{"id":36,"date":"2012-06-12T14:57:24","date_gmt":"2012-06-12T14:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/?p=36"},"modified":"2012-06-12T14:57:24","modified_gmt":"2012-06-12T14:57:24","slug":"a-failure-to-communicate-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kirbymuseum.org\/blogs\/effect\/2012\/06\/12\/a-failure-to-communicate-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"A Failure To Communicate – Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thanks to Mike Gartland and\u00a0John Morrow, The Kirby Effect is offering Mike’s “A Failure To Communicate” series from The Jack Kirby Collector. – Rand<\/p>\n

Part One was first published in TwoMorrows\u2019 October 1998 Jack Kirby Collector 21<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This started out simply enough; I was reading FF Annual #3’s\u00a0“Bedlam At The Baxter Building!”\u00a0when I noticed on page 2 that Doctor Doom wasn\u2019t using his hands to operate his machine. The owner of the original art was nice enough to send me a copy and upon viewing, my suspicions were confirmed. Kirby\u2019s margin notes had Doom still recovering from his battle with the Thing in FF #40’s “The Battle Of The Baxter Building!”, so he couldn\u2019t fully use his hands yet. To Kirby, this was the reason Doom used a machine to attempt to ruin the wedding. Lee, however, ignored this totally in favor of high drama, thereby changing Kirby\u2019s reasoning for Doom\u2019s motive. Thus Lee has Doom using the machine as a grand gesture of revenge and contempt; Kirby had him use it because he couldn\u2019t attack the FF personally.<\/p>\n

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detail, “The Battle Of The Baxter Building!”, page 20,
first publication, Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four 40, July 1965<\/p><\/div>\n

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Original art detail, “Bedlam At The Baxter Building!” page 2,
first publication in Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four Annual 3,1965.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are many examples of art and dialogue not meshing correctly in the Kirby\/Lee books. Some may cite the \u201cMarvel Method\u201d of producing the books as the reason. There are small examples in the early years, becoming more noticeable in the books produced between \u201964-\u201970, books where Kirby was pretty much plotting the stories on his own. This also helps to explain why there are so many more Kirby margin notes on the art from this period. Once Kirby had his story established on paper, he sent it to Lee, who as editor and dialogue writer would keep what he considered essential (or couldn\u2019t change because the accompanying visuals were too obvious to alter through dialogue) and change what he wished for reasons of drama, continuity, or whatever his intention was at the time.<\/p>\n

With this in mind, we begin a series of articles showcasing stories and\/or separate examples of art and words not mixing correctly; or one man\u2019s view of the story differing from the other\u2019s. We are not attempting to prove that either man was right or wrong, or deserved more credit than the other; it is simply an ongoing dissertation of facts that will be presented for you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions from. Of course, we hope you enjoy it as well.<\/p>\n

Before going further, I would advise you to read four pages from “The Reason Why!” by Kirby\/Lee. First read it using Jack\u2019s margin notes only, as this is how Kirby intended the story to go and how Lee received it before making changes. Then go over the story again, this time reading Lee\u2019s dialogue. Then if you wish, go back to this article where my opinions are. I want the reader to draw their own conclusions before reading mine.<\/p>\n\n\t\t