Let's talk about Jack Kirby

(Hand of Fire)

I’ve been working since Jack passed away, which is 14 years now, on a humongous-sized book about his life. It’s still a few years off in the future, so when the Harry N. Abrams Company asked me to do an interim book to tide people over, I took a look at what I was doing and realized the massive book I was writing was getting too mired in minutia to the point where I thought a lot of ordinary civilians wouldn’t be able to make their way through it. So I thought I’d do a sort of simplified version first.

I know about the Evanier biog, which I guess is semi-official. But that was first announced a very long time ago; I'm surprised that nobody else has really gone for it in the meantime. I will devour the Evanier biography, if and when it appears, and can see it being the standard work; but there are many other biographies and books about Kirby still to be written.

Are there that many good bios of comic creators?

I like Blake Bell's Ditko book a lot but there will probably be another in the future by someone else.
Bell's Everett book was a bit disappointing because the actual bio and art examination couldnt fill up much room and the rest was only of interest to really serious Marvel historians. This is after Bell promised that people will wonder why there haven't been more books on Everett. I love some of Everett's phases and his life was interesting but it seemed like hardly anyone knew enough about him to fill out a proper book.

I think most who made a living from constant comics output don't get to have very interesting lives.

Steranko and Kirby's lives are both p fascinating imo

Definitely Kirby. I don't know much about Steranko but he does seem more colorful and outspoken than most of his peers.

There's been bios of Marston within Wonder Woman books but it'd be great if there was enough to gather for a full book.

Bill Schelly's Kurtzman bio and Robert Harvey's Caniff bio are both excellent.

Yep those are both very very good books.

Yeah, I was going to mention the Kurtzman and Caniff books, both great reads. There's a Herriman bio coming out in December that looks pretty interesting.

I love "Hand Of Fire"

Harry Thompson's Herge bio is not as good or researched or capable of conveying the wonder of his art as the same author's Peter Cook bio, but it's still delightful

Bob Levin's Most Outrageous is naturally more concerned with investigation than telling the story of Tinsley's life, but it gets that in there, as well as a lot of critical assessment of his art and career, and you'd be hard pressed to find a more intriguing subject for a cartoonist's bio

That book about Charles Schulz from a couple years back was supposed to be good - did anyone read?

Yes, I did. A bit of a curate's egg - good on the early years of the strip, not so good thereafter. At times, it felt that the writer was much more interested in Schulz's wealth, his celebrity, his extra-marital affair, than with the work itself (tho there was interesting stuff about the similarities between Lucy and Schulz' first wife, and the way that their sometimes tempestuous relationship played itself out in the comic strip). The family were heavily critical of it. Again, there are other books still to be written about Schulz.

FWIW, I wrote a review of it here:

http://comiczine-fa.com/reviews/schulz-and-peanuts

Great review!

Yeah! I looked at the Spiegleman thing you mentioned too - that's so sweet

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/17311135_1344860888893770_8287228737704679659_o.jpg?oh=241e8bc2e26ed9663edf6e13393ef207&oe=5963AF53
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/17434672_1344861425560383_5597327123918912369_o.jpg?oh=3596e19747e79d52a63eff60edd908a8&oe=59622A37

I read a story recently (when "punching Nazis" was a hot topic), saying that when Kirby was doing Cap-vs.-Hitler stuff in the early '40s, a couple of white power dudes called up to the Timely offices from the bldg's lobby and demanded to see the guy writing that stuff. Simon or other staffers cautioned him not to go, but Kirby rolled up his sleeves and went right down to the lobby (...only to find the guys had left). True?

yes that is true

or at least several ppl have corroborated it (so it's as true as we could possibly know)

I got the Simon/Kirby Science Fiction omnibus out of the library. Some rough early stuff but man some really great work too.

speaking of scrappin' jack:

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-0/p480x480/17435992_1346050352108157_6971083734769542342_o.jpg?oh=8acad64ef2f43050084a92092488a7f0&oe=59562972

(these pix are from the 'jack kirby: king of comics' facebook page run by kirby's grandson btw)

dude is so much like my prone-to-screaming-argument jewish veteran gpa it's a little frightening

guys should i get this as a full-length back tattoo y/n

http://comicsalliance.com/files/2016/06/EB04f.jpg

My dumb work is blocking that image for some reason but it's presumably Kirby art so my gut says yes.

First page of The Dingbats of Danger St? That's one for the more season Kirby reader.

seasoned

it's like a kirby bingo full house

true heads go for back tats of Baron Von Evilstein imo

The weirdest stuff always has an element of comedy.

y

tho it is missing kirby krackle so not entirely complete

I'm always thinking that opening line in my head while walking around doing chores etc

THIS IS HOW FAST THINGS HAPPEN ON DANGER ST

If you get it as a tat, maybe exclude the racist Asian caricature in the lower right corner?

you mean Bananas?

Born 100 years ago today.

facing front, pilgrim

Hail To The King!

Don't Ask! Just Buy It!

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m493v3Zzrs1r846jso1_1280.jpg&f=1

"Jacob and the Angel"

The composition is amazing in that drawing

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/6/62047/1293342-fighting_american_v2__1___page_1.jpg

Anybody got the "don't dangle your gonads in my ear" panel?

holy shit at jacob and the angel, that is gorgeous

jfc I have a half dozen OG issues and would like the rest but this is insane

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0785122052/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1527201431&sr=1-4

is it real or is it algorithmic

also presumably you get lurid colour reconstruction and bad repro or tracing in that version

Eh i like the 4th World omnibuses just fine

hopefully we get a reprint

btw this has been pretty great, not sure if anyone mentioned it yet
https://www.instagram.com/kirbycomic/?hl=en

Ah! Heard about that but also forgot about it. I love scioli