Presumably DC at some point intended for this to be the first of a series of matching collections of their various genre series of days gone by. Didn’t work out that way, so just this lonely collection, MYSTERY IN SPACE, of 33 science-fiction stories from the 1940s to the early 1980s alone in what has to be the saddest library in the world.

First up was “Rocket Lanes of Tomorrow”, a 2-page Simon&Kirby feature from REAL FACT COMICS #1 (1946). A nice little filler about the wondrous future of jet-packs, space exploration and trans-world tunnels. Very nice artwork, showing the influence of pulp sci-fi illustrations on Kirby’s early style.

Later in the book is a sample of Kirby’s 1950s work at DC, the 8-page “I Found the City Under the Sea” from MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #15 (1957). In this story, the crew of a fishing boat find a strange tube with a note inside from an oceanographer, Ellery Jones. He detected signs of a civilization under the ocean, and went to explore, finding a massive city.

That panel of the city is nice, very much like a rough form of the odd perspective cityscapes he’d perfect in the 1960s with some of the views of Atlantis or Asgard, and later with New Genesis.

As it turns out, the city is filled with aliens, planning to conquer the surface world, once they can get their hands on an experimental new chemical, aqua-ulium, without which the aliens and their materials vapourize in the atmosphere. They’re just waiting to sink a shipment of the chemical to proceed. With the help of a peaceful alien scientist, Jones is able to escape, finds a way to send out his note in case he fails and then prepares to blow up the alien city.

Back on the fishing ship, they think the note is just fantasy, until suddenly an underwater explosion jolts the ship, and then the note and container dissolve. They check and find out that an approaching ship is in fact carrying a shipment of aqua-ulium.

Very fun story, with some nice Kirby artwork. In particular I liked the alien city, both the cityscape views and some of the interior views, with odd bits of alien sculpture.

Published 1999

“The Monster Fetish” is one of my favourite KAMANDI stories, great high-adventure in Earth A.D. Opening somberly with the funeral of Flower, Kamandi’s brief companion killed in the previous issue, with full military honours courtesy of Sultin of the Lion Rangers, they’re then attacked by a gorilla scout. It turns out the gorillas are trying to free the simple-minded giant gorilla Tiny, who’s being held by the lions. They succeed in freeing Tiny, but he turns on them, being interested only in Kamandi, who he thinks of as a toy.

After Tiny is knocked out and Kamandi is freed, Sultin takes Kamandi to the lion city, which is surprisingly sophisticated compared to most that Kamandi would encounter, and Kamandi finds out about their legends of the Founding Lions from the fabled land of “Zuu”. Tiny attacks again, this time scaling a skyscraper, and is knocked down by the new experimental bi-planes the lions have designed from old photos. As Kamandi observes, “even the ancients, with their imaginative movies, couldn’t have produced anything like this”.

Mike Royer inks the 20-page story and the cover, and really shines on this issue, even more so than usual. I love the texture he brings to the art in this one, especially the animal faces and hands, which Kirby clearly had a blast drawing.

Published 1973

An obscure late entry in the Kirby bibliography, ANYTHING GOES was a benefit book published by the Comics Journal due to a lawsuit filed against them. Kirby contributed an odd three page story, made of three splash pages featuring characters from his Pacific Comics books of a few years earlier, CAPTAIN VICTORY and SILVER STAR. Joe Sinnott inked the three pages.

It’s a weird three pages, a kind of gag with Kirby’s sense of humour at its quirkiest. Pretty fun, and interesting to see Sinnott inking work of that era (Sinnott’s inked a number of Kirby things since, like several TJKC covers, but it’s usually work that was actually penciled in the 1960s or 1970s. The only other 1980s art I can think of him inking is a WHO’S WHO piece). As is typical for Kirby’s work of the era, the anatomy is a bit wonkier than normal, but still a nice power to the work, and some nice design on the final page punchline.

There’s also a short bio of Kirby in the contributor notes section. The editorial also thanks them, but mistakenly notes its their first collaboration in 15 years, forgetting the many covers and the SILVER SURFER graphic novel in Kirby’s last Marvel stint.

Published 1986

The adventures of X-51 continue, as he’s plagued by nightmares regarding his humanity. Still on the run from the Army, he visits a gas station and buys some tires (using some newly created diamonds for currency. Meanwhile, Doctor Spalding, who had met X-51 back in #1, is dealing with a patient who is having odd delusions about being in a space-ship falling into a sun.

As the army catches up with him, MM bursts out of the gas station (which I guess explains why he grossly over-paid for the tires) with his new wheels (three tires attached to him with rods) and escapes. He then goes out and drives some motorcyclists off the road (I’m not sure if that’s still Kirby working out his resentment of the motorcyclists outside his first California home, as mentioned in one TJKC article).

He then arrives in Central City and goes to see the doctor, who agrees to help him. Just then MM notices an interstellar transmission, which is the same thing the patient had been receiving, and translates it into a visual representation of a ship in distress. They begin to plan a rescue, which will lead to the battle with Ten-For.

Mike Royer inks the 17-page story, Frank Giacoia inks the cover and Jack Kirby writes a text page about potential machine rights.

Published 1978

Another DD classic, this issue sees Devil and Moon-Boy out looking for Moon-Boy’s people, the Small-Folk, while they’re being tracked by the Dino-Riders, who are impressed that Moon-Boy has been able to tame such a large beast. As Moon-Boy finds his people and tries to convince them that Devil isn’t dangerous, the Dino-Rider’s attack.

Devil is captured, and they attempt to break him with various types of physical and chemical abuse, but DD is having none of that. Meanwhile, Moon-Boy convinces his people to help drive the Dino-Riders out of the valley and leads the assault. Devil finally frees himself when the head Rider, Gray Tooth, is threatening Moon-Boy, and makes short work of Gray Tooth and his mount.

As usual for DD, the story is simple but fun, with some good excuses for action, and some nice scripting for Gray Tooth and the other Dino-Riders in this issue.

Mike Royer inks the 17-page story, and I was a bit surprised to find out when I looked it up on the Kirby checklist that Walt Simonson inked the cover. I don’t really see it, but then I’m familiar with Simonson’s more distinctive later style. It does look nice.

Published 1978