instead of continuing to bombard Bob with letters, it’s time to let all our local retailers know that we want to see these books. Only with a groundswell of support on the retail level will these books ever get published. Lastly, just what Kirby work is likely to be reprinted soon? Probably a hardcover New Gods collection. The reason for this is economics. For anything DC published before 1950, no negatives exist at all. So DC has to pay to have the original comics scanned, the color bleached out on a computer, and the entire book recolored for good reproduction. This costs almost as much as creating new art today, which means they have to sell lots of copies to just break even. And only the black negatives exist for books published between 19501980, so those must still be recolored. Since all the negatives exist from the 1984 New Gods baxter reprints, expenses are lower and the book can make a profit with fewer copies sold.
Mob #2 Story Published! n unpublished Kirby story from In The Days Of The Mob #2 was printed in the June 1995 (Vol. 6, No. 6) issue of Robin Snyder’s fantastic publication The Comics. Order a copy for $2, or subscribe for 12 issues for $22. Send to: Robin Snyder, The Comics, 255 N. Forest #405, Bellingham, WA 98225-5833. Highly recommended!
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New Tribute Book Upcoming! im Steranko is currently working on a Kirby tribute book in conjunction with Mike Thibodeaux of Genesis West. It promises to contain a large assortment of previously unseen Kirby artwork, including many pieces from the Kirby family’s private collection. But to fill the book out, Jim needs more unpublished Kirby art. If you have any obscure Kirby art in your collection, including rejected covers and pages or nice convention pin-ups, please send photocopies of it to Jim at Supergraphics, Box 4489, Reading, PA 19606. (And while you’re at it, make an extra copy and send it to us at TJKC!)
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Jack Kirby: A Celebration ark Evanier reports that most of the legal hurdles are over on Jack Kirby: A Celebration, the tribute book he and Frank Miller are co-producing. The format may have to change a bit to accommodate the staggering list of artists and writers who wish to participate. Stay tuned for more details next issue. Also, Mark’s new mailing address is: 133 S. Fairfax Ave., #303, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
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Kirby Portfolio Preview
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Golden Age Kirby Comics Online reg Theakston reports that he is supplying scans of public domain Kirby comics to the CompuServe online computer service, which will make them available for downloading in their Comics and Animation Forum. All you need is a modem, a computer, and access to CompuServe (call 800-848-8990 for information on CompuServe membership). This service should be available by the end of the year, and will feature such Golden Age classics as Jack’s Solar Legion story from Crash Comics #1, his last issue of Blue Bolt (#10), the Black Owl, and more. As for Greg’s Complete Kirby reprint series, he still needs Blue Bolt #4 & #9, Daring Mystery #7, Famous Funnies #80, and Justice Traps The Guilty #2. If you know where Greg can acquire these in any condition, call him at (404) 424-5151.
heck out Dark Horse Presents #103 (November issue) for a twopage preview of an upcoming Kirby portfolio from Dark Horse, featuring Jack’s Biblical imagery. It’s $2.95, and on sale soon.
We Need A Volunteer!
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e’re working on compiling an up-to-date checklist of everything Jack ever had published (including reprints and interviews). Compiling and cross-checking all this information is a timeconsuming task, and we need a volunteer to take on the bulk of it. Qualifications should include a thorough knowledge of Jack’s work (although you’ll have interaction with many knowledgeable Kirby fans to help you out), access to a computer, good organizational skills, and a detail-oriented mind. We can’t pay for your services, but we can offer a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION to TJKC in return! If you’re interested in volunteering, drop us a letter detailing why you feel you’re the one for the job. We look forward to hearing from you! As a starting point for the checklist, we’re using the existing one from Blue Rose Press’ The Art Of Jack Kirby. So keep sending those lists of errors and omissions from the AOJK checklist, or if you’ve got an accurate list of your own to contribute, write us!
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Petitions Sent To Marvel hile attending the Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC, the San Diego Comic Con, and the Dallas Fantasy Fair this summer, we collected 773 signatures on a petition to get Marvel Comics to give Jack co-credit on his many creations. Our petition was done in conjunction with Mark Miller’s ongoing letter-writing campaign. If you didn’t get a chance to sign, send a letter to: Mr. Terry Stewart, Marvel Comics Co., 387 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016.
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Corrections From Previous Issues esides the error we made in #6 about Joe Sinnott (detailed above), there are a few other errors and omissions from past issues which need reporting: • We neglected to mention that Chic Stone inked the Esquire Magazine story about Jack Ruby from TJKC #2. • In #3, Joe Simon mistakenly mentioned that he created the Red Skull. He was actually created by Ed Herron. • In #6, we neglected to mention that Captain Victory is © Jack Kirby.
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Help Get TJKC In Comics Stores e’ve got TJKC in a number of comics shops nationwide. This has increased our print run, which allows us to add extra pages from time to time, like in this issue. If your local shop doesn’t carry TJKC, show them a copy and ask them to contact us regarding quantity discounts. The more copies we print, the more we can expand TJKC - starting with color covers on each issue!
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Happy Birthday, Rosalind Kirby!
Don’t forget that you can still make donations to the educational fund that was set up in Jack’s name shortly after his death. Send to: The Jack Kirby Educational Fund, Temple Etz Chaim, 1080 Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. 3