DARING MYSTERY COMICS #8, 1942. You gotta feel for Blue Diamond. Right there on the cover, but grouped in with “and others” in the blurb, which names the other guys, and even the gal in the inset. I guess he did get his revenge by having more of a career when brought back in the 1970s than the others.
Anyway, a book of the also-rans of the early Marvel line, the highlight of most of these guys careers has to be having Jack Kirby draw them on a cover just before he left Marvel the first time.
CHAMP COMICS #18, 1942. Another wartime cover for Harvey, this one signed with the “Jon Henri” pen-name. Don’t try to think too much about how exactly the Liberty Lads got the jump on those Japanese pilots in mid-flight, much less how the Japanese pilots could attack Washington DC.
(note this is often listed with a 1941 date. Thanks to Harry at the S&K Blog for the correction)
This issue has an edited reprint of “The Sleeper Strikes” from CAPTAIN AMERICA #102 [1968]. One change made is right on the splash page, where a reference to the Lovin’ Spoonful is changed to Blue Oyster Cult. How hip. Anyway, Cap still has the control key for the Fourth Sleeper from last issue, but doesn’t know how to use it. He battles with the Red Skull’s agents, and is rescued by Agent 13, and they go out in pursuit of the Sleeper. Lots of good fighting throughout, although the end is a bit abrupt. One of the two pages edited is just a splash of the destruction when the Sleeper attacks, but another is kind of crucial to the climax of the story, so was a pretty bad cut.
![Marvel Super Action #3 [1977]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2006/02/Marvel-Super-Action-3-1977.jpg)
Syd Shores inks the cover and edited-to-18-page story. There’s also some of the usual meddling on the cover, moving figures slightly. I’m still not a huge fan of Shores’ inks on Kirby during this time, and the linework of his that got lost the first time around suffers even more in the reprints.
Published 1977
Among Kirby’s work for Gilberton published in 1961, in addition to his one full issue of CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED, were a few short bits in five issues of THE WORLD AROUND US. This issue’s theme was Hunting, and Kirby contributed 12 pages, inked by Dick Ayers.
The Kirby starts on the title page, an image of some hunters getting ready to take down a bear with spears and arrows. The archer’s pose in the foreground is especially nice.
Later in the issue is the 6-page “Early Hunters” chapter, which has a quick summary of a few thousand years of mankind, starting with hunting with clubs and wandering from place to place as hunter/gatherers, and then developing more complex weapons and hunting techniques. Then follows the discovery of farming, allowing for permanent villages, and domesticating animals.
Following some non-Kirby stuff is the 5-page “An End to Slaughter”, which starts with the story of Theodore Roosevelt, starting with a quick look at his buffalo hunting as a youth, bear hunting as President and his post-presidency African safari. The story then goes to Roosevelt’s role in expanding the National Park system in the US and inspiring similar efforts around the world, and a look at protected lands in other countries and the importance of following hunting laws, getting proper licenses and all the rest.
This isn’t a bad sample of Kirby’s art, although clearly doing short vignettes, single panels on a theme, doesn’t really play to his story-telling strengths. There are also a few bits every now and then in the art that just feel off, which are likely panels or parts of panels that the Gilberton folks had redrawn, either by Kirby or by another artist to meet their standards of accuracy. A few of the animals seem to suffer from this on Kirby’s pages.
This issue also includes a lot of art by Sam Glanzman and a few pages by Pete Morisi, so is worth checking out for more than the Kirby.
Published 1961
STAR SPANGLED COMICS #40, 1945. Boy, is that a complicated flying machine for robbing a bank. If it actually works, you could sell the patent for more than a bank robbery would haul in, and not get beat up by a bunch of kids and a moonlighting cop.
This issue starts what is my favourite of Kirby’s SPACE ODYSSEY series, with “Norton of New York 2040 ADa tale of the near future. First we start with Harvey Norton, who participates in some live action super-hero roleplaying as White Zero in Comicsville. In the middle of the game he encounters the Monolith, which awakens a sense of wonder in him that makes the unreality of the game stand out in sharp contrast.
![2001 - A Space Odyssey #5 [1977]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2006/02/2001-A-Space-Odyssey-5-1977.jpg)
Later he’s at an artificial beach, opening his eyes to the fact that the whole world he lives in is just as fake as the game. “It’s a comfortable Hades — and not without beauty — but is it enough for Harvey Norton?” is what he’s driven to ask, and the answer is clearly no, as the Monolith appears again and pushes his curiosity in the direction of space, so that two years later Norton is in orbit around Neptune when an alien ship is detected, and they encounter a strange beautiful alien woman. Soon after they see her, their ship is confronted by a giant alien ship.
Wonderful story progression, echoing the original movie without mimicking any of the story beats, and a lot of thought clearly went into the “comfortable Hades” of the future that Norton was eventually driven to escape.
Mike Royer inks the cover and 17-page story.
Published 1977 AD
BOY COMMANDOS #13 – 1945. Nothing like some patriotic propaganda late in the war, actually the final war-themed cover for the series. Of course, the boys would be coming home for stateside adventures soon, and had already lost one member for this cover.
Another of Marvel’s series of cover-to-cover reprints, this one of course the debut of the X-Men and their main villain, Magneto. It’s a pretty compact first issue, with the characters first showing off their powers in a practice session, then introducing themselves to their newest member, Jean Grey. Soon after the first mutant menace that Professor X gathered them to defend mankind against makes his presence known.
![Marvel Milestone Edition - X-Men No. 1 [1991]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2006/02/Marvel-Milestone-Edition-X-Men-No.-1-1991.jpg)
I always liked Magneto, I thought Kirby hit the ground running with him and Professor X, while the actual X-Men I thought took a few issues to get both their characters and body language right. Anyway, they manage to drive off Magneto, winning the admiration of the army. That wouldn’t last…
Paul Reinman inks the 23-page story, and Sol Brodsky is usually credited with the inks on the cover, though that’s hardly a consensus. This issue also includes two house-ads, one for a Spider-Man issue and one for SGT. FURY #3, interesting in that it promotes the book as having “the same inimitable style, by the same writer and artist” as the FF, without actually naming the writer or artist.
Published 1991
The SGT. FURY MASTERWORKS hardcover, including all of Kirby’s full stories for the book (he did covers and a few interior pages in later issues) is out now. Have to say, I don’t usually pick up Masterworks books, but I’m tempted by this one (if I didn’t just pick up the TALES TO ASTONISH book I’d probably get it right away). If there isn’t an ESSENTIAL FURY in the next year I’ll probably get it.
Much more obscure, ESSENTIAL MOON KNIGHT should have a single Kirby cover among its 500+ pages. Might be worth picking up otherwise, if you like that kind of thing.
Kirby concludes the series in this issue, where Darius Drumm first destroys his own world and his followers, and then flies off in his demonic form to scour the Earth.
![Silver Star #6 [1984]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2006/02/Silver-Star-6-1984.jpg)
Brute force on the part of both Silver Star and the army fail to stop Drumm, but Silver Star is ultimately able to use a psychological attack.
This is a really mixed issue, with a few really good scenes but ultimately the climax is just too short, and falls right at the end so we never get to find out what happens next. The art is also kind of variable, it’s almost hard to believe that Kirby drew it all around the same time, with some strong bits and other parts having all the flaws associated with Kirby’s later work.
D. Bruce Berry inks the 20-page story and Mike Thibodeaux inks the cover.
Published 1984
Remember, this and more will be reprinted in the upcoming SILVER STAR GRAPHITE EDITION from TwoMorrows, with part of the proceeds going to the Kirby Museum.