73 YEARS AGO TODAY

The final Kirby covered comic of at least 11 that were released in 1945 was on the racks.

The reason I say at least 11 is because experts disagree on these 6 comics - so it could be as many as 17.

STAR SPANGLED #43 - Kirby or Swan/Brodie? - shipped Feb 2, 1945
BOY COMMANDOS #11 - Cazeneuve or Kirby? - shipped April 27, 1945 
STAR SPANGLED #48 - Kirby or Swan/Kaye? - shipped July 3, 1945
STAR SPANGLED #49 - Kirby or Swan/Brodie? - shipped August 2, 1945
STAR SPANGLED #50 - Kirby or Ray? - shipped September 4, 1945
STAR SPANGLED #51 -  Kirby or Swan? - shipped October 3, 1945

74 YEARS AGO TODAY

The final Kirby covered comic of at least 12 that were released in 1944 was on the racks.

The reason I say at least 12 is because experts disagree on these 9 comics - so it could be as many as 21.

STAR SPANGLED #31  - Kirby or Kane? – shipped Feb 3, 1944 
STAR SPANGLED # 33 :  Fred Ray or Kirby? - shipped April 4, 1944 
STAR SPANGLED #35 : Kirby or Ray? - shipped June 6, 1944
STAR SPANGLED # 36 - Kirby or Ray? - shipped July 4, 1944
STAR SPANGLED #37 - Kirby or Cazeneuve ? - shipped Aug 3, 1944 
STAR SPANGLED #38 - Kirby/Simon or Cazeneuve/Brodie ? - shipped Sep 5, 1944
STAR SPANGLED #39 - Kirby or Cazeneuve? - shipped Oct 3, 1944 
STAR SPANGLED #40 -  Kirby or Cazeneuve? - shipped Nov 2, 1944
STAR SPANGLED #41 - Kirby or Cazeneuve/Brodie? - shipped Dec 5, 1944

ON THE SPINNER RACKS 59 YEARS AGO TODAY

 Looking back on 1959 you probably couldn't help but be impressed by Kirby's dominance of the 40 pocket spinner rack. He had 64 covers published that year. 
     As 1960 was about to begin these are the Kirby covers that you might have seen at the store if they hadn't sold out yet.

The above comic has a Kirby/Ayers cover and a 5 page Kirby/Ayers story.

The above comic only has a Kirby/Ayers cover

The above comic only has a Kirby/Ditko cover.

Besides the Kirby/Giacoia cover, the above comic has a 4 page Kirby/Reinman story and a 4 page Kirby/Ditko story

Besides the Kirby/Colletta cover, the above comic has a 4 page Kirby/Rule story

Besides doing the cover for the above comic Kirby also did the splash page for the story it teases. There is also a 6 page Kirby/Ayers story

The above comic has a Kirby/Ayers cover and a 7 page Kirby/Ayers story.

Besides the Kirby cover, the above comic has a 6 page Kirby/Brodsky story

Besides doing the cover for the above comic Kirby/Ayers also did the 7 page story it teases. 

Did the Kirby cover-featured lead-story starring a smoke monster inspire the creators of television's cult classic LOST?

96 YEARS AGO TODAY THE MAESTRO OF THE MARVEL MULTIVERSE WAS BORN.

"Lee's dialogue was witty and filled with character. Place it over exciting visual storytelling by Kirby or Ditko and you had something very special." - Mark Evanier KIRBY KING OF COMICS

25 YEARS AGO TODAY if you were lucky you would have been still able to purchase Kirby's penultimate comic at your local shop. It had shipped 2 weeks earlier.

Originally intended to be published by Genesis West, PHANTOM FORCE #1 was published by Image with eight inkers finishing the 22 pages of interior Kirby art. 

Does anything exemplify 1993 more than Rob Liefeld inking an Image Kirby cover?

THE EGOS OF KIRBY AND DITKO

MAYBE YOU GOT THIS FOR CHRISTMAS 35 YEARS AGO TODAY

The last CAPTAIN VICTORY triptych of 1983 featured two recurring Kirby Archetypes - the blonde hero (visual shorthand adopted from the white-hat-wearing heroes from the Westerns of his youth?) and the sentient machine.

76 YEARS AGO TODAY

 

Kirby's last published cover of 1942 hit the stores bringing his total for the year to 36, more than any previous year. 

61 YEARS AGO TODAY

The 14th (and final) Kirby-covered comic for 1957 was on the racks.

Kirby also illustrated the 6 page story that the cover teases.

78 YEARS AGO TODAY

It was the second Holiday season that Kirby was a part of the zeitgeist. December 1940 there was only one Kirby-covered comic on display. Christmas time 1941 there were four.

If Santa gifted you every Kirby-covered comic published so far you would have gotten 25 comics.

73 YEARS AGO TODAY Is this Kirby's 100th cover?

Or his 115th?

It's possibly his 42nd for the title.

78 YEARS AGO TODAY What a great time to be a Kirby fan!

Not only did Kirby's 8th comic cover hit the market place

There was also 63 pages of interior Kirby artwork divided among 6 stories!!!!!

70 YEARS AGO TODAY

Was Kirby Crime part of your Christmas tradition?

71 YEARS AGO TODAY

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CRIME IF YOU DIDN'T GET THESE TWO KIRBY-COVERED COMICS FOR CHRISTMAS! (one of which is probably Kirby's 150th published cover)

And they also had two Kirby-illustrated stories each, adding up to 41 pages.

43 YEARS AGO TODAY

If you looked beyond the Joe Kubert cover you would have been rewarded with 18 pages of Kirby art.

If not, you would have had to wait 38 years for it to be reprinted.

44 YEARS AGO TODAY

DC delivered a double dose of Kirby covers, story and  interior art at the spinner racks. 

76 YEARS AGO TODAY

It was the third Holiday season that Kirby was a part of the zeitgeist. There was three Kirby-covered comics on sale.

And all three also had Kirby interior art.
This increased Kirby's lifetime total of published covers to 59.

34 YEARS AGO TODAY

Fall/Winter 1984 was a disappointing time to be a Kirby-lover. There hadn't been a new Kirby comic since August 1984 (NEW GODS #6 and SUPER POWERS #5) and there wouldn't be until the third week of January 1985 with the release of WHO'S WHO #2 with Kirby pin-up pages of Beautiful Dreamer,  Ben Boxer, Big Barda and Big Bear. 

Marvel did not release ANY Kirby comics, new or reprinted, the entire year of 1984. 

IN YOUR LCS 33 YEARS AGO TODAY

SUPER POWERS II #6, with a cover and 22 pages of story art by Kirby/Theakston, was in the shops.

There would not be another comic with more than 8 pages of new Kirby art until PHANTOM FORCE #1 was released 8 Christmas  seasons later. Only 51 pages of new Kirby art, divided among 27 periodicals, would be published from January 1986 to November 1993.

46 YEARS AGO TODAY

What child wouldn't want a comic with a Kirby gorilla cover for Christmas? 

45 YEARS AGO TODAY

Kirby's Christmas treat for his fans was his spin on Watergate.

55 YEARS AGO TODAY

You might have been 1 of the 73 million Americans who watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time but if you were one of the more than 100 million that didn't maybe it was because you were busy reading this historic Kirby comic...

ON THE SPINNER RACKS 49 YEARS AGO TODAY

This Kirby-covered comic brought his year-to-date total for 1969 to 24.

  It also has Kirby interior art.

One more comic would ship before Christmas with a Kirby cover (and interior art.)

60 YEARS AGO TODAY

These two Kirby-covered comics brought his year-to-date total for 1958 to 23. Both comics also had Kirby interior art.

One more comic would ship before Christmas with a Kirby cover and interior art.

64 YEARS AGO TODAY

The last three of the 24 Kirby-covered comics for 1954 were available for purchase.

1954 was one of the rare years that Kirby did not dominate the spinner rack. Joe Maneely had triple the amount of covers published. (ADVENTURES INTO TERROR #29, ADVENTURES INTO WEIRD WORLDS #26, 27 and 29, ARROWHEAD #2 and 4, ASTONISHING #30, 31 and 34, BATTLE #27 and 33, BATTLEFRONT #22, 24 and 25, BATTLE GROUND #1. BLACK RIDER #24 and 25, COMBAT CASEY #14 and 15, COMBAT KELLY #20, 25, 26 and 27, CRAZY #3, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #20, JOURNEY INTO UNKNOWN WORLDS #30, JUNGLE ACTION #1 and 2, JUNGLE TALES #1, JUSTICE #44 and 46, KID COLT OUTLAW #40 - 43, MARVEL TALES #120 and 129, MYSTERY TALES #23 and 24. MYSTIC #28 and 29, OUTLAW FIGHTERS #2 and 3, OUTLAW KID #1 and 2, POLICE ACTION #1 and 5, RINGO KID #1, 2 and 4, RIOT #3, SPACEMAN #6, STRANGE TALES #33, SUB-MARINER COMICS #37, TWO-GUN KID #16 - 18, UNCANNY TALES #22 and 26, WAR COMICS #27, WESTERN OUTLAWS #1 and 5, WESTERN THRILLERS #2, WILD #1 and 5, WILD WESTERN #32, 33, 35, 36, 38 and 39, YOUNG MEN #25)