Class barriers and conflicts were one of the big themes of romance comics. Kirby did that well, with a lot of good visual shorthand no doubt based on his own experiences, with some great work on the background characters. Also of course the usual sexy and stylish main characters.
Inks by Chris Rule.
Published 1959
Publishers Weekly has an article on the genesis of the upcoming MAXIMUM FANTASTIC FOUR coffee-table book reprint of FF #1, with comments from Walter Mosely. Apparently the book jacket will fold out to a poster with photo reproductions of every page of the comic (it doesn’t say, but presumably full size) while inside every panel will be printed as a full page. If that’s your kind of thing.
A nice Kirby/Brodsky cover introducing the Hulk to the title, first through this guest shot leading to his solo run beginning next issue. There are a lot of great Kirby Hulk images on this run of covers, and this is one of my favourites. Just a very powerful and kinetic image, the movement is so clear you can see this as a storyboard for a movie.
Published 1964
Here’s a nice image of the Howler’s circled by what I guess are their German counterparts. For some reason I’m tempted to reverse the logos and present it as the rare Earth-X comic BARON STRUCKER AND HIS BLITZKREIG SQUAD. Although I thought the character was better when they brought him into the modern age as Oberst Strucker, Agent of S.C.H.I.L.D.
The Kirby checklist lists this as Colletta inks, but I’m not seeing it at all. GCD seems to be down, so I can’t cross-check there, but I’m thinking Ayers.
Published 1965
A Kirby/Ayers reprint from STRANGE TALES #102 (1962) in this issue, the second solo Torch story, where we meet the Wizard, a brilliant inventor who for some reason decides that defeating the Human Torch will be his greatest triumph. Just because he’s a genius, doesn’t mean he’s not stupid…
He fakes an accident that only the Torch can rescue him from, and then lures the Torch to his futuristic home and douses the Torch’s flame (this is during that brief period when Johnny had a secret identity, so the flames on his head conveniently stay).
The Wizard then duplicates the Torch’s powers and goes on a crime spree to frame our hero. Fortunately Johnny gets free and then does what he does best, goes running to his big sister for help (and it’s just sad when you get a solo feature and have to go to your sister for help on the second story).
One interesting thing in this story is the depiction of the Wizard’s escape artist routine, which could be dropped in panel-for-panel in a Mister Miracle story from a decade later.
Dick Ayers inks the 13-page story.
Published 1974
An undercover Global Peace Agency investigator reveals the fruits of his investigation to OMAC, a criminal organization that has stolen a machine that can switch minds, and plans to sell the technology to rich old people who want young bodies. Of course, that’s as far as the GPA can go, since they can’t use violence. But they can ask OMAC to use violence all they want, apparently. OMAC and the GPA agent get attacked, giving us the excuse for the Brother Eye wizardry of the issue, protecting them and faking the scene so it looks like they were killed.
![OMAC #5 [1975]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/09/OMAC-5-1975.jpg)
OMAC then traces the criminal organization, bringing in the GPA to mop up after he’s done.
I’m finding I like these OMAC stories more every time I read them. While a fairly minor Kirby creation in the grand scheme, there’s a lot of energetic fun and clever ideas in every issue.
Inks by D. Bruce Berry on the cover and 20-page story.
Published 1974
That’s a really nice horse there on the cover of this western cover, one of the last handful Kirby of western image would draw at Marvel. Chic Stone inks, and makes me wish he had inked at least one Kirby western story in this era, just to see what it would be like.
Published 1965
The first volume of KAMANDI ARCHIVES, reprinting the first 10 issues of the series, is now out.
KAMANDI ARCHIVES VOL. 1 HC
Written by Jack Kirby
Art by Kirby & Mike Royer
Cover by Kirby
The first archive in a series collecting the adventures of Kamandi, the last boy on Earth, by Jack Kirby! In these tales from KAMANDI #1-10 (1972-1973), Kamandi — one of the few survivors of the Great Disaster — must make his way in a world populated by bizarre mutated animals and other strange wonders!
244 pg, FC, $49.99 US
From the middle of Kirby’s run of covers for the FF during his mid-1970s stint at Marvel, this has a nice image of Ben with one of his last great sparring partners from the original run on the book. I also like that dragon the Torch is fighting a lot.
Inks by Frank Giacoia (with minor modifications by Marie Severin).
Published 1976
Two Marvel collections with Kirby artwork among the contents. ALL-WINNERS #1 and #2 both have S&K Captain America stories. The one from #2 is currently unreprinted but should be in the GIANT SIZE INVADERS #2 before the Masterworks comes out, along with several other stories that will be in this hardcover. The S&K story from #1 has been reprinted once or twice before. And of course Kirby’s WHAT IF issue was recently reprinted in MARVEL VISIONARIES – JACK KIRBY, so that’s only of marginal interest, but he did also do the cover to #9 which should be in there. He also did an unused cover to #10, and Marvel has been running that kind of stuff in the back of their tradepaperbacks lately, so it might show up.
MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE ALL-WINNERS COMICS VOL. 1
Written by CARL BURGOS, STAN LEE, JACK KIRBY, JOE SIMON & BILL EVERETT
Penciled by CARL BURGOS, AL AVISON, JACK KIRBY, JOE SIMON, BILL EVERETT, JACK BINDER, PAUL GUSTAVSON, PAUL REINMAN, ALLEN SIMON, MIKE SEKOWSKY, JOHN FORTE, BOB POWELL, HOWARD JAMES & AL GABRIELE
Cover by ALEX SCHOMBURG
Marvel Comics proudly presents more Golden Age greats, collecting the first four issues of ALL-WINNERS COMICS, from 1941-42 – newly remastered and restored. The Human Torch, Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, the Destroyer, the Whizzer and more battle for victory for America – both together and in solo adventures!
280 PGS./ $49.99
ISBN: 0-7851-1884-5
WHAT IF? CLASSIC VOL. 2 TPB
Written by DON GLUT & JACK KIRBY
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, RICK HOBERG, BILL BLACK, SAL BUSCEMA, ALAN KUPPERBERG & JIM MOONEY
Cover by JACK KIRBY
Daredevil’s secret exposed? The identity of Thor passed down to another? A new Hulk? Multiple Spider-Men? Some of the ideas that shook Marvel’s foundation got their start right in the realm of remote possibility overseen by the wondering Watcher! But can even Uatu believe his eyes when Jack “King” Kirby rewrites himself and his fellow legends as the Fantastic Four? Plus: from a concept by Roy Thomas, the Avengers of 1958! Collects WHAT IF? #7-12.
216 PGS./ $24.99
ISBN: 0-7851-1843-8