Pert "V" Necked Jumper by: Nancy Edwards, Falls Church, VA.

August 29, 2011 7:12 AM

"For goodness sakes, Hedy ... who is Jack Kirby?" "You goop! He's the one who draws the covers for Love Romances!!"

Happy 94th, Jack. Wherever you are.

posted by griphus (41 comments total)

That's Hedley
posted by briank at 7:13 AM on August 29, 2011 [8 favorites]

Wasn't Kirby's birthday yesterday? (Aug. 28)

In any case, Here's an article about the time Jack Kirby met Frank Zappa.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 7:19 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

briank is funny
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:20 AM on August 29, 2011

Bully is the greatest comics blogger living today.

Also, self-link.
posted by Legomancer at 7:36 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

How does he not give a citation for that astonishing purple fuzzy jacket? There's no way he could have come up with that through pure imagination. Not even the King was that fashion-forward. Plus I want to contact the creator so I can buy one or five.
posted by penduluum at 7:41 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hep Swinger Mohair Jacket by: Two hits off a joint, East Village, NYC.
posted by griphus at 7:46 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

"Look at poor Superman! As a charter member of the establishment, he's on the defensive here!"

Top 5 Awesome Things About Jack Kirby’s Jimmy Olsen Comics
posted by mediareport at 7:56 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

She done gooped.
posted by xod at 8:00 AM on August 29, 2011

That purple jacket hurts my brain a little just to look at it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:00 AM on August 29, 2011

Top 5 Awesome Things About Jack Kirby’s Jimmy Olsen Comics

A planet with devil horns is, almost by any definition, one of the Top 5 Awesome Things Anywhere. That it's full of Draculas and Frankensteins is just icing on the cake!
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

"I'm a surveyor. I'm here to work on some new sidewalk construction."
posted by KokuRyu at 8:24 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Okay someone is going to have to explain to me why that is funny.
posted by griphus at 8:27 AM on August 29, 2011

Kids loved Don Rickles in the 70s.

False.
posted by DU at 8:30 AM on August 29, 2011

A planet with devil horns is, almost by any definition, one of the Top 5 Awesome Things Anywhere.

Kirby must've had a thing about sentient planets; over at Marvel in 1966 he created one of the most absurd supervillians ever, Ego, The Living Planet. No horns, but he(?) does have a beard, so y'know Ego's an evil planet.

Sez here: "Ego was created by Jack Kirby during a phase in which he was fascinated with the universe. . ."

I, too, cite the universe as a major source of inspiration.
 
posted by Herodios at 8:45 AM on August 29, 2011 [4 favorites]

I'd feel more strongly about Jack Kirby's birthday if he were alive.

+---------------------------------------------+
|  mazola's sweet-and-lovely hairstyle by:    |
|  Betsy Hudgens, Houston, TX.                |
+---------------------------------------------+

posted by mazola at 8:52 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

I, too, cite the universe as a major source of inspiration.

I have a particular fondness for the universe. It's where I keep all my stuff.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:02 AM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

Kirby must've had a thing about sentient planets

When Ego moons you, you stay mooned.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:08 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

griphus - it's a joke from the movie "Blazing Saddles", which featured a character named "Hedley Lamarr" (which is a joke on the name Hedy Lamarr)
posted by briank at 9:17 AM on August 29, 2011

I meant the "I'm a surveyor" comment.
posted by griphus at 9:19 AM on August 29, 2011

Marvel geeks, of course, will recognize Patsy of Patsy and Hedy as Hellcat, whose love romance destiny would be to have a (second!) marriage to Daimon Hellstrom, son of Satan.

I am not making any of this up.
posted by Zed at 9:22 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Okay someone is going to have to explain to me why that is funny.

Well, the entire strip is pretty quirky and meta, so the line I quoted above does benefit from that buildup. Plus, saying "sidewalk construction" to a pretty girl is kind of funny.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:22 AM on August 29, 2011

I am not making any of this up.

The best part of the Daimon Hellstrom Wikipedia entry is the heading "Ultimate Son of Satan." Can you have an "ultimate" "Son of Satan?" I don't think Metal accepts any upper bounds; you can always be ultimater!
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:30 AM on August 29, 2011

FWIW, I'm pretty sure the reader-submitted dresses and hairstyles was pioneered in Bill Woggon's 1950s Katy Keene comics:

Cartoonist Bill Woggon, who created Katy and her adventures, had the idea of asking readers to submit their own fashion designs for his leading lady to wear, and every story was footnoted with little captions: "Katy's swimsuit designed by Becky Lou Freebish of Jerkwater, Alabama," or whatever. In truth, Woggon — and the many fine artists who assisted him over the years — usually had to embellish and improve the readers' submissions, but he at least tried to incorporate their concepts. When other companies began imitating the same gimmick, the usual procedure was to cheat. The artists would draw whatever they wanted and then some secretary would wade through the mail and assign reader credits whenever some kid's sketch seemed vaguely close — or if none did, they'd make up phony names. Woggon never did that.

No disrespect to Kirby, but I think he was probably inspired by (or stealing from, if you prefer) Woggon there.
posted by mediareport at 9:32 AM on August 29, 2011

saying "sidewalk construction" to a pretty girl is kind of funny.

KokuRyu just has a way with the ladies.

Can you have an "ultimate" "Son of Satan?"

After Daimon, Satan had some outpatient surgery at his urologist.
posted by Zed at 9:33 AM on August 29, 2011

Plus, saying "sidewalk construction" to a pretty girl is kind of funny.

You're some kind of robot built to confound me. ADMIT IT.
posted by griphus at 9:38 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

I, too, cite the universe as a major source of inspiration.

The Universe? Is that something you'd need a Cosmi-Galactic Magna-Scope to observe?
posted by martinrebas at 9:39 AM on August 29, 2011

Is that something you'd need a Cosmi-Galactic Magna-Scope to observe?

Nah. A Cosmi-Galactic Mini-Magna-Scope will do the job fine. Even a Pocket Cosmi-Galactic Mini-Magna-Scope will get most of the universe in view, although at low resolution.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:43 AM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

or stealing from, if you prefer

(or making fun of, if you prefer that; I mean, the "dainty undies" thing has to be a poke, right?)
posted by mediareport at 9:44 AM on August 29, 2011

Urbandictionary entry for "goop"
posted by not_on_display at 10:05 AM on August 29, 2011

Nah. A Cosmi-Galactic Mini-Magna-Scope will do the job fine. Even a Pocket Cosmi-Galactic Mini-Magna-Scope will get most of the universe in view, although at low resolution.

But my eyes, turned within, only see starless and bible-black.
 
posted by Herodios at 10:25 AM on August 29, 2011

I don't understand any of this.
posted by Malice at 10:37 AM on August 29, 2011 [3 favorites]

I read an Avengers comic recently where Ego is basically trying to get it on with Earth, and our world is saved only by our heroes convincing him Earth has an STD (humans, incidentally). I more or less can't stand the way Marvel comics look anymore, but this was a pretty funny story, I have to admit.
posted by stinkycheese at 12:16 PM on August 29, 2011

My day needed some Jack Kirby awesomeness. Thanks!
posted by emmet at 12:21 PM on August 29, 2011

get it on with Earth... from the linked article: "Ego--a John Byrne oneshot menace from his classic run in The Fantastic Four"

grumble grumble kids these days...

"Ego is a living planet. He would have to delude himself into thinking that another planet is alive in order to mate. I don't think there's another living planet in the Marvel continuity."

Ego'd have a few more options if Alter Ego weren't in captivity, or if Deadpool hadn't killed Id the Selfish Moon or Dr. Strange hadn't killed Kathulos.
posted by Zed at 12:57 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Bwahaha! From Zed's Id link -

Id came to the realization that other than Ego, there were no other beings in the universe like them and Id began to despise those that could experience companionship, partying and fun. These feeling caused Id to go through a form of dementia, and Id continue on its quest of revelry and happiness only now it was fixated on destroying them. The first planet to be destroyed by Id was Kegger 24-7.

Also, if you thought a planet with a beard looks dumb, how about a planet with male pattern baldness?
posted by stinkycheese at 1:06 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

A friend has suggested celebrating Kirby's birthday as "Speak As If THOU Wert Ye ODINSON Day". This year I got in on the act by making a Kirby hat out of some scrap cardboard, and recording a little video. If I don't make it to Burning Man next year I think I might invite some of my friends over for a day of making Kirby hats and going out in public wearing them.
posted by egypturnash at 1:11 PM on August 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

So if Ego begins to orbit a yellow star, does he become Superego?
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:10 PM on August 29, 2011

Super-Ego is one of the entities who claims to have created Ego. Please pardon my comics nerdery stepping on your joke.
posted by Zed at 3:35 PM on August 29, 2011 [2 favorites]

Super-Ego is one of the entities who claims to have created Ego.

*Sigh.* Of course he is. How silly of me....
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:51 PM on August 29, 2011

Why is John Constantine helping Jack Kirby?
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:35 PM on August 29, 2011

Thread needs some Monster Magnet

Ego The Living Planet

And I was thinkin' how the world should have cried. On the day Jack Kirby died

Kirby makes me happier than anything
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 4:37 PM on August 29, 2011