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Contents

THE

KIRBY CONSPIRACIES! CONSPIRATORIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 INNERVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 part two of James Van Hise’s 1984 interview with Jack

ISSUE #89, SPRING 2024

C o l l e c t o r

ANALYSEZ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 the MCU’s failed TV/film projects JACK FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mark Evanier’s 2023 Comic-Con Kirby Tribute Panel, with Jeremy Kirby, Bruce Simon, Mark Badger, Jon B. Cooke, and Paul S. Levine ONOMASTICAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 the name game GALLERY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Kirby’s co-conspirators, in pencil INCIDENTAL ICONOGRAPHY. . . . . 34 Sean Kleefeld pictures Joe & Jack in the 1950s PROBLEM CHILD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Will Murray goes muy Loki FACE-OFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 WAR STAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 FOUNDATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 a never-reprinted S&K crime story KIRBY KINETICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Norris Burroughs takes A.I.M. KIRBY OBSCURA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 cat people abound 5-4-3-2-1-G-BOMB. . . . . . . . . . . . 58 was the Hulk’s a Freemason? TIME KILLER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 the Kang conundrum COLLECTOR COMMENTS. . . . . . . . 78 Cover marker/inks: JACK KIRBY Cover color: GLENN WHITMORE COPYRIGHTS: Challengers of the Unknown, Darkseid, Demon, Desaad, Forever People, Gilotina, Goody Rickels, Kamandi, Lashina, Mad Harriet, Misfit, Morticoccus, OMAC, Stompa, Superman TM & © DC Comics • Adaptoid, AIM, Alicia Masters, Avengers, Batroc, Black Bolt, Bruce Banner, Bucky, Captain America, Crystal, Dr. Bloom, Dr. Doom, Eternals, Fantastic Four, Giant-Man, Gorgon, Growing Man, Hate Monger, Hawkeye, Hulk, Ikaris, Inhumans, Iron Man, Kang, Karnak, Karnilla, Lockjaw, Loki, Maximus, Modok, Nick Fury, Odin, Quicksilver, Rama-Tut, Red Skull, Rick Jones, Scarlet Witch, Sgt. Fury, Sharon Carter/Agent 13, SHIELD, Silver Burper, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, Super Adaptoid, Thing, Thor, Thunderbolt Ross, Wasp TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. • Black Magic, Fighting American, Foxhole, Speedboy, Strange World of Your Dreams TM & © Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Estates • Conan TM & © Conan Properties International LLC • Captain Victory, Collages, Comet Feldman, Comet Feldmeyer, Darius Drumm, Elves, Galaxy Green, Secret City Saga, Silver Star TM & © Jack Kirby Estate • Lord of Light © Roger Zelazny • Mandrake the Magician TM & © King Features Syndicate, Inc. • Dr. Mortalis TM & © Empire International Pictures • Roxie’s Raiders, other animation presentation pieces TM & © Ruby Spears Productions

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[above] Illo of Darkseid, created at 1984’s San Diego Comic-Con. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions. The Jack Kirby Collector, Vol. 30, No. 89, Spring 2024. Published quarterly (or is it?) by and © TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. 919-449-0344. John Morrow, Editor/Publisher. Single issues: $15 postpaid US ($19 elsewhere). Four-issue subscriptions: $53 Economy US, $78 International, $19 Digital. Editorial package © TwoMorrows Publishing, a division of TwoMorrows Inc. All characters are trademarks of their respective companies. All Kirby artwork is © Jack Kirby Estate unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter is © the respective authors. Views expressed here are those of the respective authors, and not necessarily those of TwoMorrows Publishing or the Jack Kirby Estate. First printing. PRINTED IN CHINA. ISSN 1932-6912

Conspiratorial

Secrets Admirer

Editor John Morrow co-conspired with Richard Kolkman to write this... or did he?

Joseph Heller, in his book Catch-22, famously wrote, “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” That can oddly describe the fine line we walk in comics history, trying to ferret out the behind-the-scene secrets of our favorite comics and creators. I try to stay open to new information as it comes to light, but we all should still keep a skeptical view of explosive new details that seem to fall out of the sky. So if sensationalism is what you were looking for this issue... well, you came to the wrong place. Instead, I’m taking a softer approach (sort of like how Darkseid on this issue’s cover is Jack’s “kinder, gentler” 1980s version, compared to his more sinister, craggy debut in 1971). Instead of reallife intrigue, this issue’s more about admiring the secrets that Jack worked into his own comics stories, even if they’re unproven, and just in the realm of fan theory. Nothing sparked my curiosity on this as much at Robert Guffey’s “G-Bomb” article on... well, just read it, and you’ll see what I mean. I don’t want to spill the beans. Secret Societies permeate Jack’s work—groups like Hydra, A.I.M. (a division of THEM, as was the Secret Empire), and even the Ninth Men of the Secret City Saga (which has the word “secret” right in its title!). Then there’s the Prisoner, which is exactly the kind of conspiracy I’m talking about—but we’ve covered that series in-depth previously, and it was only one unpublished issue. Weren’t the original X-Men operating in secret from Professor Xavier’s school? And The Inhumans were said to be hidden from mankind in the Himalayas/Andes—do they qualify? What about the Sect of “Billion Dollars Bates” in Forever People #8, or Morgaine le Fay’s mystic army in Demon #1? And the Taurey group from the “Madbomb” saga in Captain America #193–200 was organized, secret, and definitely conspiring! The Global Peace Agency from OMAC worked in public, presumably for the greater good, but their identities were completely hidden. Richard Kolkman clued me in to John Lennon’s 1969 art concept “bagism.” Related to his and Yoko’s bed-ins, their satirical stance was that by living completely inside a bag, a person could not be judged by their skin color or physical appearance: only ideas would matter. Was this Jack’s inspiration for the GPA? As you can see, there’s a lot of room for theorizing in this issue, and that’s a big part of the fun of reading Kirby comics. Slowly learning the secrets Jack reveals, as he leads up to a climatic battle or story ending, is almost as good as seeing his bombastic art play out on a page. And reexamining his work to find new “evidence” is what this issue’s about. So enjoy this exercise, and do your part to spread the word about Jack’s genius—remember, you’re not sworn to secrecy! H

onsidering the sensationalistic sound of this issue’s theme, I wouldn’t be surprised if you came here expecting the 411 on how Timely Comics cheated Simon & Kirby out of their royalties on Captain America Comics, and Prize/ Crestwood cooked its books to keep from paying Joe and Jack money, and the “Marvel Method” was a secret conspiracy to scam artists out of cash and credit, and who in the 1970s Marvel offices plotted to make Jack’s books fail, and the identity of a forger who once created fake originals of key Marvel Comics covers... I could go on and on. As Mark Evanier says in this issue’s Kirby Tribute Panel, “There’s such a thing as history,” and there’s certainly no shortage of dirt to dig up about nefarious dealings surrounding Jack’s career. The amount of knowledge that’s come to light since I published the first issue of TJKC is staggering, but there’s still a lot more to learn about all those topics, and they’ll continue to be covered in future issues. So much of what we know is still in the realm of hearsay, that I hesitated to even mention those here, since there are already so many theories floating around fandom about all of the above... ...which begs the question: When does a theory cross over into being a “conspiracy theory”? A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that relies on the belief that there’s a secret plan by a group behind it all. It’s usually based on incomplete or inaccurate information, replaced by what someone “feels” instead of what is proven. Take the Lord of Light film/theme park fiasco. We first covered that project back in TJKC #11 in 1996, when it looked like it was just a failed business opportunity that Jack drew artwork for. There was a hint of some criminal dealings behind it, and one of the principals was found guilty of embezzling production funds—which led to all kinds of speculation of other unscrupulous events that contributed to the project’s collapse. But as Mark Twain noted, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” and it wasn’t until a 2007 Wired magazine article was published, that we learned the CIA used the movie’s production materials in 1979 as a cover to get into Iran to rescue Americans trapped in the Canadian embassy there. Ben Affleck bought the rights to that Wired article, and made the 2012 film Argo based on it, which went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. That’s a crazy story, and as far as we know now, it’s true. But if you’d have pitched that notion to me back in 1996, I would have laughed it off as a conspiracy theory—and at that point, without the evidence we have now, it would’ve been just that. It took another decade before we Kirby fans discovered there was a lot more to the Lord of Light story, and now, almost thirty years later, we may not know it all yet.

[left] Kirby’s rendition (inked by Mike Royer) of “Sam” for the 1978 Lord of Light project.

Innerview

Kirby Interview, Part 2

Conducted by James Van Hise for his article in Comics Feature #34 (1985) • Part 1 appeared in TJKC #87 Thanks to James, and to Jim Van Heuklon for his assistance in facilitating the original transcript

[Based on Jack’s comments herein, this interview took place in late 1984, between his work on Super Powers I #5 and Hunger Dogs.]

those books, I created another army of characters, which is still popular today. VAN HISE: Why did you leave DC before it was actually completed? Because you just now came back. KIRBY: Let’s say there’s a dark side to comics. It involves personalities, differences, a lot of things. It has nothing to do with creating characters and stories. And those things can develop, so you’ve got to meet those things head-on, and I did. I made decisions about those things about as easily as I made decisions about a story.

JAMES VAN HISE: How much were you involved with the creation of a lot of the Marvel heroes. Were you in on... ? JACK KIRBY: When I came up to Marvel, they were just about closing up. I had them all. It was a kind of last gasp of the DC thing. When I came up there, I came up there after Classics [Illustrated]. There was nowhere else to go but Marvel. And I found that they were gonna close that very afternoon. I told them not to do it. Marvel was a VAN HISE: When you case of survival. Initially came back to Marvel I did the monster stories after working with DC, or whatever they had. other than doing the I guaranteed them that Eternals, were there I’d sell their magazines. other goals you wanted Detail of Jack’s pencils from Eternals #14 (Aug. 1977), sort of featuring the Hulk. And I did. They began to to achieve besides doing liven up a bit, I suppose. I knew they were lacking the super-heroes. your own characters? Nobody had done [them] in many, many a year. After the war, the KIRBY: No. My goals had been achieved. I’m not out to achieve super-heroes kind of faded. And of course, Spiderman is mine. The goals. I’m a guy with a job. Doing my own books wasn’t a goal; I Hulk is mine. They’re all mine. With Spiderman, I couldn’t handle just wanted to do something different. I knew that if I did the same that. I was handling everything else. I was handling the entire line. old thing, that it wouldn’t help DC. My job was to help DC. That’s Spiderman was give to Ditko, who did a wonderful job on it. I develwhat I was there for. In fact, they came out to California to see me. It oped Spiderman. Ditko’s style sold Spider-Man. Ditko’s stories, would certainly have been stupid of me to disappoint them. I didn’t which were wonderful, developed Spider-Man. Ditko did the Spiderwant to disappoint them. I wanted to give them something beyond Man that’s popular with everybody today. It’s Ditko in Spider-Man the stuff they had. The stuff they had wasn’t making it. I had to give that does it. them something different in order to make it, and I had to make it. That’s a tough thing to do. And so I did it. VAN HISE: He left Marvel. Did you ever consider taking on the book yourself? VAN HISE: What chance did they offer you by doing the New Gods KIRBY: No, I got involved in other things. I got involved with the that you couldn’t have accomplished by doing the New Gods at New Gods. I wanted to do something different. I’m an experimenter, Marvel? basically. I wanted to do the first novel in comics. And I did it in KIRBY: There’s a whole ’nother story that I’m not telling you. All I’m the New Gods. In four books, I did the New Gods, the Forever People, telling you is just what I do, editorially. And that whole ’nother story Jimmy Olsen, and Mister Miracle. The DC people came to me here in is a different kind of a story. So... California. I was still with Marvel. And they said, “Well, Superman is VAN HISE: Is that the story about people basically taking credit for dying, Time magazine says Superman can’t carry the line. Would you work you had done? like to do a Superman?” I says, ‘No, I don’t want to do Superman.’ KIRBY: It’s part of that. When other people interfere with your work, The guy said, “But you’re doing a good job.” I said, ‘I like to do my you apply at another company. own books. I like to do my own writing. I’d like to do something new.’ I says, ‘What’s your worst book?’ It was Jimmy Olsen. I says, VAN HISE: When you did the Eternals, was there a reason why the ‘Give me Jimmy Olsen.’ I took Jimmy Olsen and incorporated Jimmy only established Marvel character you used in it was Nick Fury? Olsen with the god books. And of course, Jimmy Olsen sold very Because even when the Hulk appeared, it was actually a robot Hulk. well. All the books connected with the New Gods sold well. And from KIRBY: Well, it was a gimmick. It was the Hulk because I felt it was 3

KIRBY: No, I haven’t followed it at all. I don’t know what Marvel’s doing. Somebody now has his own concept that’s probably different from mine, and it doesn’t interest me. The only thing that interests me is what I’m doing. It’s not a matter of being so-so, it’s a matter of my interpreting the other guy. My main purpose is not me, it’s you. Whereas the other artist is satisfying maybe his own way of drawing. Maybe he wants to be a good artist. Maybe he wants to be a good storyteller. Maybe he wants to be a good inker. That’s his own ambition. My ambition is to touch people, and make them read my book.

a different way to use the Hulk. If I used the ordinary Hulk, it would have been an entirely different type of approach and an entirely different type of story. I didn’t want that. I wanted an approach where the Eternals were the main characters. Therefore, if I used the Hulk as the Hulk himself, he would have maybe been adding to the cast, and I wanted a Hulk story in which the Eternals were the principal characters. A robot Hulk is a robot Hulk to be contended with, not part of the main cast. The Hulk himself would have had to have been part of the main cast. VAN HISE: You were doing stories that were very large in scope and involved things that were affecting the whole world. The only other Marvel character they were seeing was Nick Fury. How come the other Marvel characters aren’t being affected by these global-spanning events? KIRBY: The Eternals was a different type of story. Sergeant Fury had his own context. I never gave him a mystic touch. There was never any mysticism. It was out-and-out spy stuff. There was a place where I had to be clever. This was the place where I started being clever. The Eternals was the place where I started being mystic. What I sincerely think is moving in the root cores of all of us—that’s a big subject. I had to be sincere about it. It was a little take-off on Chariots of the Gods, too. Chariots of the Gods [1968, by Erich von Däniken] left a question of mystery, and I felt that might be a possible scenario, that maybe gods did come down. What if gods did come down? And that was my scenario, about what might happen. Perhaps they never will. Perhaps they’re still here, stored in a chamber where they have an atomic pattern. And when the atomic pattern is reactivated, they’ll reappear, and then life might get very interesting. [Editor’s note: Sounds like the Secret City Saga, above right.]

VAN HISE: When you left Marvel and the Eternals, you didn’t come back to comics for a while; why is that? Because it was a while before you did anything for Pacific or anything like that. KIRBY: I was out in California. I was doing animation. I’d done concepts. I did some storyboarding on the Fantastic Four [below, from the “Blastaar the Living Bomb Burst”episode, which aired on April 12, 1978]. But that was the only time I ever did it. I remember it was very thorough stuff. It wasn’t sketching. I basically did concepts and ideas. I created characters. I give a valid reason for their creations. I created machinery. I gave a valid reason for their kind of personality. Devil Dinosaur—I used to get a lot of flak on Devil Dinosaur.

VAN HISE: Have you followed at all what Marvel has done with the Eternals concept?

Why? Because dinosaurs were never intelligent, and this dinosaur cooperated with humans, which I thought was maybe the stage that man was in. Because there’s a gap there that has never been filled, you see. Man wasn’t around when dinosaurs were around? I don’t believe that. I believe that man saw dinosaurs, and that the dinosaur was around for 750 million years. He certainly had the intelligence of a dog. He could at least develop that. Dinosaurs were around a long, long time. We were only around, at the most, ten million years. Look what we’ve done in ten million years. And here was the dinosaur, around for 750 million years. That’s a long, long time. You mean to tell me that he couldn’t develop the intelligence of a dog? In 750 million years? I don’t believe that. VAN HISE: In the 2001 comic, why is it toward the end of the run of the comic, it basically becomes Machine Man, rather than dealing with the recurring appearances of the Star Child? KIRBY: I felt that computer was kind of more important to the strip than the Star Child. I feel that we’re not Star Children; I feel that we are headed toward the Machine Age, in which machines will do all the things for us. We don’t take the hazards that the machine would do, and that’s why I feel that someday we’ll have to create new computers—computers maybe that look like men. They’ll do a lot for us. They do all the tough work. They might be so sophisticated that they give us trouble. I think we’re heading into other areas and the machine is all a part. They talk about us going into [deep] space. I don’t believe it. I don’t think man would want to take that risk, because of all the things that can go wrong. A man can’t breathe in space. A machine? It doesn’t matter. Space walking for us is dangerous, but a machine can do it like a snap. Have machine men go out—like Hal the computer. That’s why I felt Hal was a lot more important than the man. Because Hal, it’s not the next step in man, but it’s going to be man’s greatest tool. And man’s greatest tool is going to be part of himself. And that’s why Hal is perfectly correct in killing these guys, “because I can do the job better.” And that’s the way a machine would think. A machine is logical. It said, “I can do this mission better than you can.” And when the men resisted, it changed one man into the Star Child. And the other man resisted and died. The machine, of course, has no guilt, no remorse, and the machine has not the emotions we have, or the background we have, and therefore can think like a machine, strictly logical. He’s not going to think like us at all. And it was perfectly logical to do that. And Hal could run that mission better than the guys. And so he did what he thought had to be done. It was the machine’s choice. Hal was sophisticated enough to do it. VAN HISE: Have you read 2010? KIRBY: No, I haven’t. I had the script for 2001. I added a few things myself, like the poem; a few other things. I feel the machine, of course, is very, very important. I think the machine will do the job for us—think for us, fight for us; it’ll do everything for us that we will allow it to do. Now, there are things we won’t want to do ourselves. We couldn’t live on Jupiter, but a machine could. We’d get killed on Jupiter. If I sat on a chair on Jupiter and fell out of my chair, the gravity is so heavy, it would kill me. But we could build a machine that could resist

that, and find it very, very comfortable on Jupiter. VAN HISE: When you returned to comics, what was it that made you choose Pacific over...? KIRBY: Well, Pacific gave me the kind of deal I wanted. And they kept to the deal. Pacific is a fine organization. I don’t know how they operate. I don’t know how they’re getting along there, but that’s not my domain. My domain is giving them my own stuff. I’m not involved in their business, and they’re not involved in mine. [Note: Pacific closed its doors in September 1984.] VAN HISE: What made you decide to return to DC finally? KIRBY: It was an offer. It was strictly a business offer. DC was fair. Like I say, I believe in fairness. DC was very fair with me. I think they work well together, they’ve got a good organization, and at least I found that everything worked smoothly. We cooperated, and if you can do better than that anywhere, I’d like to see it done. So they cooperated with me, and I cooperated with them, and whatever the job was, we got it done. VAN HISE: What other plans do you have for DC beyond the...? 5

[above] Jack did get a final shot at the Challengers of the Unknown in 1985’s DC Comics Presents #84, finishing a story by Alex Toth meant for Adventure Comics #498. Though Jack was requiring Greg Theakston to ink on vellum overlays at this point, this is on bristol board, and no xerox of the above cover pencils exists that we’re aware of—plus, this original art only has Greg’s byline. Also, compare Ace Morgan on the cover (which looks like a George Tuska swipe) to his appearance in the story (inset). Assuming Jack drew this, Greg obviously did some major reworking on it.

KIRBY: I couldn’t say. Nothing as involved as that. There was talk of a Masters series. I don’t know what beyond that.

U.S. Grant doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell against Goliath. And Orion is the embodiment of all of us. Orion is the embodiment of all our frustrations. Here is an evil god who’s brought up by good people. Here is a murderer, a killer, who’s brought up by wonderful, good people on New Genesis. Can you imagine the frustration of Orion that makes him into the kind of a killer that can’t stop? He’s a kind of ultimate destructor. And of course, if you take the people, the masses, Orion represents masses of people. And if you frustrate him long enough, grind him down and get him into a frustrated mood, then you’re going to get an explosion. It is about people. When Orion explodes, he kills everything in sight.

VAN HISE: Are there any other characters that you would like to try your hand at? KIRBY: Sure. I would do Batman. I would do any other character that I haven’t done. He’s been done so thoroughly, that I would add something to Batman. VAN HISE: Do you think that character’s more locked down? KIRBY: Oh, sure. Everybody’s had a crack at Batman and Superman. It’s not that I couldn’t do anything more for them, but it’s something I don’t want to experiment with. I feel like Superman’s perfect. I feel like Batman is perfect. I wouldn’t do them. I don’t meddle with things that work.

VAN HISE: What are you doing to wrap up the New Gods saga? Is that the wrap-up you had originally [planned]? Or had you intended it to go longer if you had stayed at DC? KIRBY: I closed it out my way. Whatever I left, DC can go on with it, if it likes. In comics, they’ve proved that they can always resurrect characters. In other words, you can’t kill a character in comics. Captain America himself was missing for a long time. And I resurrected him. I’m sure they can find a way to resurrect Bucky, or Dr. Doom—he’s already been resurrected about four times. So it’s up to DC. Whatever job I’ve done there, I’ve done and I’ve done it well. I’ve given them very, very good material. I’ve given them intriguing situations. I’ve given them representations of all of us, and I feel that’s never been done in comics. So that’s the way I feel as a human being. I’ve seen some have a great time. I’ve seen some suffer. I’ve seen some frustrated. I do it because the gods represent all of us.

VAN HISE: What about returning to Challengers of the Unknown, which they’re not doing anything with? KIRBY: Well, I’d like to go on to something new. There’s something new I’d like to explore. I think that something new hasn’t been done. And I’ve got some ideas on those, some things in mind. I can’t divulge them now. VAN HISE: You did that one issue of Super Powers [#5, Nov. 1984]. KIRBY: Yes, I did. That was part of the arrangement with the New Gods. And I was the father of that. VAN HISE: How many pages is the [Hunger Dogs] Graphic Novel [June 1985]? KIRBY: 62. It’ll be a very, very good book. It has a theme that’s never been used in comics. It has a theme that’s never been used in anything. It’s very, very important.

VAN HISE: Are you involved in this kind of round-robin project with Mark Evanier [1985’s DC Challenge]—where different writers and artists are going to be working on each issue of a mini-series? KIRBY: No, I’m involved in what I choose to be involved in. I don’t know anything about that. It’s not in my plans.

VAN HISE: What is it? KIRBY: Us. We write about all the people who are really unimportant in this. We’re the ones who are the most important. And we’re the ones that win wars. In the Hunger Dogs, I show that.

VAN HISE: Because it would be just basically the people who agreed to be involved... KIRBY: Well, that’s an interesting way to do it. But no, I’m not involved. No one’s told me about it. I’m involved with what I choose to be involved in.

VAN HISE: Are you referring to the masses of people who carry out the plans? KIRBY: Oh, yes. They’re important. If I were to do a [motion] picture, I’d do a [motion] picture on the Hunger Dogs. I wouldn’t do a [motion] picture about a General. I wouldn’t do a [motion] picture about a king. I wouldn’t do a [motion] picture about a prince. Because they embody nothing but themselves. They’re the power people. They’re the ones that cause suffering. They are the ones that cause liberation, but they don’t do it by themselves. They’re not the ones that win it or lose it. They’re unimportant, really. You can take King Arthur and throw him out the window.

VAN HISE: Are there any creative people still working in comics that you haven’t worked with, that you’d like to? KIRBY: No, I don’t believe so. I believe there are guys who haven’t been given time [to develop]. Comics today is to be working on one project, then the next. They don’t give you time to develop. I had all the time I wanted to work on anything I wanted. I wrote comics... I gave them the story. I was given the time to develop. And that time is lacking now.

VAN HISE: Yes, the characters you’ve written about are generally the larger-than-life characters who basically embody something within themselves, and they carry out actions often by themselves to achieve goals by themselves. KIRBY: Yes, they achieve goals by themselves. What they carry transcends all power characters.

VAN HISE: Whatever became of the theme park you did design drawings for? KIRBY: I had nothing to do with the production. VAN HISE: They’re still trying to get it off the ground? KIRBY: Yeah, they hired me to do visuals for them. I did and that’s 6

all. That’s my only [involvement]. Doing a movie takes a long time. Sometimes it takes a shorter time.

to think that we would... why reflect on it? I concentrate on what I like. If people want to be sleazy, that’s fine. Maybe that’s all they’ve known. I pity them for that. I’ve know sleaze, but I didn’t have to live with it. I’ve know ugliness, but I didn’t have to live with it. I’ve know suffering, but I didn’t have to live with that, either. I like to live with those things out of my way.

VAN HISE: Have you ever had the opportunity to get involved with motion pictures outside of...? KIRBY: Yeah. I’ve been going to the movies since I was able to sneak into a theater.

VAN HISE: Are there any movies you’d like to do your own comic book version of, the way you did 2001? KIRBY: Sure. I would do 2001 differently. I’m not knocking Arthur C. Clarke. He’s a wonderful writer and what he did was good. I might treat Hal differently. I might treat the outcome differently. I know A.C. Clarke. He’s a wonderful guy. And 2010 will be a wonderful picture. I’ll go see it myself. I’m very interested to see what he does with that Star Child. Because it’s a [good] concept, but what I would do would be completely different and possibly have it lead us to the [future]. I think that’s what makes us all [unique]. We can all see the same idea in different ways.

VAN HISE: Has anyone ever approached you for doing storyboards for movies? KIRBY: Yeah. VAN HISE: Can you name them? KIRBY: No. Ugly. Depressing. Negative. Amateurishly done. Just made for the buck. I’m not knocking the buck, but I’m not going to pull my pants down in the street either. VAN HISE: You didn’t think you could affect it at all? KIRBY: No, because I had no part in the script. I had no part in writing it. All I had to do was draw what was represented on the screen. I had no objection to that. But I didn’t [fully understand] the kind of picture it was. I didn’t like it. And sure enough, those pictures didn’t last very long. They went on and off the screen in a hurry. I’m no better than you are in that kind of situation. If it looks ugly to me, I’m going to walk out. If it looks foolish to me, I’m going to walk out. There was one picture I was watching, and you get the idea that the cast of the picture is going to be just like that... and I said, “Let’s go now.” It was something I didn’t like.

VAN HISE: Are there many science-fiction writers that you read, whose concepts you do find interesting? KIRBY: Yes, a lot. A lot of them do things I would do. A lot work from the positive angle. They look for the positive answers to mysteries that we know nothing about. VAN HISE: In the late ’60s, you did a comic strip in Esquire. KIRBY: Yes, that was the one about Jack Ruby and his known movements in the days before he shot Oswald. Esquire offered me the assignment. I took it because it would be something different from comics. H

VAN HISE: Don’t you think, though, that sometimes when that’s done, that’s done as a cautionary view? KIRBY: No. This picture was doing exactly as the writer thought things were going to happen, precautionary. No, these were the writer’s prejudgments of the future. I don’t think the writers... they were too bitter. I see something altogether different. I’m too smart

[previous page] A rough drawing of the character Dr. Mortalis, for movie-maker Charles Band’s Empire Pictures—likely one of the projects Jack is referring to here. [above] Jack’s character development for the almost-produced Roxie’s Raiders animated series from Ruby-Spears Productions. Big Hands did drop his pants here!

ANalysEZ

Heaven’s Gate Double Down The failure of Marvel Studios’ Inhumans & Eternals, dissected by Michael James Zuccaro

s a decades-plus personal friend and business associate of Jack’s, I was most compelled to strongly defend what was haphazardly done to these two specific TV/movie adaptations of two super groups he was so instrumental in creating: The Inhumans and The Eternals. Both of these, in my opinion, had incredible potential, had they stuck much closer to the source material Jack created. The Heaven’s Gate of my title is in reference to the 1980 United Artists Western directed by Michael Cimino, which was the quintessential Hollywood Bomb that nearly took down the studio at the time, long before Sony acquired it. Let’s start with first Marvel misstep, 2017’s The Inhumans. Birthed in the pages of The Fantastic Four, like the MCU’s The Black Panther, this had great expectations to be another big success for Disney/ABC/Marvel in the footsteps of HBO’S Game Of Thrones. They took a very unique launch by showing the pilot episode with IMAX footage in theaters, first on the biggest screen, down to the

smallest screens: your phones and tablets. It started out interesting, but then took a death spiral for a multitude of reasons. First, the costumes weren’t as Kirbyesque as they should have been. Second, the bleakly stark sets. Third, the absence of Kirbyesque machinery and devices— Medusa with her most unique of super-powers, her manipulable hair, was way prematurely given a crewcut via decree by Maximus The Mad. Whose brilliant mistake was that, I wonder? Most likely, this story element was a nod to Samson and Delilah. I have only good things to say about casting and the Hawaiian location. Like the cast of the second and third Fantastic Four movies (we’ll just forget the unreleased 1994 Roger Corman fiasco), I would like to see this cast get a second shot at bringing the Inhumans to life, with better writing, costumes and sets. Bottom line here: failure was due to not sticking very closely to the original Kirby incarnations. When the movie was shown here in Hollywood, they had a life-size model of Lockjaw on display. Sadly, Disney most likely has a warehouse full of languishing Lockjaw plush replicas (as shown in the photo at left) that didn’t sell, and went right down the pop consumer chute. And now to the Giant-Size Marvel Misstep: 2021’s The Eternals. Prior to its release, Disney/Marvel did an excellent tribute to Jack at the Walt Disney World® Resort, with an extensive exhibit including his drawing board, and promotional banners of the characters throughout the park, as shown back in TJKC #78. Most impressive and respectful was putting The King next to Mr. House of Mouse himself, Walt Disney, on the marquee! However, I take umbrage with those theme park banners that read “Disney Legend.” Let’s be clear; Jack was a Marvel Legend and DC Legend! I don’t believe possession of a major chunk of one’s life’s work gives one permission to rewrite history. After this promising and proper due, with an exhibit and art of the original Eternals as Jack envisioned them, it all goes in reverse! The plot, characters, and technology bear little resemble to Jack’s original run. The plot was slow, jumbled, confusing, and lacked the breakneck action Jack was famous for.

My biggest beef regarding the cast was the change of gender in Ajak. Why?! Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Salma Hayek [far right]. This isn’t about her very capable acting skills. I’m also for more female super-heroes, and Jack created his share of them. However, I think I know what he would do— same as I would: create a new character. If they had to add another character, let it be Ajak’s girlfriend or wife, named (wait for it) Ajil! I could continue to dissect the non-Kirby characters that I wouldn’t have put in the film, but that isn’t the purpose of this article. I would have had the costumes be exactly as Jack created them, and as far as the lack of technology, and in particular transportation vehicles—who here doesn’t know Jack would never draw the plain triangular spaceship featured in the film? Clocking in at 2 hours and 36 minutes, it truly was an ordeal to watch to the end. I actually bought the movie to watch when theaters were closed during the pandemic, with high hopes—now dashed. As Charlie Brown would aptly say: ARRGGGH! So in conclusion, what does this Double Feature Disaster have in common? Simply not staying close to The Source. Jack once told me he always saw comics as movies on paper, and there was no better producer/director of those than The King! But I have to be honest and say I am glad he and Roz aren’t here to see these two turkeys this November! H

HELP THE KIRBY MUSEUM BUILD ITS COLLECTIONS WEBSITE: kirbym.us/e/coll Design for the new Kirby Museum Collections website is underway, with thousands of images and catalog data to encourage the study of Jack Kirby. Donate to make this available for historians, researchers, the media, and every Kirby enthusiast in the world! The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby by:

Annual Memberships with one of these posters: $50

• illustrating the scope of Kirby’s multi-faceted career, • communicating the stories, inspirations and influences of Jack Kirby, • celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations, and • building understanding of comic books and comic book creators. To this end, the Museum will sponsor and otherwise support study, teaching, conferences, discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications and cinematic, theatrical or multimedia productions.

[left] A dangling plot thread from The Eternals may still pay off in the future. In one of the Disney+ SheHulk episodes, there was an Easter Egg on a computer screen, with a headline stating “Why is there a giant statue of a man sticking out of the ocean?”—a reference to this scene from the end of the film. [above] It remains to be seen if/ when the Inhumans will reappear in the MCU, but actor Anson Mount got to cameo as a fully-garbed Black Bolt in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness [right].

Captain America—23” x 29” 1941 Captain America—14” x 23”

or this: $70

Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center PO Box 5236 Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA Telephone: (201) 204-0532 Board Of Trustees Tom Kraft: President Ra ndolph Hoppe: Treasurer/Acting Director Mike Cecchini: Secretary All characters TM © their respective owners.

Fighting American print silkscreened in Switzerland 23” x 19”

*Please add $10 for memberships outside the US, to cover additional postage costs. Posters come “as-is” and may not be in mint condition.

Mark Evanier

JACK F.A.Q.s

A column answering Frequently Asked Questions about Kirby

2023 Comic-Con International Kirby Tribute Panel Held on Sunday, July 23, 2023 at Comic-Con International: San Diego Featuring [left to right] moderator Mark Evanier, Jeremy Kirby, Bruce Simon, Mark Badger, Jon B. Cooke, and (not shown) Paul S. Levine Transcribed by S.E. Dogaru, and copyedited by Mark Evanier and John Morrow • Photos by Chris Ng and John Morrow

[above] The 9th volume of Fantagraphics’ complete Pogo reprints goes on sale Summer 2024, edited by Mark Evanier. [right] Mark Evanier’s two-part biography of Jack, published in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1059–1060 (March 4 and 11, 1994). [next page, top] The program book for Jack’s surprise 70th birthday party at the 1987 Comic-Con International. [next page, bottom] While some ComicCon attendees could be considered strange desert people, these aren’t them—but instead, a 1980s animation concept by Jack.

MARK EVANIER: I look forward to this more than any panel at this convention. This is panel number ten for me at this convention; I’ve got four more after this one. [applause] This is my favorite because, first of all, it’s nice to be in a room full of people who appreciate Jack Kirby. People who appreciate Jack Kirby are some of the smartest, brightest people in the world. [applause] As many of you know, I spent twenty years of my life with Walt Kelly’s daughter. And when Roz Kirby passed away and I went to the funeral, I brought Carolyn Kelly with me. I introduced Carolyn to [Jack’s daughter] Lisa Kirby. So we had the DNA of the greatest funny animal artist in the world meeting the DNA of the greatest super-hero adventure artist in the world. And I was thinking, if you could somehow clone these two things and cross-pollinate them, we’d grow a new Wally Wood. [laughter] So we are going to talk about Jack for as long as they let us have this room. Let me introduce you to the panel here, folks: this is Jeremy Kirby, Jack’s grandson. [applause] This is my longtime friend, and cartoonist, and Kirby expert, Mr. Bruce Simon. [applause] Another great artist, and another Kirby scholar, Mr. Mark Badger. [applause] This is the great comics historian and the author of probably the best book I’ve seen on comic book history—if you haven’t seen the Charlton Companion, get that book. That is one of the best researched books I have ever seen about comics. This is Jon Cooke. [applause] And the attorney who represented Jack for a while, and later 10

represented the Rosalind Kirby Trust, and full disclosure, represents me, Mr. Paul S. Levine. [applause] We will be joined shortly by Tom King, who’s off somewhere polishing his many Eisner awards. [laughter] I will try to keep my opening remarks fairly brief, because we’ve got a lot of panelists here, but I want to read you—I got an e-mail this morning from Jim Van Hise. Is Jim here by any chance? Okay. I need my glasses to read the incredibly tiny type on this. “Over on Bob Beerbohm’s Facebook page, I mentioned your [Comics Buyer’s Guide] obituary for Jack, and we talked about how Timely screwed Simon and Kirby out of their royalties on Captain America. Someone posted he doesn’t believe that story because Jack never mentioned it in any interview, and claims it was just something Joe Simon made up. Perhaps something for your Jack Kirby tribute panel today?” Joe Simon did not make that up. The fact that Jack never said it in an interview does not mean it didn’t happen. There’s lots of stuff about Jack Kirby that he never said in interviews. There were a bunch of quotes that I was fortunate enough to be present for, and was able to remember. One was his prediction for the future

the fact that some kid who was reading comics didn’t know what he’d done—that mattered a little bit, but what mattered more was his income, his ability to provide for his family that was harmed by the fact that he was not able to get the kind of deal that he felt he was entitled to, and that a lot of people later at Marvel would’ve given him gladly, if they’d been in charge at the time. Remember that the last straw that drove Jack away from Marvel in 1969, was a lawyer who basically said, “We don’t need you, anybody can do what you do. All you do is just draw what Stan told you to draw.” That lawyer not understanding what Jack did, was damaging to Jack and was also damaging to Marvel. Jack didn’t really care that much about people saying he was a great artist. He wanted people to recognize that he created properties, which at that time, he predicted would be worth billions of dollars. People laughed at him, and guess what they’re worth now? Anyway, we have with us Jeremy Kirby. Jeremy, would you like to say anything about recent documentaries that are around? JEREMY KIRBY: Yeah, absolutely. I would like to thank every single person in this room, obviously, for being here. You guys are awesome, and it really inspires us to keep my grandfather’s legacy alive.

of the San Diego con. You know that one, right? And the story when he read in some fanzine of some kid who was taking over a Kirby comic like Captain America, and he wanted to do stories “in the Kirby tradition.” And Jack said, “The kid doesn’t get it. The Kirby Tradition is to create a new comic.” [laughter] And so I was there for that. I sometimes see people say, “Well, we can’t possibly know what happened between Lee and Kirby in those rooms, because it’s just those two men were there, and nobody else was there.” In the same way, “We can’t possibly know who shot Abraham Lincoln. You can’t possibly know, you weren’t there when Adolf Hitler allegedly did all those terrible things.” There’s such a thing as history. If you don’t trust observers and scholars and data and things that were written contemporaneously, you’re more or less giving up the whole concept of history. One of the reasons that I have some of the viewpoints I have on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby—which I am finishing soon—is that I think I’m the only person alive who ever worked for both men. I spent an awful lot of time talking to them. And both of them were different men when they didn’t have a tape recorder running and a microphone shoved in their face in public. Stan Lee, when he was interviewed in public, was trying to project a certain image, not just so much for the fans, but for whoever owned Marvel at the time and would buy it next. This is an important thing to remember. People sometimes say, “What do you mean Stan never gave Jack his credit? In those Bullpen pages, he said Jack was a brilliant artist.” Yeah, but the people who ran Marvel at the time, the people who Jack counted on for a fair deal in his employment, did not understand what Jack had done, and what he had contributed to that company. And that was the thing that pissed Jack off. That was the issue, it was not 11

Because we do it not just for ourselves, but for each and every one of you that are here today that inspire us. So thank you all so much. About some of the recent documentaries, really all I’d like to say is kind of the point that Mark just made, which—throughout the years it was almost like, especially with that one lawyer, “Hey, we could get anyone to draw someone else’s ideas,” because they didn’t understand that my grandfather was not just an artist, he was a creator. And that’s what he did. He created umpteen amount of ideas that we all have come to know and love. And that’s what we want preserved. It’s not just the art, the art speaks for itself. But the fact that he was the creative force and creative drive behind so many of these ideas. And there’s a ton to go around, a ton of characters that we can give credit to multiple people for, that no one needs to step on each other’s toes. But the bare minimum is that my grandfather was this driving force, this initial spark for so many ideas that he does not to this day still get credit for. That’s what’s important, and that’s what we want, though. So that’s all I really have to say about that, and I thank you guys for being here.

of direct sources, and secondhand observers and such. And I think I have a real good memory, and I remember a lot of this stuff. Bruce, how long have you known me? BRUCE SIMON [right]: Known you? About 55, maybe 56 years. EVANIER: The fact that I asked him proves I don’t have a great memory for this stuff. [laughter] I remember very vividly an awful lot of stuff… BRUCE: You do. EVANIER: …and our mutual dear friend, Steve Sherman. If you’ve never watched the interview I did with Steve that was on YouTube and on my website, please watch that, because you will understand what a wonderful guy Steve was—and I’m so glad I did that interview with Steve. Because you will get the essence of this man and how bright he was and how benevolent he was. I think I [only] saw Steve being angry once or twice for about three minutes.

EVANIER: I wish that some of you would have heard some of the conversations I had with Stan Lee over the years. Stan and I had a little contentious relationship. There was a time he got very mad at me, and a time I got very mad at him, and I don’t get very mad very often. And he could be a very charming man. If you went up to him and said, “Oh, Mr. Lee, I love your comics. I really worship what you’ve done,” he would be incredibly nice to you. You would come away feeling very good that Stan Lee looked you in the eye and talked to you like a human being—he did not disappoint people who met him. That’s not true of a lot of people that we admire; sometimes there are people I admired as a kid who I wish I had not met. [laughter] A lot of my belief as to who did what in the Lee/Kirby relationship is based on private conversations. If you took the most generous thing Stan said about Jack—which he would never say in public, and never say in print, but would say it to me over lunch—and you took the most generous thing that Jack said about Stan, they weren’t that far apart. They were far apart in their definitions of some words like “writer” or “creator,” using different definitions of what that meant. But once you understood that they were using a word in different ways—it’s like we have this word now, “woke.” I don’t see any two people using that word with the same definition. It means all sorts of different things. It’s the reason that Ron DeSantis will not give a definition of it, because he doesn’t want to alienate any possible followers who say, “Wait, that’s not my definition of it.” But there wasn’t that much difference between Stan and Jack as to who actually did what, it’s more a difference of what qualifies as the word “creator” or “writer.” But Stan, who didn’t want me to think ill of him at times, would say to me over and over again, “Jack came up with all those storylines, Jack came up with all these ideas, he brought in all those characters.” I don’t quote that too much, because every time I said it, someone called me a liar, because I had no witness to it. Like the guy who says, “Well, if Jack didn’t say it in an interview, it couldn’t have happened.” Well, it could have happened. And, you know, history is made up of a lot

BRUCE: Steve was a great sounding board for Jack over the years. And he kept his ear to the ground and passed on to Jack what was going on. And before I go on about Steve, for a second, I want to associate myself with Mark’s opening statement. In the past decade, there’s been an army of researchers and writers and people doing a close reading of all the early books, looking at all the original art, looking at all of Jack’s margin notes, and they have done an amazing job of bringing out a lot of facts and a lot of pieces of the puzzle that can only be seen by doing that. And that being said, I appreciate that. I don’t appreciate it when they start playing personal, because the one thing we all have in common is we love Jack. And I can’t stand seeing personal rancor break out, and this is going to happen whenever you get two comic fans together anyway. [chuckles] But, you know, let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. But about Steve, real quick, Steve was a great guy. At the Jack Kirby Museum table, which I urge you all to visit, we have a pile of copies of the Steve Sherman tribute issue [of the Jack Kirby Collector], which has a lot of great interviews, photos and information about Steve, and last year we got advance copies through the courtesy of John Morrow, the publisher of the Jack Kirby Collector, sitting right here. And it’s a great issue. I urge you to come out and get a copy. EVANIER: Tell us, the Kirby Museum has a table. What is the number? MARK BADGER [left]: 1804. Oh, you can also buy pretty cool t-shirts. [laughter as Badger holds up a shirt] I will model… I need a t-shirt like this. BRUCE: You can look like this. [laughter] The body doesn’t go along with it. EVANIER: John, what table are you at this year? JOHN MORROW [from audience]: 1116. 12

EVANIER: The TwoMorrows table, with books that you will want to buy if you don’t have them already. Say hello to John Morrow, folks. We’re so pleased—[applause] and it’s where I’m sure you can also buy a copy of Jon Cooke’s [Charlton Companion] book, I’m sure, because—. MORROW: It’s sold out! EVANIER: So just go buy a cookbook instead, almost the same thing. [laughter] JON B. COOKE: But it’s available online. [Editor’s Note: Jon B. Cooke’s Eisner Award-nominated Charlton Companion is now completely sold out in print form as of this writing, but is still available as a digital edition.] EVANIER: Anyway, we’re going to talk about Jack a little bit here. Jeremy, since I’ve got you here, I’m going to ask you a few questions. I’m amazed at the reactions I get when people find out I knew Jack Kirby. Sometimes it’s like, “You’re saying you knew the Easter Bunny, is that it?” [laughter] They can’t believe that. What must it be like to be able to say, “I’m his grandson, I’m related”? How many people ask you if you draw? JEREMY: Everyone, [laughter] and then I have quite a bit of shame explaining, “No, I can do stick figures, and that’s about it.” We have a few artists in the family. My sister’s daughter is great, she loves the anime style and others, which is nice. My daughter is great at drawing, but that definitely, I believe, kind of skipped the grandson and granddaughter generation, and went to the great granddaughters. EVANIER: [responding to loud noise from the adjacent meeting room] What is that sound? Is there a panel next door about Drano? [laughter, Mark pauses] Let’s just all

sit here till it stops. [laughter] JEREMY: It’s been interesting throughout the years, trying to explain who my grandfather was when it comes up. You have two types of people, obviously—like, you know, comic fans that read the books, and they’ll instantly know my grandfather, know Jack Kirby. “Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. That’s incredible.” And then sometimes they’ll come over to the house and see some of his comic collection, which is pretty cool. And then there’s others that know the comic characters from the movies. It’s a little harder to explain who my grandfather was, because again, they usually think they were created by someone else. So, it’s gotten better, I would say. I’d say when I was a teenager—and actually, this is gonna sound sad—I’d try to hide it a lot, unfortunately. Because again, when I was trying to explain it, a lot of

[previous page] Bruce Simon is namedropped on this 1970 flyer for the L.A. Comic Book Club, and here are [above, left to right] Mike Royer, Marty Greim, and Steve Sherman back in the day. [below] A futuristic knight concept for Ruby-Spears animation, circa 1980.

friends or people that didn’t know, I would explain that he was the creator, co-creator of these characters, and they’d say, “What do you mean? No, he’s not, I know ‘this guy’ was a creator, because that’s all that—”.

You correct them. JEREMY: The one time that really got me, and I think I told this to [director] Kevin Smith, was [the film] Mallrats. It was my friends and I sitting in the living room watching Mallrats, and they were my good friends who knew about my grandfather, knew about the Incredible Hulk, and then Mallrats comes on, and in the thing [Kevin] meets Stan Lee. And Stan Lee gives the origin story of how he created—or his inspiration, we will say, for creating the Incredible Hulk. And everyone turns to me, and they’re like, “I thought that your grandfather had done this, and was part of this.” And that was actually really hurtful and really embarrassing. It really made me angry because—again, that was just a promotional piece that was meant to be funny, like, you know, Stan came in, and did a bit part in a movie. Kevin was doing it, it’s fine, he was a huge fan of Stan Lee. That’s awesome. And he wanted to have him on set, but you don’t really realize how it can hurt someone and their family when something like that happens, because it was just a real jarring moment. So, it was stuff like that, where for a good period of time, I wouldn’t really bring it up, unless I knew they were avid comics readers. Yeah, that was it. That was really the case. So that’s an example I don’t share with too many people. But that was almost like a turning point which then made me really like, “Okay, I’ve gotta get the word out more, that it was more than one person who created these characters.” When you have multiple creators, it’s okay for them both to have an inspiration. Like, “Well, this was my inspiration to create this character.” You can have two completely different inspirations, that’s fine. But then to go in with only one creation story, you’re leaving out the other person’s inspiration and the other person’s idea for that character, and that’s important.

EVANIER: “This guy”; who could it be? [laughter] Let’s role play for a second. You don’t know me, I’m a stranger, we’re at a party. “Jeremy, somebody was telling me that your grandfather was someone very special. Well, who was he?” JEREMY: I’d say, “Well, my grandfather was a famous comic artist, he created and co-created everyone you basically ever heard about, because—”. EVANIER: “Like Superman and Batman?” JEREMY: “Thank you for asking. No actually…” [laughter, lots of banter between Mark and Jeremy] EVANIER: “Conan the Barbarian?” [laughter] “Groo the Wanderer?” [laughter] Every time someone says that I created Groo, I think to myself, “I’ve got to correct this.” And you know the reason I feel I should correct it? Yes, you understand the reason. I don’t think you can respect your collaborators if you let people make that mistake. [below] Jack’s rendition of a barbarian from his mid-1970s sketchbook for wife Roz. [next page] Kirby channels Picasso in Alarming Tales #1 (Sept. 1957).

EVANIER: Some people are really sloppy with their wordage. If you say “Los Angeles Dodger, Sandy Koufax,” you’re not saying he was the only Los Angeles Dodger. If you say “Spider-Man creator Stan Lee,” you’re technically not saying he was the only Spider-Man creator, but you’re kind of implying it. And if you say “Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man,” it’s a completely different sentence. Bruce and Mark, let’s try this. If somebody gave you one minute to explain who Jack Kirby was—you have to distill this down and explain it, and somebody says, “Who is Jack Kirby?” You have one minute. I’m not going to time you on this. [laughter] But what are the main bullet points you’d hit? MARK BADGER: My main bullet point on Jack is, there’s three great artists in the 20th century: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jack Kirby. Jack Kirby took everything Matisse and Picasso did and turned it into storytelling. We ended up with this crap you see in Hollywood. [laughter] I’m a comics guy too, I like drawings, I like photos, I grew up to be an artist. That’s my pitch on Jack, that he’s one of the best artists of the last century, and I can walk you through any number of pictures from In The Days of the Mob, “The Glory Boat,” and I will happily justify it. And I will happily go into art schools and justify it 14

to them, and ask, “Why are you idiots not teaching Jack, and comic programs?” [applause]

every problem, because as we’re learning… this is my fifth Writers Guild strike, and there are such things as intractable negotiations when you just… LEVINE: And especially when we’re dealing with a company like Marvel. EVANIER: ...yeah, but there was—Jack was cornered into certain things at times, that I don’t think even the greatest lawyers in the world could have budged Marvel on. But there were some times when, boy, I wish he had Paul working [for him]. We skipped over Jon Cooke. Let’s talk about Charlton. You covered a piece of the Simon and Kirby story in that book, because when the Mainline company went under—another new book you’re gonna have to spend money for, folks, I’m sorry. Simon and Kirby had a lot of issues of In Love and Police Trap that were done, and money sunk in from their personal savings, and they were looking for a place for those books to land. They shopped them around different places, and as fine a salesman as Joe Simon was—he was a real good salesman—they wound up at Charlton, which was the last stop in the world. Tell us a little bit about that phase of Jack’s life, if you could. COOKE [right]: Well, Mainline had collapsed, yet they had the inventory of the final issues, what turned out to be the final issues of Foxhole, Police Trap, In Love, and of course, Bullseye, and they went up the road to Derby, Connecticut, to a very interesting Italian publisher by the name of [John] Santangelo, who purchased the material under the condition that he didn’t own the copyright. Joe made sure that he would keep copyright to the characters. [Santangelo] didn’t really care anyway, he had to keep the presses going. And then there was From Here To Insanity; I believe Joe sold some of that stuff that Jack had done. Do you know anything about From Here To Insanity?

BRUCE: I would say, beyond his artwork, Jack represents the best of the 20th century. He was a visionary, he went through experiences. He was born in 1917 in the Lower East Side. He lived a—I don’t even call it a lower middle class existence. He was in a tenement with his parents. He went through the Great Depression, he fought in World War II. He went through all the seminal events that made the 20th century. He understood space. He understood everything, and he projected and brought that to people. And I would also say— Mark was saying he’s a visionary. He could see the future. There’s so many things he predicted that came to pass—the Mother Box, we’re all walking around with one. I mean, it’s just—that’s it, and he predicted that, as Mark said, his characters would become famous, but beyond that, he predicted this Comic-Con, which would become one of the biggest media events and popular arts events in the world, and he lived to see that happen, and so many things he predicted that he did not. All I would say is, I hope there’s someone in the 21st century who comes along who can embody Jack—actually, I’m kind of afraid to meet that person. [laughter] This century’s been a washout so far. But that’s what I think; that’s of the man.

EVANIER: What had happened, as I understand it, is Mainline was started under a distributor called Leader News, which at the time Simon and Kirby did not know was secretly owned by Harry Donenfeld. When they found out, they weren’t that surprised, because it was pretty tough to be in comics in that era, and not work for a company that Harry Donenfeld owned a part of. There was a printer broker named George Dougherty, who set up a lot of deals, and he helped set up the deal for Mainline, and he also set up Ross Andru and Mike Esposito with their company, which was called Mikeross Publications. Leader News turned down the initial pitches from Simon & Kirby when all their ideas were brand new comics nobody had ever seen before, and said, “We want a romance, a war, a western, and crime comic.” Reluctantly, that’s what Joe and Jack put together. If they had been allowed to do whatever they wanted as publishers, we might have seen the Marvel Age of Comics then. But at the same time, Leader News was also distributing Mikeross Publications, and what they put out was the same thing. One of the things they put out was an imitation of MAD, and Leader asked for an imitation of MAD from Simon & Kirby. They started on it. They never settled on a title to my knowledge, but when they finally went to make the deal with Charlton, Charlton had a magazine called From Here to Insanity, and [they put] the Simon & Kirby material in that book, which I think later changed its name to Eh!.

EVANIER: Every so often something happens, and I think, “Gee, I’m sorry Jack isn’t around to see this, because he would have enjoyed it.” I thought about that with the recent death of Pat Robertson. [laughter] BRUCE: Well, we know that Jack won’t be meeting him in the hereafter. [laughter] PAUL S. LEVINE [below]: I’d like to give an answer to that question. Except for Mark Evanier, he was by far my favorite client, and was a dream client, because he listened and, as the rabbis say, “asked good questions” when there was an issue that I was handling for him. And that’s everything, for a lawyer, to properly and enthusiastically and in every other way represent a client. It is a dream come true to have a client who gets it. And that was Jack.

BRUCE: I think it was Eh! first, because afterwards Jack did some work; I don’t know whether it was done before or after, but at one point they turned it into a 25¢ magazine. Charlton continued the title, and there was work by Jack there, beautiful Will Elder-like pages done in Craftint.

EVANIER: I’ve said before I wish that Jack had met Paul ten or fifteen years earlier in his life. I’m not entirely sure that Paul could have solved

COOKE: Then it changes to, what, Crazy, Man, Crazy? 15

BRUCE: Well, it changed all the time. [Editor’s Note: The book started as Eh! for its first seven issues; became From Here To Insanity for #8–12 (below is some of Jack’s work from issue #11); went to magazine-format as Crazy, Man, Crazy for two issues (Jack did the story “Bloodshot Alley” in the second issue); changed its name back to From Here To Insanity for one magazine-sized issue; and ended with seven magazine issues of This Magazine Is Crazy.]

because they had Jack. DC at one point flew everybody on the West Coast who might work for them, or who was working for them— they flew us all back First Class and treated us wonderfully, to basically hear a sales pitch of why we should bring our new ideas to DC, instead of to Pacific or Eclipse. And I responded by taking my book to Eclipse. [laughter] It didn’t work. Back to Jeremy, what’s your favorite of Jack’s work?

EVANIER: That was not a high point in Simon & Kirby’s career. It was kind of like selling everything off at Dollar Tree or something. Jon, what are you researching these days? Are you researching anything these days for a future book that involves Jack? You just worked on a book about Pacific Comics [left].

JEREMY: My personal favorite, I would say Captain Victory, just because I was alive while he was doing it, and would help him sort them, and put them all in comic boxes. So personally, that was fun to read, even before I could, because visually, you can see the emotions and the visual style. If you look back, there’s a lot of double-page spreads in those books that when you’re five years old, seven years old—it’s all sci-fi, my favorite movie was Star Wars, that type of thing. So that instantly hit me. Later on, and part of this actually isn’t just because of my grandfather, but also because Wally Wood’s inking was so insane and amazing, the Sky Masters comic strips, I just—I could look at those literally all day. I don’t have a very large collection of my grandfather’s work, but one of the ones that I’ve kept for so long, and that we still have, and I love, it’s like this space shuttle, but obviously drawn in the ’50s—again, ahead of his time, and one of my favorite pages. So, I read that, and a lot of Captain America when he came back in the ’70s, the Annuals, and the “Mad Bomb” and that type of stuff. So really, it’s stuff from that era I’d say that I enjoy, and then every once in a while just going back and looking through some of the—even the [animation] board stuff.

COOKE: Yeah, and that was just a revelation. I mean, to realize the impact of what Pacific Comics was, which was the initial deal with Jack to do Captain Victory. And it was an absolute game-changer. Comics, you could argue after the DC Implosion and all that, were pretty boring in a lot of ways. And from my own personal experience when Pacific came out, when Captain Victory came out, I came alive again. I became a comics fan again. [Before that,] I was out. I was pretty much done. I bought maybe just a couple of weird things. I was very excited about Captain Victory, and I just thought that stuff was wonderful. But that was followed up with a particular book you worked on, which is Groo. EVANIER: Oh yeah, we sunk that company pretty bad. [laughter]

COOKE: Jeremy, [in the Pacific Comics Companion,] we included a very sweet anecdote of you, as a very young child, seeing Jack Kirby, your grandfather, working on Captain Victory. So, it’s a very sweet memory that you had of getting up in the middle of the night, and…

COOKE: The longest lasting, I think, of the Pacific properties. EVANIER: I guess so. The Rocketeer seems to endure in places, but as a regular published comic, yes, if you can call it regular. I haven’t read your book yet on Pacific, but I’m sure the point is made in there that Pacific was not taken that seriously in the industry until they signed Jack.

JEREMY: I feel so bad now, because he’d be trying to work, and I’d wake up and go bother him in his studio, and sometimes wreck the artwork. [laughter] I don’t know how many panels he probably had to redraw because of me. I’d draw little doodles on things, when he’d wake up. But yeah, he mostly worked in the middle of the night. And being a young child, sometimes you just get out of bed, and you see that the lights are on in the studio, and that’s where he’d be. So, I apologize for any books that weren’t done on time. [laughter]

COOKE: Right. EVANIER: It was the equivalent of when they were bringing out the Superman movie, that ultimately starred Christopher Reeve, and nobody took it seriously until they got Marlon Brando involved. Suddenly it became an important project. Jack was a heavyweight name and he had a reputation for changing the industry, or suddenly starting new trends.

BADGER: It’s your fault!

COOKE: The rumors of that first royalty check that he received for Captain Victory, true or not, just went through the creative industry. Creators—it created the creator-owned industry. Artists like Mike Grell, any number of others—Neal Adams was a result of that when he created Ms. Mystic.

JEREMY: There would have been a lot more if it wasn’t for me, I’m so sorry. [laughter] EVANIER: How old were you when he tried to start telling you World War II stories? [laughter] JEREMY: In the womb, most likely. [laughter] People don’t realize, he spoke German, right? His parents were Austrian. So, when he would

EVANIER: DC and Marvel got very scared by Pacific. A lot of it was 16

tell me—at least to the family, I assume he’d tell them to other people—when he’d tell the stories, he’d use German words, you know? When he’s telling you what a Nazi was saying before an American guy was gonna kick his butt, or whatever it is, he’d tell you in German, or in his Yiddish variant of German, or Austrian. So, it’s very interesting. I assume that’s how he told other people as well. But they were very interesting stories. Imagine being over there, in close combat, which I think got to him. He could hear people screaming, but in a different language, but he understood that language. It was kind of close to home for him, because he could understand what people were saying, but yeah, war stories all the time, quite a bit, yes. EVANIER: When we started this group called CAPS—Sergio Aragonés, Don Rico and I started the Comic Art Professional Society in the mid-’70s in Los Angeles— we had these regular meetings of comic book artists, anybody who drew comics. As one of the charter members, I went to Jack and said, “We’re doing this.” He said, “Sign me up.” And he came to a number of meetings. There was one—Scott Shaw tells this story better than I do. Roman Arambula, who was the artist on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip at the time, a lovely little gentleman, did not know who Jack was, and he said [to Jack], “Tell me who you are. What’s your name?” And Jack said, “Ramon DeLefuentes. I draw Tijuana Bible comics.” [laughter] And he stood there and he just told Ramon this story, I think he made it up on the spot, about how the Tijuana Bible comics were done. You know, “I started with the Jiggs and Maggie ones, and I had to work my way to where they’d let me do Betty Boop.” And Ramon was buying all of The above piece was done by Jack for a planned benefit comic for Steve Gerber’s legal defense fund, around 1982. Inker and letterer Carol Lay didn’t recall many details about it, except that, it. Scott and I were standing there listening, and trying to keep a straight face. One of our “Kirby’s pencils were tight, but I sort of remember studying his work to see how to ink it. (Superhero style is not my strong suit.) I think I was drawing and inking a lot of Wonderland/Oz comics for other charter members was Doug Wildey, DC at the time.” Note the similarities to the From Here To Insanity example on the previous page, who I’m sure most of you know, and Doug, and Jimmy Olsen’s Goody Rickels [right]. Scott Shaw bought this at a CAPS auction in the 1990s. anytime he’d enter the room and Jack was there, he would yell, “No World War II stoSteve Sherman and Mark would do what they ries! No World War II stories!” And he’d walk out, and Jack would usually do while they were assisting, which was standing there and start telling World War II stories. [laughter] Bruce, you must have looking at Jack. [laughter] heard a lot of World War II stories. EVANIER: Now, wait a minute, we would occasionally pry xeroxes BRUCE: I did. The very last time I saw Jack was at one of Neal’s, his out of the copier! [laughter] son’s, birthday parties. And yes, I think when you have a central event like that, as you get older, it takes over your life. My mom BRUCE: No, I know. And Jack would be drawing, I remember parand dad were Holocaust survivors, and I saw that happen with ticularly, he was drawing a page one time from the New Gods of the them. The older they got, the more they focused on that and relived Black Racer, and he’s just talking and this magic is happening. And it. And they’re still trying to, you know, work it out. But as long as Roz came in, and says, “Boys, let’s have some lunch.” So we’d go you’re here, I’m gonna do this real quick, because I have a very sweet into the dining room and sit around the table and Roz would make memory of Jack and Roz, who reminded me of my parents. They’re sandwiches and such. And she says, “I have something to show second generation, my parents were first generation. But we used to you.” And she went to the banquet, where you keep your knives go to their house on Sunday, out in Thousand Oaks, and you know, and forks, and she opens the drawer, and she pulls out this yellow 17

[this page] Kirby Unleashed elves from the 1930s [above] and 1980s for an animation concept [below]. [next page] Jack drawing and sitting poolside, and [bottom] with Jerry Siegel and Bob Kane, at a party hosted by Mark Hamill, Bill Mumy, and Miguel Ferrer.

roll of paper. And she said, “I want to show you these. Jack’s mother saved these, and Jack drew these when he was like 12 or 13.” And we’re like, “Holy—that’s like 1930.” And Jack said, “Oh, they don’t want to see that stuff. They don’t want to see, that’s old, I never want to see—Roz, put it back.” “No.” She unrolls them and they’re large drawings, beautifully rendered—some of them were reproduced in the Kirby Unleashed book, of elves and knights on horseback, and just all these wonderfully rendered storybook images, and Jack goes, “Oh, I wish you wouldn’t show ’em that!” EVANIER: It’s pretty clear Jack and Roz were channeling Archie and Edith Bunker. [laughter] BRUCE: I know, it sounded like that exactly. But it was so funny because he was like a kid embarrassed of what his mother had saved. And then of course, you know, even at 12, Jack, he wasn’t quite there yet, but you could see where he was going from there. And I’m glad that some of them got saved in the Kirby Unleashed book.

EVANIER: I remember handling those very delicately, and Steve and I took them, we had to shoot them, they were on an onion skin-type paper. We took them personally to the stat house and put different backers behind them, and tried different contrasts to get them just right. Today, you can do it in Photoshop in about eight seconds. It took us like an hour to shoot each one of those properly. We’re gonna open the floor for questions, and “Where the hell is Tom King?” will not be among them. [laughter] [Editor’s note: Somehow wires got crossed, and Tom wasn’t aware he was supposed to be on the panel at that time.] Does anybody have anything they’d like to see this panel talk about by Jack Kirby? A question that’s been bothering you, something you want to—? Yes, over here, sir. AUDIENCE MEMBER: This is a question for Jeremy. Can you humanize Jack a little for us, both in terms of what he’d do, what time of day he’d wake up, when he’d go to bed? We all knew that he was a prolific artist during the day, but what was his day-to-day life like? JEREMY: Sure. Well, when I was there, he woke up usually when I would jump on top of him, [laughter] which my grandma would let me do it. I’d probably wait two hours in the morning to be able to do that. [He was] usually a late sleeper, mainly because, again, he’d do most of his work at night, at least when I was around [in the] late ’70s, ’80s. I was young, but I enjoyed every second of the day being around both my grandfather and my grandmother. Every summer, I’d spend weeks at a time with them. When the school year was over, my parents, they’d finally get some time for themselves. They dropped me off at my grandparents’. They also watched me when I was very young. So, I have a lot of early memories, and he’d enjoy swimming. So we’d all go in the pool, or [he’d] at least put up with swimming long enough for me to get in there too. My grandma loved it as well. They had this beautiful pool in Thousand Oaks. I don’t know if anyone knows this, [he] even played basketball a few times with me and my father. We’d go down to the court, and yes, he actually knew how to get a ball in the hoop.

everything. Before that trip, I was a little skeptical about people claiming, “I created this, this was my invention, I did this.” And I had met some people who had told me stories that I sensed were not true, or knew were not true. I won’t mention any names like Bob Kane, for instance. [laughter] But you have to be a little skeptical of anybody in any field, who says, “Oh yeah, I created this.” And on that trip, walking around the DC offices and the Marvel offices saying, “Hi, I’m Jack Kirby’s assistant,” and I found out. Bill Everett threw his arms around me and hugged me—and Bill Everett did not look like a hugging kind of guy—and said, “Give this to Jack. Jack Kirby is the greatest guy ever, the most talented man who ever lived.” I wish you could have heard the superlatives that spilled out of his mouth, and Marie Severin said it, and Don Heck said it, and just right down the line with all these people. People over at DC, Joe Kubert just loved Jack to pieces. And by the time we got to see Steve Ditko, it was like our third day there, and we were already amazed at how many people loved Jack, and Ditko spent an hour-anda-half telling us Jack invented everything. Steve Ditko was a real comics fan. He actually collected almost everything. He didn’t keep them. He bought them, read them, and then gave them away to the people he thought would enjoy them. And he told us how when he was working with Stan, he’d pick up all of the new Marvels in the office. There were whole bundles of them, all new issues, and he’d look through them. He’d open up Thor every month and see that it was inked by Colletta, and he would take the issue and wait until Stan could see him, and throw it in the wastebasket, and say, “I’m not reading that until you put a new inker on it.” [laughter] See that? I didn’t

But he was just great to be around. [We] enjoyed a lot of the old movies, old comedies. I liked film, and like Mark, and everyone else that knew him knows, [he] just loved telling stories—usually World War II. [laughter] And my grandmother, too—we just had a great time. We’d almost always go to Carl’s Jr. for lunch. And I think I’ve said before, there must be a thousand Yankees caps that were left behind, because he would leave them everywhere around the house. Go to restaurants in Thousand Oaks to this day, and if you see a Yankees cap in there, it’s going to be his. [laughter] I mean, thousands left behind—which was funny, he wasn’t really a Yankees fan, he just grew up in New York, and that’s what he had. [laughter] EVANIER: I remember us going to the Roy Rogers roast beef sandwich place a lot. Sometimes even McDonald’s. And Du-par’s—there was a Du-par’s restaurant chain, and that restaurant, when I was doing comics with Dan Spiegle, that was where Dan and I would meet for lunch, because it was halfway between my house and his house. And so I’d go out there and meet with Dan about Crossfire or Blackhawk, and I’d go over and visit Jack and Roz down the street. Jack and Roz would say, “Hey, let’s go to Du-par’s for lunch!” and I had just come from there. [laughter] “Okay, sure!” And the waitress would look at me like, “You again? Didn’t you get enough to eat already?” [laughter] Let’s get another question. Anybody else got a question for us? In the way back, in the very back. Stand up and yell. AUDIENCE MEMBER: What kind of relationship did Jack have with Steve Ditko, except for having a lot of the same feelings about Stan? EVANIER: They had a lot of the same feelings about Stan. [laughter] Jack admired Ditko tremendously and vice versa. When Steve Sherman and I went to New York in 1970 for the first time, we spent a whole day with Steve Ditko. And much of it was spent hearing him tell us how much he loved Jack, how much Jack had created 19

EVANIER: Yeah, he was a neat guy. I wish there was an interview someplace of Jack that captured his real sense of humor. The minute you put a camera on him, he froze up. He was very concerned about saying the wrong thing, and didn’t want to offend anyone. He’d tell us those stories when Roz and the kids were out of the house. BRUCE: He was very funny. I mean, he had a very incisive wit, and mostly because he was such a terrific judge of character. He had dealt with a lot of characters. EVANIER: Yes. Anybody else? Yes, John.

start that crusade, folks. [laughter] But they got along great. When Jack went to DC though, Steve Ditko sent him a letter, and it was a 12-page handwritten letter that just said, “You’ll be sorry.” And he told him all this—how much he felt DC had ruined the Creeper and the Hawk and Dove. Jack phoned Ditko, and they had a couple of long phone conversations about that. A lot of things that happened to Jack at DC, he went, “Ditko said this would happen. He was right about this.” They respected each other greatly. They didn’t talk politics, though. [laughter] Anyone want to add to that?

you guys really regret Jack never got to do?

MORROW [from audience]: This is for the hardcore Kirby fans up there. Is there a character or storyline that never got finished, that

EVANIER: I would like to have seen the real end of the Fourth World series. SEVERAL PANELISTS: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Fourth World, absolutely. [applause] EVANIER: I’d like to have seen the real ending to OMAC. I’ll tell you the thing that I wish I had done. This is a regret. In the period there where I was doing comics for Eclipse, DNAgents and Crossfire and such, Dean Mullaney basically said to me, “We’ll publish any comic book you want. If you think it’s commercial, we’ll gamble on it.” For a moment, I thought if we have the right budget, I want to go to Jack and say, ‘All right, Jack, I love “Street Code.” If you want, I will give you 25 pages a month at a decent salary. I will fund this to do Jack Kirby’s War Stories. We’ll print them in pencil. I will supervise the lettering, and make sure it’s professional and such. Nobody else will touch the stories. They will be exactly what you do, and you draw yourself. Draw yourself and your autobiographical stories.’ And I didn’t do it. I had personal reasons at the time; I didn’t want to get too deeply involved with Eclipse on some things. I really regret I didn’t do that because we would’ve gotten a couple of issues of work that would be the equivalent of “Street Code,” and kind of parallel what Sam Glanzman was doing with the “U.S.S. Stevens” stories. We just posthumously gave Sam Glanzman the Bill Finger Award the other night for that work—[Sam] is a guy who saw the war and who didn’t write war comics. He used comics to tell what actually happened. Which is very different than how even guys who served in World War II, when they were asked to write war comics, usually didn’t tell what really happened. They told the comic book version of what had happened. Anybody else got an answer to that?

BRUCE: That’s a very good policy all around, by the way. [laughter] EVANIER: Yes, these days especially. Do you have a question? AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes, were there any of his World War II stories that really stuck out to you? EVANIER: Jack was doing drawings in the Army. At one point, some senior officer called him in and said, “I have an assignment for you.” And Jack said, “Oh! Is this going to be something where I’m going to draw the enemy spies in front of the enemy’s lair?” And the guy pulled out this onion skin-type paper. It was a drawing someone had done of the Seven Dwarfs having sex with Snow White. [scattered groans and laughs from audience] It was very tattered, and this senior officer—I don’t know if he was a general, or whatever he was— ordered Jack to redraw it. [laughter] Jack was a good soldier, he did what he was told. [laughter] He redrew this pornographic drawing— it was probably the only real pornographic drawing Jack ever did in his life, because he didn’t want to be demoted, or get sent to the front lines. And the officer thanked him. [Jack] said, “You know, it wasn’t a bad drawing, either!” [laughter] He told a lot of stories— Jack liked to tell Steve and me the kind of racy stories, the ones he didn’t tell to his kids.

COOKE: Just to quickly say, me and John [Morrow] did a book called Streetwise, which included “Street Code,” and Sam Glanzman’s

LEVINE: Or his wife. [laughter] 20

memoir of his life. And that was completely inspired by “Street Code.” BRUCE: Is that still in print, John? MORROW: No. LEVINE: I remember Jack, being puzzled by the idea that movies with live actors, with actors, were going to portray the characters that he created. When the original Spider-Man was announced, it was going to be made by Carolco, even before Tobey Maguire or anybody else was cast. And the idea that actors would portray or bring to life the stories that he had drawn, was beyond comprehension. EVANIER: When we were doing those black-and-white magazines, which were basically canceled before they had any sales figures at all on them, Jack wanted Steve and myself to produce a fumetti book of photo comics. We did this short little feature we threw together in two days in the first Spirit World—all about contacting space alien people, or whatever. And for the book that never happened that would’ve been called True Divorce Cases or True Life Divorce, we shot a fumetti. We got together some actors. We had a little more time there so we wrote this thing. Steve photographed it. I pasted it up—and it’s disappeared from the world. Steve couldn’t find a copy of it. I don’t have a copy of it. Jack wanted to do a whole book like that and he wanted to lay out the stories. He didn’t do that on these particular stories but he wanted to lay out love comics, roughly write them, and do the layouts like he used to do for John Severin, and then have us hire actors and photograph them, and paste-up and design that. I would have been fascinated by that project, but it was something we just never did.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I have a question for everybody in the panel, just kind of quickly. If you could ask Jack one question now, or pick one topic that you’d want to have a conversation with him about, what would it be? EVANIER: I would want to ask him how I’m able to ask him a question now. [laughter] And he would’ve had a damn good answer. [laughter] Anybody want to field that one? BADGER: I’d love to know how a guy in 1950-whenever, [who] does a drawing of a woman playing a violin that is a beautifully accurate line drawing of that gesture, which is just a bitch to draw—got to be the guy who could do New Gods? What was going on in his brain, where he simplified the design, those shapes, and made all that work—and then, the ultimate question to every artist, “What pen do you draw with, because I want to do that magic?” [laughter] But it’s like, “How did you get those blocklike shapes that are so simple, to be so filled with life and animation, and be able to do naturalistic drawing?” Almost, “I’m sorry dude, your style’s really, really far from realism, but those figures just flow character and life in a way that the most realistic comics just don’t.” 21

[previous page, top] Another of the seeming multitude of collages Jack created—where did he find the time? [above] Kirby’s pencil rendition of Lightray from wife Roz’s sketchbook. [left] The unused Strange World of Your Dreams cover Mark Badger refers to here.

[above] Jack’s pencil makes some magic in this Mandrake the Magician animation concept for Ruby-Spears. [below] The San Diego con may not be the biggest party in the galaxy, but it’s pretty close! A 1981 Kirby promo piece for the event.

BRUCE: Right, and then people who weren’t Kirby fans would say, “Oh, he’s the guy who draws the blocky fingers,” you know? But Mark is right, Jack could do sensitive line drawings—beautifully observed line drawings too, he could do it.

about that stuff, and he didn’t want to lead you in a different direction than your mind was going. COOKE: Do you think he knew, or was it just—? EVANIER: I think a lot of it was very instinctual. Jack liked to give people answers even if he had to figure them out on the spot. And someone went up to him one time and asked, “What’s Captain America’s shield made out of?” Jack made up this whole story on the spot, with a story of a meteorite.

BADGER: Artists want to know what pen it is. Because you ask Craig Russell what pen he draws with, because you think, “If I draw with this pen, I’m gonna get good.” What pencil did Jack draw with? That’s not going to help. COOKE: I would ask about the allegories, if you want to really dig in to the Fourth World. I wonder, is there a relationship between Apokolips and the Warsaw Ghetto? I mean, just these—he just seemed to be talking about the great escape from the Lower East Side. Was he talking about the great escape from the Lower East Side? You know, was it the freedom to jump over to New Genesis? And I would just say, “Tell me the allegory.” Would he answer, do you think?

BRUCE: And they would never get the same story [twice]. [laughter] COOKE: Was Desaad [based on the Nazi Joseph] Goebbels? EVANIER: Yes and no. I think one of the parts of Jack’s genius was taking this, this, this, and this, that nobody else had combined, and [go to town with it]. Anyway, the question I would have asked him is, “Where the hell is Tom King?” [laughter] And why are we out of time? Folks, will you thank Mr. Paul Levine, Mr. Jon Cooke, Mr. Bruce Simon, Mr. Mark Badger, and Mr. Jeremy Kirby? H

EVANIER: You know, when people asked him that kind of question, it was kind of like he wanted to give you the answer you wanted to be hear—and I don’t mean that in a bad way. He liked that you thought 22

Onomastical

The Name Game Sample Headline A Partial Taxonomy of Jack Kirby’s Names, by Mark Peters

hen looking at the work of Jack Kirby, many aspects jump out—some of them literally. His foreshortened figures are the ultimate 3-D. His mythic storytelling is propulsive 20th century religion. His cosmic perspective could turn an atheist into a believer. But there’s an easily overlooked aspect of Kirby’s work that is of a piece with comics history, while also displaying his penchant for storytelling and power: names. I’m drawn to this topic because I am a Namor—er, namer.

where it’s hard to know who came up with what. So, all these names will be from the 1970s, especially from Kirby’s early ’70s work at DC, when he created the Fourth World, a group of comics consisting of The New Gods, Mister Miracle, The Forever People, and Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, plus other comics such as The Demon, OMAC, and Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. Some names will also come from Kirby’s return to Marvel in the mid-seventies, when he created The Eternals, Devil Dinosaur, and Machine Man, returned to his creations Black Panther and Captain America, and did a mind-blowing adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kirby wrote, penciled, and edited these comics, too. I originally planned to look at all of Kirby’s names from this period—for characters, places, concepts, and gizmos. But that would have involved thousands of names, and I’m no hero. So I’m going to stick to names for characters, which is somewhat manageable. And I’m going to focus on some specific types of Kirby names that recur through the ’70s: names that spotlight character or appearance, respellings, allusions, alliterative names, and names packed with multiple meanings.

Gouldian Names

[above] Female Furies from Mister Miracle #10 (Oct. 1972). Left to right are Mad Harriet, Stompa, and Lashina. [next page] In addition to more Stompa from issue #10 [top], there’s Gilotina from Mister Miracle #8 (June 1972).

I name products, services, events, campaigns, etc. for companies that need a word nerd’s help cooking up the right moniker. As naming became one of the primary streams of my so-called freelance career, and then a full-time job, and then freelance again, I started thinking about Kirby’s names and how they can be understood. For the sake of simplicity, I’m focusing on Kirby’s work in the 1970s. After co-creating the Marvel Universe in the ’60s, Kirby was naturally upset at not being given the credit and money that went to Stan Lee, a great editor and hype man who was hardly hands-on in doing the actual comics. So Kirby went to DC Comics and began writing, penciling, and editing his own work. For this period, and the return to Marvel that followed, Kirby was pretty close to a one-man band, so we know the names came from him, unlike the Lee/Kirby stuff, 23

The most common category of Kirby names might be those that reveal character or describe that character’s appearance; names Kirby himself identified as in the Dickensian tradition of Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger. Of course, such names have a tradition in comic strips and books as well, primarily due to Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, which Kirby surely read and enjoyed. Gould’s characters—such as Tess Trueheart, Sam Catchem, Pruneface, Flattop, and Breathless Mahoney, are precursors to all that follows. Many 1970s Kirby characters are named with creative accuracy. Dr. Bedlam, foe of Mister Miracle, is an evil doctor who creates bedlam. Mad Harriet of Mister Miracle’s Female Furies is a wild-haired warrior who is crazy. New Gods protagonist Orion’s pal Lightray is almost literally a ray of light—he’s based on Balder from Norse mythology, and is cheerful and friendly, where Orion is conflicted and grumpy. Mister Little from Black Panther is a little person, while Stanga from New Gods #6’s back-up is a hermit. You get the idea. On the stereotypical villain side of things, Albert Von Killowitz is a Nazi war criminal. Ugly Mannheim is self-explanatory, as is Baron Von Evilstein. You can definitely see the influence of Kirby’s war experience in some of these names. It’s hard to blame a Jewish man who helped liberate a concentration camp for some stereotypically evil German names.

Kringey Creetins and Other Respellings

In the omniverse of brands, this is a common method of distinguishing a product and making a name clear while also trademarkable. Think about Lyft, Flickr, Reddit, Getir, and Krispy Kreme. Two minor Machine Man characters are examples:

Creetin (a dumbass) and Kringe (a cringing servant). Darkseid’s head torturer Desaad is named for the patron non-saint of sadism. Simyan is an ape-like goon of Darkseid’s. Lonar, a minor New Gods character, is a loner. Bernadeth is a napalm-scented name that should be used by a female metal band. The original spelling included a “u”, which was even better: Burnadeth. Kamandi is a less obvious respelling. In Kamandi, our eponymous hero takes on a post-apocalyptic Planet of the Apes-type world, ravaged by nuclear war and full of dog people, lion people, rat people, etc. Kamandi—the last boy on Earth—comes from an underground bunker called Command D. Now that’s a respelling. The most notable Kirby respelling is Darkseid, a tyrant, inspired visually by Jack Palance and ethically by Nazis, who tries to crush freedom—he’s the ultimate fascist. Darkseid is the dark side of humanity and most likely an inspiration for Darth Vader.

Allusions to Other Pantheons, from Apokolips to Zuras

Continuing with Kirby’s respellings, quite a few echo a re-imagining of gods, much as Kirby’s characters themselves revise existing pantheons. Makkari, Thena, and Zuras (from The Eternals) are Mercury, Athena, and Zeus, respectively. Esak and Izaya from The New Gods are Isaac and Isaiah. Kirby respells sun-bound Icarus, one of the Eternals, twice: as his real name Ikaris and his secret identity Ike Harris. Getting away from character names for a second, two important Kirby names from the Fourth World are New Genesis and Apokolips—another respelling. These are, essentially, a version of heaven and hell at war with each other, and typical of Kirby’s bombastic, heavy metal (if not Metal Hurlant) approach to comics.

Alliteration makes Funky Flashmen of Us All

Alliteration flourished in the Lee/Kirby era with names such as Reed Richards, Peter Parker, Sue Storm, Doctor Doom, and Bruce Banner, but the tendency goes much further back in comics. For example, in the debut issue of 1938’s Action Comics, in addition to the debut of Superman, the series featured Zatara Master Magician, South Sea Strategy, Sticky-Mitt Stimson, Scoop Scanlon the Five Star Reporter, and Tex Thompson. Left to his own writing devices, Kirby added plenty of names to the alliterative canon. These names often reveal character as well. Jimmy Olsen villain Victor Volcanum is a madman who lives in a volcano. Buddy Blank has hardly any personality: he’s a non-person who is literally written over by a powerful satellite to become the One Man Army Corps, OMAC. Funky Flashman—a parody of Stan Lee—is all flash and no substance. The Fourth World villain Granny Goodness’s nombre is interesting because unlike most Kirby names, her name states the opposite of her character. You do not want to be in Granny Goodness’ orphanage, trust me. Other alliterative Kirby names include Big Barda, Mark Moonrider, The Dingbats of Danger Street, Wonderful Willik, and Mister Machine/Machine Man. Kirby was perhaps comics’ greatest innovator, but in this aspect of naming, he didn’t stray far from the beaten path.

Meaning-packed Monikers

Some of the previously discussed names combined techniques, but there’s one Kirby name that combines all of the above, achieving the highest density of naming: Mister Miracle, a.k.a. Scott Free. Let’s unpack the naming luggage: He’s a super-hero with an alliterative name. His actual name, Scott Free, is a respelling of “scot free.” That name reveals plenty about his character, since 24

he was destined to escape the hellworld of Apokolips, and on Earth he became a professional escape artist. The religious connotations of “miracle” are fitting because Scott is a Christ-like character. Highfather, ruler of New Genesis, sent his son Scott to Apokolips in a pact to keep the peace. So he’s kind of the son of god, and he definitely suffers to save others. Mister Miracle Scott Free—a name built on respelling, alliteration, religious allusion, and Gouldian/Dickensian naming—embodies Kirby’s approach to naming.

So What?

What’s the purpose of these names? I reckon they represent two qualities that are in Kirby’s DNA: Storytelling and power, which are related. Kirby was a smart guy—in fact, a genius guy—but not a subtle guy. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of his covers feature a character punching or leaping in the direction of the reader. His names are also like a punch in the face. Kirby, who was trying to tell stories and sell comics, didn’t want readers, who were mainly children, to be confused or lost. So names that are memorable through alliteration, or say exactly what a character is or does, help keep the narrative bird in the sky. A slightly respelled name retains the original meaning, and a name from mythology reinforces the new mythology Kirby is creating. Combining techniques in one name—such as the many names that reveal character and employ respelling or alliteration—are like a one-two punch. You may not like Victor Volcanum or Mister Miracle, but you’re damn sure going to know who they are and what they’re about.

One More Great Name

I’ve only scratched the surface of Kirby character names, but I hope I’ve scratched deep enough to let one last name infect you: Morticoccus—the germ that can destroy everything, from Kamandi #10 [above]. This name doesn’t fit any of the above categories since it’s a coined term comprised of a prefix related to death (morti-) and a suffix derived from gonococcus. But like all the names above, Moritcoccus is clear, punchy, and bubbling with meaning, like a moniker made of Kirby krackle. A Morticoccus by any other name would not infect as deadly. H 25

[I presented a version of this article at the American Name Society’s annual meeting in 2020. This meeting was my first time in New Orleans and first time presenting a talk on Jack Kirby—it was also weeks before COVID and years-long episodes of depression hit. That New Orleans trip is wrapped up with Kirby and Bourbon Street and BBQ oysters as my mental happy place in the pre-COVID world. Only three years later have I recovered enough to write this up, but I hope it’s still of interest.]

Gallery

Conspired Art

Conspiracies in Kirby’s work, with commentary by Shane Foley [right] Fantastic Four #66, page 4 (Sept. 1967) In a comic universe jam-packed with secret societies and conspiring cabals, Kirby here added yet another one with ‘the Bee-Hive’. Unbelievably complete pencils begin with the evocatively designed ‘Transfer Grid’ (which I presume has steps on the far side for poor Alicia to descend), then reveal the masterminds. Dominating personalities are represented by Kirby with powerful physical frames. It’s interesting to follow Kirby’s plot notes—how things important to him (why Hamilton wore a helmet, how Alicia was affected by the hum of the place) are ignored by scripter Lee, who instead pushes the drama and mystery of these scientists, who had conspired to seem, to the world, to be dead. [next page] Strange Tales #141, page 10 (Feb. 1966) This sequence is so over-the-top, it would do Macgyver proud. Far less complete pencils than the previous page, superbly inked by Frank Giacoia; who would know Kirby was drawing and plotting quickly when he thought this jail escape through? Or had he watched something recently—a movie or TV show—which got his creative juices going? Even with The Fixer (eventually revealed to be working for THEM/Hydra) getting sheeted up to look like a blob, Kirby gets movement and action into his body. And aren’t those gadgets convincing? [page 28] Tales of Suspense #93, page 8 (Sept. 1967) More very complete pencils from the same month as the FF page above. Note how perfectly the angle of the baddie in panel two not only gets great emotional turmoil into the character, but that angle leads the reader’s eye, when he’s ready to go to the next panel, perfectly to the face in the screen there. The AIM agents in panel three are clearly seen, but act as buffers for the eye, refocussing attention onto the screen. Panel five foreshadows one of those times when Lee’s scripting was at odds with Kirby’s intention, and to my mind, it doesn’t work. Kirby clearly wants Cap and Agent 13 caught short by the baddie behind them in panel five, whereas Lee had Cap ‘hearing’ the baddie and... take a look at page 9, first panel. It comes across as really silly. (That page was shown in TJKC #43.)

[next page] Captain America #194, page 6 (Feb. 1976) Faithfully inked by Frank Giacoia (yet somehow lacking some of the vitality his inks could bring), Kirby here gears up for the Bicentennial and Cap #200. Some loved this story, others hated it (I’ll have to reread it—I remember being so-so about it all)— but I wonder what Kirby would make of the events and conspiracy theories in the world now? Panel five grabbed my attention—just look at the angle Kirby chose to draw ‘Taurey’ opening a drawer. So well done.

[left] OMAC #2, page 20 (Dec. 1974) Trust Kirby to take a concept like ‘Big Brother’ and put a positive spin on it. Here, the ‘nameless and faceless’ Peace Agents mop up after OMAC has done his work. But—they are meant to be representative of all mankind (hence no features) yet are colored caucasian. Was that Kirby’s idea? Did he take no notice of it? Shouldn’t they have been neutral—like silver, or green? I have to admit I find Kirby’s ‘nonface’ poorly executed. I’m sure if he drew this feature a year or two earlier, he would have put more effort into a different design. What is not poorly done, though, is the beautiful background detail in panel three.

[right] Forever People #8, page 5 (May 1972) Kirby was really pulling out the stops during this period of his Fourth World. Here, an already weird and disturbing scenario (strange, satanic garb and masks, heavily armed guards—all in a creepily secret place) is being invaded by and infiltrated by... who? Very strange. Very sinister. Perfectly drawn with harsh black shapes and shadows. Even the tunnel in panel five is irregular, with dancing blacks that make it seem to be alive with the evil of its inhabitants.

[right] New Gods #11, page 18 (Nov. 1972) In this final New Gods issue, Kirby crammed in as much character and plot as he could! That Kirby’s Fourth World bad guys were no cardboard cutouts is highlighted here, where he zeroes in on the differences between the two evil men and their relationship. Earlier in the issue (page 8), we’d learned that Desaad had helped Darkseid murder his own mother, the Queen. We also learn he murdered Darkseid’s first wife. So he is both a co-conspirator, and a betrayer. And now, the tempo builds and, to Darkseid’s mind, Desaad betrays him again. The reaction is swift and extreme. We know Kirby was heartbroken when he learned of the New Gods’ cancellation. But he made absolutely certain these characters were never better! H

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Joe & Jack...

...get exposed!

Incidental Iconography

An ongoing analysis of Kirby’s visual shorthand, and how he inadvertently used it to develop his characters, by Sean Kleefeld

ather than my usual analysis of Jack Kirby’s character designs, I’m going to take a look at something a little different: the cover of Headline Comics #37, circa 1949. If you’re a regular reader of The Jack Kirby Collector, it’s likely a cover you’re already familiar with: a photo of Jack—seated, wearing a trench coat and wielding a pistol—being apprehended by a uniformed police officer, portrayed by Joe Simon (although you can’t see his face). Photographic covers in American comics are comparatively rare, and seeing Jack and Joe insert themselves into the action even more so, so the question at hand is: where did this come from? Headline Comics began in late 1942 with “for the American Boy” as a tag line to highlight the intended audience of the Junior Rangers spotlight. Not surprisingly, given the time, they frequently fought badly stereotyped Japanese villains. Once World War II ended, however, the book struggled to find a new footing. It wouldn’t be until Joe was able to sell the idea of taking over and switching the book to a series of crime and gangster features that things began to improve in 1947. Joe and Jack took over the book with #23, and tried to showcase the “true famous detective cases” angle by depicting the Valentine’s Day Massacre on the cover and making the lead story “The Last Bloody Days of Baby Face Nelson.” Their approach was successful enough to last through to 1956 when the title finally ended, well after Joe and Jack were regularly contributing to it.

We get to the cover photograph by virtue of the two’s success. They not only successfully repeated their crime/gangster template over at Hillman with Real Clue Crime Stories, but they also invented the nascent but quickly popular romance genre of comics with My Date Comics. By 1947, they were working on several crime and romance titles and keeping themselves (and other creators working for them!) very busy. This is why Headline Comics switched to using photographs instead of illustrations on the covers beginning with #36; Joe thought it might be faster and more efficient. And while it may have been faster compared to a slower artist that worked for them like Jack Katz, it most certainly would have been a more laborious and time-consuming process than having Jack Kirby bang out a cover! Which is likely why the experiment only lasted for eight issues. This was an attempt at cost-cutting, so the people shown on the covers are not models or actors. They’re co-workers, friends and family, using makeshift props and borrowed or otherwise cobbled-together costumes. The guns are toys— probably cap guns; there were multiple manufacturers at the time selling many variations as “exact replicas of the real thing” —kept around their studio for drawing reference, which is probably why you never see more than two guns in any of the photo covers. It’s always one revolver and one automatic on the photo covers, because they only ever needed one of each to draw from. Jack’s costume here, of course, is a simple trench coat, fedora, and gloves. If they weren’t his, it wouldn’t have been at all difficult to come by 34

As a bit of an aside, I came across a solo photo of Roz a few years ago in which she was seated at the same vanity. It was a portrait-style shot and she was wearing a different outfit, so I don’t think it would’ve been taken at the same time. But I recall comparing both the vanity and the window in the background against the Headline cover, and they matched quite well, strongly suggesting to me that the photo shoot was in the Kirby home. I call this an aside because I have not been able to re-locate that photo for this column to prove this beyond my own memory. If a TJKC reader is familiar with this picture and would be able to share it, I’d love to be able to make a confirmation update here in the future. Back to what we do know of the cover, that Joe’s uniform is borrowed is highlighted even more when you look at the cover to #38 [below left], which appears to feature Jack and Joe in similar roles (although their faces are both mostly obscured in shadow). While “Jack” is wearing mostly the same clothes (just without the trench coat), “Joe’s” police uniform is clearly much larger now and fits as it should. If this is them, between shoots, he was able to procure one that fit his taller stature better. (As an aside, the woman in the ticket booth here could be Joe’s wife, Harriet, but her face is also obscured somewhat, so it’s also hard to tell for certain.) As noted earlier, the photo cover experiment didn’t last long. Jack was probably able to dash out the cover to #44 faster than anyone else could even think of an idea to photograph (there’s even an extra, unfinished version shown below). Jack did of course return to the idea of using photos in comics mostly in the form of collages, but with a very few exceptions, he left the actual photography to others. He was, after all, a man trying to make a living, and shooting his own photos—however satisfying it may have been— was a slower (i.e. not as lucrative) process for him. Which is why you don’t see him on more covers! H

Two other outtake photos are shown in the 1994 Comic Art Tribute to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby card set: One of Simon as a cop stopping Jack from robbing a gas station, and another of Joe and wife Harriet Simon being threatened by a hunter (portrayed by Jack).

any of those. The police uniform Joe is wearing is more interesting, in large part because of what isn’t seen on the cover. It’s a relatively dramatic cropping, so you don’t see Joe’s head or feet, but the real reason for that is because the outfit doesn’t fit Joe at all. An alternate photo [above] from the same staging session turned up back in the early 1990s, featuring a much wider shot of the room with Jack entering through the window to find Roz seated at the vanity. Joe is fully visible, and his pants barely come down past his calves. Even on the published cover, you can see his sleeves are uncomfortably short, and the wider shot shows just how ill-fitting the uniform really is.

problem child

The Two Faces of Loki by Will Murray

[right] Detail from Avengers #1 (Sept. 1963). [below] Splash page from Journey Into Mystery #88 (Jan. 1963). [next page, bottom] A newer, longer-lasting look for Loki from the “Trial of the Gods” in Journey Into Mystery #116 (May 1963).

hanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Loki has become popular in a way that neither Stan Lee nor Jack Kirby could ever have imagined back in the early 1960s when they dredged him up from Norse mythology and made him the perennial arch-foe of their version of Thor. Give actor Tom Hiddleston credit for that. As a personality, Loki has evolved far beyond the one-dimensional trickster god he was when the God of Mischief debuted in 1962. I was reading Journey into Mystery back in the days when Marvel’s Thor debuted. Although Loki was an intriguing and appropriate villain with an unique costume design, I must confess that I quickly grew tired of him. He was simply overused. If he wasn’t battling Thor directly, he was indirectly antagonizing him by motivating or tricking various and sundry lesser villains into going at the God of Thunder at his behest. When Lee and Kirby depicted him, Loki was interesting, but for a period in 1963 and into ’64, under Lee’s editorship, other writer and artist teams resorted to him more often than not. It got so that every other issue, and sometimes several consecutive issues, involved the sly and sneaky provocateur. I was as excited as any ten-year-old baby boomer in the Summer of 1963 when The Avengers and The X-Men simultaneously debuted. They came out on the same day, so it was quite a feast of Lee/Kirby superheroics. While the X-Men debuted with a never-before-seen nemesis, Magneto, the Avengers were brought into being when an exiled Loki, up to his usual tricks, telepathically influenced the events causing the individual future members into hunting the Incredible Hulk. Logically, Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Wasp really didn’t need any excuse to pursue the Hulk. He was a known menace. But since their efforts were meant to culminate in recruiting the Hulk to the newly-formed team, he had to remain somehow blameless. At the time, I remember being disappointed that the Avengers did not also introduce a cool new super-villain. Even though Loki had only been around for a year or so by the Summer of 1963, I was already thoroughly sick of the god of mischief. With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see the wisdom of the Lee/Kirby choice of Loki to kick off the Avengers series. If you were a reader of Marvel Comics, he needed no introduction, and his motivations were well-established. In that sense, he was the perfect instigator.

Muy Loki

In reviewing the chronology of Loki appearances, I was surprised to discover that when Kirby drew him in Avengers #1, it was during the period where Joe Sinnott was using him in the regular “Thor” stories. Other than drawing the covers, Kirby hadn’t been associated with 36

the strip in nearly a year. So it’s not surprising that when Kirby brought him back for The Avengers, he simplified Loki’s helmet, removing the ridge of reptilian scales running from brow to nape, along with certain other costume details. A continuity error resulted from Kirby’s unfamiliarity with the Joe Sinnott “Thor” stories. Odin had him chained to a stone wall in chains of unbreakable Uru metal. Kirby depicted him unfettered, in exile in the hitherto-unseen Isle of Silence. Not long after that, Kirby returned to the “Thor” strip on a regular basis, and once again Loki was up to his old tricks, stirring up the Lava Man and perpetrating all manner of mischief, usually through surrogates. Jack Kirby’s Loki costume design was not a bad one. Loki’s helmet horns may have been extreme, but they added a sinister touch to a character who rarely engaged in physical combat. In certain panels, I think I detect Kirby’s model for Loki’s narrow countenance––actor Peter Mark Richman [above], who had starred in the short-lived TV series Cain’s Hundred, in 1961–62. Then something unexpected happened in 1964. I picked up Journey into Mystery #114 to read the first chapter of the introduction of a dramatic new opponent for the God of Thunder, the Absorbing Man, which revealed Loki wearing an entirely new outfit [above]. Gone were the ridiculous horns. In their place was a set of artificial wings on his helmeted head that resembled ferns. Instead of his old green tights with their chest stripe and trunks of yellow (or were they gold?) chain mail, Loki wore a light green harness and gauntlets over darker green togs––an elaborate ensemble suggesting a Norse knight. Gone also was the ponytail attached to the back of his helmet, which I imagine was made of a horse’s tail. Was that Kirby’s way of saying Loki was a horse’s ass? Whatever. The ponytail was obviously artificial since it was not the same color as Loki’s black hair. Over the next three issues, culminating in #116’s “Trial of the Gods,” [right] Thor and Loki came into conflict on an entirely new plane. After the God of Thunder had dispensed with the self-styled Prince of Evil’s latest puppet (Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man), Thor goes to Asgard and he and Loki have a face-to-face duel. This time, Loki wields a previously unseen magic sword. The sword does Loki no good. After the struggle, both sons of Odin are summoned to Asgard to undergo the “Trial of the Gods”. It was a dramatic turn of events in what had previously been a kind of super-hero strip with occasional detours into Asgardian intrigues. But now, the conflict between Odin, his natural son, and his adopted son was culminating in a contest of survival between

the two. As a young reader of Marvel Comics, I was intrigued by Loki’s new ensemble. But I was also puzzled by it. What happened to the horned helmet? The horsehair ponytail? The familiar medieval outfit that Jack Kirby usually drew consistently, but sometimes slipped up in minor details? I can’t say that the new ensemble was superior to the old, only that it was a welcome change in a character who had been repeating the same schemes issue after issue for what seemed like forever, but was actually about three years. By the time the storyline got to the “Trial of the Gods,” Kirby had modified Loki’s helmet wings into a set of metallic bars, gave him an emerald cloak, and made other modifications until he arrived at a version that lasted for years. He also gave Loki a personal weapon, a bewitched sword. Leading up to the “Trial of the Gods” issue, Loki’s boyhood was being explored in the “Tales of Asgard” feature in Journey into Mystery. As an adult, he wore his horned outfit in issue #111’s “The Secret of Sigurd.” Two issues later, the development of Loki resumed with a story called “A Viper in Our Midst,” in which the wicked half-brother of Thor is shown attired in a slimmer version of the new green armor which had just debuted in the lead Thor tales. He also brandished the bewitched blade seen in next issue’s “Trial of the Gods.” Where it was in the intervening years was never explained. I have wondered if maybe the green armor wasn’t created for “Tales of Asgard” and subsequently found its way into the main Thor strip. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirby knocked out a bunch of “Tales of Asgard” installments far in advance of publication, came up with the Loki armor there, and decided it should be the inspiration for his new permanent look. But I am merely speculating. The “Tales of Asgard” armor with its purple cape was never seen again. After a few appearances, even Loki’s green cape vanishes from the lead feature, never to be seen again.

But Why, Jack?

For literally decades, I wondered what prompted Jack Kirby to redo Loki. Sure, other Marvel super-heroes were redesigned periodically: Ant-Man to Giant-Man to Goliath. Daredevil is another obvious example. But those were the stars of their individual strips, and such re-imaginings were usually the result of the search for bigger and better sales. I very much doubt if the sales of Journey into Mystery depended upon Loki. So why the abrupt change? Stan Lee didn’t comment on it. Usually, when a Marvel character altered his outfit, at least a little bit of an event was made of it. I’m thinking of when Iron Man spray-painted his original gray armor gold, or when Paste-Pot Pete turned into the Trapster. Kirby drew the change and Lee explained it in dialogue. 37

For many issues, Loki was a horn-headed Norse version of the Devil. And then in one issue, he became more akin to a sinister knight. Did Kirby get tired of drawing the same Loki outfit? Conceivably. Whatever the reasons, on the surface Loki’s wicked ways seemed no different. He subtly turned convict Crusher Creel into the powerful Absorbing Man in the hope that this new pawn would be the one to finally defeat his hated rival. But in Asgard, he was a twofaced conniver, pretending loyalty to Odin while scheming in secret. But all these decades later, I burned to know why the dramatic change. I knew better than to ask Stan Lee. He rarely remembered any details like that. Jack Kirby had already passed away, so there would be no help there.

The Son Sets

One day when I was meditating on it, something bubbled up from my subconscious. Two words: “dark prince.” This caused me to go to dig out my files of Journey into Mystery/ Thor. And as I read through the transitional issues, it dawned on me that my subconscious had hit the nail on the head. During the Absorbing Man two-parter and leading into the “Trial of the Gods”, there was a significant shift in Loki’s role in the main Thor strip. It had been building in the “Tales of Asgard” feature, where Kirby and Lee had depicted incidents in the characters’ youth which dramatized their developing rivalry. But now it was bursting forth full-blown in the lead Thor stories. No longer was their antagonism rooted in terms of of good guy vs. bad guy super-heroics, but as a brother against brother storyline. Loki was transitioning from being a jealous trickster god to Thor’s chief rival for the throne of Asgard should Odin eventually pass away. He was the pretender to the throne, the Dark Prince of Asgard. Giant horns did not fit his new role. He would look ridiculous in the company of his fellow Asgardians. It wouldn’t do for Loki to dress in so obviously and preposterously evil a costume, yet be seen as a serious rival for a ruling role. Once I thought it through, it made perfect sense. Jack Kirby was moving Thor out of the human dimension of super-hero antagonist and into the Asgardian realm, just as he was deemphasizing Dr. Don Blake and Thor’s other earthly connections. Thus, the brotherly rivalry between Thor and Loki was coming to a head. Henceforth, many of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Thor stories would focus on this rivalry. After recruiting the Absorbing Men in a naked attempt to seize the throne belonging to Odin, in Journey into Mystery #123, Loki and Crusher Creel were exiled by Odin into outer space. There followed a refreshing 18-month period in 1966–67 where Lee and Kirby stopped using Loki. Maybe regular readers were as sick of him as I was. But I recall enjoying the interlude where the Thunder God contended with the gods of Olympus, the High Evolutionary, the Living Planet, and other cosmic concerns.

A Prodigal Son Returns

[above] “Tales of Asgard” from Thor #128 (May 1966), and [next page] pencils from Thor #147 (Dec. 1967).

Eventually, the God of Evil came back. When next we see him in Thor #142, Loki is alone and exiled in limbo, but inexplicably back to wearing his old horned costume. Kirby did not draw any explanatory panels. The old Loki was back. And that was that. Predictably, he’s also back to his familiar sly trickery. When he wasn’t scheming for the throne of Asgard, he was throwing the likes of Super-Skrull and others against Thor, or repeatedly abducting

nurse Jane Foster. Loki just never gave up. Two issues after Thor is stripped of his godly powers and exiled to Earth in Thor #145, Odin inexplicably and unadvisedly plucked Loki out of limbo. Bowing and scraping and promising to behave, Loki goes to Earth for a faceto-face confrontation, thinking the now-mortal Thunder God was finally vulnerable. Kirby has given Loki a powerful set of muscles, and the two actually have a physical brawl instead of the usual brawn-versus-magic battle that had been their customary way of settling differences. This long sequence culminates in a brush with Ragnarok, after which Loki flees Asgard for the Kingdom of the Norns, whose Queen, Karnilla, he has allied himself with. At the end of Jack Kirby’s run on Thor, Loki finally succeeds in wresting control of Asgard and briefly rules the eternal realm, wearing an elaborate suit of armor topped by an appropriately horned crown [below]. But his victory is short-lived. The Prince of Evil was again forced to flee to Earth, this time tricked out in his new regal armor with abbreviated horns, sans crown. This was followed by a multi-issue storyline in which Loki exchanges bodies with Thor, leading Odin to mistakenly exile the wrong son to the hellish realm of Mephisto. Regrettably, in the middle of this sequence, Jack Kirby left Marvel, leaving the story to Stan Lee, John Buscema and Neal Adams to complete. After escaping capture, the old familiar horned Loki eventually returned in Thor #187. But he was back on the throne of Asgard, wearing a new version of his Kirbyesque kingly regalia in Thor #190. This proved to be another shortterm coup, and once more Loki was reduced to wearing his original outfit. By that time, I’m sure readers who had not been familiar with Loki’s many permutations were confused by all the unexplained costume changes. I can only guess, but I think Jack Kirby reverted Loki back to his first regalia during his exile in Limbo because he and/or Stan Lee decided to shift the strip’s focus back its origins. Once more, Loki assumed his role of chief Thor antagonist, and the frequency with which he kept popping up to bedevil his beleaguered brother bears out that theory. It was enough to make me sick of him all over again. H

[above] Alfredo Alcala-inked presentation piece for a proposed Ruby-Spears Thor series. [bottom left] Loki gives the finger to Asgard as he takes over in Thor#175 (April 1970). [below] Odin sketch, date unknown, but it looks like mid-1970s work..

Face-Off

The Burper Hiccup A lesson in humility, by Glen Gold

ne casualty of long COVID is my clarity of writing, and for that I apologize. There is a chain of misunderstanding a little too long to summarize here, but in TJKC #87’s letter column, Roy Thomas lovingly chastises me for saying something I didn’t actually quite say... and yet, what I did say isn’t exactly accurate either. In short, I have noticed that Jack has more than once dramatized how a hero might have a villain’s face, and how a villain staring into his own face is sometimes a way he gets defeated. Silver Star #6 is one example, Orion really seems to be aiming that way throughout New Gods, and then there’s the Surfer/FF/Doom parody found in Not Brand Echh #1 (Aug. 1967). For reasons I can’t recreate (I seem to have written it in May 2020, when that whole brain fog thing was apparently giving me good reasons to keep my yap shut), I wrote “I think Kirby dialogued much of this Not Brand Echh.” Roy disagrees with me—as do I! Good catch, Roy! He adds he would doubt my stated position unless I had “access to the original penciled/ margin-noted pages of Jack’s. Does he? I’d love to see it!” In fact, I do, and thanks for reminding me, because it proves Roy’s point (I think) and knocks mine down a peg even better. I used to own this page [below], and one thing I noticed is that there are tons of margin notes other than Jack’s, way more than I’m used to seeing, and I don’t recognize some of the handwriting. Also, some of the balloons have white-out and insertions. When I had this on my wall twenty years ago, I thought it reflected what I imagined was a creative high point of Marvel, with all kinds of people chiming in to add gags, so that the page resembled an Elder/Kurtzman MAD comic page with layers and layers of humor. I kind of thought Roy and Gary Friedrich and, who knows, Marie Severin, or whoever else was in the creative soup, contributed stuff. In any case, even I don’t believe Jack dialogued it. But did he come up with the plot twist that Doom is defeated by seeing his own face? Based on a preponderance of textual evidence and recurrent story motifs throughout his career, I’d say, “Yup.” Okay, back to investigating why I wrote Golden Age Cap only threw his shield once in the first ten issues. Did I mean the only time he boomeranged it? Because that’s not right either. H

[top and left] Dr. Bloom from Not Brand Echh #1 (Aug. 1967), and [above] Darius Drumm from Silver Star #6 (Jan. 1984).

War Star

Our Artist @ War by Tom Morehouse

just finished reading TwoMorrows’ new book Our Artists at War by Richard J. Arndt and Steven Fears. Nice job. There is, however, an error which I’d like you to correct in any future editions. In discussing Kirby’s Foxhole #1 cover [below], they state that Kirby copied the head from Joseph Hirsch’s painting “High Visibility Wrap”, while everything else on the cover was his own creation. Not true. Jack copied the figures giving aid in the background of the cover, from another Joseph Hirsch painting, “Field Examination” [above], also found in (and drawn in outline on the cover of) Men Without Guns by Clarence Worden and DeWitt Mackenzie, where Kirby likely saw “High Visibility Wrap.”

There is a misconception that Jack took the image of “HVW” from the cover of a men’s magazine; however, the fact that both swipes are found in the same source indicates he swiped it from there. Men Without Guns [above] would have been available to Jack as he was recovering from frostbite during World War II, since it was first published in 1945 and distributed to VA Hospitals across the country. H

[above] Jack’s war work is covered in both of these new TwoMorrows titles.

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Foundations

Here’s a never-reprinted Simon & Kirby’s story from Justice Traps The Guilty #4 (June 1948). Art restoration and color by Christopher Fama.

THE CONVOLUTED SAGA OF A.I.M. ne of the less well known, but more significant comics of the Marvel Silver Age, was Sgt. Fury #13, 1 because it established a relationship between Nick Fury and Captain America as far back as World War II. This issue was published in December 1964, several months after Captain America was rescued from a frozen state of suspended animation in The Avengers #4, dated March 1964. Shortly thereafter, Captain America would be featured in his own ongoing series begin3 ning in Tales of Suspense #59. Nick Fury was brought into the modern Silver Age timeline in Fantastic Four #21 dated Dec. 1963, 2 and got his own series in 1965 in Strange Tales #135. 3 Now a colonel, Fury was the head of SHIELD, an origination inspired by the popularity of the James Bond films. SHIELD, of course, had to have an adversary similar to Bond’s nemesis SPECTRE. This would be Hydra, whose serpent-like green clad minion shares the space of Kirby’s Strange Tales cover illustration along with Nick Fury. The malevolent Hydra agent dominates the artwork, and though we do not know who is operating the scanner that exposes Nick Fury’s anatomy, we immediately get the sense that Kirby will take us on a journey of futuristic hi-tech action. Initially, Hydra was said to be a creation of a nondescript businessman named Arnold Brown, but when Brown is killed, we would eventually discover that organization reemerging under the leadership of Nick Fury’s WWII enemy Baron Strucker, with the help of Captain America’s diabolical foe, the Red Skull. Over the next several months we would see various plots and subplots weave and interweave between issues of Strange Tales and Tales of Suspense. I will focus mostly on Tales of Suspense because Kirby was consistently handling the plotting and art

chores on this book. In Tales of Suspense #78 dated June 1966, 4 Nick Fury will contact Captain America to warn him about a sinister organization known only as THEM, whom Fury 4 describes as a group of scientists who are planning to overthrow the government. The two heroes briefly reminisce about their adventures together during World War II. Shortly thereafter, one of THEM’s androids breaks in and attacks Cap and Fury, a scene shown on the comic’s cover. The storyline briefly cuts away from the battle to show us a laboratory facility run by THEM, where yellow-suited operatives are using DNA technology to grow more androids. 5 It is clear to the readers that we will soon see more of these people. The issue ends with our heroes victorious and as he leaves the

5 scene, Fury hands Cap a SHIELD identity badge as a token of their bond. 6 In the following issue #79, we learn that the Red Skull is still alive, having been rescued from a bunker explosion by members of THEM. The scenario becomes a tad confusing when in that same issue, we see the identical yellow-clad operatives of THEM at a facility belonging to an organization called A.I.M, which stands for Advanced Idea Mechanics. The men are giving a mysterious object known as the Cosmic Cube to a Count Royale. In the following issue we discover that the Cube is destined to become the property of the Red Skull. To make sense of this, the Marvel readership would need to have read the 1966 issues of Strange Tales #146 and 147 to discover that the organization known as A.I.M. is a branch of the secret cabal known as THEM. We will also discover at some point that both organizations are creations of Baron Strucker as offshoots of Hydra, so we are back to where we started. Hydra will reappear later in this run but will resurface as well in Strange Tales #150 and appear more spectacularly in #151, which features layouts by Kirby and finished illustrations by the newly recruited Jim Steranko. In Tales of Suspense #80, the Red Skull will obtain the Cosmic Cube. At this point, in my opinion Kirby was at the height of his powers of creativity and kinetic artistic wonderment. He was predominantly focusing his energy on just three books, and this was allowing him to give all of his attention to making those runs some of the most spectacular work of his career. Because Kirby’s pencils are solidly finished pieces of art, the inker has little or no margin for error, and when that person is a skilled professional like this issue’s finisher, Frank Giacoia, the results are nothing short of riveting. 7 This splash panel from #81 has to be among my favorite Kirby tableaus for its use of spotted blacks. The reader’s eye instantly focuses on the glowing Cube at the top left, but the powerful spotted black shapes of the Skull’s arm quickly bring it down to the spotted black of his leering mouth. The black shapes around the star on Cap’s shield take our eye to his charging figure. 8 On page 8, inflated by his colossal ego, the Red Skull uses the Cosmic Cube to attire himself in golden armor, and Cap pretends to bow down to become his slave. This is, of

course, merely a ruse for Cap to get close enough to try to wrest the Cube from him. During the scuffle, the Skull causes the ground beneath them to split apart, and in the resulting cataclysm, he loses his grip on the Cube, allowing it to fall in the ocean. He appears to perish while trying to retrieve the Cube, but we can be fairly certain that he and the miraculous object will be seen again. The blurb at the bottom of the final page informs us that the next issue will feature The Adaptoid. On page 8 of that issue, #82, we see the continuation of events that took place in Strange Tales #149, as Count Royale, who was briefly shown in Tales of Suspense #78, has been injured in the explosion of an A.I.M. facility. Rescued by SHIELD agents, he is lying in a semi-conscious state, babbling about the Adaptoid. On a following page, we see that the Adaptoid is yet another android created by A.I.M. The creature’s DNA contains a shard of the Cosmic Cube, which enables it to impersonate anyone it

8 choses. The Adaptoid has used its powers to infiltrate the Avengers mansion and to take on the likeness of Jarvis the Butler. The Jarvis/ Adaptoid gives Cap a hypno-sedative to overwhelm him with bizarre hallucinations and render him unconscious. 9 Now, in a stunning sequence of Kirby Krackle and energy bursts, the Adaptoid assumes the appearance of Captain America.

In issue #83, the Adaptoid version of Captain America will be defeated by a villain called the Tumbler, who will then be beaten by the real Cap when he regains consciousness. In issue #84, the Adaptoid appears to be neutralized, but when the Avengers show up at the mansion, it will then surreptitiously take on all of their powers to become the Super Adaptoid. 10 This story accelerates to climax in a fantastic battle in the sky, as the Adaptoid sweeps Cap up and carries him high aloft. Kirby’s compositions emphasize the size of the monstrous Adaptoid and Cap’s apparent helplessness thousands of feet in the air. Cap is dwarfed in the second panel by the Adaptoid’s huge fist and leg as he is dangled above the Manhattan skyline. At this point of this run, the inking is still being done by Frank Giacoia, who in retrospect is one of Kirby’s most vivid and technically faithful embellishers. Under his hand, Kirby’s figures take on a solidity not often seen with the King’s previous inkers. Again, his use of blacks here is particularly effective. Note the bold slashes of black in the figures to emphasize their musculature. At the end of the story, Cap falls into the river, defeated but still alive, and the Adaptoid disappears, not be seen for some time. In issue #85, Hydra will reappear, as well as a French mercenary Savate master named Batroc who is now in Hydra’s employ. 11 However, at the end of one of comic books’ most

spectacular one-on-one battles, Batroc’s sense of honor will cause him to side with Captain America and turn against Hydra. Neither A.I.M. nor THEM would be mentioned in this story. At this point it would appear that THEM is no longer in the picture and A.I.M. has gone its own way with its agenda separate from Hydra as well. In Tales of Suspense #92 [below], Captain America will be reunited with Nick Fury to prevent the latter’s assassination by agents of A.I.M. The hit takes place in a barbershop as shown on this explosive cover. Cap arrives too late to save the victim, but it turns out that the killer has not taken out Nick Fury, but only a Life Model Decoy. Fury will inform Cap that the love of his life, Sharon Carter, has infiltrated A.I.M., but her duplicity towards them has been discovered. In #93, Captain America will don special underwater gear to seek out A.I.M’s headquarters located in a submarine in order to rescue her. In issue #94, within that submarine, Kirby and Lee would present one of

A.I.M.’s most unusual and imaginative creations, Modok, whose bizarre and wonderfully grotesque appearance is the result of a failed experiment to increase his intelligence. 12 This startling panel is a spectacular way to introduce the character, swooping onto the scene on his magnetic hover chair, his enormous head dominating the frame and seemingly overwhelming the floored Captain. 13 Panel three is equally powerful, a view from above that gives the impression that Modok can easily outmaneuver the hero. Although created by A.I.M., Modok has used his enormous mental powers to take over the organization. Its members then decide to turn against their new master, and as Captain America battles the massive-headed creature, the minions of A.I.M. fire their blasters at Modok, severely wounding him. 14 As he appears to lose his life, Modok fires a devastating brain blast at the generator of the giant sub. Cap and Sharon escape while Modok seems to have perished in the ship’s massive explosion, but this is another character too good to dispose of permanently, so a different incarnation of Modok will return at a later date.

[above] Splash page pencils from Tales of Suspense #93 (Sept. 1967).

As of issue #100, having proven his worth, the star-spangled hero would get his own 13 title. Tales of Suspense would be renamed Captain America, and A.I.M. would drop out of sight for quite some time. Syd Shores, one of Captain America’s most prominent Golden Age artists, would become Kirby’s inker for several issues, giving the title a retro flavor. Adding even more of a sense of nostalgia to the series, Cap’s Golden Age adversary, the Red Skull, would become Cap’s most featured enemy for a considerable period. Shortly thereafter, in issue #114, Jack Kirby’s run on the title would end. 14 In Captain America #110, Hydra would make a spectacular comeback in stories written and drawn by Jim Steranko… but that is another story. H

OBSCURA

Barry Forshaw

A regular column focusing on Kirby’s least known work, by Barry Forshaw

Barry Forshaw is the author of Crime Fiction: A Reader’s Guide and American Noir (available from Amazon) and the editor of Crime Time (www.crimetime. co.uk); he lives in London.

[below] Black Magic #23 and #27, both from 1953.

pushed back by a skeletal arm—had a typically eye-catching Kirby splash panel in which the glazed-eyed bearded painter has his brush arm guided by a hooded death figure behind him. As so often in the Black Magic series, it’s the splash panel which makes the impact, although the story is well written. Nevertheless, the final panel—in which the painter realizes that he has foreseen the death of his subject—does not really go for impact. Even in this pre-Code period, Simon and Kirby did not seem to aspire to those final panels in the EC horror stories, so full of the shocking impact that the tale required. Nevertheless, like the entire run of Black Magic, it’s one for Kirby connoisseurs. It’s ironic that the title itself came under fire from the censors who would successfully bring down all horror comics, both in the US and the UK (the British 68-page reprints of Black Magic, which had quite a respectable run, became very collectable when we Brits realized that horror comics had vanished completely in terms of UK reprints).

HORROR ON THE CANVAS

There was a particular balancing act that Jack Kirby performed better than any other illustrator—and it was one that he was obliged to perfect as the Comics Code tightened its iron grip on the comics industry. While the likes of vampires and werewolves were completely forbidden, editor Stan Lee was well aware that comics readers still responded well to bizarre monsters—and hence the long reign of such creatures in the post-Code era. While these grotesque creatures had to stay the right side of the Code, they could still have a menacing appearance (when, that is, they were not ridiculous, as in the case of the notorious Fin Fang Foom with its elongated torso like a gigantic dachshund). Jack Kirby’s gift for the grotesque carried him through these years until the revelatory Marvel super-hero era. But there are those of us who really did miss Kirby in full-on horror vein—as, for instance, in Prize Comics’ Black Magic #23 (April 1953) in which Kirby could indulge in a then-acceptable horror trope (one subsequently not to be found when the Code kicked in): a menacing skeleton. “Those Who Are About To Die”—in which a painter unconsciously creates a canvas showing the death of a woman, in which she is

FELINE MENACE

Still with Black Magic—let’s take a look at #27 (or as the book read: Volume 4, No. 3, from November/ December 1953). “The Cat People” shares a title with the famous Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur film chiller of the 1940s, which was noted for its clever use of misdirection and discretion to bolster its shocks. And although those two adjectives could be applied to most of the run of this particular Prize comic (in which actual horror erupted only sporadically), they don’t really describe the action here, which is more in the reader’s face. With its striking splash panel of a monstrous-looking feline woman, her face coloured red, her hands playing the child’s game of Cat’s Cradle, this tale has the hapless hero finding himself lost in a wild and desolate place, and being rescued by a very strange looking older woman who offers him fruit and suggests he spend the night with her and her daughter. In the Jacques Tourneur film, sex was at the heart of the cat-transforming anti-heroine’s problems with sexual desire turning her into a monster, but that’s not in the cards here, although there is a suggestion that the daughter is distinctly seductive. When 56

she turns—like her mother—into a ravenous cat creature, what follows are two pages of pursuit and savage attack [above right], with the hero having his back clawed and his shirt ripped away, mainly so that the final panel can reveal the scars that he will “carry as long as he lives.” This is, in fact, one of the Black Magic tales that does trade in the macabre—this is very much a horror tale. But it’s also very much a Kirby tale, in that the sequence of the terrified hero running from the two murderous women shows that faultless command of the human figure in motion—not only was Kirby better at doing it than anyone else, it seems it didn’t even occur to the other artists of the day to try to attain this dynamism. Efficient though they are, try to find anything similar in the work of Jim Mooney, Bill Ely or Mort Meskin—which is not to disparage those artists, just to note that Kirby was indeed the King.

MIMICKING THE MUMMY

I can’t get away from Black Magic this column. Let’s dip once more into Simon and Kirby’s horror trove for an item featured in issue #28 (Vol. 4, No. 4, Jan.-Feb. 1954), “Alive after Five Thousand Years.” But although I come to praise Kirby, not to bury him, I have to in all honesty point out that this strikingly well-illustrated tale is in fact a rip-off. In the rainy country in which I live (from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail), many of us would look on the US with fascination. Some of us knew why you colonials broke away—we thought it fair enough that Americans decided they didn’t want taxation without representation. Some time later (say in the 20th century), we learned about more recent cultural manifestations—such as comics and films. We’d heard about how all the great horror films of the past had been shown in packages on American television (no such bounty in this country, which was much more nervous about such things). Certainly, before writing and illustrating the tale mentioned above, Simon and 57

Kirby had seen the Karl Freund film The Mummy (1932), with Boris Karloff hidden beneath the crumbling bandages. Kirby’s story matches the film beat for beat, even down to the young man being driven mad by the sight of the ambulant mummy. But if you’re not worried by the arrant borrowings here, there is much to enjoy for the Kirby aficionado, such as the striking splash panel with a torch illuminating the rotted face of the mummy. And then there’s the mummy taking a walk with a close-up of a bandaged arm lifting up a sacrificial knife, and a grotesque image of the young man being menaced with the blade at his throat as the mummy steals a scroll [below]. Some years later, another great illustrator—one who had a very profitable association as inker with Jack Kirby, self-destructive Wally Wood—would draw a direct comics version of The Mummy, but it’s equally interesting to see Jack Kirby’s take on a classic horror theme. H

G-

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[right and next page] Kirby pencil art from Demon #2 (Oct. 1972). “Hermetic” is defined as something relating to an ancient occult tradition encompassing alchemy, astrology, and theosophy, which would seem to apply here. [next page, bottom] Splash page from Tales of Suspense #92 (Aug. 1967). [below] Robert’s stained glass window, based on the Kirby/Sinnott art from the cover of Jack Kirby Collector #43.

Masonic and Hermetic Symbolism in The Incredible Hulk, by Robert Guffey

“We are entering savage new times.” —David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, 1983

1. Jack Kirby’s Secular Gods

n my kitchen hangs a stained glass window of Jack Kirby’s Silver Surfer. The window was created for me by a California artist named Christine Monteath a few years ago. When the early morning light hits the window in just the right way, you might (for a moment) think you were sitting in a church pew beneath a stained glass representation of the archangel Gabriel from Christian mythology. Once I had seen what wonders Monteath could create out of stained glass in her attic studio, it occurred to me that the Silver Surfer would be the ideal subject for a project like this. A stained glass window would, of course, be the perfect recognition of Jack Kirby’s original intent: to create a pantheon of “new gods,” a phrase considered heretical by some (a phrase that, five years after Kirby dreamed up the Silver Surfer in a modest basement studio on Long Island, became the title of Kirby’s greatest creation of all, the New Gods, the cornerstone of his groundbreaking Fourth World series). In this third decade of the 21st century, Kirby has at last succeeded in his audacious goal. After all, the most popular and lucrative films of the past two decades have featured mythological beings created (or co-created) by Kirby: Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Avengers, The Black Panther, Captain America, The Eternals, Groot of The Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hulk, Iron Man, Nick Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man, Thor, and The X-Men—an unlikely pantheon of secular god-heroes re-imagined as multi-billion dollar blockbuster franchises. Considering that Kirby’s phantasmagoric creations have become the backdrop of our Novus ordo seclorum, known and loved across disparate cultures all over the globe, I sincerely felt that Kirby’s posthumous success should be memorialized in an appropriate manner: the aforementioned stained glass window, which represents the ascension of Kirby’s characters into the realm of pure mythology. As a Freemason, I’ve always been intensely interested in the power of secular myths. One of Masonry’s main purposes, historically, has been to act as a bridge between numerous cultures and religions. No organized religious group has control of any recognized Masonic Lodge, within the walls of which no theology is consid58

ered more valid than any other. This is one of the central reasons Freemasonry has been demonized for so long by the Catholic Church and other organized religions. Wild horror stories about Masonry’s nefarious occult agenda still abound—on the Internet, on photocopied flyers stapled to telephone poles, on crude pamphlets left on the windshields of cars bearing Masonic bumper stickers, and on church bulletin

boards. Secularism can be a scary prospect for a strict system based on autocratic theology. All theocracies are ruled by spreading fear of The Other among their followers. When the devotees of the world’s major religions at last realize how much they have in common, the less power the theocrats will hold over the minds and spirits of the masses. Membership in Freemasonry requires a belief in a “Supreme Being,” but even an atheist can “agree to an energetic force that permeates the universe,” a “force [that] is not sentient or involved in the lives of men in a conscious manner,” as succinctly stated by a pseudonymous Freemason on a blog called The Burning Taper,

to create an entire comic book story without a script or any preliminary sketches whatsoever. In the 2007 documentary Jack Kirby: Storyteller, comic book writers Len Wein and Marv Wolfman described watching Jack Kirby work: WOLFMAN: Len and I, when we were kids, went to Jack’s house and we watched him draw… I think it was the end of the Galactus storyline [in The Fantastic Four]. WEIN: The most astonishing natural artist I’ve ever seen in my life! He projected it from his head. WOLFMAN: It was all there. The whole page was there. WEIN: I always tell this story, because to this day it blows my mind. There’s a famous issue of Tales of Suspense, a splash page for a Captain America story... [in #92, below] Steve Rogers is in an airport. He’s not in costume. He’s standing there with his portfolio the shield is hidden in, and there are people walking in front of him in several layers, people walking past him and behind him. He’s waiting for someone to pick him up. Behind that is this huge panoramic window. You can see planes taking off and coming in. I watched Jack draw that. He didn’t lay anything out. He started drawing in the upper lefthand corner and drew that page to the bottom right. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life! Kirby biographer Mark Evanier, author of Kirby: King of Comics, elaborates further on Kirby’s creative process: “He wouldn’t, like a lot of other artists, plan out the whole thing and figure out his perspective. At the end he would spend some time balancing his darks, his dark areas, his black areas, and tweaking little parts of the drawing, but the basic structure of the drawing just came out of nowhere.” Kirby’s son, Neal, succinctly describes his father’s working method as follows: “He would just start drawing. It’d be like somebody who, writing a novel, immediately went to a final draft without doing a rough draft.”2 James Joyce (no stranger to esoteric symbolism, as evidenced by his 1939 mythological masterpiece Finnegans Wake) once referred to himself as an “amanuensis,” i.e., “one who takes dictation.”3 Joyce’s implication was that his literary output resulted from a source of knowledge much higher than his own meager consciousness (it might even be fair to describe this source as “an energetic force that permeates the universe,” not unlike The Source that features so prominently in Kirby’s Fourth World series). I would not be surprised if Kirby approached his creative process in the same way as Joyce. By all accounts, Kirby’s method of producing

which is dedicated to examining Masonic issues facing the 21st century.1 Accepting this definition, an atheist could feasibly swear to the oaths of Freemasonry; therefore, even the “godless,” even those not dominated by organized religion, can pursue a spiritual life. For this reason, the concept of “secular mythologies” holds special interest for many Freemasons. As I’ve written in the past (e.g., in my first book, Cryptoscatology: Conspiracy Theory As Art Form), a great many influential works of literature are imbued with Masonic and hermetic symbolism. Such symbolism can be found in the plays of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Samuel Beckett; the novels and short stories of Jonathan Swift and Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker; the films of Luis Buñuel and John Huston, Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas; the graphic novels of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Hugo Pratt, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison; the international bestsellers of Thomas Pynchon and Umberto Eco, Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling. The psychologist Carl Jung might say that the power of such symbolism has a great deal to do with the unwavering hold these works continue to exert upon the consciousness of the mass audience. Perhaps it should not be a surprise, therefore, that these symbols are also inextricably linked with Jack Kirby’s modern pantheon of secular deities.

2. Kirby As Amanuensis

I’ve touched upon Kirby’s lifelong obsession with occult matters in past articles such as “The Morning of the Mutants,” which was published in Fortean Times #277 (July 2011). Kirby’s knowledge of esoteric symbolism was the result of either devoted, post-graduate level scholarship or a powerful imagination unconsciously—effortlessly?—plugged into a free-floating multiverse of primal symbols. Many of Kirby’s colleagues have commented on his uncanny ability 59

[below] The Hulk from Jack’s mid-1970s Valentine’s Day sketchbook for wife Roz. [next page] Is there a deep meaning to the images Jack combined in his collages, or was it just more random and instinctual?

an improbable amount of material, month after month, seemed to be rather similar to the “automatic writing” sessions employed by such devoted surrealists as Andre Breton and Philippe Soupault. According to his family, Kirby produced most of his work in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep and dreaming; meanwhile, Kirby, the amanuensis, was awake and dreaming, his brain paradoxically resting while on high alert, his hand moving across his modest drawing board like that of a Victorian medium locked in a selfinduced hypnotic trance. Perhaps this alone explains the hermetic symbolism embedded in Kirby’s most intriguing creations such as The Strange World of Your Dreams, Black Magic, The Challengers of the Unknown, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, The X-Men, Fourth World, Spirit World, The Demon, OMAC, The Eternals, and Captain Victory and His Galactic Rangers… and, of course, The Incredible Hulk, the subject of our current exploration.

3. The Strange Case of The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk debuted in May of 1962 at the height of the Cold War, the peak of the ongoing battle between East and West, Communism and Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. The tenor of the times, perhaps even more so than now, was forged by a struggle between polar opposites. Christian dualism permeated American life from the top down, affecting all human endeavors, including religion, politics, sex, psychiatry, labor relations, everything. Psychotic dualism was the order of the day. Stan Lee, editor not only of The Incredible Hulk but the entire line of Marvel comics throughout the 1960s, cites Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as one of the main literary inspirations for the creation of the Hulk.4 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which centers around a doctor who attempts to obliterate his evil side through scientific experimentation, reflected the Victorian obsession with extreme polarities. John Fowles, author of the 1969 novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman, has this to say about the significance of Stevenson’s novel as it relates to the bipolar mind: This—the fact that every Victorian had two minds—is the one piece of equipment we must always take with us on our travels back to the nineteenth century. It is a schizophrenia seen at its clearest, its most notorious, in the poets I have quoted from so often—in Tennyson, Clough, Arnold, Hardy; but scarcely less clearly in the extraordinary political veerings from Right to Left and back again of men like the younger Mill and Gladstone; in the ubiquitous neuroses and psychosomatic illnesses of intellectuals otherwise as different as Charles Kingsley and Darwin; in the execration at first poured on the Pre-Raphaelites, who tried—or seemed to be trying—to be one-minded about both art and life; in the endless tug-of-war between Liberty and Restraint, Excess and Moderation, Propriety and Conviction, between the principled man’s cry for Universal Education and his terror of Universal Suffrage; transparent also in the mania for editing and revising, so that if we want to know the real Mill or the real Hardy, we can learn far more from the deletions and alterations of their autobiographies than from the published versions… more from correspondence that somehow escaped burning, from private diaries, from the petty detritus of the concealment operation. Never was the record so completely confused, never a public facade so successfully passed off as the truth on a gullible posterity; and this, I think, makes the best guidebook to the age

detest men who think with their fists.” And yet at the same time Banner’s genius has produced “the most awesome weapon ever created by man,” a weapon so potentially destructive in nature that even one of Banner’s colleague deems it to be “too dangerous” to test. Already, even on pages one and two, the Victorian “tugof-war” referenced by Fowles is evident. According to James Shelby Downard, the late controversial author of such essays as “King-Kill/33°” (1987) and “Sorcery, Sex, Assassination, and the Science of Symbolism” (1993), the hermetic and Masonic traditions seek to reconcile binary opposites, “the perverse or negative phase of the two basic life-forces, the Yetzer ha-Ra and Yetzer ha-Tov.” Downard explains this outlook further:

very possibly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Behind its latter day Gothick lies a very profound and epoch-revealing truth.5 By 1962, in many respects, not much had changed in the Western mind. The typical American accepted without question the “public facade passed off as the truth,” not unlike the average Victorian who pretended to sympathize with the plight of Dr. Jekyll while secretly rooting for the evil Mr. Hyde. This typical American went about his life, ignoring the ugly truths around him or her, in a manner that could easily be described by Fowles as schizophrenic, neurotic, censorious, confused, and gullible. All of these Victorian qualities are wrapped up in the outer life of The Incredible Hulk’s protagonist, a Reluctant Hero if ever there was one, Dr. Bruce Banner. Banner is a top flight physicist, a man of peace, whose brilliant mind is owned by the U.S. military. On the very first page of issue #1 [below], General “Thunderbolt” Ross calls Banner “a milksop” with “no guts.” On page 2, Banner tells his fellow scientist, Igor, “I

This theological dualism holds that there are two antagonistic forces (male and female) which become one. Though the Yetzer ha-Tov influences is deemed to be “good” and the Yetzer ha-Ra is said to be “bad,” there exist no absolutes or value judgments in Scottish Rite Masonry, whose dogma contends that “equilibrium is the harmony that results from the analogy of contraries.” 6 This last quotation is Downard’s slightly distorted paraphrase of a passage from Eliphas Levi’s 1854 text, Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual: “Everything lives by movement, everything is maintained by equilibrium, and harmony results from the analogy of contraries; this law is the form of forms.”7 The Incredible Hulk, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is a quasi-hermetic/quasi-Masonic satire (disguised as a super-hero adventure) that concerns itself with what happens to an entire society when the “analogy of contraries” becomes upset, and what must be done to balance these opposed influences. The blatant Masonic symbolism is evident in the very first panel of the debut issue. Banner’s “awesome” and “dangerous” invention is called, in this initial panel, “the incredible G-bomb.” Most readers would assume that the “G” stands for “Gamma,” since the weapon Banner has created is named “the Gamma-Bomb,” but I suspect there’s a hidden purpose behind relating Banner’s brainchild to the letter “G.” As any Freemason knows, “G” has been the main symbol of the Brotherhood since at least the eighteenth century, no doubt even earlier. Most scholars believe “G” stands for “Great Architect of the Universe” or “Geometry.” According to Albert Pike, who created the higher degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry 61

for his mutilated body, is said to have found all the parts except the organs of generation, which myth is simply symbolic of the fact, that the sun having set, its fecundating and invigorating power had ceased. The Phallus, therefore, as the symbol of the male generative principle, was very universally venerated among the ancients, and that too as a religious rite, without the slightest reference to any impure or lascivious application. He is supposed, by some commentators, to be the god mentioned under the name of Baal-peor, in the Book of Numbers, as having been worshipped by the idolatrous Moabites. Among the eastern nations of India the same symbol was prevalent, under the name of “Lingam.” But the Phallus or Lingam was a representation of the male principle only. To perfect the circle of generation it is necessary to advance one step farther. Accordingly we find in the Cteis of the Greeks, and the Yoni of the Indians, a symbol of the female generative principle, of co-extensive prevalence with the Phallus. The Cteis was a circular and concave pedestal, or receptacle, on which the Phallus or column rested, and from the centre of which it sprang. The union of the Phallus and Cteis, or the Lingam and Yoni, in one compound figure, as an object of adoration, was the most usual mode of representation. This was in strict accordance with the whole system of ancient mythology, which was founded upon a worship of the prolific powers of nature. All the deities of pagan antiquity, however numerous they may be, can always be reduced to the two different forms of the generative principle—the active, or male, and the passive, or female. Hence the gods were always arranged in pairs, as Jupiter and Juno, Bacchus and Venus, Osiris and Isis. But the ancients went farther. Believing that the procreative and productive powers of nature might be conceived to exist in the same individual, they made the older of their deities hermaphrodite, and used the term ἀῤῥενοθέλυς, or man-virgin, to denote the union of the two sexes in the same divine person.9

as we know them today, the “G” stands for the “generative principle,” i.e., sexual intercourse, the merging of polar opposites through the act of procreation.8 Tellingly juxtaposed with the word “G-bomb” in panel one of issue #1 (which bears the suggestive title “The Coming of the Hulk”) is a depiction of the weapon itself, an obvious phallic symbol erected in the middle of a barren desert landscape [left]. In any Masonic Lodge, the “G” is invariably enclosed within the center of an overlapping square and compass [above]; the “G,” therefore, has always been related symbolically to a point within a circle. In his 1882 book The Symbolism of Freemasonry, 33rd Degree Freemason Albert Mackey writes: [T]o understand this symbol, I must refer, as a preliminary matter, to the worship of the Phallus, a peculiar modification of sun-worship, which prevailed to a great extent among the nations of antiquity. The Phallus was a sculptured representation of the membrum virile, or male organ of generation, and the worship of it is said to have originated in Egypt, where, after the murder of Osiris by Typhon, which is symbolically to be explained as the destruction or deprivation of the sun’s light by night, Isis, his wife, or the symbol of nature, in the search

In hermetic traditions, obtuse depictions of sexual intercourse are often symbolic of a more metaphysical goal: the reconciliation of opposites. The reconciliation of opposites was one of the primary objectives of the ancient alchemists. The closest 20th century version of an alchemist is a theoretical physicist—in this case, Bruce Banner, whose full name is “Robert Bruce Banner” (initials that might be hermetically significant as well—about which more later). On the first page of issue #1, Dr. Banner is relentlessly emasculated by General “Thunderbolt” Ross. Thunderbolts are historically associated with male deities, Alpha male god-kings like Zeus and Jupiter. Banner, in contrast, is depicted as having an essentially peaceful nature. It’s clear that Alpha male “Thunderbolt” Ross thinks Banner is too “feminine.” It’s established early on in the narrative that Banner is passive, and therefore representative of the female “generative principle” (at least as Mackey defines the term above). Later in the story, he’s overcome with the need to protect (an instinct traditionally associated with feminine attributes), in this case a helpless teenager named Rick Jones who has accidentally wandered onto the test site. As a result, Dr. Banner gets caught in the detonation of his own weapon. The alchemical “G-bomb” transforms him into two separate people living within one body: the active masculine form, the “Hulk,” and the passive feminine form, “Banner.” On a linguistic level, it’s interesting to note that the banners of the Roman army bore images that were considered by the Christians to be idolatrous (i.e, undoubtedly pagan or hermetic in nature), which is why these banners are referred to as the “abomination of desolation” in the Bible.10 In other words, over two thousand years ago, these banners had clear associations with what would be considered—even by mainstream Christians today—heretical occult traditions. Banner’s G-bomb creates the 20th century version of the alchemical hermaphrodite, also known as the “Res Bina,” which literally means “double-thing” or “two-thing.” The word “Bina” sounds 62

somewhat similar to “Banner,” and the initials “R.B.” mirror Banner’s full name, “Robert Banner.” (About two years after the Hulk’s debut, in Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Fantastic Four #25, it was revealed that Banner’s first name was, in fact, “Bob” or “Robert”). Dr. Robert Bruce Banner/The Hulk can therefore be seen as the physical manifestation of the nagari, “an androgynous dragon which figured prominently in alchemical transmutation efforts.”11 As so succinctly explained by James Shelby Downard in his 1990 essay “The Call to Chaos,” these alchemical efforts revolved around the linking of “opposite principles”: When Science became involved with sorcery and symbolism, the three made for a mystical ménage à trois. The linking of cosmic male (yesod) and female (malkuth) is the magic principle behind the Kaballah, the major metaphysical tradition behind the “great work” of alchemy. In alchemy, the universal power that permeates everything is composed of two opposite principles, that are by way of a cosmic marriage made one. The results of this quasi-sexual encounter, matter (prima materia) was created, and it in turn manifested a vital force (vis vita). From this matter and energy, Adam Kadmon (Hebrew for primordial Adam, or first man) emerged, embodying the cosmic masculine and feminine powers.12 According to hermetic texts, the incantation most often associated with the nagari is as follows: “I rise from death. I kill death and death kills me. I resuscitate the bodies I have created and alive in death I destroy myself.”13 Banner is killed by his own creation, the G-Bomb (the Generative-Principle-Bomb), then rises from the dead as a new being that combines two forms of sexual energy—the active and the passive, the masculine and the feminine—into a single being. Every time Banner sheds his feminine exterior, like a snake (or a dragon) shedding its scales, he assents to death and resurrects at the same time.

Like a phoenix (another recurring symbol in Freemasonry, particularly among the higher degrees of the Scottish Rite), the nagari is constantly at war with itself, dying and resurrecting, just as the Hulk is constantly at war with Banner and vice-versa. It’s worth noting that Stan Lee has explicitly compared the character to that of the golem of Jewish folklore.14 The main conflict throughout The Incredible Hulk is that of the Golem versus the non-Golem, the unsympathetic and savage irrationality of the inhuman versus the overly sentimental passivity of the human. In 1960 psychologist Erich Fromm wrote, “Man has followed rationalism to the point where rationalism has transformed itself into utter irrationality.”15 Is there a more appropriate aphorism to sum up the entire American Century and the near-schizophrenic, psychic quagmire into which the American Century has now devolved? Ironically, the quote applies equally as well to either Banner or the Hulk. Both minds are linked by

[above] A story done for Spirit World #2, but published in Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #6 (Aug. 1972). [previous page, bottom] Possibly Jack’s most phallic image, from 1971. [below] A very Roman 1969 collage.

[below] Compare The Gargoyle from The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962) to Aleister Crowley’s sketch of “Lam” [next page, top]. [next page, far right] This collage appeared in Spirit World #1 to visualize the premonitions of Nostradamus. Per Jack’s story, he was predicting more than just World War II with its imagery of British colonials interspersed with a knight on horseback, French symbology, and even an Asian symbol. Thankfully, the story’s prediction of Paris in ruins hasn’t come true... yet.

their own weaknesses and drawbacks, by their inability to accept each other as necessary halves of the same being, forced to work together eternally in order to survive every new absurd conflict that comes their way. In their initial adventure, Banner and the Hulk’s schizophrenic struggle is presented as a microcosm for a much grander problem: the even more disastrous schism between East and West that has only grown larger and more divisive since the end of World War II, a schism that has been both covertly and overtly encouraged by the Pentagon and those single-minded Alpha males like General “Thunderbolt” Ross who make their living off the manufacture and sale of bigger and more destructive ammunitions. The Incredible Hulk is a story about divisions within divisions. Not only do Banner and the Hulk have to figure out how to reconcile their own polar opposite natures, but the United States and the Soviet Union have to figure out how to coexist without blowing each other up. This method of mass destruction is the ultimate schism—a division that occurs on an unseen, subatomic level when a single atom is split, divorced from itself like the cosmic she and he.

4. The Creation and Destruction of Primordial Matter

Hermetic symbolism is woven throughout the first issue of The Incredible Hulk. Unlike later versions of the character, Banner’s transformation is initially triggered not by anger, but by the fall of night. One of the most primal binary opposites of Nature is the division between night and day, once again reflecting the multiple schisms layered upon each other throughout this very strange super-hero series. Consider the significance of the number three. Underscoring the Masonic and alchemical origins of The Incredible Hulk, after Banner’s first transformation, the lingering vestiges of his intellect guide the Hulk toward “the third cabin” on the military base. As I’ve noted in previous articles regarding hermetic symbolism, the importance of the number three in Freemasonry cannot be overstated. In Freemasonry there are three original Grand Masters; three assassins named Jubela, Jubelo, and Jubelum; thirty-three degrees of the Masonic hierarchy; three Principal officers; “three grand steps [that] symbolically lead from this life to the source of all knowledge”16; three obligations; three lights upon the Altar; three pillars (Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty); and three knocks that gain the candidate admission into the Lodge, followed by three more knocks to summon the Brethren.17 The reason the Hulk needs to reach the “third cabin” is because that’s where Banner has hidden what the Hulk calls “the formula.” It’s a word one would normally associate with ancient potions, not with the plans for the most advanced weapon of the 20th century. Is this “Gamma Ray formula” (as it’s described by Igor, Banner’s colleague) some sort of frothing liquid in a glass beaker, like a mystical brew in a 1930s horror film? No, it turns out the Top Secret formula is a report that has been taped to the underside of a glass beaker: the hermetic secret that lies at the bottom of a medieval-style alembic, like a chemicaldistilling pot one may have found in the laboratory of alchemist Dr. John Dee, Elizabeth the First’s original court astrologer and advisor, the real life spy whose designated code number (007) was later adopted by Ian Fleming for use in his popular novels about the exploits of British secret agent James Bond. As in the life of the infamous John Dee, espionage plays a major role in this first issue of The Incredible Hulk. Banner’s colleague, Igor, is revealed to be a spy for Russia. Igor sends a secret behind the Iron Curtain via a “sub-miniature transistor short wave sending set” hidden within his thumbnail.18 This message is delivered to a small deformed man called “the Gargoyle,” referred to by one of his quivering underlings as “the most feared man in all of Asia.”19 The Gargoyle kidnaps the Hulk and takes him back with him to the Soviet Union via a Top Secret rocket ship. Significantly, the Gargoyle’s oversized cranium and tiny body cause him to resemble the “Grays” made popular in the 1980s by Whitley Strieber’s bestselling book about alien abduction, Communion. More importantly, the Gargoyle looks even more like a diminutive supernatural entity allegedly summoned in the seventeenth century by John Dee with the help of sorcery. In the early decades of the 20th century—1918, to

be exact—the infamous magician-cum-spy Aleister Crowley claimed to have summoned an entity even more similar to the Gargoyle while practicing sex magic rituals in New York. This entity came to be known as “Lam.”20 The sketch of Lam prepared by Crowley resembles a far more benevolent version of the Gargoyle. Both resemble human fetuses, embryonic beings fashioned with the most minimalist features possible, rather like

weighing 428,000 pounds.” This metal bottle “was loaded on to a 64-wheel trailer towed by four tractors across the Devil’s Highway, eventually arriving at [the town of] Belen.”26 After WWII, the bottle was publicly identified: …as a pressure vessel that was designed to resist the explosion of Uranium 235 in the event that nuclear fission of that material was not sufficient to produce a chain reaction to cause an atomic explosion […]. In April of 1946, demolition bombs were detonated inside the bottle, and the ends of the vessel were blown clean off. In 1947, the bottle was buried and in 1951 it was disinterred, “tested” and then reburied.27

the homunculus of alchemical legend. In his 1920 book An Encyclopedia of Occultism, Lewis Spence defines the homunculus as “[a]n artificial man supposed to have been made by the alchemists, and especially by Paracelsus.” Crafting a homunculus requires mixing together, over a long space of time, various and sundry amounts of sperm, horse dung, and human blood. “At the end of this time you shall have a veritable living child […]. He will only be much smaller than an ordinary child, and his physical education will require more care and attention.”21 Unlike an alchemist’s homunculus, this Gargoyle was not crafted out of a noxious stew of sperm, feces, and blood. Just like the Hulk, he was born of clandestine bomb tests and overexposure to radiation, but these particular tests occurred behind the Iron Curtain instead of within the heart of the “Land of the Free,” in the militarized deserts of New Mexico. The implicit linking of radiation and secret bomb tests with the ancient art of alchemy is perceptive on Kirby’s part, and rather prescient in the sense that it prefigures the writings of such eccentric occult researchers as the aforementioned James Shelby Downard. In his essay, “The Call to Chaos,” Downard lays out his unique interpretation of what he believes to be the true purpose lurking behind the atomic tests of the 1940s: Trinity is the name of the spot where the world’s first atomic device was exploded, on July 16, 1945. Conventionally, the process is known as nuclear fission, a splitting of plutonium or uranium atoms to liberate vast energy; but that’s too mechanistic and limited an explanation […]. We’re taking a different tack and looking upon the event as a bust-up of the Sacred Marriage (hieros gamos to the Greeks) of twin cosmic reality principles that formed primordial matter, a divorce that liberates primordial energy […].22

Essentially, Downard’s chimerical theory is that an alchemical substance was placed inside this “behemoth bottle”28 and planted near Ground Zero at the mystically significant Trinity Site (significant, according to Downard, because there are thirty-three degrees in Scottish Rite Freemasonry and the Trinity Site is located along the 33rd degree north latitude) in order to grant life to a behemoth-sized, kabbalistic “Golem,” hence completing the hermetic process of both destroying and creating primordial matter at the same time:

In his posthumous book, Stalking the Great Whore (a fractured, synchromystic analysis of 20th century American history written in the 1970s, but not published until 2023), Downard elaborates further on the possible overlap of atomic research and the occult in World War II-era America. He believes the hidden reason for this research was not to bring a swift end to WWII, but to marry “mystical toponomy” (a field of esotericism that—according to Downard—“incorporates word wizardry [onomatology] and the Masonic science of symbolism”)23 with revolutionary breakthroughs in nuclear science to bring about the alchemical “destruction of Primordial Matter”24 along a road known as the Jornada del Muerto (or the “Journey of the Dead Man,” a ninety-mile trail beginning north of Las Cruces and ending south of Socorro, New Mexico), which “may be likened [symbolically] to the ‘peregrination’ or long journey of the alchemists.”25 He goes on to chronicle the U.S. Army’s April 1945 pilgrimage along this road, the purpose of which was to transport “a metal bottle, 25 feet long by 12 feet in diameter and

One of the major components of the Kabbalah is an explanation of how the universe was created. Apparently, there was a pulling back (Zimzum) by God of his divine substance (Ein Sof) from a little area where our world now stands […]. God then directed a ray of light into this vacant space […], and this formed the first man, Adam Kadmon […]. [T]he blasting of the Mason jar with the nearby A-bomb flash, the nearest manmade thing to the primordial light of the sefiroth, followed by its later dismantling, may have been a dramatic reenactment of the original kabbalist creation myth […]. Another possibility in understanding the big jug derives from the arena of alchemy, where mysterious doings with bottles are depicted in so many old engravings. These generally are 65

believed to center on the creation of a magical manikin […], thought to have superhuman magical powers, and usually described as forming inside a bottle or vessel of some kind.29 In the context of this first storyline in The Incredible Hulk, it’s quite possible that the Hulk is intended to be the radiation-forged Golem as dreamed of by the ancient alchemists, while the Gargoyle is cast in the role of the diminutive homunculus—a quasi-human with extraordinary attributes (genius-level intelligence, for example), à la the “Lam” entity sketched by Aleister Crowley in 1918, but who is physically underdeveloped to such an extent that even the Gargoyle refers to himself as “a monster” in a moment of extreme self-pity and despair.30

5. Two Reduced to One

For those of you skeptical of the very notion that Jack Kirby—a professional comic book artist and hard-headed war veteran of the “Greatest Generation”—could have been aware of such esoterica as alchemical homunculi, Aleister Crowley, ritual magic, and Kabbalistic symbolism, consider the fact that the telltale evidence lies both in Kirby’s childhood, as well as in his entire body of work. During his 1990 interview on the radio show Hour 25, Kirby spoke about certain aspects of his childhood environment that led to him becoming a professional storyteller: KIRBY: I was carrying on a sort of family tradition. That’s what my family did. Telling stories was a way of easing your […] life. My father came from a very rigid discipline. My father was from the Austrian aristocracy, but my mother was a peasant. The point is that—aristocracy or peasant—what they did best was tell stories […]. All the folk tales they learned in Europe were transferred to the young people they bore here [in the United States]. Demons were real, see. Dracula was as real to me as any horror could be, you know? That was real horror, see? Remember, there was a time when we never had penicillin. I caught double pneumonia, okay? I’m lying there in a bed. I’m a nine-year-old boy, and ten rabbis are dancing around my bed. And they’re all saying, “Come out of this boy, demon. What’s your name, demon? Don’t hurt this boy, demon.” They were saying that in Yiddish, of course. This kind of thing was very real, and I think it added to the type of storytelling that I would do later on in life because my characters, to me, were real, just as they were to these Europeans. The Europeans at that time, whether aristocracy or peasants, would sit around fires [and tell stories]. I’m sure Bram Stoker, who wrote Dracula, probably sat in with those peasants in Europe and listened to their stories around the campfire, and he might have come back with Dracula.

by a quorum of rabbis—wouldn’t have a working knowledge of the Kabbalah, the central source of all hermetic, alchemical, and Masonic knowledge. In issue #26 of The Jack Kirby Collector, publisher John Morrow wrote, “Jack’s parents appear to be devout Orthodox Jews, even naming him after the prophet Jacob, one of the ‘founding fathers’ (along with Abraham and Isaac) of Judaism.”31 Is it likely that such orthodox parents would not have imparted their own intimate knowledge of Judaism and the Kabbalah to their oldest son? Christopher Knowles, author of the 2007 book Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, published an article in The Jack Kirby Collector #13 (December 1996) entitled “The KirbyFiles: An Overview of Jack’s Occult and Supernatural Themes” in which he wrote the following: [Ray] Wyman states quite clearly in The Art of Jack Kirby that “Kirby’s life was filled with the mysticism of faith and superstition.” Although that assertion may seem obvious to serious Kirby fans, it would seem that a further investigation of Kirby’s work could reveal just how serious Jack’s mystic interests were, and how in some cases his mysticism was deeper than what he may have realized himself... [Jack’s] stories dealt with a dualistic pantheon of gods, good and evil locked in eternal combat. Jack seems to have been deeply influenced here by Manichaeism, an ancient Near Eastern religion that had a powerful influence on religious thought in the West. The Persian faith of Zoroastrianism also professed a dualistic battle between Good and Evil. In this faith, the good or light is represented by Ahura Mazda and Spentu Mainyu and a spirit of evil, Angra Mainyu. However, Kirby expanded upon these theories [in his Fourth World books], and added an all-

It’s difficult for me to believe that Kirby—who was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in the Lower East Side in 1917 New York and grew up in an environment in which the main methods of healing pneumonia included ritualistic exorcisms performed 66

encompassing “Source” that was invisible and unapproachable, much like the Gnostic vision of God, who is ultimately incomprehensible, and lords over the lower Archons, the powers of creation that Humankind is more familiar with... Jack was understandably hesitant to discuss his own beliefs. He was interested in sharing ideas, but never proselytized. Whereas all the various phantasmagoria of the occult and supernatural made for exciting comics, Jack’s spiritual inclination was probably very intimate and personal.32 As writer Grant Morrison—creator of such hermetic comic books as The Filth, The Invisibles, The Mystery Play, and many others—stated in a 2007 interview with Adam McGovern of The Jack Kirby Collector: [W]ith Kirby I think there’s a lot of Kabbalah in there that no one has ever really dug out, which surprises me; someone should be studying The New Gods in terms of Kabbalah because it’s quite incredible [when seen in the light of] the whole Manichean […] divide. But the idea of the Source, which I find fascinating—and no one really goes near it ’cause no one gets it—but the Source is the highest [plane], the Ain Soph Aur, the “white room” of Kabbalism, and all the characters fit into classic Kabbalistic sefirot [aspects of God]; like, Orion would be Gevurah and Metron would be Hod; and a lot of them do fit in, and I think Kirby was involved, in a lot of that [Kabbalistic] stuff as well.33 Earlier in the same interview, Morrison addresses the question of whether or not it’s likely that Kirby could have been consciously aware of these esoteric interpretations of stories that were, after all, ostensibly intended to be little more than transitory pieces of mass entertainment: People don’t characterize [Kirby] as an intellectual because he was a working-class kid from the Lower East Side who went to war. But he was a reader, and readers are intellectuals. That’s another thing I emphasize often, because I came from a poor background—probably not as bad as Kirby’s, but it was pretty rough—but my parents were into books, and into politics, so they brought me up as a reader, and I think Kirby was the same. So even though people think of him as “not intellectual” because he has a very physical dimension to his life, the guy was into [esoteric] stuff, and he read a lot, and it comes out in his work. Maybe he wasn’t educated, but he was clearly intellectual.34 Intellectual or not, evidence of Kirby’s profound interest in the occult is woven throughout his work, in some ways that are fairly blatant—that is, for those who know where to look. Look closely at The Strange World of Your Dreams, a 1950s series for which Kirby produced artwork that, according to comics historian Craig Yoe, “rank[ed] with the best art of the Surrealist movement,” a movement heavily influenced by the ancient traditions of hermetic magic.35 Study the image [above] Kirby produced for the cover of Strange World of Your Dreams #2 (Sept.-Oct. 1952). Note the peculiar gesture being made by the red demon at center stage, lurking just below the word “DREAMS”. Now look at this photograph taken of Aleister Crowley circa 1910 [right]. Notice any similarities? Kirby could very well have had the above photograph laid out in front of him when he created his oneiric image of a demon overseeing a

supernal ceremony. Kirby undoubtedly knew about Crowley and his work with the occult. And if he knew about Crowley, then he probably had a rudimentary knowledge—at the very least—of such topics as ceremonial magic. Indeed, a magic ceremony is being performed in this very cover image, as any casual observer can see. The gesture the demon is making is a sign used in Thelemic ritual magic and is associated with Pan or Bacchus, the half-goat Greek deity of revelry; the fists resting against the temples with the thumbs sticking out are intended to resemble goat-like horns. This is one of the higher grade signs representing what Crowley followers call “NOX” or “the Night of Pan,” which represents ultimate ego-death. According to Crowley, “[The sign of] NOX […] symbolizes the reduction of duality to unity,” i.e., the two reduced to one.36 Since Kirby was aware of this symbolism as early as 1952, it’s intriguing that in a story Kirby produced ten years later, the Hulk must revert to his more sympathetic and nurturing alter ego (i.e., the two reduced to one) in order to solve the Gargoyle’s problem at the conclusion of The Incredible Hulk #1, thus balancing the polarity in true alchemical fashion. Banner must use his superior intellect to counteract the effects of the radiation experiments that created his antagonist, the Gargoyle, leaving in the homunculus’ place a normal looking human being lacking all the Gargoyle’s unique mental acuity. The grateful human being that has usurped the homunculus’s existence decides to help Banner return home. In other words, just as one polarity is balanced by the Hulk having to collaborate with his own opposite (his “shadow self,” as Carl Jung might have said), so too is the artificial, politicallycreated polarities of East and West balanced by the ancient arts of esoteric science working in tandem with each other, i.e., East and West, Banner and Hulk, Golem and Homunculus. This is representative of what Zen Buddhist Alan Watts 67

[previous page] Kirby’s own Judaism was a factor in his personal work, so it’s no surprise to find imagery evoking Jewish mysticism in his comics. [below] Oct. 1952’s Strange World of Your Dreams #2.

[above] Cover from Forever People #8 (May 1972), evoking a quasi-religious sacrificial ceremonial march. Spoiler alert: the masked/hooded figures would turn out to be Darkseid and his minions, conspiring to steal “The Power” from Billion Dollar Bates. [next page] Darius Drumm’s worshipers learn they’ll have to deal with the Angel of Death, in Silver Star #6 (Jan. 1984).

called overcoming “the game of Black-versus-White.” In Chapter Two of his 1966 book, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Watts writes: There must […] be numberless features and dimensions of the world to which our senses respond without our conscious attention, let alone vibrations (such as cosmic rays) having wave-lengths to which our senses are not tuned at all. To perceive all vibrations at once would be pandemonium, as when someone slams down all the keys of the piano at the same time. But there are two ignored factors which can very well come into our awareness, and our ignorance of them is the mainstay of the ego-illusion and of the failure to know that we are each the one Self in disguise. The first is not realizing that so-called opposites, such as light and darkness, sound and silence, solid and space, on and off, inside and outside, appearing and disappearing, cause and effect, are poles or aspects of the same thing. But we have no word for that thing, save such vague concepts as Existence, Being, God, or the Ultimate Ground of Being. For the most part these remain nebulous ideas without becoming 68

vivid feelings or experiences. The second, closely related, is that we are so absorbed in conscious attention, so convinced that this narrowed kind of perception is not only the real way of seeing the world, but also the very basic sensation of oneself as a conscious being, that we are fully hypnotized by its disjointed vision of the universe. We really feel that this world is indeed an assemblage of separate things that have somehow come together or, perhaps, fallen apart, and that we are each only one of them. We see them all alone—born alone, dying alone— maybe as bits and fragments of a universal whole, or expendable parts of a big machine. Rarely do we see all so-called things and events “going together,” like the head and tail of the cat, or as the tones and inflections—rising and falling, coming and going—of a single singing voice. In other words, we do not play the Game of Black-and-White—the universal game of up/down, on/off, solid/space, and each/all. Instead, we play the game of Black-versusWhite or, more usually, Whiteversus-Black. For, especially when rates of vibration are slow as with day and night or life and death, we are forced to be aware of the black or negative aspect of the world. Then, not realizing the inseparability of the positive and negative poles of the rhythm, we are afraid that Black may win the game. But the game, “White must win” is no longer a game. It is a fight—a fight haunted by a sense of chronic frustration, because we are doing something as crazy as trying to keep the mountains and get rid of the valleys.37 Here Alan Watts sums up one of the main attributes of Eastern thinking as represented by Zen Buddhism. The yin/yang symbol is a visual representation of this philosophy. Kirby has taken an assemblage of these Eastern ideas and jumbled them up with purely Western notions, such as science-fiction/horror clichés, to produce something truly original: a critique of the divided Western mind disguised as entertainment for children. But it’s clear Kirby did not want these comic books to appeal only to children. Per Kirby’s intent, The Incredible Hulk “showed tremendous (and unprecedented) popularity among college-aged readers.” Soon after the character’s debut, “Kirby received a fan letter notifying him that the Hulk had been chosen as a dormitory mascot.”38 In the early 1960s, it was unheard of for university students to pay any attention whatsoever to a mere comic book. Upon receiving this letter, Kirby might have felt somewhat vindicated, knowing his message was reaching the mature age group he wished to

attract with these strange new comic books. Kirby was not a mere craftsman hacking out crazy ideas for the consumption of adolescent minds. Despite the colorful, overthe-top, exaggerated surfaces, he was a serious artist with a serious intent. During the most important Masonic rituals, the blindfolded initiate is led by the hand from the west side of the lodge to the east. The initiate’s blindfold is symbolic of his ignorance of vital Eastern mysticism. His journey is symbolic of his destiny to absorb this ancient wisdom and become “illuminated.” This journey is presented in highly symbolic terms by Herman Hesse in his 1932 allegory Journey to the East, a novel about a man named “H.H.” who has been recently initiated into an age-old secret society known only as “The League.” Hesse’s journey moves him from the fragmentary schizophrenia of the West to the universalism of the East, a philosophy that ultimately recognizes the “one Self in disguise.” The illusory dilemma of Banner-versus-Hulk, or Hulk-versus-Banner, is a hermetic allegory/satire draped in Pop Culture, pulp-inspired trappings, just as valid and multi-layered as the esoteric shadow shows of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Johann Wolfgang von

Notes

“Can Freemasonry Be Secular?,” Burningtaper.blogspot.com, January 30, 2008 (website accessed August 21, 2018). 2 Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Mark Evanier, and Neal Kirby are quoted in the documentary film Jack Kirby: Storyteller (Sparkhill, 2007), YouTube June 17, 2016 (accessed August 26, 2018). 3 Philip K. Dick. Interview by Gregg Rickman. Philip K. Dick: Piper in the Woods. Audio cassette. April, 1981. 4 Stan Lee, “There Shall Come a Jolly Green Giant,” in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 1 (New York: Marvel, 2015), p. 152. 5 John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman (New York: Back Bay, 1998 [1969]), pp. 368-69. 6 James Shelby Downard, “The Call to Chaos,” in Adam Parfrey (ed.), Apocalypse Culture: Expanded & Revised Edition (Portland: Feral House, 1990), p. 307. 7 Eliphas Levi, Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual (York Beach: Weiser Books, 2001 [1896]), p. 425. 8 Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma (Richmond: L.H. Jenkins, 1956 [1871]), p. 632. 9 Albert Mackey, The Symbolism of Freemasonry, www.sacred-texts.com/mas/ sof/sof17.htm (website accessed August 26, 2018). 10 C.H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom (New York: The Baker & Taylor Co., 1893), p. 418. 11 Downard, “The Call to Chaos,” p. 309. 12 Ibid. 13 Wade Baskin, The Dictionary of Satanism (London: Peter Owen Ltd., 1971), p. 232. 14 Simcha Weinstein, Up, Up, and Oy Vey! (Baltimore: Leviathan Press, 2006), p. 87. 15 Erich Fromm, “Psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism,” in D.T. Suzuki, Erich Fromm, and Richard De Martino (eds.), Zen Buddhism & Psychoanalysis (New York: Harper & Row, 1970), p. 79. 16 Albert Mackey, An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1905 [1873]), p. 743. 17 Pike, Morals and Dogma, p. 548. 1

Goethe, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Luis Buñuel, John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Hugo Pratt, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Thomas Pynchon, Umberto Eco, Dan Brown, J.K. Rowling, and countless others. Symbolism works best when it plays on the unconscious mind, as the conscious mind does not appreciate or respond positively to speeches or sermons or prayers. The best way to influence anybody—whether with integrity or otherwise—is to communicate to them not when they’re thinking, but when they’re locked in a state of non-thinking. And when you’re truly entertained, you’re not thinking—not consciously, at least. You’re dreaming. Dreaming while awake. Jack Kirby was a 20th century magician, a performer, a master of creating waking dreams. As Kirby himself said during the aforementioned Hour 25 interview, conducted only four years before his death of heart failure in 1994: “When I draw, that’s what I’m doing; I’m performing. I’m not drawing.” The Incredible Hulk, of course, is just a single example of the truly unique, hermetic magic that only Jack Kirby could perform. H

Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 1 (New York: Marvel, 2015), p. 15. 19 Ibid., p. 16. 20 Daniel V. Boudillion, “Aleister Crowley’s Lam & the Little Grey Men: A Striking Resemblance,” Boudillion.com, August 15, 2003 (website accessed August 30, 2018). 21 Lewis Spence, An Encyclopedia of Occultism (New York: Citadel Press, 1993 [1920]), p. 211. 22 Downard, “The Call to Chaos,” pp. 314315. 23 Downard, “King-Kill/33°: Masonic Symbolism in the Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” in Adam Parfrey (ed.), Apocalypse Culture (New York: Amok Press, 1987), p. 240. 24 Downard, “The Call to Chaos,” p. 320. 25 Ibid., p. 313. 26 Downard, Stalking the Great Whore: The Lost Writings of James Shelby Downard (Las Vegas: Gorightly Publications, 2023), pp. 202-203. 27 Ibid., p. 203. 28 Ibid. 29 Downard, “The Call to Chaos,” pp. 316318. 30 Kirby, Lee and Ditko, Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Volume 1, p. 23. 31 John Morrow, “Judaism,” Twomorrows. com (website accessed August 26, 2018). 32 Christopher Knowles, “The Kirby Files: An Overview of Jack’s Occult and Supernatural Themes,” The Jack Kirby Collector No. 13, 1996, pp. 30-32. 33 Adam McGovern, “Granted An Audience,” The Jack Kirby Collector No. 49, 2007, p. 71. 34 Ibid., p. 68. 35 Craig Yoe, “Strange Days Indeed!,” in Craig Yoe (ed.), The Strange World of Your Dreams (San Diego: IDW, 2013), p. 9. 36 Aleister Crowley, The Book of Lies (York Beach: Weiser Books, 1986 [1913]), p. 13. 37 Alan Watts, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are (New York: Collier, 1967), pp. 34-35. 38 Weinstein, Up, Up, and Oy Vey!, p. 84. 18

[Robert Guffey is a lecturer in the Department of English at California State University–Long Beach. A graduate of the famed Clarion Writers Workshop in Seattle, he has written for numerous publications, among them The Believer, The Evergreen Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Mailer Review, Phantom Drift, Postscripts, Rosebud, Salon, and TOR.com. He recently wrote an article about Freemasonry for SALON, which you might find of interest: https://www.salon. com/2023/08/13/qanons-weirdest-obsession-why-does-the-radicalfar-right-fear-the-masons/] 69

time killer

[this page and next page, top] Kang debuts in Avengers #8 (Sept. 1964). [next page, bottom] From Fantastic Four Annual #2 (also Sept. 1964), Rama-Tut and Dr. Doom face a conundrum.

The Kang Conundrum

by Will Murray

hen I was reading Marvel Comics back in the 1960s, there were developments I looked forward to reading, but which never happened. Blissfully unaware that the Impossible Man had been banned from the pages of The Fantastic Four by editor Stan Lee, I waited in vain for his return—as I did for the Molecule Man (another favorite FF foe of mine), and the original Dr. Strange, who battled Iron Man in an early issue of Tales of Suspense [#41, May 1963], only to escape the Golden Avenger, never to be revisited by Lee and Kirby. Although Iron Man once encountered Dr. Doom in the pages of The Avengers, what I really wanted was to see them face off in a solo story by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but it never happened during the 1960s. When it did finally take place, Lee and Kirby were not involved, and I was no longer reading The Invincible Iron Man. I can only dream of what might have come about if those armored antagonists had clashed earlier. Previously, I’ve written about the failure of Lee and Kirby to develop arch-mutant Magneto in the pages of The X-Men. But there is another favorite villain of mine, who also was more or less abandoned creatively by the Lee and Kirby team, but developed by succeeding creators, no doubt in ways neither Lee or Kirby ever envisioned. Here I refer to Kang the Conqueror.

Villainous Conviving

Kang debuted in Avengers #8, and even though I was only eleven years old at the time, it was obvious to me that he was a futuristic Dr. Doom, with a really cool blue faceplate and outlandish high-tech outfit that contrasted sharply with Doom’s medieval armor and monk’s cowled robes. Up until that point, the Avengers were still sorting out their ever-shifting roster. They had not yet acquired a primary antagonist. After Loki had accidentally triggered their formation, he ignored the Avengers and went back to bedeviling Thor, leaving the Avengers strictly alone. For the second issue, the Space Phantom proved to be a one-shot enemy, and Sub-Mariner was simply guest-starring in issue #3 to stir things up, as he did in practically every Marvel super-hero book up to that time. Baron Zemo dominated the first year or so of The Avengers, but he was a holdover from World War II and really Captain America’s arch-enemy, the murderer of Bucky Barnes. Once he was disposed of, that was that, as far as Lee and Kirby were concerned. In between Zemo’s first appearance and his vanquishing in issue #15, Kang dropped in from the 40th century in an effort to conquer 20th century Earth. Here, it was 70

revealed that he was actually the unnamed 30th century time-traveler who had battled the Fantastic Four back in ancient Egyptian days as Pharaoh Rama-Tut in Fantastic Four #19. Sound confusing? It gets worse. A week before Kang first appeared in Avengers #8, Fantastic Four Annual #2 hit the newsstands. In it, Rama-Tut, having been defeated by the Fantastic Four a year back, is traveling through our solar system in his time machine when he finds Dr. Doom floating near Jupiter, Doom having fallen into his own spacetime trap in an earlier issue of The Fantastic Four, and displaced into outer space. After being rescued, Doom and Rama-Tut compare biographies. Doom is surprised to learn that Rama-Tut’s time machine had been built by an ancestor of the dethroned pharaoh. Doom egotistically concludes that the ancestor was himself. Dr. Doom then makes a gigantic and rather demented associative leap and begins to wonder if he and Rama-Tut are not the same person who lost track of their core identity during their travels back-and-forth in time. If that makes any sense, please write a letter to this magazine and explain it to us all. Because even in the world of comic book logic, if two characters were the same person, they would share memories that would tend to confirm their common identity. Also, they would have in common the uncommon name of Victor von Doom. Curiously, although they stood face-to-face, wondering aloud if they were human mirrors of one another, neither supposedly brilliant man thought to take off their masks and reveal their birth names. Surely, that would have done it. Never mind the paradox of existing in the same place at the same time—but if you were eleven years old in 1964, you drank in the wonder of it all and didn’t dwell on it too deeply. As Lee scripted it, Rama-Tut sends Dr. Doom back to Earth, with the question unexplored and far from resolved, while he heads back to his own future century, setting the stage for the advent of Kang the Conqueror. The chance encounter seems to have inspired the unnamed criminal who called himself Pharaoh Rama-Tut to model himself after Dr. Doom. In returning to his own time, Rama-Tut overshot the 30th century by a thousand years, winding up in the warring and dystopian 40th century, which he swiftly brings under his heel—though not as Rama-Tut, but in his new identity of Kang the Conqueror, as detailed in Avengers #8. Although he was foiled in one Avengers issue, returning to his own century to lick his wounds, I was sure Kang would be back. Well, Kang did return, but not in a satisfactory way.

Kang Can’t Hang

By year’s end, Jack Kirby left the Avengers strip, and Stan Lee soldiered on with Don Heck as his main artist. Kang returned three months later in Avengers #11, where, safe in the 30th century, he builds a robot duplicate of Spider-Man, which he throws back in time at the unwitting Avengers. Here, he refers to Dr. Doom as his ancestor, which somehow confers upon him the same facility with robotics Doom possesses. Kang fails again. 71

[above] Avengers #11 (Dec. 1964) by Don Heck. This issue may include art corrections by Jack.

For a year after that, Kang was missing in action from the pages of The Avengers. When he showed up for a two-parter in 1965, he wasn’t developed much beyond his initial appearance. Lee gave Kang a sappy doomed love interest in his own century, but that was all. Unlike Dr. Doom, who grew as a character and became increasingly complex, Kang appeared to be stuck in his 1964 persona with one single-minded obsessive goal: to conquer the 20th century. I imagine the explanation lies in the same reason why Magneto defaulted to being just another convenient super-villain after Jack Kirby ceased drawing The X-Men. Kirby was no longer driving The Avengers with his powerful plotting skills, and Stan Lee wasn’t able to figure out how to develop him—or didn’t care to try. So when Kang returned to bedevil the Avengers in #23 and #24, nothing was advanced of his backstory, except to add an obsession with resurrecting his deceased love interest, Ravonna. At the conclusion of the two-parter, Don Heck drew a mysterious figure watching the Avengers on a remote scanner screen after being restored to the 20th century. That personage is revealed in the next issue. It’s none other than Dr. Doom, who reflects upon his mysterious connection to Rama-Tut and Kang before embarking upon a new misadventure. He has decided to make an example of the Avengers in order to strike fear into the Fantastic Four. It’s a thin motivation, but it gets the story moving towards conflict and confrontation rapidly. By all logic, that could have been Kang’s motivation as well. Strangely, he never resurfaced as a significant Fantastic Four antagonist. By all rights, Kang the Conqueror should have been a Fantastic Four villain from the start. But having appeared—as Kang—first in The Avengers, that was where he largely resided. It’s odd, but Kang appeared to have completely forgotten his temporary identity as Rama-Tut, just as he never seemed to dwell on his true identity, which he abandoned when he left the boring and placid 30th century in search of power and authority over others. Beyond the Avengers issue marking his debut, Kirby didn’t exploit Kang much beyond that first failed foray in Avengers #8. In Fantastic Four Annual #3 [above], when practically the entire Marvel Universe of super-villains converged on Manhattan to disrupt the marriage of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, motivated by Dr. Doom’s emotion-triggering technology, Kang was among the troublemakers. His total appearances were in three non-continuous panels. He didn’t really do anything. Kang shows up, clutching a cumbersome Kirbyesque device, and during the melee that follows, he doesn’t actually attack anyone—no doubt due to limited storytelling space. When next Kirby draws him, Kang is enwrapped by Mr. Fantastic’s stretchable serpentine arms. Kang is last seen being swallowed by what Reed Richards called a “sub-atronic [sic] time displacer,” which hurls every foe back into the recent past, their memories wiped clean, and thus freed from the sway of Dr. Doom’s remote influence. 72

The next time Lee and Kirby plucked Kang from obscurity, they dropped him into Thor #140 [right], where Kang’s artificial minion, a “Stimuloid” called the Growing Man, tangles with the Thunder God. Although it was great to see Kang again, Kirby could have drawn Dr. Doom in those panels instead of Kang and the surface story would not have been altered in any meaningful way. The storyline begins with the discovery by authorities of the dormant Growing Man, who is a miniature man. Whenever struck by a blow, he expands, doubling in size. He also starts wreaking havoc, which draws Thor into the story. Every time the Thunder God lands a hammer blow on him, the Growing Man becomes bigger and more formidable. It’s a great set-up for a Kirbyesque slugfest. The explanation is that Kang has hidden this ultimate man-weapon in the 20th century to preserve it against discovery by his enemies and rivals in his own future time. 20th century Earth isn’t under attack. The Growing Man’s discovery and activation was an accident. Thor stories at this time were cramped by the necessity of including the “Tales of Asgard” back-up stories in every issue. So the tale is basically an exercise in combat that does not advance anything of Kang’s storyline, except to resolve the immediate problem of the Growing Man, which Kang does by popping into our time and zapping him into shrinking to a size small enough that he can be whisked back to the future. Thor and Kang do clash, and Thor gets the better of the Conqueror, using his whirling hammer to create a vortex that exiles Kang, not into his preferred future, but to some place outside time and space, neatly leaving it up to other Marvel talent to redeem him at some future point.

ing villains. But once more, Kang’s contribution amounted to a trio of panels, two of which he shared with Dr. Doom. Leveling a ray pistol against the FF, he announces: “To Kang the Conqueror has been given the honor of launching the attack against the Fantastic Four!” After the Human Torch fends off this assault, they see Kang standing with Dr. Doom, who remarks, “Now, while you ponder the problem of whether Kang and myself are two separate beings…

The Future is Now

Jump ahead three years to 1970. In Fantastic Four #100, Lee and Kirby again threw Kang against the FF, along with a ton of other return-

[previous page, bottom] Kirby/Romita cover art for Avengers #23 (Dec. 1965). [below] A barely recognizable Kang kicks off Fantastic Four #100 (July 1970), and sneaks into the center panel of this page from that issue.

[top] Avengers #11 pin-up by Heck.

[above] This Kirby image from Avengers #8 was blatantly swiped by Bob Powell for Strange Tales #134 (July 1965, opposite— Stan Lee even reused his own dialogue!). But the inks don’t match Wood’s fine work in this example from that same story [opposite page, top].

my self-contained missile shall conclude this charade… forever!” Sue Richards’ force field defeats the missile, and then fifth-wheel Crystal sends a group of trees crashing down on the duo, crushing them pretty much the way the Wicked Witch of the West was flattened in The Wizard of Oz. Yet this wasn’t actually the real Kang or Doom, as Reed Richards realizes when he examines their shattered bodies, but two Mad Thinker-made and Puppet Master-manipulated androids. Or were they? All villain dialogue makes clear that these foes possessed the personalities and memories of the real Kang and Doom. Were they simulacra of the actual villains, or the real deal under Puppet Master control? The latter might seem equally likely, given that this was the Puppet Master’s original modus operandi going back to FF #8. But the Mad Thinker was a genius at creating powerful androids. So how could they also possess the unique powers of the super-villains they resembled––such as 74

the protean Sandman and immaterial Red Ghost? It defies logic. And from what esoteric sources could he have harvested the true memories of everyone from the Kree Sentry to Super-Skrull? As was increasingly the case during the latter years of the Lee/Kirby collaboration, what Kirby depicted did not align with what Lee scripted. Sometimes, this was because Lee thought he could improve a Kirby storyline. On other occasions, such as this one, he seems to be merely trying to salvage an illogical sequence of pages. In any event, Fantastic Four #100 is basically a refry of FF Annual #3––which was another problem of the late ’60s Lee/Kirby Marvel period: Regular repetition of well-received storylines. Everybody from Kurrgo, to the Hate Monger, to Dr. Doom managed to invent some kind of hate-producing ray. When Kang next resurfaced, it was in Avengers #69. Scripter Roy Thomas appeared to have missed the fact that Thor had exiled Kang to a place other than his 40th century, because he does not reference it. This threeparter has the Avengers reluctantly working with Kang to deal with a new menace called The Grandmaster. At the conclusion, Kang is knocked out cold. The disposition of him was not mentioned in this or the following issue. Thomas resurrects the conqueror from the future once again in Incredible Hulk #135 in 1971. Here, inexplicably Kang is back in his own time once more, and looking for a proxy with which to defeat the Avengers, whom he believes are the only force preventing him from conquering the 20th century. Again, he fails miserably in another disappointing outing, ending up in Limbo. Is this the same timeless oblivion to which Thor had consigned him? No way of knowing. It’s another piece of dropped continuity. Or maybe Kang has been time-hopping in and out of 1960s Marvel continuity. Sadly, by that time, Kang the Conqueror was reduced to being merely a one-dimensional occasional villain dragged into play, just to provide suitable fodder for a random issue of a Marvel comic book. That he had been folded into the intriguing paradox involving Dr. Doom and Rama-Tut, a schizophrenic storyline-stretching subplot that was fading from the forefront of his journey, was largely incidental.

Ripple Effect

I don’t know whether we should blame Lee or Kirby for this wild wrinkle in time, but the Kang conundrum triggered a number of ripples in the Marvel Comics time stream that continue spreading outward to this 21st century day. Over the years, beginning in Avengers Annual #2, this conundrum was further expanded by writer Roy Thomas to give Kang yet another identity––the Scarlet Centurion––and beyond the 1960s, he accreted still other versions of himself to a degree where I think I would exhaust the reader’s patience attempting to delineate them all—so I won’t. But somehow along the way, another early time-displaced Avengers villain, Immortus, got retconned and folded into the RamaTut/Kang multiple personality. Ultimately, the rug was pulled from under the Dr.-Doom-is-Kang myth when it was revealed that Rama-Tut was not actually a descendant of Victor von Doom, but of Reed Richards—Nathanial Richards by name! Since Reed Richards took possession of Dr.

Doom’s first time machine, I suppose this makes a certain amount of sense—even if the foregoing part of this paragraph does not. So much for original Marvel canon. And it gets worse before it gets worse, as the saying goes. So I’m not going to test anyone’s patience by diving into Iron Lad, Kid Immortus, the Council of Kangs, or any of that multiverse insanity that resulted from Kang’s numerous and nefarious attempts to change the course of history for his personal benefit. Never mind the Kang clones and the odd resurrection of Rama-Tut where he battled himself as Kang in Giant-Size Avengers #2 in 1974. The truth is, I’m not much interested in the later evolutions of Kang the Conqueror. My focus remains stuck on what Lee and Kirby had in mind in developing him, and where they might have taken the intriguing character. Alas, that information is probably undiscoverable. Lee and Kirby never even told us Kang’s real name, just as we never saw Dr. Doom’s true face in the pages of The Fantastic Four. He’s simply a cipher—a man so bored with 30th century living that he flees to other eras in an effort to become a ruler of men. But I wish, after Kirby had abandoned The Avengers, he had dragged Kang over to The Fantastic Four and made good use of him. I think that would have been the perfect magazine in which Kang might have been further developed. Instead of all those Mad Thinker and Puppet Master return bouts, Kang could have given the Fantastic Four a wonderful series of challenges, and possibly teamed up with Dr. Doom a time or two. Inasmuch as Kang was originally a kind of simulacrum of Dr. Doom and, in his Rama-Tut incarnation, he was a Fantastic Four foe in his first brush with Marvel super-heroes, it would make perfect sense that Kang would decide to take on the FF for a second decisive battle. After all, Dr. Doom kept coming back for increasingly humiliating defeats––which might represent a major clue that they were not one and the same, after all. No return match ever took place during the Lee/Kirby era, alas. Yet it was a natural. Did Kang imagine that once he had bested the Avengers, the FF were just going to roll over and let him have his way? I don’t know why they never did it. The character was basically lying around hardly being used at all. Like Magneto, I consider him one of the great early undeveloped Marvel villains. His potential was limitless, the failure to properly develop and exploit him nearly tragic. For that matter, Kang wouldn’t have been a bad Iron Man recurring foe, either.

Sue are conveniently absent. Hearing the name of their future foe, Ben Grimm remarks, “I’ve been itchin’ to meet up with that cornball Kang again and give him some knuckles to chew on!” Since Ben never met Kang in his Conqueror persona, this is a strange comment. He makes no mention of Rama-Tut. When they show up in King Arthur’s court, Kang takes one look at them and exclaims, “The Torch––and the Thing! Am I never to be free of you?” Well, coming from the former Rama-Tut, I suppose we can allow that comment to pass. But it sure sounds as if Stan Lee had a shaky grasp on the character he was guiding through multiple Marvel series. If there was a 1960s issue where the FF crossed swords with Kang, I’d sure love to read it. Once his plot is foiled, Kang went back to being almost exclusively an Avengers opponent. As for Jack Kirby himself, he has complained in interviews of creating characters and later having them handled to other creators, all ties with them being severed, a feeling he described as unsettling and even eerie. He made it sound like the equivalent to having a child taken away. In a creative sense, it’s perfectly understandable. The fact that Kang was called Kang the Conqueror I find intriguing to this day. Kang smacks of an Asian name. In fact, it’s a Chinese male name meaning “Healthy.” In Korean, it means “Strong.” It’s also a term in the Mongol language denoting a kind of shelf-like heated bed built of brick. With Conqueror appended to his name as a title, it brings to mind Genghis Khan, who had conquered a greater part of Asia in his time. There’s nothing explicit to suggest that Kang the Conqueror was an updating of Genghis Khan, or some other Asian warlord, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was in the back of Jack Kirby’s mind. Kang’s mask completely concealed his features, but we know what he looked like. He wore the face of Rama-Tut! He was no Asian. If this was in fact the case––and even if it wasn’t––the fact that Kang the Conqueror has now entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is being played by a black actor, is especially ironic. But perhaps not. Since Kang was the same person as Rama-Tut, it almost fits, since Egypt lies in northern Africa. But Rama-Tut was always colored as a European guy, so it really doesn’t. Where does that leave Dr. Doom, if Victor von Doom is the same person as Kang and the pharaoh from the future? Already I’m getting a headache thinking about this question. I sure wish Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had unraveled the riddle they created when they started linking these seemingly separate super-villains into one multiple monster. As far as I can determine, to this day, no Marvel comic book has satisfactorily resolved the original Dr. Doom-Kang conundrum. Instead, later creators turned it upside-down and inside-out in an effort to salvage it. Call me hopelessly stuck in the 1960s, but I prefer the sense-of-wonder illogic of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to anything that transpired in the Marvel Universe since that glorious decade. As far as I’m concerned, the real Kang had not been seen since that day in 1967 when Lee and Kirby, via Thor, exiled him from all time streams. I wish some creative genius would pluck that prototypal Kang from oblivion and delve into his true origins. But I’m afraid only Lee and Kirby could do his convoluted story justice. H

A Forgotten Trip Through Time

Without Kirby driving the plotting, it may have simply slipped Stan Lee’s mind to use him. But Kang did have another brush with his original enemies, one that is all but forgotten. In between Avengers #11 and #23, Kang tangled with half the FF in the form of the Human Torch and the Thing in Strange Tales #134 [July 1965]. As scripted by Stan Lee, it’s a perplexingly odd story. Kang has gone back to the time of King Arthur in order to take over his kingdom and set into motion events that will prevent the creation of both the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. It’s typical of Kang’s many future schemes. In this case, the Watcher visits the Baxter Building to encourage the Torch and the Thing to transport back in time to King Arthur’s era in order to foil the plot. Reed and 75

C o l l e c t o r

The JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine (edited by JOHN MORROW) celebrates the life and career of the “King” of comics through INTERVIEWS WITH KIRBY and his contemporaries, FEATURE ARTICLES, RARE AND UNSEEN KIRBY ART, plus regular columns by MARK EVANIER and others, and KIRBY’S UNINKED PENCILS NS from the 1960s-1980s EDITIOABLE IL (from photocopies AVA NLY preserved in the KIRBY ARCHIVES). Now in FULLFOR O 5.99 COLOR, it showcases Kirby’s art even better! $1.99-$

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FAMOUS FIRSTS! How JACK KIRBY was a pioneer in all areas of comics: Romance Comics genre, Kid Gangs, double-page spreads, Black heroes, new formats, super-hero satire, and others! With MARK EVANIER and our regular columnists, plus a gallery of Jack’s pencil art from CAPTAIN AMERICA, JIMMY OLSEN, CAPTAIN VICTORY, DESTROYER DUCK, BLACK PANTHER, and more!

STEVE SHERMAN TRIBUTE! Kirby family members, friends, comics creators, and the entertainment industry salute Jack’s assistant (and puppeteer on Men in Black, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and others). MARK EVANIER and Steve recall assisting Kirby, Steve discusses Jack’s Speak-Out Series, Kirby memorabilia from his collection, an interview with wife DIANA MERCER, and Steve’s unseen 1974 KIRBY/ROYER cover!

KIRBY: ANIMATED! How JACK KIRBY and his concepts leaped from celluloid, to paper, and back again! From his 1930s start on Popeye and Betty Boop and his work being used on the 1960s Marvel Super-Heroes show, to Fantastic Four (1967 and 1978), Super Friends/Super Powers, Scooby-Doo, Thundarr the Barbarian, and Ruby-Spears. Plus EVAN DORKIN on his abandoned Kamandi cartoon series, and more!

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KIRBY COMPARISONS! Analysis of unused vs. known Kirby covers and art, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH on his stylizations in Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, Kirby’s incorporation of real-life images in his work, WILL MURRAY’s conversations with top pros just after Jack’s passing, unused Mister Miracle cover inked by WALTER SIMONSON, and more! Edited by JOHN MORROW.

LAW & ORDER! Kirby’s lawmen from the Newsboy Legion’s Jim Harper and “Terrible” Turpin, to Western gunfighters, and even future policemen like OMAC and Captain Victory! Also: how a Marvel cop led to the creation of Funky Flashman! Justice Traps The Guilty and Headline Comics! Plus MARK EVANIER moderating 2022’s Kirby Tribute Panel (with Sin City’s FRANK MILLER). MACHLAN cover inks.

THE COLLECTORS! Fans’ quest for and purchase of Jack’s original art and comics, MARV WOLFMAN shares his (and LEN WEIN’s) interactions with Jack as fans and pros, unseen Kirby memorabilia, an extensive Kirby pencil art gallery, MARK EVANIER moderating the 2023 Kirby Tribute Panel from Comic-Con International, plus a deluxe wrap-around Kirby cover with foldout back cover flap, inked by MIKE ROYER!

Celebrating the 61st Anniversary of FANTASTIC FOUR #1—’cause we kinda blew right past its 60th—plus a sagacious salute to STAN LEE’s 100th birthday, with never-before-seen highlights—and to FF #1 and #2 inker GEORGE KLEIN! Spotlight on Sub-Mariner in the Bowery in FF #4—plus sensational secrets behind FF #1 and #3! Also: FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, a JACK KIRBY cover, and more!

THE KIRBY LEGACY AT DC! Explores Jack Kirby’s post-Fourth World Bronze Age DC characters! Demon, Kamandi, OMAC, Sandman, and Kirby’s Odd Jobs (Atlas, Manhunter, and more). Plus: the SIMON & KIRBY Reunion That Wasn’t! Featuring BISSETTE, BYRNE, CONWAY, GIBBONS, GOLDEN, GRANT, RUCKA, SEMEIKS, THOMAS, TIMM, WAGNER, and more. Demon cover by KIRBY and MIKE ROYER!

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Jack Kirby Books THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S

MAINLINE COMICS In 1954, JOE SIMON & JACK KIRBY founded MAINLINE PUBLICATIONS to publish their own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—BULLSEYE, FOXHOLE, POLICE TRAP, and IN LOVE—looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including the COMPLETE RUN OF BULLSEYE, plus all of the Mainline stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions by MORT MESKIN and others. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN and the early MARVEL UNIVERSE. With loving art restoration by CHRIS FAMA, and an historical overview by JOHN MORROW to put it all into perspective. NOW SHIPPING! (256-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $49.95 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-118-9

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[Back in TJKC #19, Glen Gold stated in an article about art stolen from Marvel Comics’ warehouse: “Several people inform me that the master (inventory) list was wildly inaccurate. If it said, for instance, that an envelope contained 22 pages of X-MEN #4, it might not really have that at all.” Irene Vartanoff, who inventoried the warehouse art and created that master list, took issue with Glen’s assessment: “As a key part of the inventory, the original art was removed from every package, identified and counted, and put in a fresh, actual envelope properly labeled with what was inside. So, if an envelope ever existed that was labeled ‘X-MEN #4, 22 pages,’ that would be because when that art was put in that envelope, there were in fact 22 pages of X-MEN #4 in the envelope.” To read Irene’s full rebuttal, go here: https://irenevartanoff.com/marvel-comicsoriginal-art-the-topic-that-keeps-on-giving/ Glen would like to publicly apologize to Irene: “I was entirely credulous when people reported things to me, not really considering that they, too, might have an agenda. I regret having impugned Irene’s archiving skills and I am sorry to have done so.” Now that we’ve hopefully laid one conspiracy to rest, let’s discuss some new ones, starting with a note from the inspiration for “Houseroy”:] Thanks for the latest issue, which has plenty I want to examine more closely ASAP. Interesting theory that Sgt. Muldoon may have led to Funky Flashman. If so, I guess John Romita is as much to blame as anyone, because I’m almost 100% certain that it was his idea to model that character visually after Kirby, though he considered it a tribute... even if the character understandably may have rubbed Jack the wrong way. Stan, of course, had to let it go through that way or it would’ve been changed, but I’m pretty positive that having a Kirby likeness on a Marvel character at that time was not something he would have come up with, either as a tribute or as an insult. Roy Thomas In his article on Sgt. Muldoon, Richard Kolkman relates the origin of Kirby’s use of Flashman to GALAXY GREEN. I think it’s more likely Kirby was referencing the fictional character Harry Flashman, the main character of a series of eleven novels by George MacDonald Fraser starting in 1969. Wikipedia describes that Flashman as “a cowardly British soldier, rake and cad who is placed in a series of real historical incidents between 1839 and 1894.” Mark Mayerson, Toronto, CANADA

#87 was a surprisingly fun issue on a topic [Law and Order] I wasn’t initially wild about. Thought the cover was great. An exciting pose of Sandman and Sandy inked and colored beautifully. Liked the ’70s convention photo of Jack which I don’t recall seeing before. A calm and serene face in a storm of surrounding bodies. Even the vintage Mark Evanier shot was amusing. The revelation, earlier, that Jack responded to Sgt. Muldoon, in CAPTAIN AMERICA, of that same time frame, answered my big question of why Jack would do Funky Flashman. He didn’t initiate the situation, he responded to a potential provocation; using his likeness or persona, without permission, long after he was gone from the company. So, more a savage satirical reply than an unwarranted initiation of hostilities. Nice research; especially the “funky” in the Bullpen Bulletins headline. It made sense of something I’d wondered about. That being: Jack was already elsewhere; why would he bother to look back? For any minor inconsistencies in Jack’s design and depiction of Ronan the Accuser, his worst panel was far better than the movie rendition. Additionally, I like the initial version of the cover, presented here, as much or more than the reconstituted one with the buildings. How could it be approved, in the pencil stage, and suddenly require major touch-ups after inking? Had to laugh with the in-depth look at PastePot Pete. Wasn’t expecting that! Not on anyone’s list of Top Ten Lee/Kirby villains. I do like the original cover and splash page. But the idea of glue against a flaming adversary was a touch one-sided. Still, fun, as a character I never think about. The costume to “The Man who Shrunk the World” almost seems skeletal in nature. Thin with what could be ribs, hip bone and ischium. Enjoyed the “Phony Check Racketeers.” Had never seen it. My only quibble is I’d rather see it in a book of such stories than here. It took fifteen pages, which could have been two or three more articles. Or, if possible, raise the cover price and put it in a hundred-pager. Then we’re not cutting something else out. Liked the Joe Simon interview. Surprisingly, my focus was on his differences with Jim Steranko—that he gave Jim layouts rather than a full job to do. He liked Jim’s work but was fixated, at that point, on Steranko having no experience. Well, how does someone get experience? People need to give him a chance. Stan did, on “Agent of SHIELD,” and it worked out splendidly. Didn’t Joe also turn away Neal Adams early on, too? Jack’s interview actually had me burst out laughing. In talking about CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED, he mentioned how they were such sticklers for accuracy on minor details. His line was great: “I don’t care whether Cleopatra’s 78

clothes are accurate.” Or, “Those shoelaces aren’t tied correctly.” Is that what the buyers are looking for, or just what the editors are bizarrely fixated on? I can see why CAPTAIN 3-D wasn’t a career favorite with Jack. He wanted to focus on storytelling, not inking art on many different levels. Too technical and time consuming, especially under a deadline. Loved the Kirby/Wood SURF HUNTER and SKY MASTERS strips. And the pencil panel, never inked, for CHALLENGERS. The wonderful splash to Jack’s 1957 Thor story, “The Magic Hammer,” should have been in your upcoming “What Ifs” issue. Imagine if it had been a test run for a Kirby THOR series at DC. It either would have caught on and continued, differently than the way we know, or been taken over by others when Jack departed, but blocking his doing such a series, shortly thereafter, at Marvel. That 1958 inset of a blond Viking, with shirt dots and strapped yellow boots, reminds me of someone. I wasn’t expecting the SILVER KID and BLACK RIDER. But it was Western material I hadn’t seen or, in the case of the Silver Kid, even heard of. So, I welcomed it. I was hoping to hear about Jack’s work on RAWHIDE KID, KID COLT, TWO-GUN KID and GUNSMOKE WESTERN. But the good part is that can still be done in any upcoming issue. Even if you printed some of his Western covers, occasionally, no outraged complaints from me. I’m sorry to read mail is lighter than usual. Could you instigate a feature soliciting input on Kirby-related topics in a given category? Say, favorite inker? Most overlooked gem? Series the reader would have most liked to see more of, and why? So it’s not just a matter of tallying votes in a poll. With favorites and preferences, no reader can be wrong. It’s a personal assessment. The questions would be a conversation starter. Who knows, maybe when readers respond, they’ll also have a few words to say about the KIRBY COLLECTOR and Jack in general? As to the 30th anniversary of Jack’s passing and the KIRBY COLLECTOR coming into being, next year, could you do a listing of Jack’s family with photos? Also, I’ve seen next to nothing about Jack’s brother David. How about an article on that? The best thing? After almost thirty years, there’s no end in sight and much more to explore and enjoy. Thanks. Joe Frank, Scottsdale, AZ [I’ve just recently started making plans for my 30th Anniversary issue. Since it’s a celebration, I decided on the theme “Kirby’s Greatest Victories” for #91. If I manage to stay on schedule, it’ll be out in September 2024, exactly 30 years from when I mailed TJKC #1. And since Joe Frank also sent in comments after reading another Kirby publication I’m very proud of, here he is again:]

Profuse thanks for doing the MAINLINE book! It’s like a long-missing puzzle piece as to what Jack was doing between Prize books, like FIGHTING AMERICAN and BLACK MAGIC, and his Challengers debut in SHOWCASE. Yet, to me, it was more than just a historical curiosity. Much of the material was quite good. Standouts, I thought, were the storytelling and angles in Bullseye’s “Duel in the Sky” (particularly pages 7 and 8). Wonderful. There were numerous fight scenes, throughout, with great choreography. It was quite interesting to see Jack’s figures not as powerful or immense as they’d become in a few years. Some of the BULLSEYE covers were outstanding as well. Loved #2! A skilled shot, with a big smile, dangling off a horse with a mirror. Likewise, #5, with such intricate detail and Indian symbols. Bullseye was interesting, too, for elements Jack would return to later. For example, parents killed off and grandparents or an outside father figure raising a child. He did that in Atlas (FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL #1). For that matter, KAMANDI and the ’70s SANDMAN. Or mixing elements from different eras: Devil Bird, with the red pterodactyl in a Western backdrop. He did that a lot in DEVIL DINOSAUR with aliens and time travel to then-present day. BULLSEYE and the other Mainline books seemingly tried what Jack wanted to do at DC: bring others in to do some of the work, leaving him to oversee the projects and jump in, where needed, with ideas and guidance. The timing, on BULLSEYE #1, was in one instance opportune. I don’t think the Comics Code Authority would have been too encouraging as to the bullseye target branded on his chest (especially as a young boy). This book, showcasing his other titles and genres, made for a nice variety package. Certainly, romance was something well established by Jack and Joe at that point. Nor would producing a war title have required any arm-twisting. I particularly enjoyed the covers to FOXHOLE #2 and #5, despite the unusual coloring choices. “Even Steven” was great. Captivating that it was a small, personal conflict in the face of a much larger one. To my delight, the police/crime stories had the most intriguing premise in the whole book. That was “The Debt.” I wondered how the immensely grateful policeman would handle being in the middle like that. Torn between duty and honest gratitude, even to a louse of a guy. Here’s a tentative list of upcoming themes, so start thinking, and get to writing! SEND US YOUR THEME IDEAS! • #91: 30th ANNIVERSARY!— Kirby’s Greatest Victories! Jack gets the girl (wife Roz), early hits Captain America and Boy Commandos, surviving WWII, romance comics, Captain Victory and the direct market, his original art battle with Marvel, and finally winning credit! Plus Mark

“Only the Guilty Run” was another good one. Liked how the cop had to reassess his initial beliefs and stance. Plus, it had heart to it. Wasn’t just a crime procedural tale. The covers to POLICE TRAP #1 and #2 were well designed and intricate, but tame for a Kirby cover. No such observation with #3, showing off Jack’s mastery of two-fisted action. So, a nice collection and a great way to fill in gaps in Jack’s career fairly inexpensively. I thought, for the money, it offered a lot and was presented as a substantial variety package. Joe Frank, Scottsdale, AZ Of your individual books, might THE BEST OF SIMON & KIRBY’S MAINLINE COMICS be your magnum opus? Just arrived, and what a terrific production! Handsome, comprehensive, strikingly designed—and, best of all, making available Kirby material which has languished for too long. If it’s all right with you, I’ll include at least one item from the book in various KIRBY OBSCURA columns from now on (unless, that is, you’re about to shut me and/or THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR down!), and it’s something of a gift for me for the column—I’ve never covered Mainline material, mainly because I only have a scattering of the books. Finally, I can read the material, and in a beautifully spruced-up form. Congratulations again! Barry Forshaw, London, UNITED KINGDOM I was sitting at breakfast at a Nashville hotel this morning, looked up... and I swear I saw lights inspired by Jack Kirby’s work! Check out my photo [right] of the lights and compare them to Kirby’s interpretation of the Silver Surfer soaring through the microverse. Coincidence? Maybe. I’d like to think it’s just inspiration. Tom Field, Mt. Vernon, ME

KIRBY FANS! The Destroyer Duck: Graphite Edition is now

SOLD OUT!

So are OLD GODS & NEW and COLLECTED TJKC VOL. 7, and many other Kirby books and TJKC issues are close to selling out, so order now! See pages 76–77. Evanier, a colossal gallery of Kirby’s winningest pencil art, a never-reprinted Simon & Kirby story, and more! FALL 2024! • #92: IN THE NEWS—From the BBR to newspaper clippings with interviews and articles about Jack, the Newsboy Legion, newspaper strip work, unused strip concepts, Headline Comics, and more! WINTER 2025!

#89 Credits:

John Morrow, Editor/Designer/ Proofreader J.W. Pretorius, editorial assist THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Badger • Norris Burroughs Jon B. Cooke • Shel Dorf Mark Evanier • Christopher Fama Shane Foley • Barry Forshaw Glen Gold • Robert Guffey Heritage Auctions • Larry Houston Jeremy Kirby • Sean Kleefeld Richard Kolkman • Tom Kraft Carol Lay • Paul S. Levine Tom Morehouse • Will Murray Mark Peters • Mike Royer Scott Shaw! • Bruce Simon James Van Hise • Jim Van Heuklon Michael Zuccaro and The Jack Kirby Museum (www.kirbymuseum.org) If we forgot anyone, let us know!

Contribute!

The Jack Kirby Collector is put together with submissions from Jack’s fans around the world. We don’t pay for submissions, but if we print art or articles you submit, we’ll send you a free copy of the issue it appears in. Submit art & articles by mail, or e-mail to: twomorrow@aol.com

NEXT ISSUE: WHAT IF KIRBY... hadn’t been stopped by his rejected Spider-Man presentation? DC’s abandonment of the Fourth World? The ill-fated Speak-Out Series? Fredric Wertham’s anti-comics crusade? The CIA’s involvement with the Lord of Light? Plus a rare Kirby interview, MARK EVANIER and our other columnists, a classic Simon & Kirby story, TOM KRAFT discusses his “What If Kirby” website, pencil art gallery, & more! Cover inks by Damian Pickador Zajko!! TJKC #90 ships Summer 2024!

Fall 2024 (TJKC #91):

30th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!

19942024 UPDATE #1

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IT ROSE FROM THE TOMB An all-new book written by PETER NORMANTON

Rising from the depths of history comes an ALL-NEW examination of the 20th Century’s best horror comics, written by PETER NORMANTON (editor of From The Tomb, the UK’s preeminent magazine on the genre). From the pulps and seminal horror comics of the 1940s, through ones they tried to ban in the 1950s, this tome explores how the genre survived the introduction of the Comics Code, before making its terrifying return during the 1960s and 1970s. Come face-to-face with the early days of ACG’s alarming line, every horror comic from June 1953, hypodermic horrors, DC’s Gothic romance comics, Marvel’s Giant-Size terrors, Skywald and Warren’s chillers, and Atlas Seaboard’s shocking magazines. The 192-page full-color opus exhumes BERNIE WRIGHTSON’s darkest constructs, plus artwork by FRANK FRAZETTA, NEAL ADAMS, MIKE KALUTA, STEVE DITKO, MATT FOX, WARREN KREMER, LEE ELIAS, BILL EVERETT, RUSS HEATH, THE GURCH, and many more. Don’t turn your back on this once-in-a-lifetime spine-chiller—it’s so good, it’s frightening! (192-page SOFTCOVER) $31.95 • (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-123-3 • SHIPS MARCH 2024!

ALTER EGO 188 #

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Double-size 25th Anniversary Edition, edited by ROY THOMAS

A special DOUBLE-SIZE (160-PAGE) ISSUE with twin (flip) covers—one for Marvel, one for DC—celebrating 25 years of ALTER EGO at TwoMorrows! The Marvel side includes DAVID ARMSTRONG’s Comic-Con mini-interviews with JOHN BUSCEMA, MARIE SEVERIN, JIM MOONEY, & GEORGE TUSKA—plus “STAN LEE’s Dinner with ALAIN RESNAIS,” as annotated by SEAN HOWE! On the DC side: ARMSTRONG’s short talks with CARMINE INFANTINO, JOHN BROOME, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, JOE KUBERT, & MURPHY ANDERSON—plus a special photo-feature on GARDNER FOX, featuring his extended family! All this, plus FCA, MR. MONSTER’S COMIC CRYPT, and more! SHIPS JUNE 2024! (160-page COLOR magazine) $21.95 (Digital Edition) $9.99 Counts as TWO ISSUES toward your subscription!

BACK ISSUE 150 #

Edited by MICHAEL EURY

Back Issue #150 is our oversized 100-Page Super Spectacular sesquicentennial edition, featuring Batmen of the 1970s! Exploring the work of Bronze Age Batman artists Bob Brown, Dick Giordano, Irv Novick, Frank Robbins, Walter Simonson, Alex Toth, & Bernie Wrightson. Plus: revisit Frank Miller’s first Batman story! SHIPS MARCH 2024! (100-page COLOR magazine) $12.95 (Digital Edition) $5.99

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ALTER EGO #189

ALTER EGO #190

ALTER EGO #191

BACK ISSUE #151

BACK ISSUE #152

JOHN ROMITA tribute issue! Podcast recollections recorded shortly after the Jazzy One’s passing by JOHN ROMITA JR., JIM STARLIN, STEVE ENGLEHART, BRIAN PULIDO, ROY THOMAS, JAIMIE JAMESON, JOHN CIMINO, STEVE HOUSTON, & NILE SCALA; DAVID ARMSTRONG’s mini-interview with Romita; John Romita’s ten greatest hits; plus FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, & more!

MITCH MAGLIO examines vintage jungle comics heroes (Kaänga, Ka-Zar, Sheena, Rulah, Jo-Jo/Congo King, Thun’da, Tarzan) with art by LOU FINE, WILL EISNER, FRANK FRAZETTA, MATT BAKER, BOB POWELL, ALEX SCHOMBURG, and others! Plus: the comicbook career of reallife jungle explorers MARTIN AND OSA JOHNSON, FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more!

#191 is an FCA (FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA) issue! Documenting the influence of MAC RABOY’s Captain Marvel Jr. on the life, career, and look of ELVIS PRESLEY during his stellar career, from the 1950s through the 1970s! Plus: Captain Marvel co-creator BILL PARKER’s complete testimony from the DC vs. Fawcett lawsuit, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and other surprises!

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES! A who’s who of artists of NEIL GAIMAN’s The Sandman plus a GAIMAN interview, Sandman Mystery Theatre’s MATT WAGNER and STEVEN T. SEAGLE, Dr. Strange’s nemesis Nightmare, Marvel’s Sleepwalker, Casper’s horse Nightmare, with SHELLY BOND, BOB BUDIANSKY, STEVE ENGLEHART, ALISA KWITNEY, and others! KELLEY JONES cover.

MARVELMANIA ISSUE! SAL BUSCEMA’s Avengers, FABIAN NICIEZA’s Captain America, and KURT BUSIEK and ALEX ROSS’s Marvels turns 30! Plus: Marvelmania International, Marvel Age, Marvel Classics, PAUL KUPPERBERG’s Marvel Novels, and Marvel Value Stamps. Featuring JACK KIRBY, KEVIN MAGUIRE, ROY THOMAS, and more! SAL BUSCEMA cover.

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BACK ISSUE #153

BACK ISSUE #154

BACK ISSUE #155

BACK ISSUE #156

KIRBY COLLECTOR #91

BIG BABY ISSUE! X-Babies, the last days of Sugar and Spike, FF’s Franklin Richards, Superbaby vs. Luthor, Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine, Baby Snoots, Marvel and Harvey kid humor comics, & more! With ARTHUR ADAMS, CARY BATES, JOHN BYRNE, CHRIS CLAREMONT, SCOTT LOBDELL, SHELDON MAYER, CURT SWAN, ROY THOMAS, and other grownup creators. Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS.

BRONZE AGE NOT-READY-FORPRIMETIME DC HEROES! Black Canary, Elongated Man, Lilith, Metamorpho, Nubia, Odd Man, Ultraa of Earth-Prime, Vartox, and Jimmy Olsen as Mr. Action! Plus: Jason’s Quest! Featuring MIKE W. BARR, CARY BATES, STEVE DITKO, BOB HANEY, DENNY O’NEIL, MIKE SEKOWSKY, MARK WAID, and more ready-for-primetime talent. Retro cover by NICK CARDY.

THIS ISSUE IS HAUNTED! House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Unexpected, Marvel’s failed horror anthologies, Haunted Tank, Eerie Publications, House II adaptation, Elvira’s House of Mystery, and more wth NEAL ADAMS, MIKE W. BARR, DICK GIORDANO, SAM GLANZMAN, ROBERT KANIGHER, JOE ORLANDO, STERANKO, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and others. Unused cover by GARCÍA-LÓPEZ & WRIGHTSON.

BRONZE AGE GRAPHIC NOVELS! 1980s GNs from Marvel, DC, and First Comics, Conan GNs, and DC’s Sci-Fi GN series! With BRENT ANDERSON, JOHN BYRNE, HOWARD CHAYKIN, CHRIS CLAREMONT, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, JACK KIRBY, DON MCGREGOR, BOB McLEOD, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, JIM STARLIN, ROY THOMAS, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, and more. WRIGHTSON cover.

30th Anniversary issue, with KIRBY’S GREATEST VICTORIES! Jack gets the girl (wife ROZ), early hits Captain America and Boy Commandos, surviving WWII, romance comics, Captain Victory and the direct market, his original art battle with Marvel, and finally winning credit! Plus MARK EVANIER, a colossal gallery of Kirby’s winningest pencil art, a never-reprinted SIMON & KIRBY story, and more!

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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #34 COMIC BOOK CREATOR #35 COMIC BOOK CREATOR #36

RETROFAN #34

RETROFAN #35

DAN JURGENS talks about Superman, Sun Devils, creating Booster Gold, developing the “Doomsday scenario” with the demise of the Man of Steel, and more! Traverse DON GLUT’s “Glutverse” continuity across Gold Key, Marvel, and DC! Plus RICK ALTERGOTT, we conclude our profiles of MIKE DEODATO, JR. and FRANK BORTH, LINDA SUNSHINE (editor of DC/Marvel hardcover super-hero collections), & more!

An in-depth look at the life and career of writer/editor DENNY O’NEIL, and part one of a career-spanning interview with ARNOLD DRAKE, co-creator of The Doom Patrol and Deadman! Plus the story behind Studio Zero, the ’70s collective of JIM STARLIN, FRANK BRUNNER, ALAN WEISS, and others! Warren horror mag writer/ historian JACK BUTTERWORTH, alternative cartoonist TIM HENSLEY, & more!

TOM PALMER retrospective, career-spanning interview, and tributes compiled by GREG BIGA. LEE MARRS chats about assisting on Little Orphan Annie, work for DC’s Plop! and underground Pudge, Girl Blimp! The start of a multi-part look at the life and career of DAN DIDIO, part two of our ARNOLD DRAKE interview, public service comics produced by students at the CENTER FOR CARTOON STUDIES, & more!

Take a ride with CHiPs’ ERIK ESTRADA and LARRY WILCOX! Plus: an interview with movie Hercules STEVE REEVES, WeirdOhs cartoonist BILL CAMPBELL, Plastic Man on Saturday mornings, TINY TIM, Remo Williams, the search for a Disney artist, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER. Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Saturday morning super-hero Space Ghost, plus The Beatles, The Jackson 5ive, and other real rockers in animation! Also: The Addams Family’s JOHN ASTIN, Mighty Isis co-stars JOANNA PANG and BRIAN CUTLER, TV’s The Name of the Game, on the set of Evil Dead II, classic coffee ads, and more! With ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, MARK VOGER & MICHAEL EURY.

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New from TwoMorrows!

ALTER EGO #186

ALTER EGO #187

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #32 COMIC BOOK CREATOR #33 KIRBY COLLECTOR #90

Focuses on great early science-fiction author EDMUND HAMILTON, who went on to an illustrious career at DC Comics, writing Superman, Batman, and especially The Legion of Super-Heroes! Learn all about his encounters with RAY BRADBURY, MORT WEISINGER, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, et al—a panoply of titans! Plus FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more!

WILLIAM STOUT is interviewed about his illustration and comics work, as well as his association with DINOSAURS publisher BYRON PREISS, the visionary packager/ publisher who is also celebrated in this double-header issue. Included is the only comprehensive interview ever conducted with PREISS, plus a huge biographical essay. Also MIKE DEODATO on his early years and FRANK BORTH on Treasure Chest!

STEVE GERBER biographical essay and collaborator insights, MARY SKRENES on co-creating Omega the Unknown, helping develop Howard the Duck, VAL MAYERIK cover and interview, ROY THOMAS reveals STAN LEE’s unseen EXCELSIOR! COMICS line, LINDA SUNSHINE (editor of early hardcover super-hero collections), more with MIKE DEODATO, and the concluding segment on FRANK BORTH!

WHAT IF KIRBY... hadn’t been stopped by his rejected Spider-Man presentation? DC’s abandonment of the Fourth World? The ill-fated Speak-Out Series? FREDRIC WERTHAM’s anti-comics crusade? The CIA’s involvement with the Lord of Light? Plus a rare Kirby interview, MARK EVANIER and our other columnists, a classic Simon & Kirby story, pencil art gallery, & more! Cover inks by DAMIAN PICKADOR ZAJKO!

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Spotlights ANGELO TORRES, the youngest and last of the fabled EC Comics artists— who went on to a fabulous career as a horror, science-fiction, and humor artist for Timely/Marvel, Warren Publishing, and MAD magazine! It’s a lushly illustrated retrospective of his still-ongoing career— plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more

BACK ISSUE #148

BACK ISSUE #149

BACK ISSUE #150

BRICKJOURNAL #84

DC SUPER-STARS OF SPACE! Adam Strange in the Bronze Age (with RICHARD BRUNING & ANDY KUBERT), From Beyond the Unknown, the Fabulous World of Krypton, Vartox, a Mongul history, the Omega Men, and more! Featuring CARY BATES, DAVE GIBBONS, DAN JURGENS, CURT SWAN, PETER J. TOMASI, MARV WOLFMAN, and more! Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO & MURPHY ANDERSON!

’80s INDIE HEROES: The American, Aztec Ace, Dynamo Joe, Evangeline, Journey, Megaton Man, Trekker, Whisper, and Zot! Featuring CHUCK DIXON, PHIL FOGLIO, STEVEN GRANT, RICH LARSON, SCOTT McCLOUD, WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS, DOUG MOENCH, RON RANDALL, DON SIMPSON, MARK VERHEIDEN, CHRIS WARNER & more superstar creators. Cover by NORM BREYFOGLE!

ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! Our oversized 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR sesquicentennial edition, featuring BATMEN OF THE 1970s! Exploring the work of Bronze Age Batman artists BOB BROWN, DICK GIORDANO, IRV NOVICK, FRANK ROBBINS, WALTER SIMONSON, ALEX TOTH, & BERNIE WRIGHTSON. Plus: revisit FRANK MILLER’s first Batman story, and more!

STEFAN FORMENTANO masterminds the enormous LEGO city NEW HASHIMA, one of the biggest LEGO Fan community builds ever done! Plus builds by SIMON LIU, BLAKE FOSTER, and others! Also: Nerding Out with BRICKNERD, BANTHA BRICKS: Fans of LEGO Star Wars, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS!

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TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

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BACK ISSUE #147

Great Hera, it’s the 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF BACK ISSUE, featuring a tribute to the late, great GEORGE PÉREZ! Wonder Woman: The George Pérez Years, Pérez’s 20 Greatest Hits of the Bronze Age, Pérez’s fanzine days, a Pérez remembrance by MARV WOLFMAN, a Wonder Woman interview with MINDY NEWELL, and more! With a stunning Wonder Woman cover by Pérez!