I have to say, this sort of thing is unfamiliar to me.
Deciding where to start was difficult. But I feel it would be best to introduce myself. My name is Luciano and I am addicted to comics. Not in the sell your kidney for a Hulk 181 way, but in the glad to talk to you for an hour straight about comics way.
My comic journey began with discovering an Untold Tales of the Batman trade in my home as a child. From cover to cover I read it and was riveted. I believe this was one of my first introductions of the character. Growing up with the rise of the Super-Hero cinematic takeover, I was fortunate to see comics go from that weird nerdy thing to the curiosity of folks who were surprised that they were still made until the social acceptance of them.
Before I stop yapping about myself I’ll say this, comics truly are a special thing. The love of finding a back issue you’re hunting, reading a book on a Wednesday in the comic store because you can’t wait to get home to read it or meeting a stranger who shares your admiration for this medium. There’s a lot to love. So I will be writing these articles to share my love of comics, the artists behind the pages, the upcoming books to keep an eye on and other various facets of this medium. This is meant to be for any type of collector, new or old. Thank you for getting this far.
Now, to the meat and potatoes of this article….
In trying to decide what to cover in my first article, it was easy to decide. Jack “The King” Kirby. For those of you who immediately baulk at the name, saying “Oh, that guy, his art is too blocky” or “I was never that big a fan”, to you I say this dear reader; SILENCE… I mean, I hear you. As a young reader, I didn’t get it either. Going from looking at Jim Lee’s and David Finch’s, you find it hard to appreciate the King. But there is a reason he was given that moniker. For example, prior to being drafted in World War II, he had already begun his career in comics having created Captain America with Joe Simon, at the age of 23. He also had worked with Joe to create the Boy Commandos which sold over a million copies a month.
In his deployment, once Kirby’s lieutenant had discovered he was under his command, Jack was designated an extremely dangerous role; a scout. He was ordered to advance into towns and draw reconnaissance maps. Instructed to capture the forces of the enemy, the artillery, vehicles and whatever was deemed necessary. Even away from his drawing table, the King knew what to do.
Upon his return from the war, Kirby drew over 500 pages for DC comics creating the Challengers of the Unknown. Other titles included; Adventure comics, World’s Finest, Young Romance and many others.
At the risk of regurgitating things you already know, Jack was the creator of the better part of the Marvel universe. To give you an idea of how busy he was during this period, he was putting out 5-6 books a month. That means 20-22 pages and 5-6 covers a month. Today very few artists are capable of producing more than one book a month. This was a staggering amount of output for a comic book artist.
After his time at Marvel, Jack went to work at DC, where he produced outstanding work creating the Fourth World line of comics, which would go on to bear striking similarities to concepts seen in the Star Wars films. Some of the parallels that can be seen between the Fourth World and Star Wars include Darkseid and Darth Vader as imposing figures who rule through fear and seek absolute control; Orion and Luke Skywalker as heroic sons destined to confront their fathers; the Source and the Force as mysterious, cosmic energies connecting and influencing the universe; the conflict between the idyllic New Genesis and the oppressive Apokolips echoing the struggle between the forces of good and the Galactic Empire; and the broader themes of family, destiny, good versus evil, and the struggle against authoritarian power.
To finalize, Jack Kirby was an immense powerhouse of an illustrator/creator. He has an estimated page count of 17,950 published pages as well as 1399 published covers. His impact on the industry is undeniable. And if you were fortunate enough to make an appearance at his home at the time, his wife Roz would invite you in for a sandwich and occasionally to watch Jack draw.
If you’ve made it this far, I thank you. My articles will vary from each other and I hope to bring you exciting insights into the world of comics. Until we meet across the longboxes, I wish you farewell.
Luciano