Monthly Archives: September 2009

Sgt. Fury 13 Ultimate Kinetics

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This blog is about the comic book that I feel, from cover to cover is possibly the ultimate collection of examples of Kirby Kinetics.

By this, I mean that Kirby has outdone himself in this particular issue to present us with a tour de force of dynamic storytelling. Not only are his figures exploding with kinetic energy, they are placed for the most part in complex compositions of deep space perspective. In nearly every panel there are multiple planes, consisting of background, mid ground and foreground, and Kirby uses elements through out the space in support of his figures to make them come alive.

Deep space perspective is a subject that artist, Burne Hogarth has discussed in his Dynamic Anatomy and Figure Drawing volumes. Kirby had internalized and utilized these concepts in his works decades ago. The figure should be designed as a three dimensional shape /mass moving in the confines of panel space, which must be arranged convincingly in order to be believable.

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Hogarth states that the position of the torso is of primary importance in the dynamism of the figure in space. The torso is composed of the rib barrel and the pelvis, which can move in contrapuntal directions in relation to each other. The upper and lower portions of the torso, moving in opposition, can create more dynamism in the figure. Wherever there are joints in the body, there is an opportunity to depict more contrapuntal movement. The pivot points of the shoulder and elbow, for instance, can create elliptical arcs of motion that increase dynamism.

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