Galactus is here!
August 10, 2008 10:51 AM Subscribe
The king of comics - Jack Kirby
Damn straight.
posted by Artw at 11:45 AM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
Damn straight.
posted by Artw at 11:45 AM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
Aw yeah. I love Kamandi and the "fourth world" stuff like the original New Gods series. This is great, thanks vronsky.
posted by fleetmouse at 11:49 AM on August 10, 2008
posted by fleetmouse at 11:49 AM on August 10, 2008
His representation of The Silver Surfer is my all time favorite. I still recall the immense joy of buying FF mags at the local 7-11, usually accompanied by an ice cream sandwich, and not even making it home before having to sit down on a curb somewhere, arms hugging knees, comic between my feet, sandwich melting in the ticking Florida afternoon heat, and reading the entire thing from cover to cover.
posted by Haruspex at 11:50 AM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Haruspex at 11:50 AM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
Galactus may be here but the Silver Surfer will save us!
Really enjoyed that short documentary vronsky. "He was like a Ouija board, putting it down, going where instincts told him to go." Interesting description of Kirby's creative process.
I always loved Kirby's artistic style the very best of all the comics. He was brilliant. Silver Surfer is the best superhero. Evar. And all this time I thought the Silver Surfer was a Stan Lee creation. huh. The things one finds out responding to a MetaFilter post.
Spider-Man was a close second fave. Looking at that Wikipedia entry, just found out it was a Stan Lee and Steve Ditko creation.
In the apartment across the hallway in 1962/63 there was a comic book artist, who did superhero type of work. I can't remember his name and all these years wondered if it were Jack Kirby or maybe Milton Caniff? Hate not being able to remember that.
posted by nickyskye at 11:53 AM on August 10, 2008
Really enjoyed that short documentary vronsky. "He was like a Ouija board, putting it down, going where instincts told him to go." Interesting description of Kirby's creative process.
I always loved Kirby's artistic style the very best of all the comics. He was brilliant. Silver Surfer is the best superhero. Evar. And all this time I thought the Silver Surfer was a Stan Lee creation. huh. The things one finds out responding to a MetaFilter post.
Spider-Man was a close second fave. Looking at that Wikipedia entry, just found out it was a Stan Lee and Steve Ditko creation.
In the apartment across the hallway in 1962/63 there was a comic book artist, who did superhero type of work. I can't remember his name and all these years wondered if it were Jack Kirby or maybe Milton Caniff? Hate not being able to remember that.
posted by nickyskye at 11:53 AM on August 10, 2008
I've never understood the attraction of all this acromegaly and Wagnerian schtick.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:05 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 1:05 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
very interesting set of videos but what's the story behind them? is this part of a larger documentary or something the assistant has made by himself?
I've never understood the attraction of all this acromegaly and Wagnerian schtick.
well, thanks so much for that valuable input.
posted by krautland at 1:26 PM on August 10, 2008
I've never understood the attraction of all this acromegaly and Wagnerian schtick.
well, thanks so much for that valuable input.
posted by krautland at 1:26 PM on August 10, 2008
Chronological Guide To Silver Age X-Men Crossovers - much more Kirby (and Ditko!) here, and here, and my beloved Hulk. (click on for larger)
Great stuff Nicky. (I'm guessing that you know pretty much all there is to know about the endocrine system ;)
posted by vronsky at 1:39 PM on August 10, 2008
Great stuff Nicky. (I'm guessing that you know pretty much all there is to know about the endocrine system ;)
posted by vronsky at 1:39 PM on August 10, 2008
What the hell, Rich Smorgasbord? Do you troll the internets for Jack Kirby threads waiting to use that line?
posted by fleetmouse at 1:56 PM on August 10, 2008 [7 favorites]
posted by fleetmouse at 1:56 PM on August 10, 2008 [7 favorites]
*sigh vronsky, more than ever I wanted to know for sure.
I just realized that Shrek has acromegaly.
posted by nickyskye at 2:02 PM on August 10, 2008
I just realized that Shrek has acromegaly.
posted by nickyskye at 2:02 PM on August 10, 2008
This seems like a good place to ask: where is the Internets hiding all the Kirby art? I mean big jpgs suitable for wallpaper maybe. I've looked a few times but it's slim pickings indeed out there. Help me out, MeFi.
posted by stinkycheese at 2:03 PM on August 10, 2008
posted by stinkycheese at 2:03 PM on August 10, 2008
stinkycheese, some tidbits for you: Kirby Museum and here, 2001, covers, more, a Jack Kirby Comics blog.
posted by nickyskye at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by nickyskye at 2:25 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
I looooved the FOREVER PEOPLE. They really spoke to me when I was, idunno, 12.
I still love them 31 years later.
posted by wittgenstein at 2:31 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
I still love them 31 years later.
posted by wittgenstein at 2:31 PM on August 10, 2008 [2 favorites]
Remember: Darkseid first appeared in the pages of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
What this taught me: No matter how dreadful, how seemingly invincible a foe or impossible life challenge may be, its origins are probably completely ridiculous.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:36 PM on August 10, 2008
What this taught me: No matter how dreadful, how seemingly invincible a foe or impossible life challenge may be, its origins are probably completely ridiculous.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:36 PM on August 10, 2008
A friend treasures the shot of Darkseid cautiously peeping out from behind a corner at Jimmy Olsen.
posted by Pronoiac at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Pronoiac at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2008 [1 favorite]
Woo-hoo! Thanks nickyskye!
posted by stinkycheese at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2008
posted by stinkycheese at 2:42 PM on August 10, 2008
It's a pleasure stinkycheese. Hey, check out wittgenstein's FOREVER PEOPLE link, packed with visual goodies you'd like. And this Where Monsters Roam page of Kirby's art from that site is wonderful too.
posted by nickyskye at 3:02 PM on August 10, 2008
posted by nickyskye at 3:02 PM on August 10, 2008
Lockjaw looking like a proto-Jabba.
"Do you troll the internets for Jack Kirby threads waiting to use that line?" - yeah, that's weird. (But to be fair, it is a pretty good line :)
And I would like to say that I think Wittgenstein and Haruspex hit upon something special in Kirby's work -- that when you are ten years old and you have a stack of these beside your bed at night -- life is good.
posted by vronsky at 4:44 PM on August 10, 2008
"Do you troll the internets for Jack Kirby threads waiting to use that line?" - yeah, that's weird. (But to be fair, it is a pretty good line :)
And I would like to say that I think Wittgenstein and Haruspex hit upon something special in Kirby's work -- that when you are ten years old and you have a stack of these beside your bed at night -- life is good.
posted by vronsky at 4:44 PM on August 10, 2008
Great stuff, vronsky, thanks!
Obligatory link to Kirby Monster Comics Never Reprinted!
Bullpen Bulletins Page from Fantastic Four #102 (Kirby's last issue), published September 1970. I really hope the page's title had been already decided before Kirby left.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:36 PM on August 10, 2008
Obligatory link to Kirby Monster Comics Never Reprinted!
Bullpen Bulletins Page from Fantastic Four #102 (Kirby's last issue), published September 1970. I really hope the page's title had been already decided before Kirby left.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:36 PM on August 10, 2008
I loved Kirby's stuff as a kid in the late 60's, and followed Kirby over to (gasp!) DC Comics when he jumped the Marvel ship. He was great. But I loved Jim Steranko, too, and those two were so different: Kirby's creations were thick, blocky, chunky, like they were made of granite. Steranko's were svelte, sinewy, sexy and undulating. I'd like to see some sort of Steranko/Kirby visual mashup.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:41 PM on August 10, 2008
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:41 PM on August 10, 2008
A friend treasures the shot of Darkseid cautiously peeping out from behind a corner at Jimmy Olsen.
Oh, it's even better than that. For I heard that Kirby's inspiration for Darkseid was Richard Nixon. If you then take Jimmy as representing the press, then....
posted by JHarris at 5:44 PM on August 10, 2008
Oh, it's even better than that. For I heard that Kirby's inspiration for Darkseid was Richard Nixon. If you then take Jimmy as representing the press, then....
posted by JHarris at 5:44 PM on August 10, 2008
Jack Kirby died fighting Darksied on the streets of Metropolis. Never forget.
posted by Artw at 5:49 PM on August 10, 2008
posted by Artw at 5:49 PM on August 10, 2008
Robocop Is Bleeding: "Remember: Darkseid first appeared in the pages of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen."
I didn't know that, cuz I don't think I've ever read Jimmy Olsen comics. I just looked at the covers and chose to pass for something palatable.
That kinda puts a lot of the Countdown To Final Crisis BS into better perspective. I kinda gave up on it when Jimmy Olsen suddenly aquired powers and had a cute bug girlfriend and was for some reason teleporting from Earth to Darkseid's Apokalips and back. I was under the impression that Countdown was supposed to fix everything that's wrong with DC's multiverse, but then that's what Crisis On Infinite Earths was supposed to do back in 1986.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:33 PM on August 11, 2008
I didn't know that, cuz I don't think I've ever read Jimmy Olsen comics. I just looked at the covers and chose to pass for something palatable.
That kinda puts a lot of the Countdown To Final Crisis BS into better perspective. I kinda gave up on it when Jimmy Olsen suddenly aquired powers and had a cute bug girlfriend and was for some reason teleporting from Earth to Darkseid's Apokalips and back. I was under the impression that Countdown was supposed to fix everything that's wrong with DC's multiverse, but then that's what Crisis On Infinite Earths was supposed to do back in 1986.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:33 PM on August 11, 2008
The funny thing is Final Crisis pretty much ignores everything in Countdown anyway.
posted by Artw at 7:37 PM on August 11, 2008
posted by Artw at 7:37 PM on August 11, 2008
Paging kittens for breakfast! kittens for breakfast!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 11:34 AM on August 12, 2008
posted by bitter-girl.com at 11:34 AM on August 12, 2008
Apologies if anyone's posted this already but I've been busy going through what's linked here and found the following.
Silver Age Marvel Comics Covers Index.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
Silver Age Marvel Comics Covers Index.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
And these could be bigger pics but hey -- Silver Surfer Cover Art Gallery.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:54 PM on August 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by stinkycheese at 3:54 PM on August 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
ArtW: "The funny thing is Final Crisis pretty much ignores everything in Countdown anyway."
Ah. I see...
From Wikipedia: "While {Countdown to Final Crisis} was billed as leading up to the story in DC's Final Crisis, it later emerged that the plotlines diverged, leading to continuity problems between the conclusion of Countdown and Final Crisis as noted by Final Crisis author Grant Morrision. Notably, Orion is, at the end of Countdown, the only New God still alive, and he is depicted as dying after his final battle, with Superman and other heroes letting him walk away to his expected end. Final Crisis, however, begins with his apparent murder, and none of the heroes seem to remember either that they watched Orion walk away, mortally wounded, or even that all of the other New Gods are supposedly dead."
Isn't this Crisis gunk supposed to FIX the endless contradictions and continuity errors of the past seventy years? Why are they just creating more goofs?
And is Didio just blaming all the continuity trouble that's ever happened in DC on Kirby's Fourth World stuff? Looks to me Didio's just systematically destroying everything Kirby ever touched. I'm glad I'm not fifteen years old reading DC comics today. I might have actually cared. I'd probably get real morose, wear black, listen to loud emo music, and carve "Didio Sucks" into the back of my hand with a putty knife.
Stan Lee had it right after all: award a "No-Prize" and move on. I hate the fact that if I were a comic collector today, I'd have to Make Mine Marvel. I was such a passionately defiant DC supporter when I was fifteen. Now I look at where DC has ended up and wonder why.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:49 PM on August 12, 2008
Ah. I see...
From Wikipedia: "While {Countdown to Final Crisis} was billed as leading up to the story in DC's Final Crisis, it later emerged that the plotlines diverged, leading to continuity problems between the conclusion of Countdown and Final Crisis as noted by Final Crisis author Grant Morrision. Notably, Orion is, at the end of Countdown, the only New God still alive, and he is depicted as dying after his final battle, with Superman and other heroes letting him walk away to his expected end. Final Crisis, however, begins with his apparent murder, and none of the heroes seem to remember either that they watched Orion walk away, mortally wounded, or even that all of the other New Gods are supposedly dead."
Isn't this Crisis gunk supposed to FIX the endless contradictions and continuity errors of the past seventy years? Why are they just creating more goofs?
And is Didio just blaming all the continuity trouble that's ever happened in DC on Kirby's Fourth World stuff? Looks to me Didio's just systematically destroying everything Kirby ever touched. I'm glad I'm not fifteen years old reading DC comics today. I might have actually cared. I'd probably get real morose, wear black, listen to loud emo music, and carve "Didio Sucks" into the back of my hand with a putty knife.
Stan Lee had it right after all: award a "No-Prize" and move on. I hate the fact that if I were a comic collector today, I'd have to Make Mine Marvel. I was such a passionately defiant DC supporter when I was fifteen. Now I look at where DC has ended up and wonder why.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:49 PM on August 12, 2008
Thanks for that Silver Surfer link stinkycheese. A woo hoo back atcha.
posted by nickyskye at 8:32 AM on August 14, 2008
posted by nickyskye at 8:32 AM on August 14, 2008
ZachsMind: If you're worried about continuity for Final Crisis, you should probably completely just go back to 52 & the Seven Soldiers mini of Mister Miracle. Disregard the other recent events completely. That's how Morrison intended, you won't miss much, & you don't get a headache from trying to reconcile continuity. You should also look at the Crisis label as just branding, not "continuity cleanup."
posted by Pronoiac at 9:38 AM on August 14, 2008
posted by Pronoiac at 9:38 AM on August 14, 2008
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posted by vronsky at 10:58 AM on August 10, 2008