This story (technically retitled “Krang” from the original “I Created Krang”) is reprinted from TALES TO ASTONISH #14 (1960), a 13-page Kirby/Ayers story featuring one of the classic elements of stories from that era, giant insects. In this case, Professor Carter wants to employ giant insect power, but can’t get funding for his formula. He goes to Europe, where a key ingredient can be found, and sets up shop in an old castle where a servant named Ludwig works. Unfortunately, in his greed Ludwig plans to steal the formula and gives an overdose of it to an ant, causing it to quickly grow and gain intelligence.

Krang goes on a rampage trying to get the formula so he can rule an insect army and rule the world. Fortunately Ludwig redeems himself (I suspect the art was meant to show him dying, though the script just has him injured) letting Carter escape and use the formula to come up with a natural foe for Krang.

Very fun story, there’s just something about seeing a giant Kirby/Ayers ant running up the stairs of an ancient castle that cracks me up. Definitely one of the better of the monster stories of that era.

Kirby did a new cover for this issue, inked by Klaus Janson, with the usual elements of a fleeing crowd, a monster causing great damage and a hidden menace.

Published 1976

“BONK BONK BONK”. That’s the sound of a dinosaur stomping on an alien invader. In case you ever wondered. Gotta love that old Devil Dinosaur stomping action.

The adventures of Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy ramp up in this issue with an invasion of the Valley of Flame by mysterious aliens, as foretold in prophecy and in Moon-Boy’s dreams at the beginning of the issue (including a great two-page splash). The invasion is swift and effective, as Moon-Boy is taken prisoner and Devil is left stunned. Eventually Devil teams up with two other Dawn-Men, Stone-Hand and White-Hairs, and plan a rescue.

Kirby also writes the text page for this issue, “Dinosaurs as Devils and Moon-Boys as PRIMITIVES”, about how the tendency of people is to treat the non-human as unintelligent, whereas he thinks “every living creature is capable of an intelligent and compassionate move”.

Mike Royer inks the 17-page story while Joltin’ Joe Sinnott inks the cover.

Published 1978

The lead story in this issue is reprinted from TALES TO ASTONISH #19 (1961), a 13-page monster story by Kirby/Ayers. As is not atypical in these stories, the colour of the monster is changed from the original reddish-brown to green.

This story is about a geologist, John Hunter, who turned to crime and was sentenced to life in prison. On his way to jail, his train was stopped by a UFO. He escapes and hides aboard the ship as the alien, Rommbu, talks with the people.

The people greet Rommbu in peace, but he announces he’s from a warlike planet and an invasion is on the way. Now, as an aside, humanity in these stories demonstrates the worst judgment in the world. Every time there’s a peaceful alien, they assume it’s warlike, every time it’s warlike they greet it in peace. What up with that?

Anyway, Rommbu takes off to wait for humanity’s reply, and finds his stowaway. Determining that the man was indeed a criminal, he decides to trust Hunter as willing to betray humanity and demands a safe place to land so he can recharge his ship. Hunter leads him to a dormant volcano, which conveniently he knew from his geological past was about to erupt. Humanity is spared, and Hunter’s brother realizes that he must have sacrificed his life.

A fun variation on a classic theme, and Rommbu’s a great looking monster.

The cover is a Kirby/Ayers piece from TALES TO ASTONISH #19, slightly modified with some new bits added among the fleeing crowds, shooting cops and background buildings.

Published 1971

I can’t claim to always understand CAPTAIN VICTORY, but in the right mood I can dig it.

This issue features a trip through hyper-space, and the reality warping properties that you find there. There are two double-page spreads which are kind of interesting in that they’re the kind of thing that Kirby would have used photo-collage effects for a decade or two earlier, but draws by hand this time. I like this way better. Anyway, there’s some weird stuff going on that I don’t understand (and I’m sure re-reading the previous issue would only help slightly) before you get the big battle with the Wonder Warriors the ship was pursuing. Ah, Ursan the Unclean. And the Fighting Fetus. What was Kirby thinking? The issue closes with a cliffhanger as the Fetus starts to grow in a sea of Kirby crackle.

Five page back-up continues the look at Ranger Martius Klavus and his people in the story “The Unseen World”, where we find out how they came to be influenced by ancient Roman styles and dress. The back cover features a look at the reptilian crew of the engineering section, who kind of remind me of the alligator Lockjaw, led by Director Chusang.

Inks are by Mike Thibodeaux on the 25-page lead story, 5-page back-up and front and back covers

Published 1983

One of Marvel’s shorter lived interchangeable anthologies of the late 1950s, STRANGE WORLDS only lasted five issues but did see four Kirby covers in that span (and one by Ditko), plus some interior work by those two and Al Williamson, Don Heck and others, so it did okay.

Christopher Rule is the attributed inker to this Kirby cover. Frankly this is one of the less inspired of Kirby’s covers from this era, especially having seen how he handled similar subject matter (space-suits and alien landscapes) in earlier work of the decade. Even the alien ship is a bit lacking compared to most Kirby drew. The aliens aren’t bad, and the expression on the astronaut’s face is good, but that’s about it.

Published 1959

Brace yourselves for “The World That’s Coming”.

OMAC ##1 is some strange stuff even by 1970s Kirby standards. What can you make of a book that opens with a full page splash of a disassembled robot woman “Build-A-Friend” in a box saying “Hello — Put me together and I will be your friend”? Just plain weird.

Also, kind of an unusual story structure for Kirby, as he opens with the climax of the story, then has a flashback to the origin building up to the first scene and then the conclusion. It works pretty well, as it moves the action right up to the front and sets up the rest of the issue nicely.

Anyway, after seeing OMAC bring down the Build-A-Friend shop, we flashback to his origin, as the faceless Global Peace Agency tell Dr. Myron Forest that they have selected Buddy Blank to be the subject of the OMAC Project, leaving Forest to activate the sleeping satellite Brother Eye. After a view of Buddy’s life at the offices of Pseudo-People, Inc. and some bizarre scenes of their “psychology section”, we see that he was befriended by the previously revealed to be a Build-A-Friend Lila, as part of an experiment in making lifelike beings. As Buddy stumbles onto the secret section and finds out the secret of Lila and the nefarious assassination plans she’s to be part of, Brother Eye transforms him to OMAC.

A wonderful issue, brilliant in its almost pure oddball insanity, if Kirby comics were drugs this issue would be the equivalent of mainlining uncut Kirby. Even the artwork seems like a heightened pure version of Kirby. Not for the faint of heart or uninitiated.

Mike Royer inks the 20-page story and the cover (which is a flipped version of the original art Kirby did for the cover). Kirby also writes a text page about how rapidly the world has changed and will continue to change, including the mention that part of the inspiration for this issue comes from seeing the “autitronic robots” during a trip to Disneyland with his granddaughter.

Published 1974

“Battle On A Very Busy Street” opens with Doc Spaulding helping Machine Man get rid of the inhibiting cylinder that Ten-For placed on him last issue, and then going off to find the alien Autocron. Along the way Machine Man has a crisis on identity when he hears how the soldiers talk about stopping the machines, leading to an internal discussion with the spirit of his creator/father Abel Stack.

Regaining his faith in his own identity, Machine Man goes after Ten-Four, planning to return him through a dimensional warp, only to see Ten-For has taken hostages and is summoning more of his race.

Very good issue, moving the story nicely, and there’s some especially good Kirby scripting in the identity crisis scene and some nice bits of humour.

Mike Royer inks the 17-page story and Frank Giacoia inks the cover.

Published 1978

This issue contained two Dick Ayers pencilled Sgt. Fury stories, one reprint from #11 and one new story about D-Day. The Kirby content is a quick reprint of the first SHIELD story from STRANGE TALES #135 (1965), just a year after it was first published.

It’s a great origin story, a very tight 12-pages of Kirby/Ayers art which establishes the now Colonel Fury as he’s recruited to lead the international law enforcement efforts against the forces of Hydra. Although having his doubts about his own qualifications given the super-science realm and international scope of SHIELD, he quickly proves himself by foiling a sabotage attempt and taking charge in the confusion.

Lots of the key elements of the series are introduced, like the Life Model Decoys, the cool air-car (with the flipped tires), the Helicarrier and of course Hydra! Immortal Hydra! Cut off a limb and two more shall take its place! Man, I always love that Hyrdra salute, especially with the visual.

I also always liked that Tony Stark shows up in here, but with absolutely no reference to Iron Man. That works well to establish the series firmly in the Marvel Universe, but sort of off to one side, where it works best (while Fury also works well as a supporting character in other books).

Published 1966

This 13-page Kirby/Ayers story is reprinted from 1961’s JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #67. For the reprint, Gruto is recoloured from red to green (though oddly not on the cover, which takes the monster image from the Ditko original cover and redraws the human figures completely).

In this story, a reporter needs to come up with a big story to save his job. As fate would have it, he and his girlfriend happen across the crash landing of an alien ship containing Gruto.

Gruto has lost his memory, and the reporter decides to take advantage of that to pretend Gruto is the harbinger of an alien invasion, in order to make the story bigger. His lies eventually lead Gruto to be attacked and flee, when he finally regains his memory it turns out he was from an enlightened race send to share their secrets with Earth, but now he deems humans unworthy. The reporter loses everything, including his girlfriend.

Fun story with a nice turnaround on the conventions, and of course the usual great Kirby/Ayers artwork. Some odd captions in the narration, like this one from when the reporter is called into his editor’s office: “Thirty-five fearful steps later I reached the door of doom”. Very unlike most of the stories, I wonder if this was written by someone other than one of the regulars (I think Larry Lieber scripted most of the Kirby stories of this era).

Published 1971