Author Archives: Rand Hoppe

Jack Kirby draws Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, and Captain America

The one hundredth issue of The Comic Reader was a double issue with a color cover.

Jack Kirby was asked to contribute a cover, which was to include Captain America, Batman, Superman and Captain Marvel. Kirby drew a piece, which seems to have been rejected for the piece that was published. Without interviewing editor/publisher Paul Levitz or assistant editor Paul Kupperberg, the assumption is that the unused piece had characters from two companies together on the cover, which is traditionally considered unwelcome by their respective rights holders. The used piece has characters controlled at the time by National Periodical Publications, Inc (DC Comics) on the front.

The Comics Reader 100 was published by TCR Publications, New York, New York, USA. August-September 1973.

 

Color art by Carl GAFFORD.

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OMAC 2008 Redux: A chapter restored

National Periodical Publications reduced their editorial page count from twenty pages to eighteen pages after Kirby produced “The Body Bank!” (published in OMAC 6, July 1975), bringing about some work by DC production staff to cut two pages.

Their most obvious choice was to edit the first chapter, as it contained one of Kirby’s signature spreads. Their decision was to remove a full tier panel from the fourth page, and replace it with a reduced version of the spread. The four page chapter was now two pages.

2008’s Jack Kirby’s OMAC: One Man Army Corps from DC Comics restores chapter one to Kirby’s original. Unfortunately, the art on the initial splash page is still stretched, as mentioned in our previous post.

Jack Kirby’s OMAC in 2008: Unfortunate Stretching

DC Comics’ program of publishing new collected editions of Jack Kirby’s work has been wonderful. It is a great time we live in, with so much of Kirby’s work available in the stores. Having these books at hand certainly helps the Kirby Museum in its mission “to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby”. A huge thank you to everyone associated with bringing this series about.

Unfortunately, 2008’s Jack Kirby’s OMAC: One Man Army Corps contained a few production errors: many of the splash pages that originally contained indicia were stretched to fit the printed page.

Two examples with the original 1974/5 printing on the left, and the 2008 printing on the right.:

I’ve aligned the images at the top text.

There’s one very nice improvement that DC brought to the OMAC book, which I will highlight in a future entry.

Thanks to James ROMBERGER for the heads up.

Disney Redux – Jack Kirby and the 1971 Disneyland Convention

Jack KIRBY provided the pencil art for the cover of the Disneyland Convention held April 9th, 10th & 11th in 1971. The art features Kirby’s “Super-Escape Artist” Mr. Miracle and his assistant Oberon being held by Grumpy, from the Disney animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Thanks to Greg THEAKSTON for gifting a copy of the program to the Museum.

At the convention, Kirby sold a portfolio of eight of his New Gods character designs. The images were printed in grayscale on 8 1/2″” by 11″ paper, and held in an unmarked envelope. Photos taken by Vincent DAVIS from the Disneyland Convention were featured in the July 1971 issue of Richard KYLE’s Graphic Story World newsletter. Thanks to Alex JAY for gifting a copy of the newsletter to the Museum.

1971 July – Graphic Story World 2 page 6

The page is captioned on the next page: “ON THE LEFT: Top row: Jack Kirby; Forrest J. Ackerman. Second row: Jim Steranko; Jerry O’Hara (convention organizer); Bill Stout, Mike Royer (in stripes), Bob Foster, Larry Kenyon (in white obscuring Jim Steranko, who is displaying his art). Bottom row: Janet Royer, Mike Royer, Mark Evanier; Milton Gray; Mark Kausler; Carmine Infantino. =photography by Vincent Davis.” If you have any photos, memories or further information regarding Kirby’s attendance at the 1971 Disneyland Convention, please contact me and I’ll try to include them in this piece. (Added 3 October 2009) I’ve added a scan of a photocopy of what appears to be Kirby’s original art (with paste up) for the booklet. Note the art around the edges that was cut due to the bleed of the printing. Also note that “Mister Miracle” was removed and “Jack Kirby” was added before printing.

Jack Kirby draws Mickey Mouse

In the early 1990s, Jack KIRBY was asked to produce a piece for a coffee table book, “The Art of Mickey Mouse.” Kirby produced two pieces – both inked by Mike THIBODEAUX.

One piece, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” was not used.

1991 - The Sorcerer's Apprentice

1991 – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

This one was:

1991 - Mickey Mouse

1991 – Mickey Mouse

with color art by the book’s co-editor, Craig YOE. Craig posted about this piece on his blog, which is the source for the scan.

Click on any of the graphics in this article for more information:

The Mystery of The Two Pioneer Plaques

In 1972 Jack Kirby was one of a few artists approached by the Los Angeles Times to provide their version of the “Pioneer Plaque” – a gold anodized aluminum plaque that NASA attached to Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11. These spacecrafts were expected to be the first human-built objects to leave the solar system. Astronomers Frank DRAKE and Carl SAGAN devised the plaque and commissioned Sagan’s wife Linda SAGAN to produce the art. Pioneer 10 was launched in March of 1972, and Pioneer 11 in April 1973.

Pioneer Plaque

Pioneer Plaque

The Los Angeles Times published work from James McMULLAN, Victor MOSCOSO, Peter MAX, Virgil PARTCH, Allen JONES and Jack KIRBY (with black ink art by Mike ROYER, and color by Kirby) in their 12 September 1972 West Magazine supplement.

1972 September 10 - West Magazine Pioneer Plaque spread

1972 September 10 – West Magazine Pioneer Plaque spread

Writer and Kirby historian Mark EVANIER told Kirby Museum Trustee and Jack Kirby Collector Editor/Publisher John MORROW, that he spent a considerable amount of time reconstructing the “zip-a-tone” background on the Pioneer Plaque that he used in his Eisner Award-winning book, “Kirby: King of Comics”.

Pioneer Plaque from Kirby: King Of Comics

Pioneer Plaque from Kirby: King Of Comics

At 2009’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, Kirby art collector and writer Glen GOLD, offered his newly acquired Pioneer Plaque original art to be scanned by the Museum for its Original Art Digital Archive.

After John Morrow and I noticed that the piece did not have zip-a-tone, I knew a comparison to West Magazine was necessary.

Thankfully, artist and Kirby historian Greg THEAKSTON recently gifted many of his Kirby papers to the Museum, one of which was a copy of West Magazine.

Pioneer Plaque original art scanned 2009

Pioneer Plaque original art scanned 2009

And there’s the mystery: two pieces, each with distinct Kirby color art. One with zip-a-tone. Is one a stat? Did Mike ROYER ink two?

Jack Kirby on Captain America – 1988

Posted in Video.

Jack Kirby appeared at the Pure Imagination Fun Fair in 1988. Here, with Greg Theakston, Kirby answers some audience questions about Captain America.

1993 – Jack Kirby on “Bob”

Posted in Video and tagged ,

Jack and Roz Kirby appeared on the sitcom “Bob”, where Bob Newhart played a comic book artist. Other comics luminaries, such as Bob Kane, Mel Keefer, Mell Lazarus (who briefly appears in our clip introducing Kirby), Marc Silvestri, Jim Lee and Sergio Aragones also appeared.

Initially broadcast 22 January 1993.
Written by Cheri Steinkeller & Bill Steinkeller & Phoef Sutton.
Directed by Michael Zinberg.

New York Comic Con Kirby Tribute Panel video

Mark Evanier moderates an almost hour-long discussion with Dick Ayers and Joe Sinnott on 20 April 2008 at the New York Comic Con.

Video shot by Museum volunteers Tom Kraft and Rand Hoppe. Edited by Rand.

Captain 3-D page

Inspired by Harry MENDRYK’s 14 March post over at his Simon and Kirby blog, presented here are seven scans of one Captain 3-D page.

Story by Joe SIMON and Jack KIRBY
Pencil art by Jack KIRBY
Ink art by Mort MESKIN
Lettering by ?

First printing: “The Man from the World of D” Captain 3-D, New York, NY, USA: Harvey Comics, Inc., December 1953 (11), p 10.

Scanned by Rand HOPPE on April 2007 from the collection of Tom MOREHOUSE as part of the Original Art Digital Archive project.