{"id":2342,"date":"2015-02-23T17:43:03","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T22:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/?p=2342"},"modified":"2015-02-23T18:13:21","modified_gmt":"2015-02-23T23:13:21","slug":"key-1970s-dc-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/2015\/02\/23\/key-1970s-dc-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"Key 1970s DC Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"

This timeline was first published in TwoMorrows Publishing\u2019s Winter 2013 The Jack Kirby Collector 62<\/a>. Many thanks to John Morrow for allowing us to publish it here. Be sure to read the Key 1960s Moments<\/a> timeline, as well. Suggestions or corrections are welcome, please use the comments section below. \u2013 \u00a0Rand<\/em><\/p>\n

Continuing our look at key moments in Jack\u2019s life\u00a0and career from TJKC #59 (which covered Marvel\u00a0in the 1960s), we present this timeline of key\u00a0moments that affected Kirby\u2019s tenure at DC Comics in\u00a0the 1970s. Of invaluable help were Rand Hoppe, past\u00a0research by Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman, and of\u00a0course, the \u201cX\u201d list of Jack\u2019s DC production numbers\u00a0(an updated version is shown elsewhere in this issue).<\/p>\n

This isn’t a complete list of every important date in\u00a0Kirby\u2019s DC 1970s history, but should hit most of the\u00a0main ones. Please send us additions and corrections.\u00a0Next issue, I\u2019ll work on pivotal moments in Jack\u2019s return\u00a0to Marvel in the 1970s and beyond.<\/p>\n

My rule of thumb: Cover dates were generally two-three\u00a0months later than the date the book appeared on\u00a0the stands, and six months ahead of when Kirby was\u00a0working on the stories, so I’ve assembled the timeline\u00a0according to those adjusted dates\u2014not the cover\u00a0dates\u2014to set it as close as possible to real-time.<\/p>\n

1967<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Kinney National Company buys DC Comics, and Carmine\u00a0Infantino is appointed Art Director. He initiates the era of\u00a0\u201cartist as editor,\u201d bringing new talent and ideas in. Also,\u00a0editor Jack Schiff retires from DC Comics,\u00a0opening the door for Kirby to possibly return.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    1969<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • January:<\/strong> The Kirby family moves to California,\u00a0taking a loan from Martin Goodman.<\/li>\n
    • Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman become\u00a0acquainted with Kirby through working on\u00a0Marvelmania projects, and Mike Royer inks\u00a0his first Kirby piece.<\/li>\n
    • Kirby meets with Carmine Infantino at a Los\u00a0Angeles hotel to discuss the possibility of\u00a0joining DC Comics, and Mort Weisinger retires\u00a0from DC Comics, removing the last obstacle\u00a0for Kirby returning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      1970<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • January:<\/strong> Kirby receives a \u201conerous\u201d contract\u00a0from Perfect Film to continue working at\u00a0Marvel Comics, telling him \u201ctake it or leave it.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • February:<\/strong> Carmine Infantino signs Kirby to a DC contract.<\/li>\n
      • Early March:<\/strong> Kirby turns in\u00a0Fantastic Four #102, his final\u00a0story for Marvel, and\u00a0resigns. On March 12, Don\u00a0and Maggie Thompson publish\u00a0an \u201cExtra\u201d edition of\u00a0their fanzine Newfangles\u00a0announcing Kirby is leaving\u00a0Marvel. That Spring, Mark\u00a0Evanier and Steve Sherman\u00a0become Jack\u2019s official assistants.<\/li>\n
      • May-June:<\/strong> \u201cThe Great One Is Coming!\u201d ad appears in various DC comics, trumpeting \u201cThe Boom\u00a0Tube,\u201d but does not mention Kirby by name.<\/li>\n
      • July (September cover date):<\/strong> The \u201cStan\u2019s Soapbox\u201d in\u00a0Marvel\u2019s comics tells of Jack\u2019s resignation from Marvel,\u00a0and Jimmy Olsen #132\u2019s letter column announces Kirby will start in the following issue.<\/li>\n
      • Summer:<\/strong> \u201cKirby is coming\u201d blurb appears in various DC\u00a0comics. Also, Kirby\u2019s three new core books are mentioned\u00a0(with bullet art) in the 1970 San Diego Comic-Con program\u00a0book.<\/li>\n
      • August (October cover date):<\/strong> Jimmy Olsen #133 published\u00a0with Kirby\u2019s first work for\u00a0DC Comics.<\/li>\n
      • October (December cover\u00a0<\/strong>date):<\/strong> \u201cThe Magic of\u00a0Kirby\u201d house ads appear\u00a0in DC comics, heralding\u00a0the first issues of Forever\u00a0People, New Gods, and\u00a0Mister Miracle.<\/li>\n
      • November (January 1971\u00a0cover date):<\/strong> Kirby stories\u00a0in Amazing Adventures\u00a0#4 and Tower of\u00a0Shadows #4 published\u00a0by Marvel, the same\u00a0month as Jimmy Olsen\u00a0#135 at DC Comics.<\/li>\n
      • December (February 1971 cover date):<\/strong> Forever People #1\u00a0and New Gods #1 published at DC Comics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        1971<\/h2>\n
          \n
        • January (March cover date):<\/strong> Marvel\u2019s Fantastic Four #108\u00a0published from Jack\u2019s original rejected FF #102 story, the\u00a0same month that DC Comics publishes Mister Miracle #1\u00a0and Jimmy Olsen #136.<\/li>\n
        • January 31:<\/strong> Kirby and Infantino are interviewed for Comics\u00a0& Crypt fanzine in the DC offices, during Jack\u2019s trip back to\u00a0New York City. Around this time, Carmine Infantino is promoted\u00a0to publisher of DC Comics.<\/li>\n
        • May (July cover date):<\/strong> Lois Lane #111 is published, with a\u00a0non-Kirby story that used his Fourth World concepts. Also,\u00a0while drawing the end of Mister Miracle #5, Kirby conceives the idea of Stan Lee as \u201cFunky Flashman\u201d for #6.<\/li>\n
        • Mid 1971:<\/strong> After discovering inker Vince Colletta has been showing Fourth World pages around Marvel\u2019s offices\u00a0before publication, and being shown how Colletta omits details in the inking, Kirby insists on Mike Royer as inker.\u00a0Mike starts with New Gods #5, Mister Miracle #5, and Forever People #6.<\/li>\n
        • June (August cover date):<\/strong> DC publishes Super DC Giant S-25, with 1950s reprints of Kirby\u2019s Challengers of the\u00a0Unknown, and a new cover and text feature by Kirby. Also, Carmine Infantino raises cover prices to 25\u00a2 and\u00a0includes Golden Age Simon & Kirby reprints in the back of\u00a0Kirby\u2019s Fourth World issues. One month after matching the\u00a0increase, Marvel undercuts DC by dropping their cover prices\u00a0to 20\u00a2.<\/li>\n
        • June 15 and July 15:<\/strong> In The Days of the Mob #1 and Spirit\u00a0World #1 published, but receive nebulous ads (left) and spotty\u00a0distribution. Months later, ads for both books would appear in\u00a0DC comics, offering unsold copies to readers by mail.<\/li>\n
        • October:<\/strong> Kirby draws his final issue of Jimmy Olsen (#148).\u00a0Around this time, Kirby conjures up the idea for The Demon to\u00a0replace Jimmy Olsen on his schedule.<\/li>\n
        • November (January cover date):<\/strong> Mister Miracle #6 published,\u00a0with unflattering caricatures of Stan Lee as \u201cFunky Flashman\u201d\u00a0and Roy Thomas as \u201cHouseroy,\u201d burning bridges at Marvel.<\/li>\n
        • December (February cover date):<\/strong> New Gods #7 is published,\u00a0with the pivotal Fourth World story \u201cThe Pact.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • December:<\/strong> Carmine Infantino instructs Kirby to add Deadman\u00a0to Forever People #9-10, in an attempt to boost sales. The\u00a0covers of Forever People #9 and New Gods #9 downplay the\u00a0lead characters, in what seems to be an attempt to make the\u00a0covers look more like mystery titles, which were selling well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          1972<\/h2>\n
            \n
          • January (March cover date):<\/strong> DC runs ads for the Kirby\u00a0Unleashed portfolio in its comics.<\/li>\n
          • February (April cover date):<\/strong> Jimmy Olsen #148, Kirby\u2019s final issue, is published.<\/li>\n
          • March:<\/strong> Kirby is told by Carmine Infantino that due to under-performing sales, DC will be canceling New Gods and\u00a0Forever People, and that he must move Mister Miracle away from its Fourth World ties. Kirby hurriedly switches\u00a0gears and swaps his planned stories for Mister\u00a0Miracle #9 (\u201cThe Mister Miracle To Be\u201d) and\u00a0#10, so he gets his \u201cHimon\u201d story into print. It\u2019s\u00a0too late to alter the \u201cnext issue\u201d blurb in #8\u2019s\u00a0letter column (right) to reflect the change.<\/li>\n
          • April:<\/strong> Kirby draws his final issues of New Gods\u00a0and Forever People.<\/li>\n
          • April (June cover date):<\/strong> Jimmy Olsen #150 is published, with a non-Kirby Newsboy Legion back-up story featuring\u00a0Angry Charlie.<\/li>\n
          • May-June (July-August cover dates):<\/strong> DC finally gives in to sales pressure, and drops its cover prices to 20\u00a2 to match Marvel Comics.<\/li>\n
          • May (July cover date):<\/strong> Mister Miracle #9 published, with the story \u201cHimon\u201d. Also, Kirby stories planned for the unpublished Spirit World #2 begin appearing\u00a0in Weird Mystery Tales and Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion.<\/li>\n
          • June:<\/strong> After Martin Goodman calls in Jack\u2019s 1969 loan, Kirby \u201cunder duress\u201d signs a copyright\u00a0agreement with Marvel. Also, Demon #1 is published.<\/li>\n
          • July (September cover date):<\/strong> Jimmy Olsen #152 is published, with a non-Kirby wrap-up to the\u00a0Morgan Edge clone saga, and a guest appearance by Darkseid and other Kirby Olsen characters.\u00a0Also, Mister Miracle #10 is published, in an abrupt departure from the Fourth World. Jack keeps\u00a0the title \u201cThe Mister Miracle To Be\u201d, but the story has nothing to do with Scott Free\u2019s early days.<\/li>\n
          • August (October cover date):<\/strong> New\u00a0Gods #11 and Forever People #11\u00a0(the final issues) and Kamandi #1 are\u00a0published.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            1973<\/h2>\n
              \n
            • July (September cover date):<\/strong> Boy Commandos #1 is published, reprinting Golden Age stories.<\/li>\n
            • August:<\/strong> After being notified that Mister Miracle will be cancelled, Kirby draws a final issue that\u00a0brings back Fourth World characters.<\/li>\n
            • September:<\/strong> Kirby considers returning to Marvel, but can\u2019t get out of his DC contract.<\/li>\n
            • September (November cover date):<\/strong> DC begins publishing reprints of Simon & Kirby\u2019s
              \nBlack Magic comics of the 1950s, working with Joe Simon as editor.<\/li>\n
            • Fall:<\/strong> Kirby begins work on OMAC #1 (it wouldn\u2019t be published till almost a year later),
              \nand Sandman #1, briefly reuniting with Joe Simon.<\/li>\n
            • December (February cover date):<\/strong> Mister Miracle #18, the final issue, is published.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              1974<\/h2>\n
                \n
              • April:<\/strong> Kirby starts work on the Losers story in Our Fighting Forces #151, the first of a
                \ndozen war stories he would chronicle for that title.<\/li>\n
              • May (July cover date):<\/strong> One story (\u201cMurder Inc.\u201d) from the unpublished In The Days Of
                \nThe Mob #2 appears in Amazing World of DC Comics #1.<\/li>\n
              • May 7:<\/strong> Kirby creates Atlas, who would debut in First Issue Special #1 several months
                \nlater.<\/li>\n
              • July (September cover date):<\/strong> OMAC #1 published.<\/li>\n
              • September:<\/strong> Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee is published, featuring Stan\u2019s\u00a0account of the creation of the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, and Doctor\u00a0Strange.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                1975<\/h2>\n
                  \n
                • February (April\u00a0cover date):<\/strong>\u00a0First Issue\u00a0Special #1 is\u00a0published,\u00a0featuring Kirby\u2019s\u00a0Atlas.<\/li>\n
                • March 24:<\/strong> Kirby signs a contract to return to Marvel Comics, but must continue\u00a0working for DC to finish out his contract with the company.<\/li>\n
                • April:<\/strong>\u00a0Knowing Jack is leaving, DC brings in Gerry Conway as editor on Kamandi\u00a0#34 to indoctrinate him to the series, eventually making him full writer\/editor on\u00a0Kamandi #38-40, Jack\u2019s last three issues. DC would no longer commission covers by Kirby for any further titles he drew from this point on, undoubtedly to\u00a0lessen readers\u2019 association of Kirby with DC on newsstands.<\/li>\n
                • May (July cover date):<\/strong> Justice Inc. #2 is published, with Kirby art and Denny O\u2019Neil
                  \nscript.<\/li>\n
                • June (August cover date):<\/strong> Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #3 is published, with
                  \nKirby art and Denny O\u2019Neil script. Also, First Issue Special #5 is published, with
                  \nKirby\u2019s revamped Manhunter, but DC created a cover from Kirby\u2019s flopped splash
                  \npage, rather than commission a new one.<\/li>\n
                • July 1975:<\/strong> First Issue Special #6 is published, featuring the Dingbats of Danger
                  \nStreet #1 story, a year-and-a-half after Kirby drew it. His completed stories for
                  \nDingbats #2 and #3 remain unpublished to this day.<\/li>\n
                • September (November cover date):<\/strong> OMAC #8, the final issue, is published, with a
                  \nreworked last panel bringing the series to an abrupt end, instead of Kirby\u2019s
                  \nplanned conclusion to the OMAC #7-8 continued story.<\/li>\n
                • October:<\/strong> Son of Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee is published, giving Stan\u2019s accounts of the creation of the X-Men, Iron\u00a0Man, The Avengers, Daredevil, Nick Fury, the Watcher, and the Silver Surfer.<\/li>\n
                • November (January cover date):<\/strong> Captain America #193 is published, marking Kirby\u2019s return to Marvel.<\/li>\n
                • December (February cover date):<\/strong> Kobra #1 is published by DC, heavily altered, and with an Ernie Chua cover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  1976<\/h2>\n
                    \n
                  • February (April cover date):<\/strong> First Issue Special #13 (right) is published, a non-Kirby \u201cReturn of the\u00a0New Gods\u201d tryout. No mention of Kirby is made in the New Gods history article. This issue was published\u00a0concurrently with Kamandi #40, Kirby\u2019s final issue and last work for DC in the 1970s. Carmine\u00a0Infantino is fired as publisher of DC Comics in early 1976, and Jenette Kahn is made publisher.\u00a0Plans are made to include Kirby\u2019s unpublished Sandman #7 story in Kamandi #60, but that title gets\u00a0cancelled in the \u201cDC Implosion\u201d, and Sandman #7 is finally published in The Best of DC #22 (1982).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    1977<\/h2>\n
                      \n
                    • April (July cover date):<\/strong> New Gods #12 published after a review of sales reports by DC\u2019s new management of the Kirby issues\u00a0and First Issue Special #13 showed it was a title worth reviving. The cover is drawn by Al Milgrom in a very Kirbyesque style.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      This timeline was first published in TwoMorrows Publishing\u2019s Winter 2013 The Jack Kirby Collector 62. Many thanks to John Morrow for allowing us to publish it here. Be sure to read the Key 1960s Moments timeline, as well. Suggestions or corrections are welcome, please use the comments section below. \u2013 \u00a0Rand Continuing our look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2342"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2351,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342\/revisions\/2351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}