Monthly Archives: November 2006

Gunsmoke Western #52 [1959] – Cover

Posted on November 29, 2006 by Bob

You’d think by 1959 a comic book publisher could have figured out how to put the comics code stamp on a cover without making it look like the book is called GUNSMOKB WESTERN, wouldn’t you?

Anyway, another of Kirby’s covers early on his return to Marvel, featuring two characters he didn’t draw interiors for but drew on a lot of covers. Split covers like this always look a bit cramped, but in this case I like how it emphasizes the tall, lanky look of Earp and the crowding of the group around Kid Colt.

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Inking on this one is credited to Chris Rule.

Published 1959

Posted in Genre, Western | 1 Comment

New Kirby – Westerns and trivial Cap

Posted on November 26, 2006 by Bob

A couple of minor Kirby releases recently. ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 TPB didn’t use Kirby art on the cover as the solicitation suggested but does include the cover to CAPTAIN AMERICA SPECIAL #2, which uses the art from TALES OF SUSPENSE #74. So there’s a trivial entry for a Kirby checklist, a reprint of a reprint cover as the end of a 500 page book.

Also out recently. MARVEL WESTERNS HC includes the same reprint backups as the various one-shots released earlier this year.

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Comics Revue #187 [2001]

Posted on November 24, 2006 by Bob

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Two more pages of the final Sunday storyline for Sky Masters on the covers of this issue, from January 17 and 24, 1960, inked by Dick Ayers. Sky is able to demonstrate to Doctor Royer how the yoga techniques he’s learned enable him to slow his metabolism down to almost nothing. However, since the project was tied up thanks to bad publicity, Sky goes on to his next assignment, training some pilots in handling launches into space. Unfortunately, the test rocket loses control, sending Sky and another pilot out into space with only a four-hour supply of air.

Kind of obvious from the set-up where this one is going, without too many twists thanks to the quick ending when the Sunday strip wraps up in just three more weeks, but that’s some really slick artwork.

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Published 2001

Posted in Genre, Science Fiction | Leave a comment

Strange Tales #123 [1964] – Cover

Posted on November 23, 2006 by Bob

This issue has one of the few times that Doctor Strange got equal billing on a STRANGE TALES cover while he was sharing the book with the Human Torch. Of course, the Torch’s star was obviously fading a bit, as the Thing was his permanent co-star for the final year of the last year of the feature.

My favourite bit of this cover is the Loki figure, always one of my favourite Kirby villain designs, you can see the menace on his face even in that edge of it you get in this angle. The Doctor Strange figure is good, although I thought Kirby did better with Doc’s new outfit in a few later issues.

The Beetle, meanwhile, is a pretty goofy villain, can’t help but pale in comparison with Loki. Kind of funny how awkward and ill-fitting his outfit seems.

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Frank Giacoia inks this cover (or possibly Sol Brodsky, see comments).

Published 1964

Posted in Genre, Superhero | 1 Comment

Fantastic Four #164 [1975] – Cover

Posted on November 22, 2006 by Bob

This was Kirby’s first cover for FF on his return after five years at DC, also re-uniting with definitive FF inker Joe Sinnott.

Not really a noteworthy cover otherwise, with a second-string character (the 1950s Marvel Boy, renamed the Crusader here) taking up most of the cover (though he is well drawn, although his powers could use some more crackly dots), but it is good to see Kirby’s version of Ben Grimm in particular.

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Published 1975

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