Shilo is supposed to be African-American. I'm not sure if he was using a specific model (like James Brown) or was just working based on his generation of African-American men, who quite often used hair relaxers. Especially singers and actors. The practice was pretty common right up until the late 60s, when the Black Power movement really pushed people to celebrate their natural hair and challenge notions of style and beauty.

There is a definite James Brown look to Shilo, in a couple of those panels.

A big problem was, before he got out of the armed services, Joe Simon did a handshake agreement with Al Harvey. When Kirby got out of the army, Simon & Kirby began doing work work for Harvey. Which PISSED OFF the powers-that-be at National (DC). And then there was this sudden MASSIVE paper shortage, which affected a lot of publishers. They were all hot and ready to expand their businesses, but then, COULDN'T. So S&K's Harvey material was cut SHORT by factors that had nothing to do with quality or sales... and then the people at National began to sideline them, when before going into WW2 they had become their powerhouses.

It's been suggested that, had Simon NOT pulled this stunt, S&K might have returned to National in glory. After reading that, it struck me that by the end of the 1950s, they might have been RUNNING THE COMPANY. Thanks a lot, Joe.

A lot is often made of how Will Eisner's work improved drastically when he came back from WW2. From what I've seen, that goes double for Jack Kirby. But many are unaware of anything he did before he went back to Marvel in the late 50s in an act of sheer desperation because of how the market had collapsed due to various factors. Not to mention his ill-fated dealings with DC scumbag Jack Schiff.

After a shaky period, S&K began doing a substantial amount of work for Hillman, and then moreso with Crestwood. They even managed to work a deal where they had their own "label", the way many rock stars did with various record companies in the 70s. They were splitting profits 50-50 with the publishers. They were KICKING A**.

And then Simon had the idea of starting his own company, Mainline... which, apparently, had its distribution DELIBERATELY sabotaged by some of the "big boys"-- the exact same kind of corporate criminal behavior that led to the downfall of Tower in the late 60s.

I posted the STUNTMAN ad as simply an example that Kirby was often re-using his own ideas. It's my belief that had Kirby worked more than on simply the costume design and a series concept that Bill Everett later rejected, Marvel's "Daredevil" might have been a lot more like Kirby's STUNTMAN than he became under Everett, then Wood. A decade later, he was at it again with MISTER MIRACLE.

Kirby supposedly considered most of his character creations to be potential headliners, and I get the distinct impression that he was considering Shilo to either spin off as a replacement or take over the book entirely as "Mr. Miracle", continuing the central premise but fully divorced from the 4th World. We know he was interested in getting some comics out there with black leads, and Shilo would have been one way to do that.
Eventually, as always, the industry realized he was onto something, and Shilo did get his shot(s) at headlining.

Shiloh's pretty much sporting Sandman's colors, from the S&K revival/reunion, who would have his own very brief series. The mask and the trunks are about the only things missing.

Cal it petty if you want but I loved that ending. Darkseid ending the series with the line "Life, at best, is bittersweet" is my single favorite comic book quote ever.

Should that be Virman Vundabar?