I'm currently racing through all fourteen issues, to get an initial feel for how they might relate to earlier Kirby work. But it's hard to race through Kirby issues! They are so full of amazing ideas that I keep stopping and smiling. But I will try to be disciplined.

I plan to post on possible links between CV and earlier Kirby work, before returning to the more detailed commentary. If that's OK with you guys. I will probably change my mind later, but these are just initial thoughts. So don't shoot me!

As a reminder (with added detail, just because) these are the reasons I think CV is linked to Kirby's earlier stories:

1. There are strong hints (in the origin trilogy, CV 11-13) that CV is Orion's son.
2. There are equally strong hints in New Gods that it was intended to follow from Thor and ragnarok.
3. There are strong links between Kirby's pre-Marvel and Marvel work: e.g. Captain America, Attilan, etc.
4. Kirby's work would naturally follow the same ideas as they progress. From the 1940s to the 1980s, his work always returns to the same core ideas (e.g. human origins among mythical gods, war, exploring the unknown). But as his ideas progress the themes will naturally progress. E.g. Challengers (Earth based) progresses to Fantastic Four (more space based), Thor (gods in tension) progresses to New Gods (gods at war), Kree and Inhumans progresses to Celestials and Eternals (see below), etc.
5. Some of Kirby's later work seems to be correcting earlier work that has been changed by others. E.g. the Eternals seems to tell the Kree and Inhuman story again, but brings back the original mystery and grandeur.
6. Kirby's view of death is that we live on through our children. So the exact name and appearance does not matter. So if later ideas are simply early ideas further developed, it seems reasonable to treat them as the same. Surviving death is a particular theme of CV.
7. Kirby was a deep thinker. Like all the best thinkers he comes across as very humble and simple in interviews, but keep listening, and IMO he has very advanced ideas. In particular he deals with universal abstractions like conflict, justice, death, understanding difference, etc. I don't think a character's different name or appearance would be a big thing to Kirby: he would see the fundamental idea as the same archetype, the same essential character.

OK, on with the crazy theories

Mister Mind:

I cannot resist drawing parallels between Kirby's Mister Mind and the 1940s Mister Mind (Captain Marvel's super intelligent worm enemy). Kirby may not have known that this 1940s character had recently (late 1970s) returned to DC for a couple of brief stories.

But wasn't Mr Mind a worm? Yes, and he would routinely use larger personas. Kirby's Mr Mind was never worried about his physical body being in danger, no matter where he was. His body also seemed to be part of the machine that transported him. This suggests that the egg shape we see is just a shell. Shell, get it?

But wasn't Mister Mind evil? Well we don't actually know what Kirby's Mister Mind is thinking. But a recurring theme in captain Victory is tolerance for other views. I think that is what the "victory" in captain victory refers to: they have reached a point where the galaxy is so stable that people like Mr Mind are no longer a threat. Even massive threats like the Insectons can be contained and treated with respect as long as they respect others. This is anther thing I love about the Kirbyverse: there are no evil people, just people with different points of view. As in the real world, each person sees themselves as the good guy, or at least, doing what is necessary for the universe. Once Mister Mind achieved everything he wanted and grew bored with it, he would have no reason to cause trouble for its own sake.

But how did Mr Mind the worm become Mr Mind the Humpty Dumpty? If you look at the original pencil art for the Kree Supreme Intelligence, it looks like Kirby was thinking of a Mr Mind type worm. It's a very tempting idea that this could be the actual Mr Mind. After all, if a character was really super intelligent, and wanted absolute power, wouldn't he eventually get it?

But would not other aliens be more likely to become top intelligence? Not necessarily. In the real world, science advances exponentially. So sooner or later we get a kind of singularity where intelligent races would move on to higher things: what seem like higher dimensions to us. That is, the Watcher or Galactus level. For aliens to remain at a human like level of technology suggests that something is holding them back. So I think it's feasible for Mr Mind to take advantage of that something (culture, genes, a temporary phase, etc.) and become top dog (or top worm). But that would not last for many years. Either he would grow bored with the responsibility, or he would be toppled. That might explain the Humpty Dumpty persona:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

One thing I adore about Kirby's work is how quickly everything moves, just like in the real world. In the Marvel Universe nothing fundamental ever changes, but in the Kirbyverse 20 years is literally a generation, when everything changes and moves forward. So the Supreme Intelligence would necessarily be a temporary post. And after that, what is there to prove? He would be like an ex president of the USA, keeping busy amusing himself, able to come and go as he pleased. Much like Kirby's mister mind

But isn't Kirby's Mister Mind "the last of his kind"? Yes: the whole point about the Mr Mind worm was that he was unique among his species. "Last of his kind" and "unique" are close enough. Also the explanation that he must be protected because he is the "the last of his kind" could easily be a cover story: the authorities would want him where they can see him.

Not to steal any of your thunder, Tolworthy, but what about connections between the Lightning Lady and the Insectons and Queen Ula and her flying Trolls from Journey into Mystery/Thor. I've only read a much later New Mutants issue which had Ula in it, haven't read any of her Kirby appearances, but visually there is certainly a similarity between her and the Lightning Lady.

The Goozlebobber

If you think the "Mister Mind is Mister Mind" theory is wild, wait for this one. And please remember, these are only initial thought, and based on a character having the same spirit as a previous character. I am not claiming that Kirby said "this is the exact same character" - more, this character fits the same head space.

The Goozlebobber is about the life of the intellectual

I said before that every Kirby comic is two comics: a quick one and a slow one. The quick story here is a silly character doing silly things. but when we take it slow, none of that makes sense. Specifically:

Why is a comical character on a warship during time of war?
If he knows nothing about Earth, how is he able to talk just like the police (as they say he does), and look like president Reagan, and talk about 747s?
If he is purely a silly character, why do all the other aliens fear him?
If he is so silly, how can he defeat Mr Mind's teleporting?
If he is so silly, how can he win in any battle of wits? He wins over the parents and runs rings around the police (who are not presented as dumb), and stops thieves without the need for conflict.
If he is so silly, why does he have such a clear purpose: in the third and last installment we see he as only there to teach tolerance.

The Goozlebobber behaves exactly like the fool in Shakespeare: in a desperately serious story, the foolish character is the one who speaks truth. So what is this truth?

A story about tolerance
The first story (in CV 4) begins with this question: "who would give a second thought to a life-form like the Goozlebobber?" and that is the theme of all three stories. Who can put up with him? Only people under the age of 12 can tolerate him: those who still have open minds. Others think he's annoying or frightening and just wants him gone. Story one ends by saying that our attitude to the Goozlebobber is very important: "the consequences could be hilarious or shattering! It all depends if you're good or evil!!" That sounds pretty serious. yet apart from the initial burglars we don't see anybody who is cartoonishly evil. So what is this about? The next issue (CV 5) entitles him "king of the unwanted" and ends with a page about him: saying he is "galactic flotsam", "not really bad", but will make you "laugh, cry, itch, and pry at your pimples". the question posed by the Goozlebober is, what do we do with an irritating person? The next and final Goozlebobber story begins by saying every being has a right to exist, even its "a cluster of free floating atoms that gives you frights". His story ends by showing Goozie as Ronald Reagan, who some adored and other despised, and ends warning us against cosmic diarhoea. What in image! What is our species' warlike nature, or essential lack of understanding for others, except a form of cosmic diarrhea? Goozlebobber is a story about tolerance.

Goozie is a shape changer: he refers to any irritating person. He is our great test. Those who accept him find him pleasant (children or in this case their enlightened parents). The story is about how he persuaded the police to accept him. Once he had done that he left, as his "work was done". This is the message of Captain Victory, but the Shakespearian Fool is there to make the message obvious.

I think Captain Victory is about final victory, victory over war itself, victory on a galactic scale. Captain Victory is about victory over our warlike nature: instead of a superhero comic, where we glory in easy success through violence, we have issue after issue of restraint. Yes, the captain faces global dangers, and yes he faces death, but that does not stop him being super cautious. He does not try to preserve his own life, and treats enemy lives as valuable, and will use only the absolute minimum force. His goal is not to fight or to kill, but to live in peace with the Insectons, with them inhabiting their own worlds and he his.

CV is about one generation in the future, when war is finally being solved. After the climactic ragnarok - new gods conflict is over, the galaxy is more or less united under law. It's a metaphor for Europe and America after World War II. After 1945, first world powers would never again fight each other, and all that is left is to solve the problem of Insectons - the terrorism and global inequality of today, which is a whole other topic.

The key to victory over war is to not let people irritate us. yes, their ways are different, and we naturally dislike them, but what harm do they actually do? The Goozlebobber makes this theme black and white. Once we learn to live without hating those who are different then his job is done.

The name goozlebobber
I said before how I love Kirby's names. Goozle is southern slang for throat, so Goozlebobber probably refers to his irritating snoring sound (see his first appearance). Goozle (written as gözle ) is Turkish for "beautiful" - given that Yiddish is a mixture of words from eastern Europe, there'sa good chance that Kirby had an idea of this. Being able to find beauty in people we find irritating is a beautiful thing.

A story about intelligence
The story starts by contrasting Mr Mind with Goozlebobber. At fiorst glance one is intelligent and the other is foolish, but in the end which of them has the solution to war? Which of them is therefore more intelligent? There is a long tradition of great philosophers being fools. from Socrates knowing nothing, and the original cynics puncturing pomposity, to eastern mystics emphasising simplicity and humility, to Einstein's famous photograph with his tongue out.

To me, the Goozlebobber is the final stage in intelligence. He rides a spacecraft that represents the final triumph of technology over war. So what is left? The purest study of what is new. The Goozlebobber spends his life exploring worlds, doing good, learning anything new and helping others to widen their ideas. He is like a great philosopher in retirement. It is fitting that he gbegan (sop the sotry goes) as a story that Kirby told his children. Goozie is very much like a wise old grandfather figure, he looks foolish and delights children, but hides great wisdom. He even has the grandfatherly whiskers and red nose from enjoying his drink.

So now we come to the really controversial part. If Kirby's characters all link together...

Who is the Goozlebobber?

Let's review what we know or can infer about Goozie:

1. He is the probably Kirby's most intelligent character
2. He is a shape changer who can also shrink.
3. He is probably a very wise man who has grown old.
4. He likes children.
5. He dislikes Mr Mind, and possibly all authority figures
6. He loves to discover new worlds.
7. He lives on a warship, in time of combat. And his first task is to stop some thieves. So his ultimate goal is to right wrongs.
8. He has poor social skills. he cannot see why going to sleep with a stranger's children might be inappropriate. Other aliens see him as a great threat.
9. We don't know his name: Mister Mind just calls him "A goozlebobber" - it may just be a description.
10. We have probably not seen his real form: he says that looking stupid is one of his rarer tricks.
11. He is the first of his kind to arrive on Earth.
12. Though he pretends to know nothing about Earth, this may be a cover: he actually seems to know a lot.
13. It is important to remember that CV takes place a generation after Kirby's last work, and two generations after the early 1960s work. So a genius who was stressed out by war in the 1960s could have settled down in CV's scientific dreadnought in the 1970s and be happy and playful in retirement in the 1980s.

There is one very famous Kirby character who ticks every box. Crazy? Judge for yourself.

Who is Kirby's the biggest brainbox?
Who can change his body at will, including becoming very tiny (e.g. to fit inside a bottle, or explore the inside of a machine)
Who did we last see retiring to look after his child? See my comments about Kirby ending his Marvel stories in 1967 and treading water until 1971. I am talking about how Kirby wrote the character, not later writers.
Who loves to explore new worlds?
Who has poor social skills?
Who opposed the Supreme Intelligence, and first became famous when he hijacked a government rocket he was working on?
Who knew so much about Skrulls, and was so like a skrull, that (in my theory-to-end-all-theories) he was a skrull himself, left behind on the first Skrull visit circa 1932?

Just raising the possibility.

That is a really good parallel. I love theology, and I admire theologians like Philo of Alexandria, Maimonides and Spinoza. (And Kirby probably did too, seeing as how they are the greatest Jewish theologians of all time.) They saw God as meaning logic: e.g. logic creates the universe, logic is absolute truth, etc, and all scripture is valuable mainly as metaphor. That seems to be the default view of the most learned theologians. So they would argue (if they were interested in the Virgin Mary) that her true self is the idea, and her reality is in her real world effects. So, if a believer sees Mary's face in a cornflake and that motivates some useful behaviour (like "it is like she is everywhere, I must be feeling guilty, so I will not do X again") then yes, the image in the reality.

I feel that this is how Kirby saw stories. He knew that stories are not real, in the sense that Captain America is not a person in our normal world. But he referred to his stories as real because the ideas were real. The characters are just clothes, that reality (the underlying ideas that rule our lives) puts on in order to be more clearly seen.

So in the case of the Goozlebobber -> Reed Richards theory, Goozie and Reed are cornflakes. The virgin Mary in this case is the concept of "wise man". In the middle of war the wise man creates weapons. In a time of peace the wise man teaches children to be tolerant. Same spirit, different eras.

I will go back to my padded room now.

Interesting theory regarding the Goozlebobber - I probably would have gone more towards a Goozlebobber/Impossible Man connection.

It's also interesting to note that Orca Calls to mind Triton of the Inhumans, while the lion guy in Captain Victory's ensemble is very remniscient of the animal people from Kamandi.

Sorry as well if my posts are very short and sweet - I'm usually writing them on my phone at work