Not sure how much Kirby will be involved, but Ben Affleck is directing a movie called ARGO, about the 1979 CIA mission to rescue some people in Iran that used a fake movie production, based on the real movie proposal for an adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s LORD OF LIGHT for which Jack Kirby did several spectacular designs, inked by Mike Royer. According to the IMDB entry for the movie, the role of Jack Kirby is being played by Michael Parks. The movie is scheduled to come out in September of 2012, so we’ll see then how big a role Kirby has in the story and if any of his actual designs appear in the movie.
-Link- 1950s Kirby/Stein strip sample
Posted in Links.
The estate of artist Marvin Stein, who drew quite a few S&K studio comics, has been selling some of the work from his files, including the piece over at the right, a Jack Kirby pencilled piece from circa 1958 for an unrealized proposed comic strip called Space Busters. Most of you have probably seen the page before, in various recountings of the history of the Sky Masters strip, but the large scan at the site is quite a bit sharper and more detailed than any I’ve seen before, so worth a look.
New Kirby – Kamandi 1-20 reprint
Posted in New Kirby.
Out now from DC, KAMANDI, THE LAST BOY ON EARTH OMNIBUS v1, collecting the first 20 issues of the series. These were all reprinted a few years ago in another format, but hopefully this time we’ll see a reprint of the balance of Kirby’s 40 issue run on the series. Some great stuff in this one, in particular #7, “The Monster Fetish”, is among my favourite Kirby stories ever, and “The Hospital” in #16, presenting as much as we get of an origin for “Earth A. D.”, is clever and touching.
Kirby at New York Con
Posted in Museum News.
If you’re a Kirby fan in the New York area, looks like the upcoming New York Comic Con is going to be a good one. Joe Simon will be there, with a panel focusing on his recent auto-biography MY LIFE IN COMICS, and his publisher Titan should also have on-hand copies of the upcoming SIMON & KIRBY LIBRARY: CRIME hardcover, which looks like a treat.
And as mentioned before, Rand Hoppe will be there for the Kirby Museum, among other things hosting this discussion.
Comics Studies Conference 2: The Auteur Theory of Comics
Saturday, October 15, 12:00PM – 1:00PM Location: 1B03
Comic book historian Arlen Schumer (The Silver Age of Comic Book Art) and Randolph Hoppe (Director of the online Jack Kirby Museum) present their theory that, just like a film’s director, not its screenwriter, is considered its true author (auteur in French), so should a comic book artist be considered the auteur of any comic book work done in collaboration with a writer (or a script in any verbal form), and is therefore a de facto co-creator and co-author, with the credited writer, of that work. Joining them on the panel discussion that follows will be Michael Bonsteel (School the Art Institute of Chicago), editor/publisher John Morrow (TwoMorrows Publications), publisher J. David Spurlock (Vanguard Publishing), and other comic book industry luminaries to be announced.
He also has an off-site event that you might want to attend:
For those who don’t get the reference:
Kirby Museum “Brick & Mortar Fund”
Posted in Museum News.
Go over here to read about Rand Hoppe’s plans to open up a temporary “Brick & Mortar” site for the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center in New York this winter, including how you can help make it happen. Sounds like a worthwhile project. Rand will also be at the New York Comic Con in a few weeks, and has some interesting events lined up during and around the convention, so if you’re attending be sure to check it out.
Non-Kirby – Sheldon Mayer’s SUGAR&SPIKE ARCHIVES
Posted in Links.
If you’ll indulge me in a rare completely Kirby-free post on this weblog, if you like funny comics may I recommend the just-released SUGAR & SPIKE ARCHIVES VOL. 1, collecting the first 10 issues of the Sheldon Mayer series from 1956-1957. One of my favourite comics of all time, this is a long overdue collection, and I hope the first of many.
If you’re unfamiliar with the series, you can see many, many posts about it over on my other site.
Upcoming Kirby – Romance collection from Fantagraphics
Posted in Upcoming Kirby.
Some discussion in the comments to the previous post about YOUNG ROMANCE: THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S 1940S-’50S ROMANCE COMICS, an upcoming book from Fantagraphics, including a link to some comments from editor Michel Gagné on the history of the project and some sample panels.
Upcoming Kirby – Next two Kirby Collectors
Posted in Upcoming Kirby.
The 57th issue of TwoMorrows’ THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR is available now. The next issue is a change in format, with a double issue looking at Kirby’s 1960s work at Marvel, scheduled to come out in November. Then in February 2012 comes TJKC #59, billed as a look into the “Kirby Vault”, with “personal correspondence from Jack to fans and co-workers, private photos and accounts from family and friends’ interaction with Kirby, a gallery of his amazing collage work, rare art from Marvelmania, bootleg album covers featuring Kirby art, private sketches, and other artifacts. PLUS: A transcript of a never-before released 1969 visit of San Diego fans to the Kirby home (where Jack answers all the questions you would ask if you were there in ’69)!”. Should be a good one.
Note that issues of TJKC are available in both in print format (tabloid sized since #31) and in downloadable digital editions. The digital editions are free with purchases of the print editions direct from the TwoMorrows website, or available for purchase separately from the website.
Happy Birthday Jack Kirby
Posted in Links.
The subject of this very weblog, Jack Kirby, was born this day in 1917. I’m sure the sharp-eyed among you can figure out the theme for the six covers I chose to mark the day above.
Our host Rand Hoppe on Kirby and some upcoming Kirby Museum plans.
Harry Mendryk has the first page to use the Simon&Kirby credit line.
Buzz Dixon on meeting Kirby while working on THUNDARR.
Mark Evanier on Kirby, including a 1-hour documentary.
Colleen Doran shares a note from Jack and Roz Kirby and a photo with Jack Kirby.
Kirby Omnibus questions
Posted in Open Thread.
Just got my copy of DC’s THE JACK KIRBY OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE, reprinting his non-Challengers 1950s work for DC and some 1940s work that won’t fit anywhere else. Very attractive book, with a lot of never-reprinted material, looking forward to reading it over the next few weeks.
Few question marks though. I’m really confused about why “Pirate Or Patriot” from REAL FACT COMICS #1 [1946] is missing. Mark Evanier even says in the introduction that Kirby drew four stories for REAL FACT and that three of them are included, but no indication of why one was excluded. The story was reprinted in MISTER MIRACLE #4 [1971], so I have a copy and there’s no question it’s Kirby.
Also, I haven’t seen it, but SHOWCASE #15 [1958] is listed as having a 2-page story called “Space Ships Of The Past” by Kirby. That’s not included in here, either. Anyone seen it to comment on? It sounds like something that might have been intended for REAL FACT (the other 2-page stories from REAL FACT were used as fillers around that time), so I’m curious if it looks more like 1946 Kirby or 1958 Kirby.
Anyway, very minor possible blights on an otherwise great book, shouldn’t distract from anyone buying it. Fortunately DC’s tendency has been not to number books in this format which won’t be part of a series (so no “Volume One” designation on the Kirby OMAC, Losers and Demon, the S&K Sandman, the Ditko Creeper, the Kubert Viking Prince), so the “Volume One” on this new book implies that there might be plans for a “Volume Two” where oversights like those can be addressed.