't think the Supreme Court would give them a blank check and infinite credit ruling?!?!

Am I the only one who thinks that there will soon be a Kirby Museum at every Disney Theme Park with an animatronic Kirby drawing purchasable art in a recreation of his basement studio complete with the appropriate shows on a vintage television?!?

88 YEARS AGO TODAY Another master craftsman who would use his skills to embellish Kirby (and others) was born

Fun fact: Joe Sinnott has been working for Marvel for 64 years, he has been inking the Sunday Spider-Man newspaper strip for the last 22 years!

39 YEARS AGO TODAY

Not only did Marvel finess the cover...

they only reprinted 90% of the story!

BREAKING NEWS...BREAKING NEWS...BREAKING NEWS (well, that's what Nancy Grace would call it!)

CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY FROM REUTERS

Marvel introduces a 3rd generation of children to the Kirby magic (or is that 4th?)

from HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE (2011)

NEW OLD KIRBY IN THE SHOPS TODAY

MMW ATLAS ERA TALES OF SUSPENSE TP VOL 01 $29.99

(W/A) Various (CA) Don Heck
    In 1958, Stan Lee stood before the decimated Atlas line. Having gone from editor of a line of dozens of titles to just eight, Stan refocused his efforts on only biggest and best: enter TALES OF SUSPENSE! Anchored by the visual talents Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Don Heck, this new "big monster" book became part of a creative revival that would change comics forever. Their twist-ending tales featuring Martians, killer robots and massive monsters were the very foundation for what would become Marvel's super-hero House of Ideas. So strap on your tin-foil hat, grab your ray gun, and get ready to dive into one of the most amazing eras of comics' history! Collecting TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #1-10. Reprints 8 Kirby-drawn stories totaling 45 pages of art and 7 Kirby covers

MMW MARVEL RARITIES HC VOL 01 $75.00

(W/A) Various (CA) Larry Lieber
    Experience classic tales featuring mystic hero Dr. Droom, arch-villain Dr. Doom and the cosmic Watcher in one must-have Masterworks collection! Featuring some of the era's greatest talents - Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas and Gene Colan - it's a perfect Masterworks pedigree! This volume will also include a host of amazing extras from the 1960s peak of the Marvel Age - original Marvel Merry Marching Society memorabilia; rare pinups, posters and prints; and more! It's the volume you've dreamed of, so reserve your copy today! Collecting material from AMAZING ADVENTURES (1961) #1-5 (16 Kirby pages), TALES OF SUSPENSE #49-58, SILVER SURFER (1968) #1-7, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1967) #20 and #23, and ASTONISHING TALES (1970) #1-8.

Kirby denied credit for Marvel work.

"The Human Torch (joined by the Thing with ST 125, Oct 1964) received even less attention from its creator; Lieber wrote it and Dick Ayers who was most prominent as an inker, drew it from the beginning."

      - THE COMIC BOOK HEROES by Jacobs & Jones (1985)

 Maybe they hadn't bought an OVERSTREET in 9 years. OVERSTREET began crediting Kirby with the art for this story in  the 5th edition (1974) of the comic guide that changed the focus of the hobby by monetizing it.

"Given time I could be Paderewski, but I have no inclination to play the piano." Jack Kirby HOT TIPS FROM TOP COMIC CREATORS

Hippies were mainstream enough by 1971 for DC to allow Kirby to portray them sympathetically.

Goodman must have detected a sales spike

with STRANGE TALES #92 because Kirby/Ayers were tasked with providing a second sequential panel cover.

For more info 

CLICK HERE!

A PURE KIRBY SYNOPSIS

There seem to be several souls out there laboring under the delusion that I "ghost wrote" some or all of these issues. This is not true.

 Mark Evanier, THE SOURCE column (1986 NEW GODS #1 reprint) 

A 1962 genre mashup from a pair of Jacks.

Kirby

 

and Keller

This issue of TOMAHAWK shipped 7 months earlier...

If your hobby is identifying art this post's for you.

Pappy's Golden Age Comic Blogzine has a 10 page comics story from 1947 that is signed by Simon & Kirby. According to the Final Edition of TwoMorrow's Kirby Checklist only 3 panels are by Kirby.

See it here:http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2013/06/number-1382-atom-bomb-in-box.html

IF YOU LIKE EVERY THING OR JUST THE KIRBY THING THIS IS THE SITE FOR YOU!

CLICK HERE

NEW OLD KIRBY IN THE SHOPS TODAY

MARVEL MASTERWORKS HUMAN TORCH TP VOL 1 $24.99

(W) Various (A) Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers (CA) Jack Kirby

Johnny Storm - the thrill-seeking, impulsive teen wonder of the Fantastic Four - the Torch goes head-to-head against Namor the Sub-Mariner, Spider-Man, Captain America, Paste-Pot Pete, the Wizard, the Sandman, the Living Bomb and more! Collecting STRANGE TALES #101-117 and ANNUAL #2. That's 145 pages of Kirby art!

50 YEARS AGO it was a great time to be a Kirby fan.

A respected comic historian explains why

CLICK HERE

KIRBY VISUAL LITERACY 101: Unshaven Reed = the end of the world!

A 20 year old Kirby homage?!?!?

From BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD #1

(art by Rick Parker)

Two examples of blonde characters being startled into blurting out a splash page synopsis.

For Kirby Legacy supporters who put their money where their mouths are

CLICK HERE

After two years of at least four different artists an issue the 14th issue of TALES OF SUSPENSE was the first two have only two artists.

Kirby, of course, was one of the artists (Dick Ayers inked Kirby's cover and interior pages). The other was Steve Ditko (he self-embellished).

Forget Kirby for one day

Regular readers of this blog are surely aware of my longtime admiration for Dick Ayers. He passed away Sunday.

Barry Pearl, the backbone of dignified comic fandom, and friend to Mr.Ayers posted this informative tribute CLICK HERE


CLICK HERE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST'S REMEMBRANCE OF MR. AYERS for the mainstream spin with commentary by official Kirby Biographer Mark Evanier.

If there are any artists that you admire maybe you should send them a fan letter or ask them if they are doing commissions. Pretty words are nice but trading your (presumably) hard-earned money for something they created that they know is going to be a cherished treasure...

Daily Kirby Blog slights Living Legend.

Imagine my shock and dismay when I was catching up on my email reading and was reminded by the knowledgable Comic Historians on the Timely/Atlas Yahoo List that Durable Dick Ayers, war hero and comics legend, turned 90 yesterday!!! It is ironic that despite his many artistic achievements that he is best known as one of the top ten Kirby embellishers.

No matter how much you know about Mr. Ayers find out more here: http://www.dickayerscom.blogspot.com/

Or if you prefer interviews to art: http://www.nippertown.com/2011/10/26/interview-dick-ayers-master-comic-book-artist/

 

Thanks to Barry Smith every time I see Cap drawn by Kirby I look for sausages from Mars!*

*see yesterday's post (Bloggin' Billy)

How many different ways can a shield be used in battle? Here's two.

The heck with Disney stock!!!!!

Given the sky-rocketing popularity of Cap and Bucky thanks to their latest movie this key 1964 issue is a better investment.

It probably will take the largest price leap percentage-wise of any Kirby comic listed in the the next annual OVERPRICE STREET GUIDE. (The only reason it wouldn't would be if the publisher hasn't hoarded what he considers an adequete amount of copies.)

ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE LEE/KIRBY COLLABORATION

Simon/Kirby created Captain America to be the perfect patriotic hero. Stan Lee's formula for success was to give his heroes a flaw so when Lee decided to revive the character two and a half decades later for the Second Age of Heroes (AKA as the Marvel Age of Comics) he needed an imperfection for Cap.

The "it's lonely being a hero" shtick was the best he could come up without compromising the iconic character's core traits.

Will this thesis get me a step closer to being an accepted Comic Scholar?

Lee/Kirby realize that Cap is the perfect surrogate for John Henry, the technology-battling American Folk Hero from a century and a half earlier. One wonders how long it took the talented team to plan this page out because that whole "Marvel Method" cover story they used in the Silver Age was to give the impression that this high-water mark of their collaboration was because of synergistic/synchronistic creation magic. They were likely advised by child psychologists to inculcate the malleable youngsters that were the bulk of that era's readership to the concept that Lee/Kirby were not calculating and manipulative adults like the Sixties' DC full-script fascists. To further perpetuate this fiction Lee/Kirby adopted the public personas of two archetypes beloved by children - the Fun Uncle and the Whopper-telling Grandpa. 

If it doesn't than this post is just a clever parody. (Yeah, that's the ticket!)

Kirby masterfully creates suspense by waiting four pages before revealing what Cap and the brunette babe were reacting to.