The Dingbats Of Danger Street © 1995 James G. Kingman hen I learned Jack Kirby was leaving DC in 1975 I was sorely frustrated. I mean it; looking back on my life, the most poignant memory I have of early summer 1975 was my reaction to the word in Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #34’s letter column that he was moving on to a different company. Actually, I was initially stunned, giving way to frustration. I didn’t know anything about Kirby’s pre-’70s work, except for reprints in 100-Page Super Spectaculars. He was with DC when I jumped on board in 1972 and I just assumed he’d always been there, and was going to remain there, forever. Since I wasn’t into picking up back issues yet (in early 1975 I was just becoming aware that it was possible), I had no idea Kirby had worked for so many different comic book companies. Kirby had been at Marvel in the sixties? News to me. (I was thirteen and in junior high at the time. Comic book history was not part of my daily studies.) And where was Kirby going now? In those days there wasn’t Wizard or Previews or comic book shops to fill you in on industry news. All I had were the clerks at Stop ‘n Go and 7-Eleven, and the check-out lady at Pantry market, and I didn’t dare ask them for fear of feeling like a fool. Kirby leaving DC. It was incomprehensible. But wait, maybe it was just a mistake. I mean, wasn’t that Kirby’s bold work on the cover of First Issue Special #6 (September 1975) welcoming ‘The Dingbats of Danger Street’? What was a new concept by the King doing out in June of 1975? He was practically gone, wasn’t he? Just a few more Kamandi and ‘Losers’ stories to crank out, and off he’d go. Why would
he start anything new with DC? Gee, maybe there was hope. So I read it, and loved it, and thought, wow, I’m going to get my own modern Newsboy Legion, and Kirby will stay at DC to do it! Right after the story, in the final panel of page 18, there was a notice: “Would you like to learn how the Dingbats were formed? We have their tragic stories! Write and tell us if you want to see them!” So I did, and I waited, and Kirby left DC for Marvel, then went on to Pacific Comics, then returned briefly to DC, then did some work for Topps and Image, and now he’s gone, and I’ve heard rumors over the years that there were additional Dingbats tales, but they’ve never been published. I’ve been waiting almost twenty years. Does the first tale still stand up today? Nostalgically, there’s no doubt; I loved it as a kid, having picked it up just as school closed in June and the three month summer break began. How do I feel about it as an adult? Well, there are hundreds of comics I’ve grown out of, but not this one. Its pleasure is eternal, I suppose. I get just as much a
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Double-page spread meant for Dingbats Of Danger Street #2, inked by Royer. 27