Couple of new Kirby publications should be in comic shops and available from the usual places today. Most importantly, THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #46, with a focus on the Fourth World books. From Marvel is BLACK PANTHER BY JACK KIRBY v2, with Kirby’s last five issues of the series, plus the non-Kirby ending of the story, and MARVEL WESTERNS: KID COLT AND THE ARIZONA GIRL with a few Kirby/Ayers back-up reprints.
I’m back from my trip. Give me a few days to recover and I should be back to daily posting by the weekend. Lots of stuff to catch up on, including several Kirby reprints released in the past few weeks, as well as a few things I saw in the UK that I need to find more information on.
Edit: actually, I see Rand must have updated the Kirby Announcement page on stuff that came out. Thanks, Rand. Didn’t realize the COMIC STRIP book had come out. Something to look forward to for sure. And that ETERNALS book sure is tempting, though pricy.
June 28, 2006 – THE COMIC STRIP JACK KIRBY VOLUME 1 TP (1930s strips including Socko and Blue Beetle)
June 28, 2006 – MARVEL MILESTONES: RAWHIDE KID & TWO-GUN KID (first Kirby issues of each)
June 28, 2006 – ETERNALS BY JACK KIRBY HC (complete series)
June 21, 2006 – MARVEL MASTERWORKS: RAWHIDE KID VOL. 1 (first 9 Kirby issues)
June 21, 2006 – CHAMPIONS CLASSIC VOL. 1 TPB (cover)
A 13-page Kirby/Ayers reprint from TALES TO ASTONISH #17 [1961] leads off this issue. This one has a wax museum owner specializing in monsters deciding to create a massive new creature to renew interest in his museum. Personally I’d suggest moving out of a small village in Transylvania. Anyway, some great images of the creation of the creature, from the skeleton out. I love that panel of him working on the eye, giving a nice sense of scale to the whole creature.
Of course the villagers are suspicious, and rightly so as the creature comes to life in a billion-to-one lightning strike (although given how often that happens in these stories I think those odds are off). The creature is attacked by the villagers, but then an alien invasion from Mars lands in the village, planning to use it as their base. The creature attacks them and drives them off, saving the Earth, but dies in the process. The villagers realize they were wrong and help Vandoom create a new statue as a monument.
Kind of a by-the-numbers story after you’ve read enough of them, but as a stand-alone it’s a fun story with some great visuals.
The cover is sort of a reprint of the cover to TALES TO ASTONISH #17, heavily modified with a whole new face on the monster, the general form kept but with the fur effect smoothed out, and a few extra fleeing villagers.
Published 1971
This issue concluded the PHANTOM FORCE series published by first Image and then Genesis West in that year. They’d pretty much used up the actual Kirby artwork at this point, so all the art is by Michael Thibodeaux, with Kirby just having a plotting credit. Bit of a light story, with just a big final battle of the Phantom Force against Darkfyre. Seemed mostly anti-climactic, with most of the earlier more interesting plot bits dropped. A few good bits, though. There were some other books planned at the time, with an ad for the 4-issue “Kublak Origin” series advertised for 1995, but those never came out.
Also in this issue is a copy of Kirby’s Hulk piece that appeared in HEROES AND VILLAINS, in pencils in black and white and a colour version inked by Michael Thibodeaux.
Also in this issue, an ad for Phantom Force Pogs!
Published 1994
The old “Dreaded Deadline Doom” caught up with Marvel this month, and they responded by putting in an edited reprint of THOR #159 (1968). I know the feeling. Anyway, this is the story which finally settles the issue of who Don Blake really is, with the revelation of a scheme from Odin that I still don’t understand.
I mean, not to belabour the point, but Odin preaching the importance of humility? That just makes no sense. Still a nice story, with a lot of powerful panels and a great look at a younger Thor with one of the classic Asgardian barroom brawls.
Colletta inks the now 18-page story.
Published 1976
Didn’t manage to really get back on track and get ahead before I left as I had planned. I have a few short posts which will show up in the next two weeks, other than that I’ll be mostly offline, so if you comment or e-mail I’ll get back to you eventually.
T’Challa continues to get roped into quests on behalf of the Collectors and their desire for the secret of immortality, now with Princess Zanda threatening Wakanda with a missile attack if he doesn’t search for the hidden Samurai City and its mythic Sacred Water-Skin. T’Challa goes on the quest with Abner Little, and of course the first thing they get attacked by a Yeti.
Which looks a lot like someone you’d have seen in a Marvel comic about 20 years earlier. It’s a long, well-drawn battle, ending with the words of wisdom “Sane or not… when all else fails — Throw Rocks!”. Of course that’s just the beginning of their troubles, as they face a swordsman ready for battle.
Mike Royer inks the cover and 17-page story.
Published 1977
As you’d expect after he saved the world from the invasion of Ten-For last issue, this issue starts with Machine Man hauled in front of a Congressional committee, which now has to decide what to do about the federal order to destroy all of the X-Series robots. In the meantime, MM is released in the custody of Dr. Spaulding, and wins over a hostile crowd by stopping a pickpocket. Oh, fickle humanity. Out in the open, Machine Man is attacked by a larger clumsy robot sent by an inventor out for publicity.
Later, Spaulding is kidnapped, and Machine Man surrenders to a waiting helicopter in exchange, ending the issue prisoner of a criminal organization that wants to copy his design. In the meantime, various political maneuvering goes around thanks to his disappearance, with his longtime nemesis Colonel Kragg surprisingly speaking in his defense.
A very nice issue with a lot of plot. Some interesting storytelling bits, including a page with vignettes in odd shaped panels of people reacting to MM vanishing and a very nice sequence of MM leaping into a missile silo.
Mike Royer handles the embellishment on the 17-page story and Terry Austin inks the cover.
Published 1978
Available now, ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR v5, reprinting the last of Kirby’s FF run, plus the first few post-Kirby issues, everything from #84 to #110. Also included are three pages from copies of Kirby’s pencils from #89 and a photo feature of bullpen photos from the late 1960s including a photo of Kirby.
