The Best Of DC #22 [1982] – The Seal-Men’s War on Santa Claus

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Posted in Genre, Superhero.

This story was originally intended for SANDMAN #7 in 1975, before that series was cancelled. A few years later it was uncomfortably squeezed into an issue of KAMANDI, which was cancelled before that issue, and only “published” in the photocopied CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2 in 1978. Finally, in 1982, it was included in this digest of Christmas stories.

Santa is unusually sarcastic on the last panel of this page:

sandman

Like all 1970s Sandman stories by Michael Fleisher, it doesn’t make much sense except in a dream-logic kind of way. In this one, Sandman’s young friend Jed gets a rich man to promise to give a million dollars to charity if he can prove Santa Claus exists. Jed enlists Sandman’s help, and it turns out he’s a friend of Santa, so they head off to the North Pole, pursued by the rich man’s nephew, who isn’t about to see his inheritance given away. At the North Pole, they find Santa has been kidnapped by the usually friendly Seal-Men, and go to rescue him, finding out that the Seal-Men were upset at the Christmas gifts they were getting, such as gloves (useless with flippers). They accept an apology for the mix-up, then Santa and Sandman take care of the evil nephew and everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Mike Royer inks the 18 page story.

Published 1982

Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 [1974] – On The Trail Of The Amazing Spider-Man

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Posted in Genre, Superhero.

This issue of GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN has what is still the only semi-decent reprint of the 18-page lead story from STRANGE TALES ANNUAL #2 (1963), an early team-up of the Human Torch and Spider-Man pencilled by Kirby and inked by Steve Ditko (there is a reprint of it in the recent ESSENTIAL HUMAN TORCH, but it’s a pretty splotchy reprint, unlike most of that book. The text page of this issue, which explains how the promised SUPER-GIANT 100 page line became the GIANT-SIZE 68 page line, mentions that they’d “only recently located the blamed artwork” for this story, so I guess they lost it again in the interim).

In this story an art thief, The Fox, decides to frame Spider-Man for the theft of a newly discovered da Vinci piece. Spidey goes to the Torch for help in clearing his name, just as the police call the Torch to ask if he can help capture Spidey. So of course they fight. Then, in the plot twist heard around the world, they team-up. Their meeting on top of the Statue of Liberty:

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is one of the classic moments of the Marvel Universe. Ditko’s inks as usual complement Kirby’s pencils nicely, and keep Spidey looking on model perfectly as well. That last panel on the page above is excellent.

It’s a fun story, one that hopefully will see a decent modern reprint at some point (it would be a natural for the upcoming MARVEL MILESTONES series, especially with the upcoming Spidey/Torch team-up mini-series).

Published 1974

Tales of Suspense #36 [1962] – Cover

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Posted in Genre, Horror/Fantasy.

Here’s a nice late 1962 cover, from shortly before all of the Atlas fantasy books were taken over by the super-heroes. Very pretty cover, I like the police-officer and the car. Inker unknown, but some speculation down in the comments that it might be one of the Kirby inked covers of the era. The interior art for this story is by Don Heck.

TalesofSuspense36_176.jpg

Where Monsters Dwell #27 [1974]

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Posted in Genre, Horror/Fantasy, Superhero.

A Kirby/Ayers reprint spectacular issue of WMD this time. First up is a reprint of “From Out of the Black Pit Came… Grogg”, from STRANGE TALES #83. Note that his reprint seems to have some lettering changes from the original. I’m guessing the “small dictatorship in central Europe” was more explicitly the USSR first time around. Anyway, a freedom-loving scientist is captured in said dictatorship, and forced or work on a bomb test in Asia. The test ends up waking up Grogg, who seems to be the bigger, non-speaking brother of Fin Fang Foom. The scientist eventually manages to escape to America, leaving Grogg to take care of the commies, and we find out that he knew about Grogg, and it turns out he knew about Grogg, and he had earlier found proof that the Great Wall of China was built to keep out dragons. Who knew? Very cool panel of a bunch of monsters attacking the wall. Grogg’s a very fun looking monster, so much so that he’s one of the handful of the monsters to get a sequel, four issues later.

Where Monsters Dwell #27 [1974]

Also in this issue, “Follow the Leader” from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #76, which has a story that would have fit in Kirby’s 1950s sci-fi work like RACE FOR THE MOON (and some of the art looks a lot like the Kirby/Ayers SKY MASTERS strips), with a group of explorers finding a planet that turns out to be populated by a variety of monsters. Over the protests of the peace-loving member of the expedition, they kill the lead monster, only to find out that he was the only thing keeping the other monsters in check, so they flee the planet.

The cover is from the Kirby/Ayers cover of STRANGE TALES #83, with a bunch of figures added clinging to and falling from Grogg’s hands. It’s kind of weird, since some of the figures don’t seem like the kind you’d find in the Chinese countryside (like the blonde woman in a green mini-skirt and heels).

Published 1974

The New Gods #2 [1971]

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Posted in Genre, Superhero.

This is one of those big cosmic issues of the Fourth World books, with a bunch of splash pages establishing New Genesis and Apokolips, their history and relationship. The double page spread of young gods playing on some sort of techno-cosmic device on the surface of New Genesis is gorgeous. There are also full pages plugging storylines that were appearing in FOREVER PEOPLE and JIMMY OLSEN.

In “O’ Deadly Darkseid”, the main storyline focuses on Orion’s first adventure on Earth, bringing back the humans he rescued from Apokolips the previous issue, briefly confronting Darkseid and then foiling one of his schemes.

We also meet DeSaad this issue, one of several great villains among the minions of Darkseid. We get a nice Kirby extreme close-up of him here:

The New Gods #2 [1971]

I kind of like the clues about Orion’s true identity in this issue. By the time I first read them I already knew the secret, so I always wonder how quickly people reading it off the shelf picked up on the clues. I’m also amused by how one of the humans suggests that Orion use “O’Ryan” as a human identity. How exactly did he know that it wasn’t “O’Ryan” having just heard the name?

Inks by Colletta. Yeah, I know…

Published May 1971

Romance Covers

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Posted in Gallery.

HI-SCHOOL ROMANCE #57, 1956 & FIRST ROMANCE MAGAZINE #41, 1956. At a certain point romance covers really do become variations on a theme, don’t they? A lot of them are the couple in the foreground with the potential jealous rival looking on from the background, like these two Harvey issues. Still look nice, though.

LOVE ROMANCES #106, 1963. Some of Kirby’s last work in the romance genre, as the super-heroes were soon taking up all his time. I like the attention to detail in the furnishing of the room in the background, as well as the usual sexy female leads.



Justice, Inc. #4 [1975] – Slay Ride in the Sky

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Posted in Crime, Genre.

Of the handful of Kirby’s books with other writers that he did to fulfill his page quota in his final days at DC, my favourites are the ones that Denny O’Neil wrote, including three issues of JUSTICE, INC, based on the pulp hero Richard Benson, The Avenger. Kirby’s style works well with the fast moving pulp action, with the toughs in suits harkening back to the classic S&K crime comics.

This issue features the men of Justice, Inc. investigating some planes that are mysteriously blowing up, tracing it to exploding birds. They trace the explosives back to the owner of the airline, who takes them prisoner aboard a blimp, which, as all blimps in comic books eventually must, ends up blowing up. Along the way you get a battle aboard a bi-plane and a mid-air rescue. All good pulp stuff.

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Mike Royer inks, doing a good job of bringing out the period feel, at times looking quite like a 1950s era inker.

Published 1975

Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #141 [1971]

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Posted in Genre, Kid Gang, Superhero.

Ah, the second half of the Don Rickles / Goody Rickels story from the middle of Kirby’s JIMMY OLSEN run in “Will the Real Don Rickles Panic?”. Mark Evanier has discussed how this came about at various times, growing from a planned brief cameo by Rickles, who I guess was inexplicably popular at the time, to a two issue story featuring Rickles, his twin Goody, so I’ll assume everyone knows that.

It’s a fun story, although a trifle disjointed thanks to its genesis. You have one thread where Clark Kent is captured in a ship going to Apokolips (with three pages of collages by Kirby at the start of the issue), only to be met on the way by Lightray who sends him back to Earth. On the more exciting part of the story, you have Jimmy, Goody and the Guardian about to spontaneously combust, with the Guardian racing for a cure while Jimmy and Goody head back to Morgan Edge’s office, where Edge has a meeting with Don Rickles.

Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #141 [1971]

The Rickles/Edge interplay is surprisingly good (“You can hide a platoon of assassins in a complex deal” is probably one of the most intelligent phrases ever to be put in Rickle’s mouth), and the whole Goody Rickels thing is silly, but in a charming way.

I also really liked what we saw of the Guardian (or Golden Guardian, but that name didn’t really stick) in this issue. He’s a clone of the original, and had some story potential that didn’t really get realized. And unfortunately, some combination of Kirby, the inker and the colourist never could quite figure out how his helmet was designed.

One odd thing this issue is that Superman never appears in costume. He’s dressed as Clark Kent throughout, which I’m not sure ever happened in any of the Superman family books up until then.

The story is inked by Colletta, with Murphy Anderson handling certain parts.

This issue reprints the first Newsboy Legion story from STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #7 from 1942, with the cover for that issue. That story has rookie cop Harper being ambushed, putting together his Guardian costume, because, I guess, that’s was the style at the time, and later arresting and being appointed guardian of four orphan boys. Pretty much lays out the groundwork for the series, where Kirby captures the look and feel of his childhood neighbourhoods perfectly.

The cover to this issue is Kirby inked by Neal Adams, with an inset photo of Rickles, and the epitome of Kirby cover catchphrases, “Kirby Says: Don’t Ask! Just Buy It!”. Also in this issue is the Kirby self-portrait that appeared in all the Fourth World books that month, introducing the reprints, and a one page text about the updating of the Newsboy Legion by Evanier and Sherman.

Published 1971

1940s Kirby covers

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Posted in Gallery.

Another trio of covers from the 1940s

CHARLIE CHAN #3, 1948. These S&K Charlie Chan covers really look cool. It’s almost a shame he apparently didn’t do any full stories (apparently just a splash page or panel in two issues).

GREEN HORNET #10, 1942. A Killer Clown is always a winner. They seem unusually common in comics, compared to reality. Kind of like pirates.

BOY COMMANDOS #8, 1944. That’s an awfull big porthole, isn’t it? Anyway, as Kirby was off to Europe, the Commandos were off to Japan.



Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth #40 [1976]

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Posted in Genre, Science Fiction.

This is Kirby’s final issue of KAMANDI. He didn’t write the last handful at all (and was heavily rescripted on the few before that), so it doesn’t really feel right in the story, and that comes through a bit in the art as well.

Before his encounter with “The Lizard Lords of Los Lorraine”, I did like Kamandi’s battle with a giant parrot in the opening pages, though.

Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth #40 [1976]

It’s mostly downhill from there, with the new character Arna being a little annoying and a race of lizard men who are pretty blandly designed compared to the earlier animal races. One odd thing is the talking burros, physically unchanged from pre-Great Disaster animals. Horses were always one of the types of animals unchanged, still used as riding animals, in the earlier stories.

Mike Royer was back on the inks for the last few issues, so that was okay, while Joe Kubert drew the cover.

Published 1976