Alter Ego #170 Preview

Roy Thomas' Kirby-Krazed Comics Fanzine

IT FINALLY HAPPENS!

JACK KIRBY TAKES OVER ALTER EGO!

$9.95

In the USA

No. 170 July 2021

FEATURING THESE KOLOSSAL KIRBY KLASSIKS: THE SECRET KIRBY HISTORY OF

IRON MAN!

by Will Murray

FCA PRESENTS:

“THE KING” AT FAWCETT, 1940-41!

THE SIMON & KIRBY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

by Michael T. Gilbert & Peter Normanton

Barry Pearl tells how

STAN LEE

Crowned Kirby “KING”!

FROM JASPER SITWELL TO HOUSEROY! Roy Thomas on Jack Kirby—from 1947 to the 1990s!

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82658 00440

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Thing, Red Skull, & Dr. Doom TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; other art © Estate of Jack Kirby.

JACK & THE EARLY-1960s FANZINES

by Len Wein, et al.

Vol. 3, No. 170 / July 2021 Editor

Roy Thomas

Associate Editor Jim Amash

Design & Layout

Christopher Day

Consulting Editor

Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions!

John Morrow

FCA Editor

P.C. Hamerlinck J.T. Go (Assoc. Editor)

Comic Crypt Editor

Michael T. Gilbert

Editorial Honor Roll

Buy affordable, legal downloads only at

Jerry G. Bails (founder) Ronn Foss, Biljo White Mike Friedrich, Bill Schelly

Proofreaders

Rob Smentek William J. Dowlding

Cover Artists

Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott

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Contents

Writer/Editorial: A Jack For All Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The Secret Kirby Origin Of Iron Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Will Murray on how Kirby, Heck, Lee—& even Ditko—shaped Ol’ Shellhead in the 1960s.

Jack Kirby & The Early-1960s Fanzines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Cover Colorist

The ultimate Marvel artist in the Golden Age of Comic Fandom, compiled by Aaron Caplan.

Tom Ziuko

With Special Thanks to:

Paul Allen Heidi Amash David Armstrong Bob Bailey J. Ballmann Julia BrownBernstein Aaron Caplan Nick Caputo John Cimino Chet Cox Comic Book Plus (website) DitkoCultist.com (blog) Mark Ellis Mark Evanier Justin Fairfax Shane Foley Four Color Shadows (blog) Grand Comics Database (website) Bruce Guthrie Mark Halperin

C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE!

Heritage Auctions (website) Rand Hoppe Sean Howe Janet Gilbert Jack Kirby Museum Jim Kealy Mark Lewis Larry Lieber Art Lortie Manny Maris Doug Martin John McShane Robert Menzies Mike Mikulosky Peter Normanton Will Murray Barry Pearl Warren Reece David Saunders J. David Spurlock Dann Thomas Terry A. Thomas Mort Todd Mike Tuohey Mike Vosburg Andy Yanchus

This issue is dedicated to the memory of

Jack Kirby

Not Stan Lee’s Soapbox, But Stan Lee’s Jack-In-The-Box! . 21 The Man talks about The King, 1961-2014—as gathered by Barry Pearl, with Nick Caputo.

The Top 10 Jack Kirby Marvel Slugfests (1961-1970) . . . . . 33

Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Captain America—even Spider-Man—selected by John Cimino.

“The Marvel Age Of Comics Started On September 30, 1972!” 39

That’s definitely true—if you were in the UK and hanging around with Robert Menzies.

From Jasper Sitwell To Houseroy—& Back Again! . . . . . . . . 47 Roy Thomas on being a Kirby fan, colleague, and foil, from 1947 till last week!

From The Tomb: The Jack Kirby Macabre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 On his own or with Simon or Lee—Peter Normanton salutes Kirby as a master of horror!

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!: Simon & Kirby’s Recycled Masterpieces . 65 Jack & Joe tried never to waste a drawing—and so does Michael T. Gilbert.

FCA [Fawcett Collectors Of America] #229 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

P.C. Hamerlinck presents Mark Lewis presenting Kirby’s Captain Marvel & Mr. Scarlet!

On Our Cover: We were knocked out when Mark Halperin, co-chairman of Heritage Auctions, through Roy’s manager John Cimino, sent us a scan of this never-published 1990s drawing by the incomparable Jack Kirby, showing Jack himself and the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing surreptitiously menaced by Dr. Doom and The Red Skull. And the Joe Sinnott inking was the icing on the cake! This illo spurred RT into finally doing what he’s been threatening to do for years—namely, devote an issue of A/E to The King. Our thanks to Heritage Auctions (HA.com), the ultimate source for this all-but-unseen treasure.

[Thing, Dr. Doom, & Red Skull TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.; other art © Estate of Jack Kirby.]

Above: One of the great (and last) co-creations of the deservedly legendary Joe Simon & Jack Kirby team was the hero of Bullseye #1 (July-Aug. 1954), who began life at the pair’s own doomed Mainline imprint, but whose final two issues were published by Charlton after Mainline went under. Bullseye and Boys’ Ranch are rightfully considered classic Western comics of the late Golden Age. [TM & © Estates of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.]

Alter Ego TM is published 6 times a year by TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344.

Roy Thomas, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. Alter Ego Editorial Offices: 32 Bluebird Trail, St. Matthews, SC 29135, USA. Fax: (803) 826-6501; e-mail: roydann@ntinet.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices.

Six-issue subscriptions: $68 US, $103 Elsewhere, $27 Digital Only. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © Roy Thomas. Alter Ego is a TM of Roy & Dann Thomas. FCA is a TM of P.C. Hamerlinck. Printed in China. ISSN: 1932-6890.

FIRST PRINTING.

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THE SECRET KIRBY ORIGIN OF IRON MAN JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, Ol’ Shellhead, & Marvel Comics

by Will Murray

Heavy Metal— Early Editions

N

ow an essential Marvel Universe super-hero, in the beginning Iron Man straggled in late, struggling to find his rightful place in the Marvel Universe, ultimately becoming one of the few spinoffs of Marvel’s fantasy titles whose own comicbook title has run uninterrupted to this day.

The Usual Suspects The Jack Kirby-penciled, Don Heck-inked cover of Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963), flanked by the four men credited with bringing the future “Golden Avenger” to life, as pictured in the 1964 Marvel Tales Annual. Will Murray says that Heck claimed to have done a bit of redesigning of the armor, with editor Lee’s tacit permission, when he inked Kirby’s pencils. Thanks to the Grand Comics Database.

[TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The origins of the character are complicated, and many behind-the-scenes details have either never been fully reported or are in dispute. According to Mark Evanier (friend and early-1970s assistant to Jack Kirby), who got the story from the artist himself, Kirby created the character design for Iron Man and brought it to Stan Lee sometime prior to the creation of Thor, Spider-Man, and Ant-Man. If verified, this` may date from the period during which he brought in the original version of Spider-Man. Little if any thought was given to who the man inside Iron Man’s bulky armor would be. Kirby’s concept sketch ultimately became the cover to Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963).

Mark Evanier in a photo from his informative website www.newsfromme.com.

Since the 1970s, Mark has had an enviable career in first comics, then TV.

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Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Ol’ Shellhead, & Marvel Comics

The premise was a recycling of a 1961 one-shot Tales of Suspense #16 (April 1961) character, Metallo, who was also dubbed “the Hulk.”

That two-part tale was drawn by Kirby from a script (probably) by Stan’s brother Larry Lieber, off (probably) a Lee plot. In the story, a convict agrees to test a giant lead-lined, radiation-proof suit of armor and becomes a destructive, cobalt-colored monster.

This story is itself a variant retelling of a Don Heck-drawn tale with an identical premise: “I Made the Hulk Live,” from Strange Tales #75 (June 1960). Lieber quite likely scripted that story from a Lee plot as well, suggesting that the concept of a man in a suit of modern, mechanized armor might well have originated at Timely with plotter Stan Lee. The idea pre-dates Lee, of course. Writer Norvell W. Page had pitted the pulp-magazine hero The Spider against similarly armored criminals in the 1939 Spider pulp-magazine novel titled

“A Giant Lead Hulk” “The Thing Called Metallo!” was the 13-page lead feature in Tales of Suspense #16 (April 1961). At story’s end, the criminal within the power-bestowing armor faces a dilemma: he can only go on living if he doffs the armor and receives radiation treatments… but if he does remove it, he’ll be sent back to prison. In some ways, this foreshadowed the future plight of Tony Stark as Iron Man. Art by Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers; plot & script uncredited in comic, but probably respectively by Stan Lee & Larry Lieber. Thanks to GCD & Barry Pearl, respectively. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Satan’s Murder Machines. Stan was a faithful reader of The Spider from its first rough-edged issue. The villain in Page’s story styled himself… the Iron Man. Back to Metallo: The reason he was called both “Metallo” and “Hulk,” I suspect, is that the skyscraper-sized alien monster known as “the Hulk,” pure and simple, had returned in the previous month’s Journey into Mystery (#66, March 1961), after having been introduced four issues earlier. There were a lot of Hulks running around at Timely in those days! Indeed, at the conclusion of his origin story, Iron Man was referred to as “that metallic hulk who once was Anthony Stark….”

At this point in the development of the nascent “Iron Man” feature, some context is necessary. Remember that, when the

“I Made The Hulk Live!”

In Strange Tales #75 (June 1960), the above statement could’ve been made either by probable plotter Stan Lee, probable scripter Larry Lieber, or positive artist Don Heck. It was an even earlier antecedent of both Iron Man and the ever-incredible Hulk. Thanks to Barry Pearl. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

The Secret Kirby History Of Iron Man

Evidence for this can be found in The Comic Reader once again.

Here is a news item from the August 6, 1963 issue: The second issue of The Avengers (which is a bimonthly despite the misprint in the indicia strip) will have this new group battling the Sub-Mariner and the Hulk. (No comment.) The story sees the Ant-Man in his new role as Giant Man [sic], and Iron Man in a new costume. Personally, I liked both characters the way they were. Regarding Iron Man’s costume, it looked just as I thought it should, although it was a little too compressible to suit me.

Evidently, fan-bigwig Jerry Bails got an early peek at the new design, courtesy of Stan Lee, with whom he had been exchanging letters for a couple of years. But—which design? Was there a Ditko sketch of the modified version that was intended for the Melter story?

Of course, events didn’t unfold as TCR had reported they would. Avengers #2 did not feature the Sub-Mariner. Instead, the villain was The Space Phantom. The new Giant-Man did make his first Avengers appearance there, but Kirby drew the familiar Iron Man armor of his own creation. Judging by the job numbers, Kirby started drawing Avengers #2 before Ditko commenced penciling the Melter story.

of them working together––closely. Of course, they’d argue.

They might even come close to killing each other, but the idea worked and we managed to make a convincing story out of a very improbable situation.”

Lee and Kirby realized that changes were in order. There seems to have been a coordinated plan to beef up the Avengers lineup between issues #1 and #2. Ditko’s Melter story and the debut of Giant-Man appeared a week apart during that interim. Had the first Ditko armor modification survived into print, it would have been reflected in the Space Phantom story.

Instead, a completely redesigned red-and-gold Iron Man armor was first seen in Tales of Suspense #48 (December ’63). In another bizarre artistic mismatch, Dick Ayers inked Ditko’s “The Mysterious Mr. Doll,” wherein Iron Man’s new flexible suit is introduced. Once again, the Lee-Ditko storyline was designed to force Iron Man to create a new suit of armor in order to defeat a new and otherwise-unbeatable foe.

Even there, the design would not remain consistent over

The Space Phantom story is odd in that Henry Pym shows up early on as Ant-Man, riding a pair of ants, takes one of his new size-changing pill and pops up to human size. He wears Giant-Man’s costume, but I would not be surprised to learn he had originally been penciled as Ant-Man. Several pages later, the character is re-introduced, but this time as GiantMan, and his new origin is footnoted as if he had not been seen previously in that issue.

How to explain this?

It’s difficult to do so. But Kirby sometimes drew partial stories and page sequences out of order as a means of managing plot pacing. He might have submitted the beginning of the Space Phantom story prior to the Giant-Man transformation, leading to some necessary revisions.

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A Couple Of Red-Letter Days

Lee and Kirby seem to have swiftly realized that the makeshift Avengers, as originally configured, didn’t work as a team. Ant-Man was too weak. Thor, Giant-Man, and the Hulk were not very far apart in their physical strength.

Once again, the original Iron Man was essentially a mechanized Hulk.

(Above:) Even as Stan Lee both plotted and scripted the “Iron Man” feature for the first time ever in Tales of Suspense #48 (Dec. ’63), penciler Steve Ditko gave the hero his new streamlined, red-and-gold armor… as seen in this finale of a three-page sequence of Tony Stark donning it for the first time.

Inks by Dick Ayers.

Kirby once observed, “Here were several personalities that were designed to be solo heroes, and we had to produce an effective portrayal

(Bottom right:) Only weeks later, The Avengers #3 (Jan. ’64) featured “the new Iron Man” on the cover with his fellow Assemblers. Cover art by Kirby & Paul Reinman. Thanks to Barry Pearl. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

(Center right:) The Kirby-penciled cover of TOS #48 was fans’ first glimpse of the new armor, before they opened the issue.

Inks attributed to Sol Brodsky.

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JACK KIRBY & The Early-1960s Fanzines

by Aaron Caplan

The Golden Age of Comics Fandom

T

he early 1960s were a period of extraordinary growth for comics fandom. Founded by Jerry Bails with an assist by Roy Thomas in March 1961, Alter-Ego (yes, hyphenated for the first four issues) was not the first comics-oriented fanzine, but it was the first to support the super-hero revivals begun at DC in the latter ’50s. At the tail end of the month, Bails sent the spiritduplicator-printed Alter-Ego #1 to fans whose addresses had been printed in DC comics and to science-fiction fans whose letters had been printed in SF fanzines he happened to see.

Shipped just one week after the first issue of Alter-Ego, but doubtless in preparation earlier, Don & Maggie Thompson’s Comic Art #1 was more of a crossover zine focused on funny-animal comics and newspaper strips, and distributed to a more intellectual group of seasoned sci-fi fans (who absolutely hated the term “sci-fi”).

Unlike the Thompsons, who restricted the circulation of Comic Art because they lost money on every mimeographed issue distributed (free), Bails wanted to distribute A/E #1 to as many comics

fans as possible and had soon amassed a huge mailing list… and following. The result was explosive: Alter-Ego had a huge, immediate impact, jump-starting comic fandom, with the fanzine itself splintering into Bailscreated offshoots (On the Drawing Board/The Comic Reader for news, and The Comicollector for ads) that became additional key publications of the new fan movement. As the late and great Bill Schelly wrote, “The golden age of comic fandom had begun.”

The Thing Is… The first artwork ever done by a pro artist for one of the 1960s wave of comics fanzines was the above drawing by Jack Kirby of the Thing, from The Fantastic Four. His pencil sketch was apparently inked (and rather well, too) by editor/ publisher Jerry Bails for AlterEgo [Vol. 1] #4 (Fall 1962). All art accompanying this piece, unless otherwise noted, was provided by Aaron Caplan. [The Thing TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

Many of these early publications were considered crudzines: amateurish fanzines that were crudely produced by teenagers using a mimeograph or spirit duplicator (a.k.a. “ditto printing”) process, usually with a maximum print-run of 25 to 200 copies. Crudzines (noted for bad spelling and grammar, often-shallow articles, and abysmally amateurish art) were often, nonetheless, charming in their simplicity, honesty, and zeal for comicbook collecting.

Early Fanzines Featuring Original Kirby Art

Them’s Fighting Words!

Kirby penciled this striking pose of his and Joe Simon’s 1950s hero Fighting American for the fanzine Super-Adventures #9 (Fall ’68).

[Fighting American TM & © Estates of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.]

As the popularity of the DC (and then Marvel) super-heroes grew in the early ’60s, the number of comics fanzines increased exponentially. And so did fan interest in Jack Kirby. With an estimated 3000+ comic fanzines produced between 1961 and 1972, there were hundreds that featured Kirby-focused material: feature articles, news stories, interviews, and artwork, along with early analysis, reviews, and commentary on his work. The earliest fanzines with Kirby content originated with that first generation of Marvel fans, writing glowing and enthusiastic articles about Simon & Kirby, Fantastic Four, or Golden Age Captain America.

As prolific an artist as Kirby was, he rarely contributed to early fan publications. Even the seemingly “inaccessible” Steve Ditko was heavily engaged in fandom at that time; he actively submitted artwork, covers, fully illustrated comic strips, letters, and opinion pieces to fan editors prior to 1968. While many Kirby illustrations

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Kirby In The Golden Age of Comic Fandom

were published in the latter part of the decade, these were likely due to his increased participation in such conventions as the New York comics convention (he was the guest of honor in 1966 at David Kaler’s second self-styled “Academy Con”) and the San Diego Comic-Con which was founded in 1970, at which Jack drew many convention sketches.

Let’s talk a bit about printing methods, which have a direct bearing on why early fanzines rarely featured Kirby artwork.

Many 1960s zines used ditto printing as their primary production method. Ditto machines (also known as spirit duplicators) used a “ditto master,” which was a sheet backed with an inky dye.

You would type or draw on the front of the master, which would impregnate the ink onto the back side of the sheet. The image on the back of the sheet appeared in reverse. You would load the ditto master into the machine roller, which used a smelly solvent (ahhh… the smell of purple ink…) to dissolve some of the blue/purple dye onto your copy paper. Voilà, up to 200 copies could be printed this way. Unfortunately, this made it difficult for fanzine editors

to solicit art contributions from pro artists, as they would have to meet them directly and somehow convince them to draw directly on the ditto master. Yet, that’s exactly what fandom legend Bernie Bubnis and future Wolverine co-creator Len Wein did!

Bubnis, who lived in New York City, published two different ditto fanzines with Kirby art: Super Hero Calendar 1964, a calendar in which each page celebrated a month, with top artwork by notable pros including Kirby, who drew the “January” page of “The Cyclops” and Russ Manning (“December” Tarzan back page). Bubnis also published the New York Comicon Booklet 1964, a dittozine commemorating the first official comic convention, held on July 27, 1964, of which he was one of the principal hosts; the zine included a full-page Thor pin-up by Kirby.

Wein, another native New Yorker, produced five issues of his fanzine Aurora, some of which included Kirby ditto art. Aurora # 3 (July-Sept. 1963) included a Kirby pin-up, while Aurora #4 featured a beautiful multicolored cover of Captain America!

Fans Analyze Kirby’s Style How do you identify various artists, their styles and their techniques? What do you look for? What is it that differentiates Gil Kane from Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, or Jack Kirby? Early fanzines attempted to answer these questions. While many fans contributed thoughtful and detailed analyses of Kirby style and techniques (e.g., Kirby expert Bob Cosgrove of Champion and Comic Crusader fame comes to mind), Super-Hero #4, dated Fall 1966, includes my favorite article on the subject, “Artists Anonymous.”

The piece was written by editor Mike Tuohey and illustrated by a young 17-year-old Rich Buckler, and accurately described some key Kirby characteristics. “Kirby’s male hands are quite singular.

The fingers usually have a stubby look to them; the bones in them seem to extend from wrists to finger tips very frequently. The inner finger is very rarely next to the middle finger…“ [see Figure 5 in

Early Simon-&-Kirby-centric Fanzines…

In Glorious Multicolored Ditto!

(Above:) A typical feature article by Kirby fan Mike Tuohey (“Look, Mike,” says Aaron, “at least I spelled your last name right!”) and illustrated by future pro Richard “Grass” Green, from April 1963’s Masquerader #4, published & edited by another future pro, Mike Vosburg. The image at left is probably based on a Golden Age pose by The Shield’s originating MLJ artist, Irv Novick—but the one at right is definitely inspired by the short-lived 1960s Archie Comics revival The Double Life of Private Strong, where The Shield was illustrated by Kirby. [The Shield TM & © Archie Comics Publications, Inc.] (Right:) Fan-artist Jim Gardner’s Valor #1 from May 1965 focused on Golden Age comics, in particular the Simon & Kirby super-heroes—but there’s definitely some Silver Age content in there, too! [Shield & Fly TM & © Archie Comics Publications, Inc.; Stuntman, Fighting American, & Speedboy TM & © Estates of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.]

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Not STAN LEE’s Soapbox, But STAN LEE’s JACK-In-The-Box! “The Man” Talks About “The King”—1961-2014

by Barry Pearl, F.F.F. Aided and Abetted by Nick Caputo, F.F.F. A/E EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION: The two comicbook professionals with whom Jack Kirby’s name will be forever linked, of course, are the late Joe Simon and Stan Lee—the first his official partner for a decade and a half during the 1940s and the first half of the ’50s, the other his boss but also his de facto “senior partner” for a little over a decade from the late 1950s through 1970 (with a considerably more distant relationship during the latter ’70s). So I recently sent Barry Pearl, who’s spent the past few decades collecting and collating material about the Lee-coined “Marvel Age of Comics,” an e-mail which might (or might not) have been worded precisely as he phrases it directly below....

G

ood Afternoon, Mr. Pearl:

Stan Lee spoke or wrote about Jack Kirby many times over the years. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to write an article assembling the major instances of these statements and quotes.

As always, should you or any of the Yancy Street Gang be caught or clobbered, Ben Grimm will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Please dispose of this message in the usual manner. Good luck, Barry.

Bestest,

Jack Kirby & Stan Lee May I start by explaining why Roy asked me to write this piece? After Stan Lee and Flo Steinberg sent me a stack of comics during a long hospital stay in 1963, I decided to write a book about Marvel. My collecting articles, books, and now videos has never stopped. I didn’t know where to begin on the above assignment, but then I remembered Lewis Carroll, who wrote: “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop.”

So let’s start at Stan’s beginning:

(top of page) Kirby and Lee both speaking at the 1967 New York Comicon. Photos by Mark Hanerfeld and Andy Yanchus.

(Left:) The splash of Rawhide Kid #17 (Aug. 1960), probably the first time their names appeared together in print—albeit on opposite sides of the picture (thanks to Barry Pearl for this scan).

(Above:) The cover of Fireside/Simon & Schuster’s Silver Surfer graphic novel (1978), perhaps the last occasion on which the two giants collaborated on masterworks that bore their names inside.

Thanks to the Grand Comics Database.

[TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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“The Man” Talks About “The King”—1961-2014

a month!... And JACK “KING” KIRBY drops in, loaded down with a new mess of masterpieces, once a week. Poor Jack! He is so absentminded that he usually goes home with someone else’s hat, portfolio, or train ticket! Stan wanted to put a label around his neck reading: “If found, please return to the merry Marvel bullpen,” but he couldn’t— Jack lost the label! 18 Stan would often imply that Kirby was okay with changes in artists: Bullpen Bulletin: Dashing DON HECK takes over the pencilling chores on Agent of Shield for this ish, after which JACK KIRBY, the king himself will carry on in following issues. 19 Bullpen Bulletin: JACK (KING) KIRBY himself insisted that Jazzy JOHNNY ROMITA was the only logical illustrator to handle Capt.

America in the master’s own style. 20 Bullpen Bulletin: Jolly JACK KIRBY’s ears must be really burning.

Every comic mag fan has his own personal favorite among all the artists employed by all the different companies—but, when it comes to the opinion of the pro’s [sic] themselves—when it comes to naming the ARTISTS’ ARTIST, there isn’t even a contest! Every time the conversation here at the Bullpen gets around to artwork (and what ELSE is there to talk about?), you should hear the top men in the field lower their voices when the name of King Kirby comes up.

It’s generally agreed that, when you talk of super-hero illustration; of action drawing; of imaginative conceptions; of dynamic, doublebarreled drama; Marvel’s many-faceted master simply has no peer!

There is hardly a pro pencil-pusher in the field today who hasn’t been influenced by Jolly Jack’s memorable masterpieces—or by the constantly shattering impact of his creativity. Don’t be embarrassed, Jack—this is just Stan’s cornball way of telling you that it’s been a ball all these years, pal—and the best is still ahead. 21 Bullpen Bulletin: If STAN (The Man) LEE and JACK (King) KIRBY happened to meet the street, they might not recognize each other!

The two characters have been so busy lately that they haven’t seen each other in weeks. Can you imagine producing sensational strips like theirs by collaborating over the phone? Well, you better believe it! 22 Bullpen Bulletin: All of Marveldom assembled sends best wishes to Jolly JACK and ROZ KIRBY on their 25th wedding anniversary! We’re beginnin’ to suspect that these two have a good thing going. 23 STAN: Philosophically, there was another thing, and I had a big argument with Kirby about this once. We were being interviewed by Barry Gray in New York. He had a talk show. Jack and I went up there.

He wanted to talk to us about Marvel and how it was selling. This was in the middle 1960s. Barry said, “I understand you people are starting to pass DC.” And I said, “Well, we’re doing the best we can, but they’re such a big company and so rich, and we’re just this little company.” And Jack said, “That isn’t true, Stan! Why don’t you tell him we’re better than them? And bigger than them.” And I’m trying to shut him up. I said, “Jack, nobody likes anybody who’s bigger and better. Let them think we’re Avis. We’re just trying harder.” And Jack never understood that. You’ve got to use a little psychology. 24 18 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: February 1966 19 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: January 1966 20 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: May 1966 21 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: April 1967 22 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: May 1967

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen…”

One of the many colorful costume designs that Jack Kirby drew in 1969 for a production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at the Vera Cruz University Theatre… in fact, this is the one for Julie himself! Matter of fact, a whole 13 plates’ worth of these designs has recently been published in an 8½" by 11” portfolio, which are being sold on the site of the Jack Kirby Museum. Thank to Rand Hoppe. See p. 56 for an ad for the Kirby Museum.

[Art © Estate of Jack Kirby.]

Bullpen Bulletin: Jolly JACK KIRBY won three “Best Artist” awards from different fan groups in just one week. 25 Bullpen Bulletin: This we’ve gotta tell you! The world-famous Society for Comic Art Research and Preservation, the largest group of comic-book fans in the nation, recently completed their annual International Convention of Comic Art at New York’s famed StatlerHilton Hotel…. [Among the awards it handed out were:] Best Editor: STAN (The Man) LEE; Best Writer…Smilin’ STAN, again!... Best Pencil Artist: JACK (King) KIRBY… Best Inker: Joltin’ JOE SINNOTT. 26 On a more personal note, the Bullpen Bulletins for Jan. 1969 (in, e.g., Fantastic Four #81) announced that “JOLLY JACK KIRBY’s handsome son Neal has just announced his engagement….”

Bullpen Bulletin: Here’s an announcement we make with mixed emotions. JACK (King) KIRBY and family are leaving New York and moving to California. In fact, by the time you read this, the King will already be settled on the shores of the blue Pacific! But don’t panic, pilgrim—he’ll still be doing his bit for the Bullpen,

23 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: December 1967

25 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: November 1968

24 Interview with Will Murray, 2000

26 Marvel Bullpen Bulletins: December 1968

33

The Top 10 JACK KIRBY Marvel Slugfests (1961-1970) According To John “The Mego Stretch Hulk” Cimino

T

he Slugfest. That’s a term used in the comicbook world, where costumed characters engage in battles so grandiose that they capture the imagination of readers for years to come. The slugfest was first brought to life by the greatest comicbook artist of them all, Jacob Kurtzberg, best known by his pen name Jack Kirby. Throughout the 1940s, Kirby began revolutionizing what was to become known as dynamic storytelling.

But who could’ve predicted that he would raise the bar even higher some twenty years later, in the 1960s, when he began collaborating with his former gofer Stan Lee and co-created the Marvel Universe?

Whether it was just “time” or whether Lee brought it out of him, somehow at the age of 44, Jack Kirby was able to reinvent himself and leap to unprecedented new heights of creativity and transform his already unique storytelling style into a magnificent symphony of comicbook calamity that set the standard for not only Marvel Comics, but the entire industry. When his heroes clashed, the Earth shook, buildings came crashing down, and crowds ran for cover. Yes, Jack Kirby was the undisputed king of comics, and he would inspire new comic artists unlike any other.

Being a young impressionable kid from Waltham, Massachusetts, it was no different for me. I gravitated to Jack Kirby’s work the moment I saw the reprinted cover of Fantastic Four #25 in the pages of the Simon & Schuster hardcover collection Marvel’s Greatest Superhero Battles as a ten-year-old back in 1984.

Kirby’s art was like nothing I had ever seen before and much different from the art in most comics on the racks at the time. The way the Hulk and the Thing looked, the way they were locked in combat, the way everyone stood back and watched, it was all, dare I say it—so Kirbylicious. For more than a year, that book never left my side, and the more I dug into it, the more I fell under the Kirby spell.

To this day, Jack Kirby’s action-packed battles are the stuff of legend. They’re talked about in comic shops, at comic conventions, and all over social media. You can see their influence in not just the comics stories of today, but in video games, cartoons, and major motion pictures (next time you see a super-hero get punched through a few buildings at the movies, be sure to give Mr. Kirby a silent thank-you). In writing this article, I went through literally hundreds of comics by Jack Kirby, and getting my list down to just ten of my favorite fights was a daunting task indeed. You’ll notice they’re all from Marvel comics between 1961 and 1970—’cause that’s when I feel Kirby’s slugfests reached their peak. I’m sure there will be a few readers out there who will disagree with some of my choices, but hey, Roy Thomas chose me to give you my list, and who am I to argue with “The Boy” when it comes to honoring “The King”? So sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the Kirby Krackle, because these are THE 10 GREATEST JACK KIRBY SLUGFESTS OF ALL TIME!

Cimino Discovers Kirby (Left:) Little Johnny Cimino in 1984, reading his copy of Marvel’s Greatest Superhero Battles—and (below) Jack Kirby’s cover for Fantastic Four #25 (April 1964), which JC says was a life-changing event for him. Inks

by George Roussos. Thanks to John for the images. [Cover TM & ©Marvel Characters, Inc.]

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Kirby’s Greatest Hits—Literally!

10.) THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8 (1963): Spider-Man vs. The Human Torch The first (or, to phrase it another way, the tenth) fight on my top ten list may be a little bit of a surprise to most of you. While the Hulk will toss around buildings and punch holes through battleships in his slugfests to prove he’s the strongest one there is, Spider-Man tackled The Human Torch over something with a little more substance: the attention of Torch’s girl friend Doris Evans (can you blame him? she was a hottie). With the rare combination of Jack Kirby’s pencils, Steve Ditko’s inks, and Stan Lee’s dialogue, this was a six-page hormone-filled story/fight that flowed perfectly to grab the attention of the teenage reader. It was like Archie Comics meshing together with Marvel Comics, and it totally captivated me. I felt for Spidey, as he was this “creepy” costumed hero on the outside, facing the “cool kid” that was Johnny Storm and his brand new XK Jag that all the girls swooned over. Matter of fact, the early interactions between the Torch and Spidey (in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 and Strange Tales Annual #2) were stellar scraps, filled with teen-angst and fun that captured the magic of the early Marvel heroes.

I Lick Ulik!

Kirby’s cover for Thor #137 (Feb. 1967). Inks by Vince Colletta. Scan from JC. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

9.) THOR #137-139 (1967): Thor vs. Ulik Jack Kirby had Thor clashing with many super-heavyweights during his run on this title. Why does Ulik, the big bad Rock Troll, get the nod over the others? Well, Thor brawling it out with Ulik was always tremendous in my eyes. While this 3-part (or 3-round) story was their first and best slobber-knocker, IMHO, historically, all their fights were incredibly entertaining. Each one was consistently action-packed, brutal, and full of sheer mass destruction! You had to love Ulik’s insane eagerness to fight the Thunder God and to prove he was better than Thor in every way.

With that kind of ego-driven-motivation, all their fights were long battles of attrition that Thor usually won in the end. But Ulik was a stubborn, proud bully who always returned for more with renewed vigor. Kirby laid the foundation of their rivalry in these three issues, and both God and Troll never looked better.

Torch Song The back-up “slugfest” between rivals Spidey and The Human Torch in Amazing Spider-Man #8 (Jan. 1964) ran only six pages—and that’s counting when the rest of the F.F. got in on the action for the final two pages—but it was a real revelation to J. Cimino. Pencils by Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, script by Stan Lee. Thanks to Barry Pearl for the scan. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.]

8.) FANTASTIC FOUR #57-60 (1966-1967): The Fantastic Four and The Silver Surfer vs. Dr. Doom Many would argue that Jack Kirby’s best work is in the pages of Fantastic Four comics, especially when the FF clashed with their arch-enemy and Marvel’s greatest villain, Dr. Doom. Doom’s thirst for ultimate power and to make the Fantastic Four (especially Reed Richards) grovel at his feet knew no bounds. In this 4-part epic clash of maniacal manipulation, Doom cons The Silver Surfer, steals

39

“The Marvel Age Of Comics Started On September 30, 1972!”

“W

by Robert Menzies

hat on Earth are you on about?” you’re thinking. “Everyone knows ‘The Marvel Age of Comics’ started with The Fantastic Four #1, which was on the stands in New York City on August 8, 1961, and soon elsewhere across the States!”

Well, we’re both right. It’s a question of geography. And age.

In 1967 Marvel had licensed out their characters to British publisher Odhams, who released the comics Wham!, Smash!, Pow!, Terrific, and Fantastic, the first issue of the latter coming out the day my parents married. By the end of the decade, all were gone. Jump

forward a few years. On the last Saturday of September 1972, the youth of Britain saw a new comic on newsagents’ shelves— The Mighty World of Marvel.

Inside The Mighty World of Marvel (MWOM) #1, Marvel returned to Ground Zero with Fantastic Four #1, adding the first appearances of Hulk and Spider-Man. Even using only one colour, and dividing American editions into installments, this was a blockbuster package. One suspects that, of those readers who were lucky enough to pick up issue #1, the majority came back for the second. A new generation of True Believers had been born and were facing front.

Due to the traditional weekly schedule of British comics, and the telescoped, accelerated continuity that had the Fab Four, Greenskin, and Spidey debut on the same day, growing up a Marvel fan in the 1970s was like drinking from a fire hose. In those early months, no artist’s work appeared more often than Jack Kirby’s, and for years his art graced the British titles as they reprinted his runs on the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine as well as Hulk, Ant-Man, Thor, The Avengers, Captain America, Nick Fury, and what seemed like a thousand other characters— despite the fact that, from sometime in 1970 through 1975, Kirby was under contract to DC Comics and did no new work

“Age” Is Just A Number!

In the United States, the Stan Lee-christened “Marvel Age of Comics” began with The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961), behind a Jack Kirby/ George Klein cover seen above, even though the name “Marvel” wouldn’t appear on comics covers again till ’63…

But, in Great Britain/the UK, that “Age” can be said to be have been birthed when The Mighty World of Marvel #1 (dated Oct. 7, 1972) went on sale—with the John Buscema-penciled (though certainly Jack Kirbyinspired) cover glimpsed at left. Thanks to Robert Menzies for all art spots printed with his article, unless otherwise noted. [TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.] Incidentally, the Stan Lee side of the “Marvel UK” launch and its aftermath were covered by Robert M. back in Alter Ego #15; the two pieces can be considered bookends.

47

From Jasper Sitwell To Houseroy—And Back Again!

Or, JACK KIRBY & Me, 1947-2021!

A Personal Appreciation by Roy Thomas

A

mong a certain small (and clinically insane) coterie of otherwise perhaps laudable Jack Kirby fans, I seem to have the reputation—unsought, unappreciated, and totally undeserved—of being a Kirby-hater.

Or at least (and it’s pretty much the same thing to the above folks) of being a guy who believes that writer/editor Stan Lee contributed something to his and Kirby’s decade-plus association besides “just” putting precise words in the mouths of Kirbyanimated characters.

Well, on the last count, I’ll admit—I’m guilty as charged.

But this article is about my relationship, both as a comicbook fan since 1947, and since 1965 as a fellow pro, to Jack “King” Kirby... so let’s concentrate on that aspect of things, shall we?

“Simon&Kirby” I’m not sure, frankly, exactly how old I was—or where and how it happened—that I became aware of Jack Kirby. Joe Kubert’s name adorned most of the latter-1940s “Hawkman” stories in which I reveled—Gardner Fox’s, E.E. Hibbard’s, Jerry Siegel’s, Joe Shuster’s, and Bob Kane’s names, among a number of others, were likewise on tales they either wrote or drew or had ghosted for them.

Actually, I didn’t become aware of Jack Kirby in the 1940s at all—not really.

What forced itself upon my consciousness, probably in late 1947 when I was just turning seven, was the team I knew as “Joe Simon and Jack Kirby”—virtually as one entity, “Simon&Kirby.”

Like most people, young or old, who weren’t professionals in the comicbook field, I had no idea of who did what when I saw those two names on a “Stuntman” splash page—probably not in Stuntman #1 in early ’46, more likely when the origin story

The Kirby Trilogy?

(Left:) Roy Thomas, on right, and his manager/pal John Cimino attacked by—or are they attacking?—a huge Galactus display at the TerrifiCon held at the Mohegan Sun Casino, NY, on Aug. 19, 2017… which is about as close as RT ever came to having a personal photo taken with Jack Kirby! Photo courtesy of JC. (Above:) Jack Kirby himself, with a peaceable pipe.

was reprinted in Black Cat Comics #9 (Jan. 1948), in late ’47.

Of course, I suppose I could’ve seen Stuntman #1… I was certainly buying comics by spring of 1946, at age five.

During that period, I simply had to learn to read before I started school in fall of ’46 (first grade—no kindergarten for this kid, or most kids I knew, back in the mid-’40s)… because I just had to know what those gaudily clad characters were saying, which would help explain what they were doing.

I do remember being very confused by the triple-identity aspect of “Stuntman,” since at the time I didn’t really know anything about real stuntmen and their relationship to the equally mysterious movie industry that was the backdrop of the series.

Mostly, I think I simply rejoiced in the thrill of the drawings… first of the circus acrobats (whose colorful costumes were the general inspiration that formed the basis of not only Stuntman’s costume but of those of Superman, Batman, and the rest as well)… and of the super-hero outfit that the aerialist mutated his carnival gear into.

I’m pretty sure I devoured other “Stuntman” reprints when they popped up—but I probably missed some. All I really knew over the next few years after 1947 was that, anytime I saw those magic names “Simon and Kirby” on a comics story, it meant that the artwork would be “good”—by which I meant exciting, lively, dynamic. Sometimes other people drew most or all of those stories, and as I got older I could tell that Simon and Kirby had some unattributed helpers—and sometimes I believe I recognized the S&K style on unsigned stories. In fact, one of my favorites of “their” 1940s stories, a “Boom Boom Brannigan” yarn in Prize Comics wherein an imitation (and alien) costumed Superman type who called himself “Superior Male” came to Earth and got knocked out

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Jack Kirby & Me, 1947-2012!

Why Did You Pull A Stunt Like That?

Actually, this splash page from Harvey Comics’ Stuntman #1 (April-May 1946) was probably not the source of barely-five-years-old Roy’s first exposure to the “Joe Simon and Jack Kirby” byline. It’s more likely to have been when this origin story was reprinted in Black Cat Comics #9 (Jan. 1948), on sale just before he turned seven. [TM & © Estates of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.]

by the titular four-color prizefighter, only looked to my inexpert eyes like a “Simon and Kirby” job—it was, in actuality, all Joe Simon.

But I loved it just the same.

Matter of fact, I may have been a closet Simon and Kirby fan even before I saw that first “Stuntman” story. When the pair briefly came back post-WWII to DC Comics, even though much of that work was unsigned, I recognized their “look” on the “Newsboy Legion” (co-starring the Guardian, whom I liked better than the boys themselves) in a few issues of Star Spangled Comics. And, when I was given a few “old” comics by relatives, I recall seeing a house ad for Adventure Comics #93 (Aug.-Sept. 1944), with a very much S&K Sandman and Sandy sitting atop some sort of muzzled dragon on a cover titled “Sleep for Sale”—though I never, till this day, have read the story inside, which in any case wasn’t by Simon and Kirby.

For the next decade, I continued to at least glance at anything I saw on the newsstands that either claimed to be (or simply looked like) the work of Simon & Kirby. Some of it was “true crime” or mild horror—two genres I generally eschewed as not interesting me, except for the artwork, which was rarely reason enough in and of itself for me to part with one of my too-scarce dimes. The Simon & Kirby romance comics, if I even noticed them, I wouldn’t have touched with a ten-cent pole. Ditto the war comics. Just as was the case with the many EC horror or crime or war comics I perused briefly before putting them back on the shelf, I didn’t buy them.

I probably purchased one or two science-fiction entries by S&K, though. SF I liked. And I bought at least one or two issues of Boys’ Ranch, too. Nice stuff, even though it wasn’t super-heroes. At least Westerns weren’t horror or “true crime”!

And then there was Harvey Comics’ Captain 3-D #1-andonly! When I saw that hero leaping at me from the stands, I had to have it—even if it cost a quarter instead of the usual dime and the insides were only in approximations of black-&-white after you donned those red-and-green “glasses.” Beautiful stuff, and a great origin—even if the good Captain’s outfit was a little silly with those striped pants and the little knob on the top of his helmet— and even though I wished he had some real super-powers. What I was coming to realize about the Simon & Kirby heroes was that, while they might be idealized athletes in terms of conception, they were rarely much more than Batman in a brighter costume. (I’d have felt the same way about their early Captain America, but of course I didn’t see any of their work on him until I was in my early twenties.)

Then came—Fighting American!

I was already stoked by the return of The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America at “Atlas”—in Cap’s case, mostly because of the artwork of John Romita, who I recognized even at age 13 had combined Simon-&-Kirby dynamics with the look of Milt Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon. But

54

Jack Kirby & Me, 1947-2012!

disgusted by his thinly veiled attack on Stan in the guise of the distinctly less-than-admirable Funky Flashman. I wasn’t too happy with his turning me into Houseroy, Funky’s feckless flunky, either—but at least I quickly realized that the burlesque wasn’t really aimed at me; in fact, Houseroy was almost a sympathetic character in the end, being abandoned and betrayed by Funky in a way that reminded me instantly of the fate of poor Chop Chop Chop in Harvey Kurtzman’s “Blackhawk” parody back in Mad #5. I know Stan was both hurt and, even more so, lividly angry, whatever he may have told people (or himself) later. I heard Kirby’s name even less from his lips after that story was published. And yet, I always sensed, without his having to say it often, that he’d love it if Jack changed his mind and came back. But he wasn’t about to approach Jack with the suggestion, directly or indirectly. It would have to come from Jack.

“You Don’t Need To Be Coy, Roy…” Then, in the summer of 1974, when as Marvel’s editor-inchief I was a special guest of the fifth San Diego Comic-Con, I was approached by someone (Jack’s son Neal, I think) asking me to have a drink with him and Jack… probably Roz, too, I don’t recall.

they were, and I didn’t ask. I wanted to know… and I didn’t want to know, because I’d have lost a lot of respect for whoever had said that.

“They’re idiots,” I told Stan unequivocally. “Hire him back— but don’t let him write.” Neither Stan nor I had changed our minds about Jack’s dialogue on New Gods, et al.

“Well, he says that if he comes back, he has to write all his own material,” Stan rejoined.

“Okay, then get him back anyway,” I said without hesitation.

“Better to have him working for Marvel than for DC or anyone else.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Stan said, “but I just wanted to see what you thought.”

And so Jack did come back to Marvel—although, of course, mostly remaining at a respectful geographical distance in the L.A. area. He and Stan made a show of it, first at that Marvel convention in Manhattan where Stan breathlessly announced Jack’s return and then in walked Jack, then in the comics themselves, with The Eternals and several other projects that were never going to make

At that time, Jack clearly wanted to feel me out about whether the way was open for him to return to Marvel. He was quite direct about it… no beating around the bush. I’d already figured the bloom had to be off the rose between Jack and DC editorial director Carmine Infantino—but this was the first solid proof of that.

I hadn’t particularly expected to be approached as a go-between—not that I was overly surprised, either—and I hadn’t prepared an answer. But I found myself saying something very, very close to the following: “Jack, I know Stan would love you to come back. But there is that one little matter—he was very hurt by your portrayal of him as that Funky Flashman character a while back. Now, I didn’t mind all that much about the ‘Houseroy’ character—I never felt it was really aimed at me—but Stan did feel Funky Flashman was aimed at him.”

Jack laughed nervously, and said, basically, “Well, you know, that was all just in fun.”

I decided to ignore that line of conversation entirely. If there was one thing Jack and I both knew, sitting there opposite each other that day, it’s that there had been nothing “in fun” or good-natured about the Funky Flashman sequence. I just repeated to him that as editor-in-chief, I—and more importantly, Stan as publisher—would love to see Jack back at Marvel, and that the two of them would be able to get past any difficulties.

As it happened, I left the editor-in-chief job a couple of weeks later, and Jack (for unrelated reasons) decided to delay his attempted return for a little while.

Jack Is Back—Sort Of! Several months later, in ’75 now, on an errand in to Marvel, I found myself hailed by Stan from his office. I went in, and he closed the door behind us.

“Jack wants to come back,” he told me… knowing, of course, of our meeting months before.

“That’s great,” I said.

Stan then told me, to my surprise, that there were “a couple of people out there”—he gestured vaguely toward his doorway—who didn’t think he should allow Jack to return. He didn’t say who

A Houseroy Is Not A Homeboy The Funky Flashman/Houseroy story in Mister Miracle #6 (Jan.-Feb. 1972) didn’t exactly make Roy (let alone Stan!) feel all warm and fuzzy toward Jack, either. Here, Funky sacrifices Houseroy in order to effect his own escape. Inks by Mike Royer. Thanks to Barry Pearl & Nick Caputo.

[TM & © DC Comics.]

59

by Peter Normanton

That Old Black Magic—Plus!

Two early “Joe Simon and Jack Kirby” concoctions of eeriness were Black Magic and The Strange World of Your Dreams, both series for the Prize/Feature comics group. The covers of Black Magic, Vol. 2, #9 (a.k.a. #15, Aug. 1952), and TSWOYD, Vol. 1, #2 (Sept.-Oct. ’52) were pencilled by Kirby; the inker is unidentified, though some or all of it may have been done by Kirby himself and/or by his partner Simon. [TM & © Estate of Joseph H. Simon & Estate of Jack Kirby.]

I

f there had never been a Jack Kirby, I wonder how comics would have evolved, for without his innovation, the eminence of the Silver Age may never have been. Those of you with the good fortune to have savoured the excitement of the Golden Age or the ensuing years of the Silver Age will know how

Jack’s vision made it that extra bit special.

As special as these comics were, my long-held affection for them curiously waned around ten years ago. The four-coloured treasures that had once shimmered with such lustre no longer shone quite so brightly. It was a strange period in my life, yet the

65

66

Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!

Simon & Kirby’s Recycled Masterpieces!

by Michael T. Gilbert

H

aving produced best-selling titles for DC, Timely, Harvey, Hillman, Prize, and Crestwood, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby decided in 1954 that it was time to strike out on their own by forming Mainline Publishing. Their Mainline titles included Bullseye (a Western), Foxhole (war), In Love (romance), and Police Trap (crime). Now all they needed was a good super-hero title to add to the mix.

The team came up with two new characters: Sky Giant and Night Fighter.

Scans of both surfaced on the online Heritage Auction site, providing a rare peek at some unrealized Simon & Kirby masterpieces.

Kirby’s unpublished pencils to the Night Fighter comic suggest that suction cups on his boots allowed him to scale a wall with ease, Spider-Man style. I’m also guessing the goggles were the infra-red type, so he could see in the dark (the better to bash baddies!).

But since the comic never got beyond the cover stage, we’ll never really know. The backup feature, “Sky Giant,” appears to be in the general ballpark of Marvel’s “GiantMan” a decade later. Cover notes indicate a hoped-for print date around September 1954. A second unused Night

See Creature!

(Above:) On the left are two scenes from Showcase #12 (Jan. 1958) featuring a giant Kirby octopus from DC’s “Challengers of the Unknown.”

Michael T. appropriated Jack’s sea creature when he drew his imaginary Simon & Kirby Mr. Monster cover—based on Kirby’s unpublished “Night Fighter” pencils, seen above. [“Challengers” material TM & © DC Comics; Night Fighter art © Estates of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.]

In Fighting Shape (Far left:) Color guide to the Prize group’s Fighting American #8, which was canceled before it could see print in 1955. It was finally published in Harvey Comics’ double-sized Fighting American #1 (Oct. 1966, seen at near left). [© Estates of Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.]

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CAPTAIN AND THE KING JACK KIRBY At Fawcett Publications, 1940-41

by Mark Lewis Edited by P.C. Hamerlinck & Roy Thomas

Prehistory: A Study In Scarlet

T

wice during its first two years of publishing comicbooks, Fawcett Publications sought out Jack Kirby to contribute his enormous talents to the company’s fledgling four-color efforts.

It all began with editor France “Ed” Herron.

During his time in the editorship, Herron made significant contributions to Fawcett’s comics line. Most importantly, he further developed the idea of a teenaged Captain Marvel-related character as a spinoff from the original Shazam hero that had been launched in late 1939 by writer/editor Bill Parker and artist Charles Clarence Beck. Believing that the new strip should have a different style from the main (“Captain Marvel”) strip, he pushed to have the illustrative Mac Raboy be the artist to render the adventures of “Captain Marvel Jr.” Herron was also instrumental in bringing Otto Binder over to Fawcett as a main writer, and likewise had a hand in launching the “Mary Marvel” feature, assigning Binder and artist Marc Swayze the task of bringing her character to life.

But, even before all that: In the latter half of 1940, Fawcett was preparing a brand new IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PREVIEW, title, Wow Comics—one of Herron’s earliest editorial assignments CLICK THE LINK TO ORDER THIS for the publisher. For the first issue’s lead feature, he invented ISSUEaIN PRINT OR DIGITAL FORMAT! Mr. Scarlet—a crusading District Attorney by day… by night, costumed hero pursuing the bad guys who’d slipped through legal loopholes.

Young Jack Kirby It’s an idea not all that far removed from Joe Simon & Jack Kirby’s later “Newsboy (at top) in a photo found on the Internet by Mike Mikulovsky… and some Legion,” co-starring The Guardian, done nice early examples of “Kirby tech” from the Captain Marvel Adventures #1 which he and partner Joe Simon “ghosted” circa 1941, with some help for DC Comics; in the latter case, it was a from Dick Briefer and others. In “The Monsters of Saturn,” Kirby seems beat cop doing double duty. to have been taking at least some of his inspiration at this point from

France “Ed” Herron The only photo we could turn up of the editor of Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (1941)—from the photocover of DC’s Gang Busters #10 (June-July 1950), whereon he posed as a cop about to make a collar. [TM & © DC Comics.]

newspaper strips like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, but his tech designs Though Fawcett had a standing policy ultimately evolved into things no one else had ever done! Script by Manly of editors not also writing for the comics Wade Wellman; inks by Briefer, et al. [Shazam hero TM & © DC Comics.] they edited, Herron secretly assigned himself the scripting duties for the first yet fully committed to being a steady writing-and-drawing team, appearance of “Mr. Scarlet.” He then hired so that each was free to pursue some assignments on his own. freelancer Jack Kirby to produce the art for the story… probably during the latter ALTER EGO #170 Some researchers is showcased cover-to-cover behind a never-be-have mistakenly assumed that Kirby was days of the artist’s time workingJACK forKIRBY FoxKirby fore-printed cover!the WILL“co-creator” MURRAY on Kirby’sofcontribu“Mr. Scarlet”—i.e., that he also designed the tions toJoe the creation of Iron Man—FCA on his Captain Marvel/ Comics, before he and new partner character C.C. Beck handled the job of Scarlet’s design Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work—Kirby sectionsvisually.

by MICHAELBut T. GILSimon would take their considerable BERT & PETER NORMANTON—Kirby infor 1960s fanzines—STAN (as he did many of Fawcett’s characters), as he once confirmed to colorful quotes about “The King”, and ROY THOMAS on talents to another new company,LEE’s Timely FCA editor P.C. Hamerlinck.

Beck also illustrated the cover of Wow being a Kirby fan (and foil)!

Comics. At this point, Kirby and Simon Comics #1.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 had already teamed up on Novelty’s “Blue (Digital Edition) $4.99 Bolt” series, but apparently they were not https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_55&products_id=1610