Daily Archives: September 19, 2004

Skull the Slayer #8 [1976] – Cover

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The Kirby Checklist credits this to Kirby/M. Severin/Giacoia, so I’m guessing Marie Severin did some touch-ups to bring it closer to model for the book. Might explain why Skull’s head doesn’t seem to quite fit right on his body. No, I’m not sure why, when given Kirby available to do comic covers, somebody decided that him drawing Skull would be a good idea….

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Published 1976

Thor #249 [1976] – Cover

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Inked by Joe Sinnott. “Even if thou canst reach me, Thunder God — Thou darest not strike Odin!” I love that. “Canst”. That makes it poetry…

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Published 1976

Iron Man #80 [1975] – Cover

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Inked by Al Milgrom. Solid enough job, and some nice stuff in the background space scene, but I have to say, this may be the most boring Kirby cover of all time. There are only a handful of Kirby covers I can think of where the character isn’t doing anything, and this may be the most dull of them. I think it’s the almost symmetrical pose that really does it.

On the other hand, you see covers like this almost every week on books published now.

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Published 1975

The Defenders #44 [1977] – Cover

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Inked by Al Milgrom. Milgrom inked over a dozen of these 1970s covers, and did did a nice job on most of them. I kind of wish he’d gotten a chance to do a full story, just to see what it would have looked like. This one is nice, except for Luke Cage’s face, which seems off. Still, lots of crackling energy to make up for any other flaws.

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Published February 1977

Gunslingers #1 [2000]

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Marvel sometimes, far too infrequently for my liking, throws out a reprint one-shot with some Kirby. Usually tied into some then-current storyline, I think GUNSLINGERS #1 came out around the time of some mini-series that had all of Marvel’s western characters.

Two Kirby stories are reprinted in it, both inked by Dick Ayers. “Beware!! The Terrible Totem!!” is a reprint of RAWHIDE KID #22, a full issue story where the Kid fights a giant walking totem pole. While there’s an undeniable pleasure in the way Kirby draws Totem, it’s just a bit too silly. In fact, the actual western story in here, involving the Kid being chased by lawmen and mine safety issues, were a lot more entertaining, and would have made a far stronger story if the Totem was replaced by a more related obstacle.

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The second Kirby story in here is “I Hate the Two-Gun Kid”, a five-pager from TWO-GUN KID #60. The story is pretty straight-forward and cliched, with the Kid (no, another Kid) finding his masked identity blamed for some wrong-doing while trying to do the right thing, thus earning the animosity of pretty blonde schoolmarm Nancy Carter, who utters the title of the story. I think the original printing of this was in the first issue of the Earth-One Two-Gun Kid (masked lawyer Matt Hawk version), so it’s setting up the on-going conflicts.

Kirby’s western comics always show a lot of love for the subject matter, clearly learned through the movies and books on the subject from his youth. Lots of action, great background scenery, and I especially love the way he draws horses.

Published February 2000