When I began reading comics in 1971-1972, Jack Kirby had already left Marvel and gone to DC. I first discovered Kirby’s work in his series THE DEMON and KAMANDI. I later, reading the letters pages, discovered Kirby’s work on JIMMY OLSEN, FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW GODS and MISTER MIRACLE, and sought out those back issues.
But at the same time in 1971-1972, I was simultaneously reading Kirby’s reprinted FF stories published every month in MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS, and later MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION, and his Thor stories reprinted in the first five or so issues of SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION, followed by Kirby’s Sgt Fury reprints. I’m not sure at that age if I realized these were reprints. Both the Marvel and DC Kirby stuff was coming out every month, and I loved it. Marvel was also re-printing Kirby’s western stories in MIGHTY MARVEL WESTERN, and the pre-Marvel monster stories in FEAR, CREATURES ON THE LOOSE, MONSTERS ON THE PROWL, WHERE CREATURES ROAM, WHERE MONSTERS DWELL, CHAMBER OF CHILLS and other titles. What a great time to be reading comics !
Hungry for more Kirby stuff, I worked my way backward and found other stuff that Kirby did right before he left Marvel in 1970.
SILVER SURFER 18 (the last issue of the series).
AMAZING ADVENTURES 1-4, an Inhumans series Kirby both wrote and drew. And two anthology mystery stories he wrote and drew in CHAMBER OF DARKNESS 4 and 5.
Books I saw as Kirby’s warm-up for his massively prolific writer/artist work on new series he created for DC from 1970-1975.
Kirby was by far my favorite artist from the time I began reading comics. At that time I leaned more toward his DC work, on THE DEMON, KAMANDI, his Fourth World titles, WEIRD MYSTERY 1-3, SPIRIT WORLD, DAYS OF THE MOB, OMAC, SANDMAN, 1st ISSUE SPECIAL, THE LOSERS 151-162, RICHARD DRAGON 3, JUSTICE INC 2-4, and KOBRA 1. I was heartbroken when he left DC in late 1975, especially his leaving KAMANDI with issue 40.
Then he was back at Marvel producing another ton of work: CAPTAIN AMERICA 193-216 and two annuals, the Marvel Treasury 2002:A SPACE ODYSSEY movie adaptation, followed by a 2001 comic series 1-10, the last 3 issues introducing Machine Man, who then got his own MACHINE MAN series by Kirby, DEVIL DINOSAUR 1-9, the ETERNALS 1-19 and annual 1, and a new BLACK PANTHER series 1-12. And an unforgettably odd and silly WHAT IF issue, “What if the Marvel Bullpen had gained powers instead of the FF”, with Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Sol Brodsky and Flo Steinberg gaining powers instead of the FF !
I think Kirby’s work from 1959-1978 when he left Marvel for the last time, earns Kirby the title of the hardest working man in comics, who did definitive groundbreaking work across a wide range of genres and titles in those years. It was sad to see Kirby leave Marvel the second time in 1970, and a third time in 1978 (the first time he left Marvel was in 1942, to work for DC). What he did at Marvel alone was a solid volume of life’s work for any one comics artist. But then his leaving Marvel allowed him to give comics readers so much more on top of that at DC and other publishers.
I rank Neal Adams, Irv Novick, Lou Fine, Will Eisner, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Don Heck, Steve Ditko, Al Williamson, Wallace Wood, Jim Steranko, Berni Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Barry Windsor-Smith, Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden, Craig Russell, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, George Perez, Keith Giffen, and many other artists among my favorites.
But I’m just awed at what Jack Kirby alone, this one guy, produced in his lifetime. And not just the quantity, but the quantity of quality, of deep influence, this one guy created. Half the names I listed above became professional artists because they were inspired to do comics by Kirby’s work.
Kirby left Marvel in 1970 because he didn’t feel he got full credit for what he created at Marvel, or full control over the characters he created. So he moved to DC where he got full credit, as both writer and artist.
Steve Ditko left Marvel in 1966 for the very same reasons.
I’ve often heard the comparison of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s 1960’s work at Marvel to beingg “the Lennon and McCarthy of comics”, that they did their best work together and each had qualities that brought out the best work in the other. That while each was prolific after, neither acheived the same acclail on their own that they did together in the 1960’s. And we’re all still enjoying the fruit of that collaboration over 50 years later.
Love all the detailed comments–please keep ’em coming! I agree with that Lennon/McCartney thing–except that Lee had more than one muse. His work with Ditko and Romita, for example, are as good as his stuff with Kirby. Well, his Ditko stuff is. The Romita stuff is probably not at the same level–but it is close.
When I began reading comics in 1971-1972, Jack Kirby had already left Marvel and gone to DC. I first discovered Kirby’s work in his series THE DEMON and KAMANDI. I later, reading the letters pages, discovered Kirby’s work on JIMMY OLSEN, FOREVER PEOPLE, NEW GODS and MISTER MIRACLE, and sought out those back issues.
But at the same time in 1971-1972, I was simultaneously reading Kirby’s reprinted FF stories published every month in MARVEL’S GREATEST COMICS, and later MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION, and his Thor stories reprinted in the first five or so issues of SPECIAL MARVEL EDITION, followed by Kirby’s Sgt Fury reprints. I’m not sure at that age if I realized these were reprints. Both the Marvel and DC Kirby stuff was coming out every month, and I loved it. Marvel was also re-printing Kirby’s western stories in MIGHTY MARVEL WESTERN, and the pre-Marvel monster stories in FEAR, CREATURES ON THE LOOSE, MONSTERS ON THE PROWL, WHERE CREATURES ROAM, WHERE MONSTERS DWELL, CHAMBER OF CHILLS and other titles. What a great time to be reading comics !
Hungry for more Kirby stuff, I worked my way backward and found other stuff that Kirby did right before he left Marvel in 1970.
SILVER SURFER 18 (the last issue of the series).
AMAZING ADVENTURES 1-4, an Inhumans series Kirby both wrote and drew. And two anthology mystery stories he wrote and drew in CHAMBER OF DARKNESS 4 and 5.
Books I saw as Kirby’s warm-up for his massively prolific writer/artist work on new series he created for DC from 1970-1975.
Kirby was by far my favorite artist from the time I began reading comics. At that time I leaned more toward his DC work, on THE DEMON, KAMANDI, his Fourth World titles, WEIRD MYSTERY 1-3, SPIRIT WORLD, DAYS OF THE MOB, OMAC, SANDMAN, 1st ISSUE SPECIAL, THE LOSERS 151-162, RICHARD DRAGON 3, JUSTICE INC 2-4, and KOBRA 1. I was heartbroken when he left DC in late 1975, especially his leaving KAMANDI with issue 40.
Then he was back at Marvel producing another ton of work: CAPTAIN AMERICA 193-216 and two annuals, the Marvel Treasury 2002:A SPACE ODYSSEY movie adaptation, followed by a 2001 comic series 1-10, the last 3 issues introducing Machine Man, who then got his own MACHINE MAN series by Kirby, DEVIL DINOSAUR 1-9, the ETERNALS 1-19 and annual 1, and a new BLACK PANTHER series 1-12. And an unforgettably odd and silly WHAT IF issue, “What if the Marvel Bullpen had gained powers instead of the FF”, with Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Sol Brodsky and Flo Steinberg gaining powers instead of the FF !
I think Kirby’s work from 1959-1978 when he left Marvel for the last time, earns Kirby the title of the hardest working man in comics, who did definitive groundbreaking work across a wide range of genres and titles in those years. It was sad to see Kirby leave Marvel the second time in 1970, and a third time in 1978 (the first time he left Marvel was in 1942, to work for DC). What he did at Marvel alone was a solid volume of life’s work for any one comics artist. But then his leaving Marvel allowed him to give comics readers so much more on top of that at DC and other publishers.
I rank Neal Adams, Irv Novick, Lou Fine, Will Eisner, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Don Heck, Steve Ditko, Al Williamson, Wallace Wood, Jim Steranko, Berni Wrightson, Michael Kaluta, Barry Windsor-Smith, Marshall Rogers, Michael Golden, Craig Russell, John Byrne, Walt Simonson, George Perez, Keith Giffen, and many other artists among my favorites.
But I’m just awed at what Jack Kirby alone, this one guy, produced in his lifetime. And not just the quantity, but the quantity of quality, of deep influence, this one guy created. Half the names I listed above became professional artists because they were inspired to do comics by Kirby’s work.
Kirby left Marvel in 1970 because he didn’t feel he got full credit for what he created at Marvel, or full control over the characters he created. So he moved to DC where he got full credit, as both writer and artist.
Steve Ditko left Marvel in 1966 for the very same reasons.
I’ve often heard the comparison of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s 1960’s work at Marvel to beingg “the Lennon and McCarthy of comics”, that they did their best work together and each had qualities that brought out the best work in the other. That while each was prolific after, neither acheived the same acclail on their own that they did together in the 1960’s. And we’re all still enjoying the fruit of that collaboration over 50 years later.
Love all the detailed comments–please keep ’em coming! I agree with that Lennon/McCartney thing–except that Lee had more than one muse. His work with Ditko and Romita, for example, are as good as his stuff with Kirby. Well, his Ditko stuff is. The Romita stuff is probably not at the same level–but it is close.