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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 16:49:11 GMT -5
I certainly understand that and I knew this stuff, before Kirby. In this era, I wasn't a fan of Kirby's blockier style. I liked his older stuff. Part of it was being weaned on Neal Adams and the DC house style (Dick Dillin, Irv Novick, Gil Kane, Mike Grell, Jim Aparo, Don Newton); that slick, illustrative style, which was a trademark of DC. I used to poo-poo Kirby stuff, like the 70s Captain America and Black Panther; but, not all of it. It worked in the more cosmic stuff and I always remembered his imagery. As I got older, I came to see his art differently, especially as I saw the 4th World, in its original form, and more of Kamandi and OMAC. As I came to understand Kirby more, I saw more things in his art. When I saw imitations, I could see where the artist tried to mimic the look, but lacked the substance. It's like each line was a part of Kirby, put on the page. Later stuff, from the 80s, is harder to look at, as his health had affected his work. He could still bring it; but, not as consistently. That's when I was rediscovering his earlier DC stuff, though, and starting to grow in awe of the imagery. When I read the Jimmy Olsen stuff, I was really bowled over. I had ignored that, because it was Jimmy Olsen; but, Kirby really let his imagination run there, and it churned out wild concept after wild concept, that the 90s Superman team finally started to use, after everyone else ignored it. really, the Superman books did a lot to get me to go back and look at Kirby's DC work, as well as the New Gods Baxter reprint. Seeing "The Pact" and the "Glory Boat" showed me the difference between the Jack Kirby who did that weird take on Black Panther and the one who had done Galactus. He evolved; I hadn't yet. When I saw how his progression was a logical extension of what came before, I was opened up to how great a storyteller he was, and how unique. Byrne, Perez and Simonson have touches of it; but, not the complete package.
That's what I want to get into, with the Kirby issues. That, and highlight the more peripheral side of it, with Jimmy Olsen and the Forever People, how the New Gods goes from interesting but erratic to epic, and how Mister Miracle is Kirby just having fun.
One of the things that helped pull me into the 4th World was Will Jacobs and Gerard Jones' The Comic Book Heroes. It has a great chapter on the 4th World and highlights what made it so unique and powerful. It pointed out the almost Beat Poetry aspect of some of the dialogue, the layered characterization of Darkseid, the imagination of the Jimmy Olsen launch of everything and Kirby's vision of not just the story, but the idea of packaging comics.
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Post by hondobrode on Nov 30, 2016 17:09:03 GMT -5
I'll bet that DC eventually does that.
I wish that Grant Morrison would do a New Gods title !!
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Post by berkley on Nov 30, 2016 21:05:19 GMT -5
I'll bet that DC eventually does that. I wish that Grant Morrison would do a New Gods title !! Does what? I firmly believe that Grant Morrison had it in him to write a great New Gods series but he was more interested in Batman and Superman, the JLA and the DCU as a whole. The closest he came was the Mister Miracle mini in Seven Soldiers, but even that was more of an interesting experiment than a New Gods story. His use of characters like Orion and Darkseid in the JLA was as disappointing as any other writer's,with New Gods characters like Orion and Darkseid used as props to boost the popular DC superheroes. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2016 23:06:40 GMT -5
I'm not a Morrison worshipper; I have problems with a lot of his material. I enjoy some, hate others, am indifferent to some, started liking some, then the story went south. I have digital of his New Gods stuff; but, haven't read it (got it bundled with other stuff), largely because I didn't often care for his more cosmic-oriented stuff. Wasn't thrilled by his talk of a 5th World and most of what I saw from DC (and Marvel) at the time. Just felt like a rehash, something I had been feeling with DC since the start of the new Millennium. It just felt like they were retreading 80s material. A lot of Morrison's stuff felt like a new shine on old material. So, I haven't cracked it yet. I probably will, after I get through Byrne and Simonson, as they are far more in tune with Kirby and I haven't read most of their run on it (I was going to look at it in a trade; but, never did). Like everyone else, Morrison just seemed more interested in Darkseid than anyone else
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Post by berkley on Dec 1, 2016 0:39:42 GMT -5
I think his independent stuff is outstanding - The Filth, The Invisibles. I tend to stay away from his DCU work, largely because I'm not interested in the characters he likes best - Batman, Superman, the JLA, etc. Seven Soldiers was great, though.
Yes, the fact that he saw the New Gods mainly as a source of supporting characters for the JLA was a big problem for me with those comics. He didn't even write a particularly good Darkseid - better than the likes of Geoff Johns, but that is saying almost nothing at all.
From a few things I've read in interviews, etc, I think he might not have read much of the Kirby series at the time of his JLA run. Later on he showed an excellent appreciation of Kirby's achievement - but only in articles, introductions, interviews, and the like. Never in his stories, where he continued to simply exploit them for the greater glory of the usual fan-favourites, just as pretty much every other writer since Kirby has done. Disappointing, to say the least.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 3, 2016 16:43:12 GMT -5
We were teased that Kirby was coming! After launching the Marvel Age of Comics, the King had defected back to DC! Now we were told, Kirby is here! So, what epic, mind-blowing title would showcase the new wonders of the King?  Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen?  ? Seriously? Freckle-faced kid with bad taste in clothes, a signal watch and a penchant for cross-dressing? The kid who gets turned into turtles and things? Okay..........  Already we can see that there is trouble in paradise; that doesn't look exactly like Kirby. It's not all him. This was Kirby's cover...   What the heck? Well, this being DC, last bastion of out-dated thinking, the man whose art blew away everyone, whose comics shook up the industry and took the lower tier bottom feeders that were Timely and Atlas and turned them into the Marvel powerhouse (with Stan's writing, and Ditko and Romita, Buscema, Ayers, Heck, etc, etc adding their own unique touches) wasn't good enough to draw Superman. So, while Kirby is creating the eye-popping wonder, we get the same old boring Superman and Jimmy Olsen faces, redrawn by Al Plastino (and others). Kirby's dynamic covers would be rejected for others, notably Neal Adams. Not exactly a warm welcome. Let's backtrack a little, to set the scene. Jack Kirby had done more than most to build Marvel Comics into what they had become, with his imagination and plots, in conjunction with Stan Lee's characterizations and dialogue. Kirby's storytelling was the template used for most of their works; his page layouts, his staging, his use of shots. Other touches came from Ditko, with emotion, weird figures, acrobatic figures, and the like. Marvel was prospering quite well, since acquiring new distribution and an end to the restraint on the number of titles they could publish. Martin Goodman was raking in the cash. Stan was being compensated well, via writing, editing, and running the show. Kirby wanted his piece. He didn't ask for much. He had a family and wanted some stability to see that their welfare was provided, especially in light of his daughter's health issues (asthma). Kirby sought health insurance and a salary, not just a page rate. Martin Goodman said no. The new owners of Marvel, Cadence Industries, didn't know from him. Allegedly, Stan wanted to make Kirby the art director. Whether that is revisionism or whether Goodman (or Cadence) shot down the idea, I don't know. What was true was that no salaried staff position was in the offering. Seeing his value there and not wishing to provide any additional money makers to line other pockets, Jack stuck to creating great comics; but, he stopped introducing new ideas. He had been producing epic tales in Thor, especially in the Tales of Asgard segments. He had new ideas in his head, about what happens after Ragnarok. He kept those ideas to himself. Kirby made the decision (with Roz, of course) to move the family out to California, where the climate would help his daughter's health. This child of Hell's Kitchen headed West, to new frontiers. This pioneer joined the line of other American pioneers, who sought their future in the West. Kirby also sent out feelers to his old boss, DC. Kirby was never quite at home there, even as his comics livened up the staid line of books. He and partner Joe Simon had gone there for better money, after Martin Goodman reneged on promises. The war interrupted things. When the industry hit hard times, in the 50ss, Kirby found himself back at DC, doing Green Arrow and creating Challengers of the Unknown. However, he was considered less than the more traditional artists. He went back to Timely/Atlas to produce monsters for what passed for horror comics. Even with mediocre stories, Kirby created something bigger, including three-headed dragons in underpants...  We all know the story about Martin Goodman's golf game and the birth of the Fantastic Four (Kirby told a different version in the infamous Comics Journal interview; but it sounds a bit far-fetched) and what followed. Stan and Jack launched one new idea after another. Then, others got in the game, with Ditko being most prominent. Now, Kirby was headed back to DC and they were making noise about it. The legend goes that Kirby asked for DC's worst selling book, since DC insisted he work on one of their established books, before launching his own stuff. That story has been called into question, as Olsen wasn't the worst selling book; but, it didn't have a regular team, per se. Kirby didn't want to unseat anyone from their primary paying gig. So, Jimmy Olsen it was. Even so, Kirby didn't do Mort Weisinger's Jimmy Olsen, Al Plastino or no Al Plastino. Our story opens with Jimmy Olsen entering a garage, and meeting the revived Newsboy Legion, who look the same as they did 30 years before. Immediately, Kirby tells us this isn't the 1940s and gives us this wonder...  This isn't your father's Oldsmobile! It makes the Fantasticar look like a Yugo.  It turns out that Morgan Edge, owner of GBS television network and new owner of the Daily Planet has assigned Olsen to investigate the Wild Area, a haven for strange biker gangs. He's even invested in creating the Whiz Wagon, our supercar that will transport him and the Newsboy Legion there. Clark Kent hears of this and confronts his boos, who tells him that no one over 25 could get near the gangs; but, we find out that there is something sinister underlying it. Edge calls up his pals at Intergang and puts out a hit on Clark Kent. They try to run him down; but, Clark Kent isn't easily bruised. Jimmy and the Newsboys enter the Wild Area, from the air, observed by Iron Mask and Vudu, two members of the Outsiders motorcycle gang. They look like something out or science fiction, and talk like Beat poets on acid, with dialogue like "Go, go, go Vudu! Death is Fast! Death is loud! Death is final!" The bikers come zooming over the hill, dyna-blast cannons blazing. Olsen and the boys try to maneuver, but get stuck on a magnetized rock. They hoof it and encounter ground fire from the bikers. New Newsboy member, Flipper Dipper, complete with full scuba gear and flippers, outflanks the bikers and launches an attack. The rest of the gang join the fray and Olsen lays out the leader. The Oustiders proclaim him their new leader, by rite of combat. Meanwhile, Superman heads out for his own investigation and traces the the path of Olsen and the boys to the magnetic rock, where the Whiz Wagon is gone. He lifts the rock and finds passageways underground and follows them. There, he encounters a weird man meditating, in a scene out of Alice in Wonderland, complete with weird, hallucinogenic gases. He also encounters a squad of hunters, looking for human prey. They, he encounters Jimmy Olsen, leading the Outsiders looking for the Raiders. He orders the bikers to encircle Superman.  Superman sees that Jimmy isn't exactly in danger, though he is playing dangerous games. one of the biker's hits Superman with some kind of ray gun, which knocks him out. he comes to, surrounded by the Newsies and is told about the Green K in the ray. he is then welcomed to The Habitat.  This is a living housing project. Supes is reacquainted with Jimmy, who tells him about his assignment, to find the Mountain of Judgement, the weirdest of mysteries in The Wild Area. One of the bikers adds, "Man, you don't grab it! The mountain--it's not like a place--I-it's more like a thing! Like Moby Dick! You go out to meet it and die!" You dig? Heavy stuff, man. (snap-snap-snap) The only way to the Mountain of Judgement is via the Zoomway, a dragstrip like no other. our story ends with vibrations which shake the very buildings. We are told the Mountain is on the move! This is like getting stinging ice-cold water thrown in your face. Anyone expecting Jimmy Olsen to investigate gangsters by using his disguise kit to become a moll was in for a rude awakening. Anyone expecting the Avengers or Thor was in for an awakening. This was Beat comics, with Kirby improvising a drum solo on our brains, man. It was groovy stuff, a fast ride down the highway of wonder, loaded on Bennys, hell-bent on beating the dawn to the horizon! Or something... Jack Kirby, the King of Comics, a 53 year-old Jewish man from Hell's Kitchen, veteran of World War 2, was combining Jimmy Olsen, Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac, jazz music, and whatever else into a modern mythology. This wasn't the old DC. This was the dawn of the Bronze Age! Nothing will ever be the same. Kirby hits you with a one-two punch and his art is epic. It's bold and large, with the weird interruptions of Plastino's redrawn faces standing out, as the styles clash. Kirby is pure dynamic, yet even shots of Morgan Edge reclining in his executive chair have power. I doubt anyone in 1970 knew what was going on. Kirby is here! ps Amusingly, the bikers didn't appear out of nowhere, from Kirby's head; not were they inspired by biker movies of the time. They were inspired by motorcyclists who tore around the hills near Kirby's California home. It drove Kirby and neighbor's nuts and he called police out several times and was even featured in a newspaper article about it. Kirby and his family were living in a large house, surrounded by beautiful land and loved it there; but, the bikers created such a disturbance that Jack couldn't work and they ended up selling this dream house and moving. This was a sort of revenge, for Kirby. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 3, 2016 17:05:08 GMT -5
You may notice the thread header has changed. My goal is to explore Kirby's launch of the 4th World, then move on to the post-Crisis stories of the characters and beyond; at least, up to Final Crisis. I may not cover everything (I don't necessarily want to look at every Superman story, as they mined a lot of 4th World characters for it); but, wil look at the individual titles of the New Gods and Mister Miracle, the Forever People, and jimmy Olsen, plus any major uses of Darkseid, Orion, Mister Miracle and others, like Cosmic Odyssey.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 4, 2016 22:25:15 GMT -5
Jimmy Olsen #134  Our cover is from Neal Adams, 'cause, you know, it's not like Kirby can draw or anything.....Actually, I'm not sure if Kirby submitted a cover for this one or not. He had several, on Jimmy Olsen, that were rejected in favor of or redrawn by Neal Adams. Whatever the case, Adams' cover is pretty stunning. Also, this issue marks the debut of DARKSEID!!!!!!!!!!!!Our story finds Jimmy, the Newsboys, the Outsiders and the rest of the hippies of the Habitat assembling for a pow-wow, man. Jimmy lays down some heavy words, as they are about to head out to the Mountain of Judgement. Scrapper, like, wants to capture it for, you know, prosperity, man, for them fat cats at GBS. Morgan Edge, you dig? Super-duper-main-man comes in to turn up the drag in the shindigs and warns everybody not to go; so, the Outsiders decide to rap with him, like right around the noggin'! Super-The-Man starts bashin' heads, until he runs up against some suped-up rods left by The Hairies, the cats who created the Habitat and other groovy things. They lay The Man out with some K-Gas; like nitrous for the cosmic dentist. Jimmy O and the crew head out for the Zoomway, on a hot ride to the gates of Hell, or whatever lies ahead! Our glory riders are headed for the side of a cliff and one of the bikers yells to, like, swerve man; but Jimmy O ain't buyin' no jive. He guns it straight for the wall, just like that Road Runner, when he runs through the coyote's painted tunnel. J-O slashes through the camouflage front and finds the Zoomway inside; a wild mix of roads and tunnels. The gang zooms around bends and jump chasms; or, at least, those who make it. those that don't will have a rendezvous with the man in the sky, you dig? The go submarine-style for a bit and run up against a gate, which our new man, Flippa Dippa takes care of, with a little limpet mine, turning the place into a giant draining bathtub. Then things get really wild...  (Is Kirby amazing or what? He could have blown away Lichtenstein, at the pop art galleries, with his collages). Jimmy O and the boys run through this whacked out head-trip, without even droppin' acid. Meanwhile, Super-drag is wakin' up. He heads on out and finds the Zoomway and tears through the tunnels. He catches up with the hipsters and runs into...  Meanwhile, fat cat Edge is watching things from his office, thanks to Scrapper B Demille. He doesn't want anything to stop our explorers from reaching the goal. Back in the Zoomway, Supes lifts the Whiz Wagon out of the path; but, gets sucked into the Mountain of Judgement. Once inside, the Hairies show up and start scanning the Whiz Wagon, until they find the tiny Alpha Bomb, which Superman shields as it explodes. Intros are made, as Jude, the leader, invites the gang to vittles. Along the way, they get a tour of the Mountain of Judgement, which is like a super-RV, with a built in society. They wonder who is tryin' to destroy the Hairies (probably some militant off-shoot of the Daughters of the American Revolution). In our last scene, morgan Edge speaks to his boss, DARKSEID!!!!!!So, our weird trip continues, as we see the Zoomway. Think the Holland Tunnel in a nightmare. The Whiz Wagon gets to strut its stuff and Kirby hits us with two pages of collages, that are reproduced in black&white, even though his originals weren't. Technology, man; what a drag! Superman looks like the ultimate killjoy, which probably didn't help Kirby's case with DC. The problem is, the higher-ups didn't get that Superman needed to be taken down a bit, so he could face a real threat. We have the seeds of that, as we are introduced to Darkseid, via a monitor. Kirby is hitting us with ideas left and right, with wild dialogue to match his visuals. Much has been made about Kirby's writing. I've never found anything wrong with his plots; but, his dialogue was a weak spot. He is more at home with character like Scrapper; but, he still has a certain Beat sensibility, which makes some of the balloons read like poetry. Bizarre poetry; but, still poetry. I've seen much worse. Later in the book, we get our first peak at what is to come, via a house ad....  Kirby's been screamin' down the highway, doin' 120; now he is about to hit the nitrous-boost. This issue highlights why, after Mister Miracle, Jimmy Olsen was my favorite of the 4th World books. They are filled with tons of wild ideas and visuals and Kirby also explores what separates Superman from humanity, as he is introduced to another world filled with super-men and women. It's the first time anyone really explored the alienation of being Superman and had him face equal challenges, without some gimmick. The Newsboys provide some comic relief, though they are a bit quiet here. They will take on a bigger role as the Olsen stories progress. Some people hated them; I think they are fantastic. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 7, 2016 14:59:06 GMT -5
Funny, insightful, and keenly knowledgeable about the behind the scenes story, codystarbuck is ready to walk us through the birth of Kirby's most visionary solo creation.So, no pressure there......... Alright time to make this insightful and keenly knowledgeable..... Jimmy Olsen #135  Haven't read it; no idea. Next! ........... Just kidding! (that's the humor part!) Well, our cover is by Neal Adams. Do you sense a pattern here? Leaving aside the redrawn Superman and Jimmy Olsen faces, it's quite clear that Kirby isn't deemed good enough to touch Superman. The other 4th World books had all Kirby covers (with Vince Colletta and Mike Royer) with no problem. Kirby redrew some; but, they were his covers. Here, he did 16 issues, with 1/4 of them featuring Neal Adams covers, and one from Murphy Anderson. Of the remainders, there is a big stretch of Neal Adams inking and they look more Adams, with hints of Kirby, than Kirby with hints of Adams, to me. Not all, but several. So, it didn't take long for Kirby's deal with DC to sour. He was supposed to have control of these books, writing, drawing and editing them. He had a proven track record, going back to the 40s. It wasn't good enough. Well, it was for the stuff no one at DC understood, the meat of the 4th World; but, not for an established DC book, with the flagship character. It's like hiring Michelangelo to paint your ceiling; but wanting it to look like Bob Ross. Those may be happy trees; but, it isn't the Creation of Adam. Okay, enough of that; here's some funny: Desaad, Granny Goodness and Darkseid walk into a bar, which is really stupid, because if Desaad and Granny walk into a bar, you'd think Darkseid would see it and unleash the Omega Effect! Ba-dump-bump! Take Big Barda, please! Ahem........ Back to the cover, that is one nightmarish image. You get the feeling that this was Jimmy Olsen's revenge for all of the Super-dickery? On to our story. Jack starts with a question, Who are the Hairies? He provides us with an answer. they are the tip of the iceberg. Um, okay. He then says File 202 is the bottom. Wait, what's File 202? Oh, we actually have to read the issue. All we know is that they are the bottom of the iceberg. We are told to follow Supes and Jimmy to the Evil Factory. Must be a Trump subsidiary...... What we see are Supes, JO and the Newsies, and more Supermen being crushed in giant hands. Must be symbolic. We turn the next page and we see the hands are real, the person is normal sized and that these are little replicas of everyone. These are living dolls. Sorry, action figures. Boys don't play with dolls. They don't touch Barbie, or her pretty outfits, and soft hair and...... Yeah, boys have action figures, which do manly things, like punch each other and use karate chopping action or kung fu grips, with lots of guns and stuff. Where was I? Oh, right, Jimmy Olsen. Our two mysterious figures go on and on about their superior technology and how they have cloned human beings, taking samples from the Earthmen. They've made clones of different sizes and introduce us to the big one; the one to destroy Superman.  We then see our two figures remove their helmets and get the introductions: Symian and Mokkari. All we know is that they are the earth contingent of some powerful force. Meanwhile, Superman and the Mountain of Judgement are speeding through the Zoomway, headed for a new destination. We learn that the Mountain is actually a converted missile carrier, which the Harries turned into a mobile society. They have given Superman info about their destination, while also jazzing up the Whiz Wagon. Our team heads off to find the mysterious Project. They come to a particular spot, where they are detected by the US Military, who intercept them and bring them inside.  I wanted to point something out about Kirby's art, in relation to a discussion on the Worst Panels thread. We talked about how artists can't seem to draw certain things or actions, especially modern ones. Most can't accurately draw the military in any capacity and certainly not the fine details. Look at the soldiers here. It's stylized Kirby; but, that guard is drawn by someone familiar with the Manual of Arms. The soldier has his fantastic weapon at " present arms", right out of the manual. You can tell Kirby was a soldier. It adds an air of authenticity to this "Project." We know something serious is going on here. We have an underground facility, with the Zoomway for an approach, near an area that has produced the Habitat. We aren't in Kansas anymore! Well, unless we are at one of the Kansas ICBM facilities. The gang is sent off to the "Cell Duplication and Replica Refining Section." There, they meet up with the adult Newsboy Legion, who the youngsters call "Pop." Even Flippa Dippa has an adult counterpart, who tells him to take off the silly scuba gear. Flippa reminds his "dad" that it's a prudent precaution; you never know if the room is going to spring a leak! Jimmy demands an explanation and Superman leads him off to give him one. He tells him that the Project has broken the genetic code, DNA, and is now producing human clones, grown from cell samples. They grew the Hairies! He introduces Jimmy to Jimmy Olsen 43, a soldier cloned from Jimmy's cells, taken during a Daily Planet medical examination, as was Superman's and the Newsies. He then shows Jimmy miniature Jimmys, which are in shock, though not in the same manner as their original "father." Something has been affecting the clones. This is heady stuff and is way in advance, in 1970. Science was still grappling with the human genome. The idea of clones was still a theory and the stuff, mostly, of science fiction. The Human Genome Project wouldn't be launched for nearly 15 years. Again, we see that Kirby was way ahead of his time, in both his art and his concepts. it's no wonder that nobody touched the Jimmy Olsen material until the 90s, when it gained relevance and creators realized how it reflected current times. That is genius! We cut back to the Evil Factory, where Symian and Mokkari are giving their creation the Earl Scheib treatment ("I can pain that giant clone with Kryptonite for $19.95!"). Pleased with themselves, they report to their master, DARKSEID. Darkseid is pleased, a creature of chaos to oppose the discipline of Superman. Symian and Mokkari claim they can control the creature and jinx themselves, as it crashes free from its cage. Never, ever say your monster is under your control. It never ends well. We see this, as it swats off Mokkari's Z-ray and is about to crush him, when Symian uses the Penetrator Ray to transport it away. The giant is sent to the Project, like Mike TeeVee in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and materializes in the room with Supes and Jimmy. you can guess the next part. The giant green monster, complete with lucha mask, attacks Superman, who tells Jimmy to summon help. The monster hits Supes with a tope con helo and Superman counters with a hurricanrana (oh, if only...). The rudo is getting the upper hand when Superman knocks off his mask, revealing....... The Hulk......... ...no, wait, it's JIMMY OLSEN! OLSEN! OLSEN! By god, we've got a slobberknocker now! Time for some OLSEN 3:16!We get some scenes of "Olsen Smash!" and the clone runs amok. The adult Newsies lead the real Jimmy to another secret, a container with a clone of a friend of theirs, a great hero, who was recently killed. He says he is ready and dons his shield. This recognizable figure stands tall and they release this legendary hero..  What, you were expecting Captain America? In a DC comic? Kirby is firing on all cylinders and whereas other creators may have a V-8, he's got a V-12. We have been bombarded with the Evil Factory, the Project, clones, tiny clones, monster clones, "Send in the clones...", Symian & Mokkari, more of the mysterious Darkseid, the return of the Guardian. Taking it all in leaves you reeling. There is a hidden society in the Wild Area, a place of hippies and bikers. Nearby is a mobile society of scientifically advanced clones, who have grown cities (the Habitat) and who were created in a lab (the Project). The seemingly ageless Newsboys are clones of the originals, who are adults. Symian and Mokkari are aliens who have stolen the technology and advanced it to create monsters, for their master, Darkseid, who also controls Morgan Edge, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen's boss and benefactor for the expedition to the Wild Area and creation of the Whiz Wagon. Just what is Darkseid up to? Who is he? What's next? Would you believe, The Forever People? 
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 7, 2016 16:29:03 GMT -5
The Forever People #1  So, Kirby gets to do his own cover (apart from Superman' face). Think the Whiz Wagon was wild? Check out the Forever People's ride! Poor Vykin and Serifan don't get much of a view, from the rumble seat, with Big Bear in the way. So, how do you get to Supertown? Why, via the Boom Tube, of course. See, this is why guys never ask for directions; this is the kind of answer you get. Our story begins with a big, bright light. A tube seems to appear, there is a screaming noise, and then...... BOOM Our group comes speeding along, on their Super-Cycle, straight towards a car, in a game of cosmic chicken. Big Bear knows what buttons to push and the cycle phases out, passing through the car. The humans are so startled by this they lose control of the car and head off a cliff, only to be saved by Mother Box. Vykin the Black (um...yeah..more on that later) and Mark Moonrider (ditto) make introductions and explain Mother Box. mark says she is a computer; but, Vykin says she is alive and talks and protects them. The human male says "Is that right....how about that..." as they obviously are edging away from our weird band of misfits. We get more explanations about hunting for Beautiful dreamer and Serifan gives some wildflowers to the girl, to calm her, while the guys smirk. The male want to take a photo (kids, before cell phones, you had cameras; much harder to take selfies). They take time out to do this, despite their urgent mission. We see their personalities. Vykin is serious and rather over-ernest, Mark Moonrider worrisome and over serious, Serifan likes the ladies and is "sensitive," and Big Bear is like a loveable dumb jock. The humans, Bobbie and Laurie (friends of Jimmy Olsen) head on their way and Serifan is struck down by mental images. Mark says he has made contact with Beautiful Dreamer and the gang head off to defy Darkseid and his minions. They are being observed by those minions, Intergang, who want to bushwhack them; but, darkseid says to follow, so they do, while grumbling about easy targets.  We cut to the Daily Planet, where Clark kent is wrapping up an interview with the champ, Rocky (Marciano, Graziano or Balboa?), who talks about how he is a fraud, in a world with Superman. This gets Clark to wondering about how he is viewed by humans and finds himself feeling alone, for the first time. This is the first time anyone has really explored the idea of Superman, as an outsider. he is an alien of immense power, living on a world of ordinary people. he may look like them; but, he is not one of them. Marvel characterization comes to DC. Jimmy Olsen bursts in with pictures from his friends, talking of Supertown, which Clark can see in the photo of the fading Boomtube. He wants to know more. This is a possibility of others like him. After shooing off Jimmy, Clark changes and heads out to find the kids, who can lead him to Supertown. He doesn't notice an Intergang helicopter on the same course. They radio Darkseid for instructions and he tells them to stop him and not to bother him again. I'd listen, if I were you guys. Darkseid doesn't like incompetents, as we will come to see. Superman catches up with the kids and Intergang catches up to him, attacking him with the Sigma Guns that Darkseid provided. They actually hurt Superman; but, he uses a bit of "stragedy" and hits the helicopter with a tree! Since this is Superman, no one dies and the hoods all parachute out (not an easy trick from a helicopter altitude, though I have seen the SEALs do it). The kids think Superman is from Supertown, which he dispels, to their disbelief. Big Bear wants to find Beautiful Dreamer and urges the others on. Supes tags along, to gain their confidence. he helps them find an underground passage, though they blunder off into it, releasing gas. Supes dispels the gas, then gets attacked by Darkseid's Gravi-Guards...  They use gravity as a weapon and are crushing Superman. The kids get together and send Mother Box into the air and unite their hands upon it, releasing a new figure, who cleans the Gravi-Guards' clocks.  He is the Infinity Man. He is from a place where natural laws bend and shift. I think that's somewhere in Nebraska, probably south of Omaha. he says that Dreamer holds the key to the Anti-Life Equation and calls out to Darkseid, knowing he is nearby. he tells him that his machines will not reveal the secret; Beautiful Dreamer can resist them. Darkseid says he already knows, "So shut your cake hole, I'm lettin' her go!"  Darkseid vanishes, leaving sleeping Beauty(-ful Dreamer), on a table, when Superman notices the tanks underneath. Radion bombs, says Infinity Man. Supes grabs him and flies at super-speed, snatching BD from the table, in the nick of time (natch!). As Superman checks out BD (not that way, perverts, this is the Blue Boy Scout) Infinity Man changes, to the sound of "Taruu" and the guys are back. The boys are happy and tell Superman to ask any question. He responds with "Do you know the way to San Jose?...er... Supertown?" They tell him , sure, but the fight is here. Supes still wants to go. Impulsive that man is. He promises to come back; so, they call up a Boom Tube. Supes tells us it is a cross-dimensional bridge, putting that question to rest. As he is speeding through, he ponders the words of the kids and realizes he is needed on Earth, and heads back. he is thrown out by the collapsing Boom Tube. He says it wasn't the right time, as the image of Supertown fades. He will try again, some other time. So, the Forever People arrive with a bang, Superman is given some self-doubt and longing for others like him, Intergang becomes more involved and we see Darkseid and his treachery, as well as the wonder of the Infinity Man and the mystery of the Anti-Life Equation. Not a bad start to things. There's a lot to absorb; but, it's all intriguing. The Forever People is often labeled as the weak link in the 4th World; but, you couldn't tell it by this issue. Well, they aren't exactly fully formed characters yet, so Superman carries a lot of this, as does the Infinity Man and the mystery to beautiful Dreamer. The rest are sort of minor characters in the drama, at this juncture. Still, Kirby is unleashing the wonder, with his art, with some dynamic battles and weird contraptions and monsters. Superman hasn't been this lively in.....well, forever! Now, having hit us with all of this, where does Kirby go?  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 7, 2016 16:41:30 GMT -5
Ps Vykin and Mark Moonrider.
Well, it's unfortunate that Kirby feels the need to dub Vykin, Vykin the Black. It sounds cool, like Eric the Red; but, it kind of signals that the ethnicity of the character is more important than his personality, abilities or deeds. I think Kirby chose the name for the sound, without regarding the racial implications. Vykin does sound like Viking; so I give him the benefit of the doubt. He is a product of his time and upbringing, in a Jewish neighborhood in the slums of Hell's Kitchen, in New York. It's a heck of a lot better than Whitewash Jones, from the Young Allies, back in the 40s. Give Jack credit for some progress.
Mark Moonrider is based upon Mark Evanier and the other Forever People were based on actual young people that Kirby met. Jack had an endless parade of youngsters who made the pilgrimage to his California home, to watch the man work and worship at his feet. Roz fed 'em, they swam in his pool, and then they were shooed out the door. Some, like Evanier and Steve Sherman, got to work with Kirby. Others just got to bask in his glory. It was their spirit and enthusiasm that Kirby tried to capture, in the Forever People, as well as the youth movement that had invaded California in the late 60s. Kirby had hopes that this young, bright, and idealistic generation might bring on a better world than the one his generation had entered and fought. Many veterans hoped that they were the last to have to face the grim realities of war and wanted a better life for their children. Kirby funneled that into the Forever People. It is the most "dated" of the books; but, it is also the most idealistic.
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Post by Red Oak Kid on Dec 8, 2016 10:38:53 GMT -5
I will have to agree with DC that Kirby's original version of Superman for the cover of JO 133 is pretty jarring.
The Forever People splash is funny because of the old style Superman drawing in the right corner. Never heard him referred to as the Immortal Superman before. Or since.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 8, 2016 12:34:25 GMT -5
I will have to agree with DC that Kirby's original version of Superman for the cover of JO 133 is pretty jarring. The Forever People splash is funny because of the old style Superman drawing in the right corner. Never heard him referred to as the Immortal Superman before. Or since. Which is ironic, since he has died and come back, since Kirby's day. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 8, 2016 17:42:06 GMT -5
New Gods #1  So, here we see the unused art for the debut of the New Gods and the actual cover. Let's examine the unused. Notice it is intended to be the cover for Showcase #94. here's what the final cover looked like:  This is something I hadn't read before (I have a digital collection of the Jack Kirby Collector; but, haven't even begun to scratch the surface). It appears that the original idea was to debut the series in Showcase. Showcase came to an end with Issue 93, in late summer of 1970. The 4th World debuted in Jimmy Olsen, the next month. New Gods hit the stands in December. Did the cancellation of Showcase change plans and DC decided to launch the new series in it's own book? Did DC decide that first and then axe Showcase? Whatever the case, New Gods needed a new cover; so, we got the final one, complete with Kirby's awesome space effect. Orion looks like he is flying through a vast, empty void. Our story begins with this image:  Here it is in the original:  By Kirby, that says epic! Now read the words. Kirby was a bad writer? "There came a time when the old gods died! The brave died with the cunning! The noble perished, locked in battle with unleashed evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!" Like hell he was! Right from the start, if you know the history, you dream of the lost opportunity. The New Gods were conceived to be the next chapter of Thor. Imagine Kirby bringing Ragnarok to Thor and Asgard; that world is rent asunder, exploding in a fiery cataclysm. It spins of two separate lumps of molten forms, which grow into new worlds; New Genesis and Apokolips. One of these worlds is an undisturbed paradise, lush with green lands. The other is Hell as a planet, deep pits spewing fire and ash, encasing the world in darkness. The next generation of gods grows on these worlds. That is the 4th World. However, Kirby grew tired of others getting credit (in his eyes) and broken promises. He kept it for himself. If only he had published it himself, or retained a financial stake. That is for another time, though. Here are the two worlds:  From these two worlds, we see Orion, flying through space, approaching New Genesis. This is not the sleek, superhero Orion of Don Newton; this is the grim warrior of Jack Kirby, complete with his space harness and Astro-Force. He is garbed like an Asgardian gone to space, with a helmet befitting his otherworldly birth. Orion is interrupted by Lightray, a son of New Genesis, who reminds him that there is always joy in life, when you look for it. We get our first glimpse of Supertown, floating above the untouched ground of New Genesis. It is a city of beauty, with glorious statues and green parks, where children sing, to the pleasure of Highfather. Highfather leads Orion to the wall that links him to the Source, the power at the heart of the universe, the Life Equation. There, they meet the cold Metron, who emerges in his Mobius Chair, seeking knowledge. Already Orion is at odds with him. Orion is a fighter, while Metron is an observer. Orion distrusts this thinker. A hand appears and writes on the wall: "Orion to Apokolips...Then to Earth....Then to WAR" What does it mean? Orion isn't a thinker; he is a doer and heads for Apokolips. Metron remarks at the wisdom of the Source; "Who is more ready to fight the father--than the son!" Highfather tells him to hold his tongue. Metron reveals he knows that Orion is not of New Genesis and Highfather admits he is of Apokolips; but, that the time is not right to reveal that secret to Orion. Already we have mystery. Why is Orion, a child of Apokolips on New Genesis? Why does Highfather hide the origin of his birth? Whose side is Metron on? What lies on Apokolips? Orion heads to Apokolips, where his arrival is greeted by parademons and dog cavalry  Okay, maybe more like this:  Orion fights his way to Darkseid's palace; but, finds no Darkseid; only a Mass-Director Unit, feeding orders, and Kalibak!  Metron stays the battle, telling Orion to think first. Darkseid is on Earth, where the true battleground lies. He seeks the answer to the Anti-Life Equation. If he finds that then all life will be under his control. This in an interesting sequence, where Kirby illustrates how to convey exposition, in an exciting way. Orion has already bashed his way through Darkseid's forces; but, Darkseid is gone. In one page, we find out that Earth is the key to the Anti-Life Equation, that the bridge from the Old Gods world (presumably Bifrost) to Earth was destroyed with their world. Metron created a new bridge, The Boom Tube. Darkseid has used it to set up a network on Earth. Meanwhile, he has a group of humans on Apokolips for study. Metron directs Orion to them and places them in his care. Orion frees them and then protects them, as Metron has left and his barrier is down, allowing Kalibak to strike. orion is forced to summon a Boom Tube and retreat to Earth. Orion calls out to the night, letting Darkseid know he has come and the battle begun. Our story ends with Darkseid answering. Kirby hits us with a ton of stuff here. We can see the subtle links to Thor, yet the feeling that this is all new. He gives us a cast of interesting characters: the fierce warrior Orion, child of Apokolips, serving New Genesis. The bright and cheerful Lightray, embodiment of the good of New Genesis. Highfather, the wise leader of the New Gods, who has a link to the Source, and power beyond comprehension, who also harbors secrets. Metron, the cold observer (inspired by Mr Spock), who seeks only knowledge, yet never fully stays on the sidelines. He is on neither side, only his own, serving his own agenda. Kalibak, the cruel, the brutish servant of Darkseid. We finish with a further peek at Darkseid, who has a hand in the fate of Earth, Jimmy Olsen, Superman, the Forever People, and, now, Orion. Who or what is Darkseid? This is a bold beginning, a new mythology on a comic book page. It is an outgrowth of Thor (and Kirby's previous Mercury, from the early days of Timely Comics); yet it is something wholly new. What will Kirby unleash next?  By the way, either in the Comic Buyer's Guide or the Jack Kirby Collector, someone suggested a fun game to play with Kirby's dialogue, in the 4th World books. Combine the words in bold print to find some interesting phrases, a sort of Kirby haiku (though not quite in that structure). It is weirdly fun. For instance, in a panel where Orion releases the humans, he says "Proper use of my Astro-Force will Dissolve the mechanisms that Spellbind the humans! They Awaken Unharmed!". Put it together: Astro-Force
Dissolve
Spellbind,
Awaken
Unharmed!Was Kirby the unsung Beat poet? |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 8, 2016 19:14:36 GMT -5
Mister Miracle #1  Now that is a humdinger! Who doesn't see that and want to peek inside? Our hero is chained to a missile, apparently on a bet! I gotta know more! It also gives us a bit of bondage and we all know how well that sells!  It can elevate the worst crap! Right? Okay, maybe not. Still, you do wonder why the Overstreet Guide makes a point of highlighting "bondage covers," yet never identifies Mister Miracle as a source of them. I mean gee, the guy is tied-up, strapped down, chained, clamped; there is more bondage here than any Phantom Lady cover, any episode of Sweet Gwendoline or Bettie Page photo set. Maybe it's because it's a guy. Double standards! Our story begins with Mister Miracle being chained up by a dwarf, named Oberon, as a young man watches from a distance. The dialogue emphasizes the danger. After Oberon removes his master's cape, he locks him in a cabinet and sets it on fire, with a flame thrower! Holy toasted marshmallows Batman! The young man thinks Oberon is mad and jumps in to save him; but, things aren't as bad as they seem...  Please note the coloring of Mister Miracle's costume. Its purple, rather than red, mixed with green and yellow. It was changed by the time the cover was produced, and by the second issue. I'd have to check; but, I think the color difference was used in later stories to denote Thaddeus Brown from Scott Free. Anyway, Mister Miracle emerges safely and introduces himself to the young man who lept to his aid. He get's the boy's name: Scott Free. This sets off laughter in Brown, who captures the irony of it. Scott explains that he grew up in an orphanage, where such names were given to foundlings, to give them an identity as individuals. He starts to head off on his way, when Thaddeus Brown asks him to stay; but is interrupted by some goons. We meet more members of Inter-Gang, who have come to settle a wager made by their boss, Steel Hand. Scott jumps into action, which allows Brown to disarm the hood. The Scott shows that he is a fighter, as he takes out the rest of the goons. he helps Ted to his feet and aks about Inter-Gang. We cut to Metropolis, where we meet Steel Hand  So, apparently the nickname is literal. The idea would later be swiped...  To be fair to Mattel, Kirby did the art. There is also a precedent in Irish myth: Nuada Airgetlam, which roughly translates as Nuada Silver Hand/Arm, the king of the Tuatha De Danann. Now, back to our story. Scott has been comfortably set up in the room of Ted's son, Ted Jr, who was killed in Korea. Ted Sr. shows Scott his scrapbook, showing how he went from being The Great Thaddeus to Mister Miracle, thanks to Ted Jr's inspiration. Ted Sr is about to embark on a national campaign, with the Big Trap. Scott has suggestions about beating the Big Trap and a demonstration is arranged, as Scott is wrapped in chains. He stands calmly for a moment, then a humming is heard and the chains explode in broken links. Scott produces a tiny devise the magnetically repulsed the chains. It is one of many tricks in Scot's little valise. That objects elicit's curiosity from Ted and Oberon. Scott is still secretive, saying they are part of his inheritance. Oberon thinks they can help Ted to save his life; but, Ted says he must do it via his own methods. Oberon pleads with Scott, who begins to see the hidden danger. We next see Inter-Gang watching as Scott and Oberon assist Ted in practicing an escape:  A shot rings out as the giant ball is released and Ted groans. Scott diverts the ball with a blast from his hand. He releases Ted, who slumps to the ground, dying. Scott lifts his shirt, revealing circuitry underneath. he unlatches a small object and uses it to calm Ted, allowing him to die at peace.  In his grief, Oberon reveals the source of the wager between Ted and Steel Hand. They met when both were convalescing from injuries. They made a wager that Ted could escape from the ultimate trap. Steel Hand decided to rig the competition. We cut to Steel Hands office, where he plays with a life-sized Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robot, smashing it as they arm-wrestle. Suddenly, Mister Miracle appears in the room, where he confronts Steel Hand. The crook sneaks a finger to an alarm and summons his goons. They are able to overwhelm Mister Miracle and lock him onto the Big Trap, a missile aimed at space.  Mister Miracle must escape before the missile reaches the edge of the atmosphere. We see the rocket take off and explode and it seems that Mister Miracle is truly dead. Steel Hand returns to his office, to find his chair occupied by Mister Miracle! Steel hand can't believe it and attacks, but is subdued by Mister Miracles gadgets, as Oberon arrives with the police. We learn (though who didn't figure it out) that Scott is now Mister Miracle and he will take Ted's place as the Super escape Artist. Welllllllllllllll doooooogggggiiiieeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is one heck of a comic. Kirby fills it with tons of excitement and action, with ingenious deathtraps, spectacular escapes, fights, goons, some tragedy and joy. This is by far the most "superhero" of Kirby's works so far, fitting more closely with the work he has done before. If New Gods is Thor taken to the next, more mythological step, then Mister Miracle is a Batman or Daredevil, or Captain America who takes escaping death traps to the extreme. he gives us an interesting sidekick in Oberon, though he isn't quite the Oberon we have come to know. He is more of a friend and assistant, than his own character. That will come. We don't know much about Scott, except that he grew up in an orphanage and has mysterious gadgets that are beyond anything we know. This was shown in ads with Kirby's other books; but, separately. there was a link with Forever People and New Gods, in that ad, while Mister Miracle was shown below, with a note that it was coming later. The other books are linked by Darkseid and the war between New Genesis and Apokolips. Is Mister Miracle connected? is he someone with his own unrelated story? We can't tell what the answer is yet. It is easy to see why Mister Miracle proved to be the most popular concept from Kirby. It was the closest to what fans and readers already knew and experienced. They had been educated for something like this. new Gods and Forever People were radical departures, while Jimmy Olsen was a mix of the weird and familiar. Mister Miracle is old-fashioned heroics, in a new age, an age of technological wonder. Transistors and micro-circuits were speeding up change and Kirby captures that. It wouldn't be too long before we left the Atomic Age and entered the Digital Age. Kirby, as always, has his fingers on the pulse, well before his contemporaries. The closest comparison is David Bowie, in music. Bowie was an innovator and forever changing. Kirby was the same. he never looked back, always looking to create something new, even when he returned to past creations. Mark Evanier remarks, in the first volume of the 4th World Omnibus, how artists and writers would tell Kirby they were going to do his old books in the "Kirby tradition." Jack would remark, "The kid doesn't get it! The Kirby tradition is to create a brand new comic." Now, a bit of history. Mister Miracle was inspired by the past exploits of Jim Steranko. Early in his career, Steranko was a magician and escapologist. he told Kirby tales of his escapes, how he secreted lock picks and other tools to help him escape. Jack took that past and ramped it up a notch and gave us Scott Free, Mister Miracle, the Super Escape Artist. here's a bit of Steranko's past:   You can see stills of an escape performance, in Spain, from 2002: www.thedrawingsofsteranko.com/festival_steranko.htmlWho does this remind you of?   ps Steranko also seems to have escaped male-pattern baldness.That is one awesome head of hair! |
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