Daily Archives: December 13, 2004

Unpublished Archives trading cards

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Since I had the few trading cards I have out from the posts about the Topps stuff last week, thought I’d mention these. Just about everything got a trading card set back in the early 1990s, and in 1994 one thing released was the “Jack Kirby – The Unpublished Archives” set, with art from Kirby’s years working on animation design for Ruby Spears. 90 cards in all, although a handful aren’t by Kirby for reasons that evade understanding (I only have about half the cards, one of them is definitely Gil Kane, another looks like Doug Wildey).

The cards are fun, with lots of wacky characters, insane vehicles and fantastic scenarios. None of these ever did get produced (though Kirby did of course work on many things that did get produced).

Some of the concepts featured are Animal Hospital, a funny animal soap opera, and Roxie’s Raiders, a 1930s set action comedy, featuring Toad:

CARD1

Lots of grotesque villains that I have trouble imagining animated on a TV cartoon, but look fun.

CARD2

If you can pick up a set or a few packs of the cards cheap, they’re good for a laugh. Obviously the small size doesn’t really show off the art at all (the originals are apparently really big), and hopefully someday we’ll see a decent book or portfolio of the best of Kirby’s animation work (this set apparently only has a fraction of his designs) with larger images and better supporting material, but until then this is a nice glimpse at his work in his last decade.

Published 1994

More 70s Marvel Covers

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MARVEL DOUBLE FEATURE #13, 1975. Kirby did a handful of new covers for this reprint book (generally for issues where the original TALES OF SUSPENSE cover featured the Iron Man story, and one featuring Modok which I’ll have to post for all you Modok lovers, and I know they’re out there), including this one inked by Frank Giacoia. Those dead sidekicks are nothing but trouble. The interior Cap reprint is a Gil Kane issue, from Kirby’s brief gap drawing the feature in 1967.

MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #19, 1976. Man, for an idol o’ millions, Benjy got no respect, having to be rescued by Tigra the Were-Woman (a name which somewhat confused me, since a werewolf is a person who turns into a wolf, so shouldn’t she be a were-tiger or something?). Anyway, Giacoia on inks again.

FANTASTIC FOUR #172, 1976. Joe Sinnott inked this cover, though it’s one of those that was somewhat modified, around the faces of the non-rocky FF members. I’m not sure why anyone would think Kirby drawings of the FF need correcting, either. Pitting the Thing up against an old Thor villain. I wonder if Kirby came back to Marvel, saw every old, obscure character he created in the 1960s being brought back and wondered if anyone had created anything new in the five years he was gone. Well, other than Tigra…