Showing posts with label Jack Kirby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Kirby. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 December 2016

The Demon (1972) # 1-16


(I originally read these comics in late July 2016)

I took a while reading these. They're consistently enjoyable, but a little undiluted Kirby goes a long way. Jack's prose sometimes flows like a pile of bricks and reads like a poor translation, ie, "TERROR IN TRANSYLVANIA IS A CONDITION AS ANCIENT AS THE STRANGE PRACTICES WHICH PRODUCE IT THERE!"

Come back, Stan...

The plot is as thus: In medieval times, as Camelot is under siege by the evil forces of Morgaine Le Fay, the wizard Merlin conjures up a demon called Etrigan as a last resort to turn the tide in Camelot's favour. But it's to no avail. As the court falls, a change comes over Etrigan and he assumes human guise. Centuries later in modern-day Gotham City, demonologist Jason Blood is about to discover his true nature as Morgaine Le Fay returns to plague the world again. 

That's it, really. Kirby displays his usual propensity for ripping off pop culture in 'The Phantom of the Sewers' in issues 8-10, which has big nods to the Phantom of the Opera, Mad Love and possibly the contemporaneous Dr. Phibes films. The subsequent tale in issues 11-13 introduces a 'Baron Von Evilstein' (groan), assisted by an 'Igor' modelled after Bela Lugosi in Son of Frankenstein. Both stories are stretched out a bit far at three issues each.

The most memorable foes introduced here are Klarion the Witchboy, a malevolent and sorcerous teen, and his cat Teekl.

The problem with Kirby's post-Stan comics for me is that they're just slam-bang action with no quiet moments or respite. They're fun, but the lack of variation in pacing and tone can be wearing. 


   
   
   
   


(NB: I believe some of these cover reproductions may have been scanned from Kirby's original art and so may or may not always appear as originally published.)


As extras, here's the original art for the cover of The Demon # 1, pencils by Jack Kirby (left) and inks by Mike Royer (right).

 

The Demon (1972) # 1-16 are collected in:

Hardcover:



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Friday, 4 November 2016

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Strange Tales (1951) # 135-150, Tales of Suspense (1959) # 78


(I originally read these comics in mid/late March 2016)

Spent the last week reading Lee and Kirby's 'Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.' strips from the pages of Strange Tales. The creator billing is not entirely accurate as Kirby only provides layouts for most instalments, with artists including John Severin and Don Heck penciling. John Buscema returns to Marvel with ST # 150, for his first job since the '50s.

The 12-page strips are densely written and provide almost as much reading as a standard '60s Marvel comic, so I've been reading them at a rate of 2-3 per day. They're fun if second rate stuff, though they get progressively better. Nick is a great character, a blue collar James Bond, and Stan clearly enjoys writing his funny, sarcastic and rough-edged dialogue. His personality is contrasted well against that of new boy and eager beaver Jasper Sitwell in later stories. 

Many long-standing Marvel concepts are introduced here: HYDRA, AIM, Life Model Decoys, etc, and # 145 is an early crossover with Tales of Suspense # 78. 

Jim Steranko takes over for his legendary run with issue # 151. I'll come back to those soon enough, especially since they continue a plot already set in motion.


   
   
   
  
 


Strange Tales (1951) # 135-150 and Tales of Suspense (1959) # 78 are collected in:

Hardcover:

Softcover:

Strange Tales (1951) # 135 is collected in:

Hardcover:

Softcover:

Strange Tales (1951) # 141-143 are collected in:

Softcover:

Tales of Suspense (1959) # 78 is collected in:

Hardcover:

Softcover:

Strange Tales (1951) # 150 is collected in:

Hardcover:

Softcover:



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Tuesday, 20 September 2016

Topps Comics' 'Kirbyverse'


(I originally read these comics in mid July 2015)

The 'Kirbyverse' titles from Topps Comics were published between 1993-'94 and were developed from unrealised Kirby koncepts. 'Secret City Saga' is the best. Roy Thomas overwrites and Steve Ditko underdraws, with other Marvel Universe founding fathers like Dick Ayers and Don Heck pitching in for its one-shot tie-in titles 'Bombast,' 'Night Glider,' and Captain Glory.' It's very old school, even with contemporaneous touches like the presence of a certain blowjob-loving President as a character, and must have seemed very much out of sync with the likes of the Image explosion.


   
   


Secret City Saga trading card art by Steve Ditko and Art Adams


I couldn't even bring myself to read 'Satan's Six,' because the art is some of most grotesque and off-putting I've ever seen in an allegedly professional comic, the few Kirby pages in issue # 1 not withstanding. Take a look at the covers for yourself. It took me literally years to source the three issues of volume two and they won't even get read, the art is so horrific. The fact they still have the death penalty in the US gives me hope that one day "artist" John Cleary will see justice for his crimes committed here.


   
  


Kurt Busiek's and Neil Vokes' 'TeenAgents' is just about readable. 'Silver Star' brings back the character originally launched by Pacific Comics in the '80s, and 'Victory' teams up all the Kirbyverse characters in the one comic. The latter two were intended and four and five-issue series respectively, but the line collapsed before they could be completed. 


   
 


Jack Kirby died months before those final issues were published. It's probably opening a copy of 'Satan's Six' that did it.



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