Lt. Brad Pitt and his Howling Commandos
November 18, 2009 6:04 PM   Subscribe

 
Marty's Inglorious Bassturds
posted by msalt at 6:11 PM on November 18, 2009


A glorious fast bird.
posted by jquinby at 6:22 PM on November 18, 2009


Is there another Jewish-American visual artist who dominates their field as powerfully as Kirby does his?

Al Hirschfeld?
posted by Joe Beese at 6:32 PM on November 18, 2009


Metal.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:33 PM on November 18, 2009


Art Spiegelman?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:40 PM on November 18, 2009


That fourth one (with the white background) looks more to me like a Jim Steranko NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. cover than a Kirby one...
posted by Ron Thanagar at 6:47 PM on November 18, 2009 [2 favorites]


Is there another Jewish-American visual artist who dominates their field as powerfully as Kirby does his?

Kirby is alright, but he's no Will Eisner.

Also you'd have to go a fair ways down the list of artists who have dominated the field of comics before you hit anyone who isn't Jewish-American.
posted by Artw at 6:51 PM on November 18, 2009


Needs more Bear Jew.
posted by padraigin at 6:51 PM on November 18, 2009 [3 favorites]


Kirby is alright, but he's no Will Eisner.

True. And Eisner is no Kirby.
posted by marxchivist at 7:09 PM on November 18, 2009


Awesome! I kind of have Kirby on the brain right now anyway, so I had to make sure my brain wasn't playing tricks on me.

Kirby is alright, but he's no Will Eisner.

Eisner gets cited more, but in terms of raw people-copying-their-tricks/trying-to-look-like-them/swiping, I think it's neck and neck or slight advantage Kirby.
posted by COBRA! at 7:11 PM on November 18, 2009


Artw: "Kirby is alright, but he's no Will Eisner."

All due respect to Mr. Eisner.

But did he create gods?
posted by Joe Beese at 7:12 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


Is there another Jewish-American visual artist who dominates their field as powerfully as Kirby does his?

Stan Lee? (born Stanley Martin Lieber)
posted by bitdamaged at 7:21 PM on November 18, 2009


Will Eisner is Jack Kirby's boss.

So sure, Jacks the king, but Will Eisner is GOD EMPEROR OF COMICS.
posted by Artw at 7:23 PM on November 18, 2009


Eisner had A Contract with God.
posted by jeffen at 7:24 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


Stan Lee? (born Stanley Martin Lieber)

Following Stan Lee on twitter is like having a totally awesome uncle who was also a prime mover at the dawn of modern comics.
posted by Artw at 7:27 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


Stan Lee? (born Stanley Martin Lieber)

Sorry, but no. You fail at comics. Congratulations: You win a sex life.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:28 PM on November 18, 2009 [5 favorites]


Anyone wanting to win that sex life by being put off comics for life should probably read this. It's like everything that sucks about big name superhero comics in one solid, fetid lump. I mean, I'm pretty much COMICS 4 LIFE, and even I am all "arrgh! Yuck! Why do I bother?" after reading it.
posted by Artw at 7:33 PM on November 18, 2009 [3 favorites]


Sorry, but no. You fail at comics.

But he's a VISIONARY! He creates visual art using artists as his tools!
posted by Artw at 7:34 PM on November 18, 2009


Keeping with the theme of Jewish-American early (and somewhat later) comic greats: Jerry Siegel, Bill Finger, Julius Schwartz, and Mort Weisinger. Other guys like Joe Shuster, George Roussos, and George Tuska (RIP) were sons of European immigrants. That stuff is all over Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book. You got your whole Kavalier & Clay deal too.
posted by marxchivist at 8:06 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


Not to mention EC's Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Al Feldstein and Bernie Kriegstein.

The Hebrew faith will always be near and dear to me for providing so many colossal talents and role models in my favorite art form, comics.
posted by Scoo at 9:02 PM on November 18, 2009


You know, I love me some Eisner, but I really loved the way Kirby just went apepoop crazy with his panel work. Eisner always seemed to measured and at times cold.

Kirby's work on The Demon is the ne plus ultra of populist surrealism to me.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:53 PM on November 18, 2009


Man, everyone forgets about Kubert. I blame those no-goodnik kids of his.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:10 PM on November 18, 2009


Man, everyone forgets about Kubert.

Not everybody.
posted by Rangeboy at 11:20 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


Oh, you are a dirty rat, Rangeboy.

"Hey, honey, know how we were saving up for a nice little wedding? Well, uh, funny thing about that... 'nice' really is a relative term, isn't it... ?"
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:28 PM on November 18, 2009




I can't believe that list of horrid retcons doesn't include the Spiderman Clone Saga. What started out as the most awesome retcon ever, Spiderman being a clone (or was he?), with the real Peter Parker (or was he?) set free to wander the world, as Ben Reilly, without the responsibilities that dragged him down. A good retcon takes the events we've seen in continuity, and simply puts antoher explanation to them, without altering what was written before, and the Clone Saga did just that.

But the fanbois screeched at the ambiguity overload, and in the end the retcon itself was retconned away, with Ben/Peter being the clone, and the Spiderman/Peter being "real."

There was massive story potential in the ambiguity of the whole thing, but it couldn't stand the wrath of the fanbois who cried "But that means 20 years of continuity is fake!" and so it is gone.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 11:51 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]


It's not a bad Kirby pastiche, although the third and fourth covers lack something.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:36 AM on November 19, 2009


I mean, I'm pretty much COMICS 4 LIFE, and even I am all "arrgh! Yuck! Why do I bother?" after reading it.

It very much reminded me why I don't bother with mainstream comics any more. I was actually on the verge of checking out Civil War when they pulled the whole 'spider-man is no longer married' insanity and I ran a mile.

Oh and if only the film of Inglorious Barstewards was as fun looking as the comics..
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:33 AM on November 19, 2009


Jimmy: It doesn't include the Clone Saga because it's the fifteen WORST retcons in superhero comics, and these days we're all pretty nostalgic for the Clone Saga compared to some of the stunts pulled since. Even just in Spider-Man, and I'm speaking as someone with no objections in principle (if not in execution) to the Gwen thing or the Spider-Totem arc.

Seriously, just ... don't read Brand New Day. I tried to explain why you shouldn't and had to edit out a paragraph of socio-literary critical rage because this isn't really the forum, so -- just don't.

Although I do think it's interesting that you think it's the retconning of the retconning of the Clone Saga that sucked where most people hate the original retcon.
posted by bettafish at 9:26 AM on November 19, 2009


Modern comics are pretty much a Jewish-American medium. Us other guys are just squatting.
posted by Artw at 10:45 AM on November 19, 2009


I've basically come to the conclusion that Wolverine is still cool as long as you ignore everything that has been done with the character since 1993.
posted by Artw at 10:46 AM on November 19, 2009


don't read Brand New Day

I haven't been reading Spiderman for quite a while. Now it looks like I never will. Saves me a lot of money!
posted by Jimmy Havok at 2:21 PM on November 19, 2009


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