Monthly Archives: February 2007

Devil Dinosaur #6 [1978] – Eev

Posted on February 16, 2007 by Bob

Kirby continues to improve on the Bible’s Garden of Eden story by exploring how the real story that inspired it had giant ants, space aliens and a giant red Dinosaur named Devil all in the Valley of Flame. This time around Devil continues to fight the ants with the allies he made in his quest to free Moon-Boy from the aliens.

DevilDinosaur61978.jpg

The swarm of ants overwhelms the aliens just as their analysis of Moon-Boy indicates that he carries the “seeds of potential greatness”, and his kind has to be eliminated as a threat to the alien domination of the world. Moon-Boy is able to escape in the confusion, but ends the issue still far from his giant brother, while the others encounter the alien computer, which has planted itself as the “Demon Tree”.

Mike Royer inks the 17-page story and Joe Sinnott inks the cover.

Published 1978

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-Link- Call for Kirby art

Posted on February 12, 2007 by Bob

Mark Evanier has more on his upcoming Kirby book, including a request for images of any especially noteworthy pages, in particular from the era where not a lot of those pages survived. If you have anything that he might be interested in including, or know anyone who might, get in touch with him and help make this book the definitive Jack Kirby art book.

And, of course, if you have anything like that or even less rare (well, I guess all original art is one of a kind, so less rare isn’t exactly the right phrase), the Kirby Museum Original Art Digital Archive would be interested in it as well.

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Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth! #11 [1973] – The Devil

Posted on February 12, 2007 by Bob

Leaving Tracking Site, Kamandi and his friends crash in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. Kamandi gets picked up by a ship of leopards who go out and gather pre-Great Disaster goods and slaves for the Sacker Department Store. They’re sure a talking animal like Kamandi will fetch a good price in the market, as will another captive from the north, called “The Devil”.

Kamandi111973.jpg

After they get to shore Kamandi is able to escape again, and decides that freeing the Devil will give him the distraction he needs to get away. He finds out that the Devil is in fact a gigantic mutated insect.

Strong start to one of the best of the extended Kamandi stories. The Sacker ship shows a lot of Kirby’s talent for background business.

Mike Royer inks the cover and 20-page story.

Published 1973

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Thor #257 [1977] – Cover

Posted on February 11, 2007 by Bob

Crackling energy dots at their finest and a good look at some of Thor’s Asgardian supporting cast in this Kirby/Sinnott cover. Makes me impatient to see what Sinnott’s new inks over Kirby’s old pencils will look like on FF – LOST.

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Published 1977

Posted in Genre, Superhero | 1 Comment

Challengers of the Unknown #77 [1971] – Menace of the Ancient Vials

Posted on February 10, 2007 by Bob

This issue reprints the 24-page story and cover from SHOWCASE #12 [1958], the last of the four Challengers of the Unknown issues of the series before they got their own book. The Challs begin the story in flight in pursuit of the gang of Karnak. The criminals take refuge in the isolated island home of an archaeologist doing experiments on some ancient vials he found. As the Challengers approach, Karnak has his men drink the contents of the first vial, turning them into giants who go out and fight and are defeated by the Challs.

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Two other vials release a fire monster and a sea monster, allowing Karnak to escape back to the mainland with the two remaining vials, one of which creates fifty clones of him which go on a crime wave. The Challs track down the real Karnak, who tries to escape using the final vial, which turns out just to be an antidote for the previous one.

The plot this time, especially the ending, is kind of a letdown, but along the way there are some cool things for Kirby to draw, especially the flame monster.

The art on this story seems to have been credited to every Kirby inker of the period at one time or another. DC seems to have settled on George Klein on their recent reprints.

Published 1971

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