Monthly Archives: June 2010

Upcoming Kirby – T-shirt edition

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A few years ago Graphitti Designs re-issued many of the t-shirts Marvel produced in the 1960s, most of them having original Jack Kirby art.  More recently they did a Galactic Bounty Hunters shirt, still available.  Now, they’re getting into some of Kirby’s DC characters:Page 374 of the July 2010 Previews if you’re asking for it at a comic shop, no doubt soon to be added to the Graphitti website for ordering as well.

Those are nice, but I’m a bit surprised they didn’t go with a Darkseid for the initial offering.

Upcoming Kirby – The Commandos are Coming. So is Thor

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Some big Kirby stuff coming late this year. A Simon&Kirby classic comes out in the first of hopefully many Boy Commandos collections. Thor gets a big book in advance of his feature film debut, and the FF softcover colour collections continue.


THE BOY COMMANDOS BY JOE SIMON AND JACK KIRBY HC
Written by JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY
Art and cover by JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY
One of the most popular of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s “kid gang” comics, the Boy Commandos were an international team of kids dedicated to fighting the “Ratzis.” Includes stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #64-73, WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #8-9 and BOY COMMANDOS #1-2.
On sale November 24 • 256 pg, FC, $49.99 US


THE MIGHTY THOR VOL. 1 OMNIBUS HC
Written by STAN LEE with LARRY LIEBER & ROBERT BERNSTEIN
Penciled by JACK KIRBY with JOE SINNOTT, DON HECK & AL HARTLEY
Cover by JACK KIRBY
Whosoever holds this Omnibus, if he be worthy, shall possess the epic stories that began the saga of the Mighty Thor! While vacationing along the coast of Norway, Dr. Donald Blake happened upon a secret chamber and inside it found a strange, gnarled cane. Upon striking the cane a shower of lightning rained down and the hobbled doctor found himself transformed into the Mighty Thor, God of Thunder and champion of Asgard! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby crafted an epic of power and myth, drama and action, and in this painstakingly-restored Omnibus collection, you’ll experience it all from the very beginning. Including the first appearances of Odin, the mischievous Loki, noble Balder, Heimdall, the warriors three— Volstagg, Hogun and Fandrall—and the lovely Jane Foster. Packed with the fan-favorite Tales of Asgard, classic battles from Thor vs. the Hulk and the unstoppable Destroyer to the Absorbing Man and the Executioner, along with letters pages and bonus features galore, it’s Mjolnir-class package that’s a must for every Asgardian to be. Collecting JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #83-120 and ANNUAL #1.
768 PGS. $99.99


MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 4 TPB
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY
Cover by JACK KIRBY
Stan and Jack are back with another classic FANTASTIC FOUR collection, earning the title “World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” and throwing in a little extra to boot! It all starts off with the origin of that epitome of evil, Dr. Doom. Find out how Doom’s face was scarred and how Reed Richards is connected with that fateful day. Witness the birth of an evil quartet to rival the FF—the Frightful Four! Join the Battle of the Baxter Building as a de-powered FF teams with Daredevil against Dr. Doom in a fight to the finish that’ll loosen your fillings! There’s also monster menaces galore from the Mole Man to Dragon Man and out-of-this-world villains from the shape shifting Skrulls to the undersea warlord Attuma! But it’s not just the panel-bursting action that makes FF great, it’s the personal drama. How will Johnny and Sue respond when the father they thought dead returns? When Reed pops the question will the Invisible Girl say, “Yes,” or do visions of Namor dance in her head? They’re not just classics, one and all, they’re Masterworks! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #31-40 & ANNUAL #2
272 PGS./$24.99

OMAC #7 [1975]

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The One Man Army starts his battle against “The Ocean Stealers” in the 18-page story in this issue.  Sent by the Global Peace Agency to investigate a lake which has suddenly lost its water, we open with some great images of Kirby’s vision of a lake bed full of exposed and crushed plant and animal life.  Finding an odd cube in the middle of the lake, he finds it unnaturally heavy, and gets a power boost from Brother Eye to move it, but even that might not be enough.

Next we meet the evil scientist responsible for all this, Doctor Skuba, a water-obsessed madman who has found a way to compress water into small bars, including one giant one which will absorb the Atlantic Ocean.  When OMAC tracks down his lair Skuba recognizes the atomic manipulation that created OMAC being similar to his own science, and is able to use that similarity to restore OMAC to his Buddy Blank form.

OMAC is a lot of goofy fun with wild ideas thrown out at every turn. This adventure was obviously intended to be longer than the two issues it lasted, and I wonder if the connection between Skuba’s science and the technology used to create OMAC would have been explored.

D. Bruce Berry inks the 18-page story and the Kirby cover, with mixed results.  Several pages look really good, especially the 2-page spread, and any of the renderings of technology, but I don’t think he fully captures the right look on the faces all the time.