Fully Authorized By The Kirby Estate
$4.95 In The U.S.
CELEBRATING THE LIFE & CAREER OF THE KING!
Characters © Marvel Entertainment Group, Artwork © Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
Issue #9, Feb. 1996
Special Fantastic Four Theme Issue!
This issue inspired by the mind-numbing talents of
Jack (king)
Unless otherwise noted, all prominent characters in this issue are TM and © Marvel Entertainment Group. All artwork is © Jack Kirby unless otherwise noted.
Stan
d an
(The Man)
Kirby
Lee
Cover INks By:
Color by:
Jo e Sinno tt
Tom Ziuko
Edited with reckless abandon by: John Morrow Designed with little o r no fo retho ught by: John & Pamela Morrow Pro o fread in haste by: Richard howell Contributed to with a vengeance by: Terry Austin Jerry Bails Al Bigley Len Callo Jeff Clem Jon Cooke Scott Dambrot David Hamilton Chris Harper Charles Hatfield David E. Jefferson James Henry Klein Richard Kyle Harold May Mark Miller Bret Mixon Glen Musial Stu Neft Marc Pacella Phillippe Queveau Edward J. Saunders, Jr. John Shingler Darcy Sullivan Greg Theakston Kirk Tilander Barry Windsor-Smith Curtis Wong (Each co ntributo r Receives o ne free issue fo r their effo rts!)
Assisted nonchalantly by: Terry Austin, Len Callo, Al Gordon, D. Hambone, Chris Harper, Richard Howell, Richard Kyle, Mark Miller, Marc Pacella, David Penalosa, Steve SHerman, Joe Sinnott, Greg Theakston, Mike Thibodeaux, Barry Windsor-Smith, & of course, Roz Kirby. Igno red completely by: Irving Forbush
Stuffed into envelopes by: Glen Musial, Ed Stelli, Patrick Varker, Jon Blank, and all the other Kirby fans in Raleigh, NC. Thanks, gu ys!
Jack Kirby at the 1971 San Diego Comic Con. (Photo by Jim Klein)
(Our back cover is Jack’s original, unpublished cover to the 1977 Silver Surfer Graphic Novel.)
The Jack Kirby Collector, Vol. 3, No. 9, Feb. 1996. Published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Advertising, 502 Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh, NC 27605, USA. 919-833-8092. John Morrow, Editor. Pamela Morrow, Assistant Editor. Single issues: $4.95 each U.S., $5.40 Canada, $7.40 outside North America. Six-issue subscriptions: $24.00 US, $32.00 Canada and Mexico, and $44.00 outside North America. First printing. The initial printing of this issue was mailed the week of Feb. 19, 1995. All characters are © their respective companies. All artwork is © Jack Kirby unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter is © the respective authors.
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KIRBY
COLLECTOR
BULLETINS
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A COLLECTION OF CAPTIVATING KIBITZING CONCERNING KIRBY! ITEM! Mighty MARK EVANIER reports that things are still proceeding on Jack Kirby: A Celebration, the tribute book he and Fearless FRANK MILLER are co-producing, and that it’ll be released “When it’s right.” Mark also reports that the expanded version of “The King & I” tribute that ran in COMICS BUYER’S GUIDE has expanded more than he thought—so much so that, to do it justice, he plans to publish it as a separate Kirby biography. Stay tuned for release dates. ITEM! Gregarious GREG THEAKSTON reports that for his planned COMPLETE KIRBY reprint series, he still needs Blue Bolt #4 & #9, Famous Funnies #80, and Justice Traps The Guilty #2. If you know where Greg can acquire these in any condition, call him at (770) 424-5151. ITEM! Don’t you wish they still made comics like they used to? Well, Darlin’ DICK AYERS, artist extraordinaire and former FANTASTIC FOUR inker, is hard at work penciling and inking an upcoming series called DR. WONDER for new kid on the block OLD TOWN PUBLISHING. From preview art we’ve seen, it’s obvious Dick hasn’t lost his touch since his days in the Marvel Bullpen! DR. WONDER will be the first book from OLD TOWN, and Writer/Publisher DAVID ALLIKAS is dedicated to making comics good again by creating a new line inspired by the greatness of the 1960s Marvel books. Look for DR. WONDER #1 this April in comic stores everywhere.
JOHN’S JUKEBOX This is the BIG ONE, Kirby Kooks! The colossal FANTASTIC FOUR THEME ISSUE! It was so big, we added extra pages to hold it all, at no cost to you! (Who says this isn’t the Kirby Age of Galactus-size Giveaways?) If your submission didn’t make it into this issue, don’t worry; we’ll have a Marvel theme issue sooner or later, and try to run it then. Throughout this issue, we’re paying tribute to those great Marvel books of yesteryear by pilfering the look and feel of some of what made the House Of Ideas what it is today... er, what it was in 1970. While Jack hasn’t received the credit he deserves for his contributions to Marvel, and there are different opinions on “who did what,” a big part of Marvel’s appeal in the 1960s came from how Stan Lee’s hucksterism made you want to be part of the Marvel Comics family. So here’s to Stan; without his salesmanship helping make Marvel a success, Jack might not have had the opportunity to create so many lasting characters. Long Live The King!
John Morrow, Editor • 502 Saint Mary’s St. • Raleigh, NC 27605 • (919) 833-8092 • FAX (919) 833-8023 email: twomorrow@aol.com
ITEM! Things are looking promising now that TJKC is being distributed to comic shops worldwide through Diamond Comic Distributors and Capital City Distribution. Orders on #8 were good, and #9 is doing even better. We’re hoping the increased circulation will result in more submissions and the continuation of our color covers. But if your local shop doesn’t carry TJKC, show them a copy and ask them to look for it in Diamond’s PREVIEWS magazine or Capital City’s ADVANCE COMICS. And if you got this copy of TJKC at your local store, consider subscribing directly from us. Not only will you save money, but you’ll get your issues sooner (in a different custom Kirby envelope each issue), and leave copies in stores for new readers to discover. ITEM! Just a reminder: THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR is officially 36 pages for $4.95 (despite this one-time-only 44-pager). But some of you still have credit for our old 16page issues on your subscription, which only equal half of
a 36-page issue. So if your mailing label says you only have 1/2 issue remaining in your subscription, you need to send an additional $2 in the US ($2.20 Canada, $3.20 outside N. America) to even it up to a full issue. While you’re at it, consider extending your subscription at our new rate of 6 issues for $24 ($32 Canada, $44 outside N. America). ITEM! Jaunty JIM STERANKO of SuperGraphics and Manic MIKE THIBODEAUX of Genesis West are continuing work on their Kirby tribute book. It promises to contain a large assortment of previously-unseen Kirby artwork, including many pieces from the Kirby family’s private collections. But to fill the book out, Jim and Mike need more unpublished 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 974, Reading, PA 19603, and to Mike at Genesis West, PO Box 7224, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. And while you’re at it, make an extra copy and send it to us at TJKC! ITEM! We’re proud to announce that TJKC subscriber RICHARD KOLKMAN is our choice to compile the updated Kirby Checklist for us. For those of you who haven’t heard, we’re working on an up-to-date checklist of everything Jack ever had published (including reprints and interviews). As a starting point, we’re using the existing one from Blue Rose Press’ THE ART OF JACK KIRBY, in cooperation with AOJK author RAY WYMAN. Richard has a thorough knowledge of Jack’s work, the requisite computer skills and hardware, and he’s proven his mettle by sending us reams of corrections to the existing AOJK list. In exchange for all the hard work ahead for Richard, we’re extending him a lifetime subscription to TJKC! But although Richard is compiling the information, we’ll be calling on all our volunteers to double-check our work. And you can still contribute yourself. Keep sending lists of errors and omissions from the AOJK checklist, or if you’ve got an accurate list of your own to contribute, write us! ITEM! Didja catch the A&E NETWORK’s Stan Lee BIOGRAPHY episode on TV Dec. 26th? Although it was a little vague about what Jack contributed to the Marvel Universe, it was nice to see him get so much air time. And kudos to MARK EVANIER for adding some balance to the piece. If you missed it, look for a rerun later this year.
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ITEM! Be sure to check out our KIRBY COLLECTOR HOME PAGE on the World Wide Web! TJKC subscriber and webmaster RANDY HOPPE put it together for us and keeps it updated. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is: http://www.mordor.com/thehop/kirby. The TJKC Home Page includes biographical information on Jack, so uninformed visitors can learn about who he is and what he accomplished. It also includes a synopsis of each issue of TJKC published to date, and samples of Kirby art and articles from each issue. And we’ll put a copy of the updated Kirby Checklist online for free downloading once it’s completed, so everyone can have access to it. If you’ve got a Web Browser and Internet access, be sure to check it out, and let us know what you think. ITEM! 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.
KIRBY COLLECTOR CHECKLIST These Issues Of TJKC Are Available – See Page 42 TJKC #1: This 16-page INTRODUCTORY ISSUE features rare Kirby posters, articles on a 1978 Kirby traveling display and the MARVELMANIA PORTFOLIO, Jack’s original OMAC concept sketch, an unused THOR page, and more! $2.50 ($2.70 Canada/Mexico, $3.70 outside N. America) TJKC #2: A 16-page GENERAL INTEREST issue with rare 1970s SANDMAN pages, a fan’s phone conversations with Jack, MARVELMANIA PORTFOLIO plates, unpublished FANTASTIC FOUR panels, a page of the Jack Ruby ESQUIRE story, other rare art, and more! $2.50 ($2.70 Canada/Mexico, $3.70 outside N. America) TJKC #3: A 16-page CAPTAIN AMERICA theme issue with a JOE SIMON interview, more MARVELMANIA plates, convention sketches, 1960s & 70s CAPTAIN AMERICA pages before they were inked, and more! $2.50 ($2.70 Canada/Mexico, $3.70 outside N. America) TJKC #4: A 16-page GENERAL INTEREST issue, with a MIKE ROYER interview, more MARVELMANIA plates, THOR pencil pages before being inked, unused ATLAS #1 cover pencils, Euro-Kirby fandom, and more! $2.50 U.S. $2.50 ($2.70 Canada/Mexico, $3.70 outside N. America) TJKC #5: A 16-page GENERAL INTEREST issue featuring transcripts of Jack’s 1972 speech at VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, unpublished FANTASTIC FOUR pencils, how Kirby used real people in his comics, essential Kirby collectibles, unpublished KOBRA pencils, and more! $2.50 ($2.70 Canada/Mexico, $3.70 outside N. America) TJKC #6: A 36-page FOURTH WORLD theme issue featuring interviews with MARK EVANIER and STEVE SHERMAN, more of our MIKE ROYER interview, the NEW GODS portfolio, the story behind HUNGER DOGS and Jack’s original ending to NEW GODS, and unpublished art, plus FOURTH WORLD pencils before being inked! $4.95 ($5.40 Canada/Mexico, $7.40 outside N. America) TJKC #7: A 36-page KID GANG theme issue with an unpublished 1987 interview with Kirby, overview of the S&K KID GANGS, plenty of unpublished art from BOYS’ RANCH, BOY EXPLORERS, JIMMY OLSEN, DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET, X-MEN, and more! $4.95 ($5.40 Canada/Mexico, $7.40 outside N. America) TJKC #8: An all-star CONVENTION theme issue with transcripts from the KIRBY TRIBUTE PANEL at the ’95 SDCC (with JOE SINNOTT, MIKE ROYER, MARK EVANIER, and TONY ISABELLA), convention memories, essay by JIM STERANKO, CAPTAIN AMERICA pages before they were inked, convention sketches, and more! $4.95 ($5.40 Canada/Mexico, $7.40 outside N. America) AND ON SALE RIGHT NOW: TJKC #9: If you’re reading this, you already know what’s in this FANTASTIC FOUR Theme Issue! $4.95 ($5.40 Canada/Mexico, $7.40 outside N. America)
The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! by John Shingler
title to the extent that the Fantastic Four became secondary characters in their own book. Instead, the Silver Surfer and the Inhumans became woven into the fabric of the Fantastic Four’s world, transforming the Fantastic Four into an extended family. The Fantastic Four remained central to the action, and everything seemed to flow naturally, as various lives overlapped and became interconnected. This, to me, was the greatest accomplishment of Lee and Kirby on the Fantastic Four— not the introduction of characters like the Silver Surfer or Inhumans but what was done with them after their initial stories were over, and the way in which they were able to continue appearing without crowding the Fantastic Four out of their own book. The final point I want to emphasize is perhaps the most important one. Whenever I think of the Fantastic Four, my mind keeps going back to a quote from an interview that was published in The Jack Kirby Collector #7. When Ken Viola asked how he approached a blank page, Kirby responded:
hen I first read that The Jack Kirby Collector was devoting an entire issue to the Fantastic Four, I felt compelled to offer several of my thoughts on Kirby’s tenure on that title. Having been a regular reader since FF #10, I have a considerable amount of childhood memories and adult feelings of nostalgia associated with each and every issue of Kirby’s Fantastic Four. First, I disagree strongly with the commonly-held assumption that the best issues of the Fantastic Four were also the high points of purely creative output in which the Inhumans, “I feel the story first. I know those people first, and I the Silver Surfer, Galactus, and the Black Panther were put them down as I’d like them to live on those introduced. To me the best issues of the FF are the pages. My stories are very sincere. My stories are stories that immediately followed these events, people stories and there are elements that are very, very in issues #53-63. Introducing great characreal. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, and I’ve done ters does not amount to much unless they stories on a wide range of subjects.” are developed correctly after their initial story is over. Lee and Kirby recognized This approach is what I love most about that these characters were huge and that Kirby’s work: The fact that his stories were they demanded space of their own in full of people living their lives within a comic which to tell their stories. Since Marvel book format. It explains the lasting appeal of his was limited in the number of titles it work on the Fantastic Four, regardless of the could publish at the time, these stories villain, the plot, or the setting. When I think had to be told in the pages of the FF. of my favorite moments in the Fantastic Four, Rather than disappearing completely I always think first of Ben talking on the teleafter their initial stories had ended, phone on pages 4-5 of FF #22, Reed tinkerthese characters remained in supporting ing with the “world’s first fully-automated roles, often providing the substance for dish washer” on page 2 of FF #44, the basesubplots. Their role within the pages of the ball game that opened FF #54, Ben readFantastic Four sparked major stories involving ghost stories in FF #58, Ben eating ing old villains and also served as the thread wheat cakes and Johnny making toast in to weave together other story elements that FF #67, the house cleaning at the beginwould otherwise have been disconnected or ning of FF #80. I always loved the fact that resolved in an inferior manner. For example, they took time out to take a bath and clean the presence of the Silver Surfer on Earth and up after their initial encounter with Galactus his trusting of humanity directly resulted in Dr. in FF #49, and the sequence where Ben and Doom stealing his powers. In the middle of this epic, Johnny take a tour of the Baxter Building attention shifts to the Inhumans escaping from the Great in FF #78 is still a classic. I also recall Refuge. At the time I felt sure that in the next issue we would see all the little touches, such as Ben trying This original Black Bolt battle Doctor Doom, but this was far too obvious for to find parking space for the Fantasti-Car in FF #10 of this Kirby. Instead, Reed tricks Dr. Doom into flying into the barrier and the Torch and Wyatt drinking coffee from a thermos in Dr. Doom that Galactus put into place to prevent the Silver Surfer from FF #54 while searching for the Inhumans in a ship provided by marker sketch leaving the Earth. When the Fantastic Four return home, they the Black Panther. These moments defined the Fantastic Four as measures battle a new and improved Sandman, resulting in Reed being humans, living their lives within the pages of a comic book. 18" x 24". sucked into the Negative Zone. As it turns out, the Inhumans Moments like these are more important than the battle scenes escaped just in time for Triton to rescue Reed. This kind of plotting and the cosmic scale of many of the stories. Moments like these are and interwoven story elements is mostly missing from today’s comics. what added the depth and texture to the Fantastic Four that made it It is an ability that I think came from a natural feeling Kirby had for fresh, innovative and real. It is precisely moments like these that are the characters he created. This approach to plotting always surprised far too often missing from today’s comics. the reader, who never knew what to expect next, and the sequence of When I look back over Kirby’s tenure on the Fantastic Four I am events never felt contrived or unnatural. The use of the Negative Zone amazed at the evolution in storytelling and panel layout. Despite in this story and the brief appearances of the Watcher and the Black changes in the art and the story lengths, formats, and structures, Panther in the Dr. Doom story also illustrate how previously estabdespite shifts in emphasis and the introduction of major new characlished concepts and characters continued to play key roles in the ters, Kirby’s Fantastic Four always remained first and foremost a conevolving adventures of the Fantastic Four. tinuing story about real people living their lives within the pages of a This brings me to another of Kirby’s greatest accomplishments. comic book. Jack never strayed from this initial simple idea. Even He was able to allow all of these characters to continue to lead their against a cosmic backdrop his characters never ceased to be human, lives within the pages of the Fantastic Four, and to contribute directly and this is what made Kirby’s Fantastic Four truly “the World’s to the substance of the stories taking place without dominating the Greatest Comics Magazine!” 6
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remember how great Superman used to be?” “Yeah, and he used to jump and now he just flies.” “And Batman—remember when the Joker...” “What’re they making Captain Marvel so fat for?” “Hey, wasn’t that old Human Torch vee-ess Sub-Marine-er story terrific?” A few good issues, but always just a few. And so we dreamed, until most of us forgot all about the comic books... And then The Fantastic Four arrived. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who were in on that “Golden Age,” had pursued our dream, too, somehow—but with more fidelity, and maybe even more love. After twenty-five years, somebody had done a comic book strip “right.” The Fantastic Four reversed the pattern of those first great strips. Almost without exception, they had begun at their peak and then slowly declined. Leaping from the hasty womb of a one-page origin, they became grown men before their time and decrepit before they’d reached their teens. But The Fantastic Four was born feeble and grew healthier with every passing issue. Time seemed to turn about and march back along its fading tracks, recalling the great days with the heightened awareness of pleasurable memories. Forty issues after The Fantastic Four began—when almost all of the Golden Age strips had long been over the hill—it really hit its stride. Today, twenty issues after that, it surely ranks as one of the five great comic book strips of all time, and the only one that has ever been done “right.” Without becoming art, it could be no better. And if it became art, it would be far less than it is. The wild, ad lib, fact-defying plots, the quick spontaneity of the drawings, the wonderfully impossible characters, the splendid and absurd dialogue—they would all be destroyed if any of them were taken seriously for a single moment. Somehow, however, out of the jury-rigged yarns and the preposterous characters, something serious and valuable emerges. Like the Fantastic Four themselves, it is the collective effort that makes the strip outstanding, not merely one member of the team, no matter how eyecatching. Unlike National Publication’s revived versions of their pre-war strips, which wearily project all the pre-war values in a pseudo-contemporary guise—like middle-aged women in miniskirts—Marvel’s
Graphic Story Review by Richard Kyle (Originally published in Fantasy Illustrated #7, Spring 1967) © 1967 by William W. Spicer (Editor’s Note: I recently received a letter from a TJKC subscriber Bob Cosgrove, commenting that this article by Richard Kyle was one of the finest examinations he’d ever read of what made the FF as good as it was. I have to agree. Since it was originally written around the time FF #60 came out—just following Jack’s most prolific period of character creation on the book—I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to re-present an extremely literate fan’s views of the FF, formed during the heyday of the series. This article should be viewed in light of the fact that it was written almost 30 years ago, while Jack still had many more issues of FF to go before he left the book.) s a kid, I loved comic books. Action Comics, where Superman was born; Detective Comics, with Bob Kane’s Batman; Marvel Mystery Comics, which featured the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner; Whiz Comics, starring Captain Marvel; and Big Shot and Smash and Blue Bolt and Daredevil—I loved them all. So did all the kids I knew. And one of our dreams in the “Golden Age of Comic Books” was that somebody would do a comic book strip “right.” Not just one episode, or a half-dozen episodes, but fifteen or twenty, at movie-serial length. We all talked about it. We really dug comic book strips, and we wanted one that was as good as it could be, issue after issue. Not a serious, adult graphic story—The Spirit by Will Eisner satisfied us there, in those days—but a comic book strip, with all the wild, dumbfounding plots and the lay-it-on-the-line good-vs (pronounced “veeess” because we’d never heard of that strange word “versus”)-evil characterization, and all the freight-train subtlety of regular comic book strips. But nobody did a comic book strip “right,” not issue after issue, not then. A few good episodes, sure, but always just a few. “Gee,
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A 1/2 page ad from Incredible Hulk #1 (May, 1962). This original art was recently sold at auction, and is one of the earliest remaining pieces of FF art. 7
figure of Galactus appears even more powerful because of the preparation we’ve had. Specifically, “The Coming of Galactus” prepares us in two ways: first, by following the Surfer’s progress through space toward Earth, and second, through two apocalyptic signs which strike terror into the New York City populace—the sky fills, first with flames, then with floating rocks or “debris.” These unexplained phenomena inspire general panic in the streets, provoking memorable confrontations between Johnny, Ben, and a fearful crowd. (The brief “fight” between Ben and a bare-knuckled civilian is particularly droll, in comic contrast to the huge, operatic conflicts to come.) Afterwards, the omniscient being known as the Watcher appears at the Baxter Building, and reveals that the “fire-shield” and the orbiting debris were his own unsuccessful attempts to conceal the Earth from the Silver Surfer, “the advance scout for Galactus.” Even as the Watcher speaks, the Surfer negotiates the barrier of debris, and lands, conveniently enough, on the roof of the Baxter Building. Though Ben quickly dispatches the Surfer with a single punch, the greater danger, Galactus, arrives suddenly—announced by a full-page photo montage which shows the opening of his spherical craft. The chapter ends as he disembarks, in a costume as odd and as elaborate as any heretofore seen in comics. The cumulative effect of hearing about Galactus prior to his arrival, then finally seeing him in the chapter’s last panel, underscores his size, power, and menace. Man, what a stunner that last page must have been to readers in 1966!
The Galactus Trilogy: An Appreciation by Charles Hatfield y vote for the Definitive Marvel Story, the one that best distills the most exciting ingredients of vintage Marvel comics, would have to go to what we now call The Galactus Trilogy, a threeissue story arc which originally appeared in Fantastic Four #48 (“The Coming of Galactus”), #49 (“If This Be Doomsday”), and #50 (“The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer”) in 1966. In this radically inventive story, Jack Kirby, along with scripter Stan Lee, discarded conventional superheroics in favor of a mythic approach which, for better or worse, changed superhero comics forever after. As a wellspring of future comics, it has a claim to being one of the most historically significant moments of Marvel’s Silver Age; as a story in its own right, it remains impressive, not only for its epic scope, but also for its narrative economy, its surprising subtleties, and its humanity.
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Enter the Silver Surfer—and Galactus The Galactus Trilogy is remembered, obviously, as the story which introduced two Marvel icons, the godlike Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. Among comics fans the story enjoys fame for its unprecedented sense of scale: Galactus intends to devour the Earth’s energy, not because he is evil or malicious, but because he is a force “above good or evil,” to whom the Earth’s inhabitants are simply beneath notice. Besides Galactus himself, of course, the Silver Surfer is a remarkable creation, one who unpredictably blossoms from a mere functionary of the plot—a cold, enigmatic harbinger of doom—into one of Marvel’s most noble, articulate, and tormented heroes. Much of the story’s drama in fact stems from the Surfer, who makes a strong impression, both as a dramatic device to introduce his master and, eventually, as a character in his own right. The Surfer, as eccentric a figure as any the FF had encountered, was a brilliant narrative stroke on Kirby’s part. Without the Surfer the story would have little dramatic oomph, for the reader needs something to prepare the way for Galactus, something or someone to foreshadow his coming on a more human, more accessible scale. The Surfer allows us to approach the menace of Galactus obliquely, to imagine what kind of being would need a herald this awesome to prepare for his coming. Re-reading the story’s first chapter, “The Coming of Galactus,” I’m still startled by the dramatic power of the climactic splash panel, as Galactus steps forth from his craft, uttering his now-familiar lines:
The Question of Authorship If the Silver Surfer, Jack Kirby’s brainchild, is the cornerstone of this suspenseful first chapter, then Kirby should be recognized as the Trilogy’s chief architect, the one who conceived the story, shaped it, and brought its abstractions to vivid life. Stan Lee himself, in his book Son of Origins of Marvel Comics, credits Kirby with creating the Surfer: According to Lee’s account, Kirby penciled the first chapter of the Trilogy after a brief story conference with Lee, in which the two agreed on the broad concept of a huge, godlike being threatening Earth with destruction. When Kirby eventually delivered the pages, Lee was startled to see an unfamiliar figure on a flying surfboard, upon which Kirby matter-of-factly explained that a being as powerful as Galactus ought to have a herald, a being to come before him and pave the way for him. (This idea, of course, makes no practical sense, but perfect dramatic sense.) Lee recalls being intrigued by, even “wild” about, the Silver Surfer, whom Kirby had created on his own, out of whole cloth. Now, given that the Surfer is crucial to the dramatic structure of the Trilogy’s first chapter—and later proves crucial to the resolution of the plot—Lee’s account of the character’s creation inadvertently says much about the central role Kirby played in writing The Fantastic Four. By inventing the Surfer, Kirby in effect plotted the story: he provided the dramatic device which drove the story; he paced the telling; he even provided the character who, ultimately, would steal the show, in “The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer.” In the Kirby/Lee collaborations, as this example suggests, much of the “writing” is in the art. Character design and movement, facial expressions, the composition of panels, the relationships between panels—all of these crucial storytelling elements are the province of Kirby the cartoonist. To these elements in Kirby’s art one can sense Lee as scripter responding, sometimes playfully, sometimes seriously,
“My journey is ended! This planet shall sustain me until it has been drained of all elemental life! So speaks Galactus!” What makes this such a powerful moment, and such a wicked cliffhanger, is not simply Kirby’s composition of the panel (Galactus with arm outstretched, towering over even the giant figure of the Watcher). After all, Kirby often used full-page or near full-page drawings for effect. Rather, it’s the way this panel fulfills the suspense maintained throughout the first chapter, without letting up a bit. The 14
but always adding a new layer of complexity to the total work. In the case of the Silver Surfer (a character for whom Lee has great affection, and who has inspired some of Lee’s best writing), the combination was fortuitous, and no doubt Lee’s scripting in the Galactus Trilogy influenced Kirby’s subsequent treatment of the character. But the point remains that, based on the evidence of Lee’s own recollections, Kirby dreamt up the Silver Surfer—and by extension, the plot of the entire story. By the mid-60s, then, Kirby was not simply breaking down FF stories according to plot outlines provided by Lee (if indeed this ever was the case—hard evidence is difficult to come by), but was in fact inventing new characters and plotlines as it suited him. The Galactus Trilogy, arguably, represents a new peak of creative ambition and freedom for Kirby the storyteller, as his control over plot, character, and theme grew stronger. He didn’t write the thing alone, but he conceived and structured it, and provided Lee with a complex and brilliant foundation for scripting.
The Idea of Gods This question of authorship matters. Giving credit where it’s due allows us to read the vintage Kirby & Lee Fantastic Four within the broader continuum of Kirby’s work, a continuum which, obviously, includes both pre-Marvel projects such as The Challengers of the Unknown and postMarvel work such as the Fourth World. If the Fourth World, with its concept of rival gods fighting to decide the fate of humanity, fulfills a certain promise first implied in Kirby & Lee’s X-Men (as I have argued elsewhere), then it also recalls the essential conflict in the Galactus Trilogy— the struggle between the godlike Galactus and the Silver Surfer, who acts as humanity’s intercessor in an almost (ahem) Christlike manner. In fact there is a fundamental similarity of structure between many An awe-inspiring shot of Galactus, shown here from Fantastic Four #75, page 4. Kirby-authored or co-authored comics such as the early X-Men, the Galactus Trilogy, the Fourth World, and The Eternals. In each case sion of this thesis, see The Comics Journal #167, April 1994.) rival groups of superbeings are locked in conflict, with the fate of This is the sort of conflict mapped out in the Galactus Trilogy. humanity as the ultimate stake. Humanity, then, is the fulcrum, the Galactus seeks raw power to feed his hunger, but the Silver Surfer pivot on which these comics rest: Magneto, for example, seeks to rule defends humankind from him: “You must not tamper with other over humankind as homo superior; Darkseid seeks the secret of Antiworlds! You cannot destroy the entire human race!” Galactus, of Life (total control) in the minds of human beings. They are opposed course, is indifferent to the fate of humanity as such, but, determined by superbeings who protect and defend humanity. (For more discusto bring the Surfer back under his control, eventually recognizes that 15
Ham was African—or physically, he was black, if you will.
Strength Of Character It should be clear that the Black Panther is a revolutionary character. What is ironic is that his Shakespearian hamartia, or tragic flaw, is not in his character, but in how he has been characterized. Once such inconsistency is discovered in the fact that, like the Lowndes County Freedom Party’s symbol, T’Challa’s mask is not for concealment of his identity, but a sacred symbol of his power. In Avengers #64 and #74 (1969 and 1970) he used it to hide his identity, perhaps being ashamed of something that he had no cause to be ashamed of. Historically, this was after the March on Washington (8/28/63); by ’69 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated and “Black Power” and Vietnam were the central themes of the movement. At the same time, T’Challa is more so an integrationist than a separatist. Dr. King once had a discussion with Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura of Star Trek) and told her he was a fan and urged her not to quit—her presence on the show added perspective to “the Dream” of blacks and whites reaching the stars together. In the interest of racial harmony and integration, the Black Panther, being the first Black Avenger, was a triumph that should have made the covers of Jet and Ebony (or at least in the Marvel Universe it should have). Instead, T’Challa hides who he is. Kirby was quite consistent in his handling of the Panther; he only donned his mask and costume when it was time to use that “power.” Even Kirby did not fully utilize the Black Panther’s abilities to their fullest potential. This is elucidated in Tales of Suspense #97-99 (Jan.-Mar. 1968) and Captain America #100 (Apr. 1968). The Black Panther is considered to be on an equal power level with Captain America. However, in Tales of Suspense #97, Captain America overcomes an impossible ambush—even overcomes falling off a roof with his foot—but the Black Panther, in contrast, senses an ambush but still gets shot. Why is this relevant? In Fantastic Four Annual #5 (Nov. 1967), the Black Panther states in battle with Karnak of the Inhumans, “Nothing...save one with the speed of the bounding cheetah!” T’Challa’s speed is one of his greatest assets. The cheetah is the fastest landbound animal, having been clocked at speeds reaching 70 miles per hour. (A race horse with a rider travels at about 45 mph and a human being at 20 mph.) Clearly, in speed, the Black Panther is second only to Quicksilver. With that speed comes his weakness; the cheetah is agile and can turn on a dime, but it can only maintain that great speed for short distances—about 300 yards, which is more than enough to outrace its prey. In FF #52, the Black Panther leaps into the Invisible Girl’s force field before she can close it around her. This ability alone puts him on a higher power level than Captain America. The Panther never should have been shot in Suspense #97 and he should have been able to swat Cap before he could even raise his shield. Despite these shortcomings, the Black Panther is an archetype, and Kirby’s handling of him is excellent. My first exposure to the Panther was a reprint of FF Annual #5 in Giant Size Fantastic Four #5 (May 1975). In that story the Black Panther never appeared unmasked. Even though the caption said he was a chieftain and he ran with tribesmen, I didn’t make the connection that he was black. This was probably because I was a child at the time; Black Bolt wasn’t black, and the Tarzan stereotype was that the white man even rules among “the savages.” It was great that despite the mainstream powers of Black Bolt, the Thing and the Torch, it was the Black Panther who saved the day by smashing Psycho Man’s Power Suit. Unlike Tarzan, this shows that Africans in general and Wakandans in particular are not “savage,” and do much more than swing through trees.
Here are three unused panels from Fantastic Four #53—the origin of the Black Panther.
many examples is Mansa Musa, who ruled the ancient kingdom of Mali. Mali was located in Western Africa, and he ruled from 1312 to 1337 and was a world leader in his time. His land had the rich resources of gold and salt and he controlled the major trade routes. From this reign came the city of Timbuktu, a world trade center and institution of higher learning. In fact, Musa was a generous ruler and gave out gifts of gold on his pilgrimage to Mecca. (It is said that he gave out so much gold that the price of it went down in Cairo for 10 years.) The kingdom of Mali endured for hundreds of years. It is easy to recognize similarities in disposition between Mansa Musa of Mali and T’Challa of Wakanda. T’Challa likewise gave the FF many gifts and had the resource of Vibranium. Fantastic Four #52 displays Kirby’s application of his readings. In the origin sequence, young T’Challa kneels over his slain father saying, “From this moment forth I live with but one thought--one aim--one destiny...” Klaw shall pay, and revenge must be sought. The quote is a derivative of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey’s famous saying, “One God, one aim, one destiny!” Garvey rose to leadership during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and advocated a Back To Africa Movement. Kirby would use this three-petition model in later books. Orion told Metron, “I feel, I anger, I fight!” in New Gods #1. This model was also used in the Forever People #1: “I have heard, I am here, I am the Infinity Man!” Black Panther #7 (Jan. 1978) also contains Kirby’s powerful scripting irony. N’Gassi, T’Challa’s aide, says to the traitorous Jakarra, “Cursed be the day that T’Challa’s father took a second wife! Cursed by Jakarra--the child of that second union!” This quote alludes to The Bible; in Genesis 9:25, Noah says, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.” It is both ironic and relevant that Kirby uses this information. Canaan is the son of Ham, who is the son of Noah. It is well known and agreed upon by Bible Scholars that 20
retrieve his panther costume, evokes wonderment and dreams (how unlike the Batman going to his Batcave or Superman going to his Fortress of Solitude!). Jack’s drawing style makes even the most simplistic ideas hit you like a thunderbolt! He really is my grape jelly to Stan Lee’s peanut butter! The first thing I noticed (and at once learned to love and respect Jack for) is the way he handled the Magna-Car in issue #52, and the Wakandan people through both issues. At once, through Reed Richards’ amazement and Ben Grimm’s derision of things African, you had a lot of the stereotypes at once displayed, discussed, and then shattered at the same instant! Shades of Galactus! This had to be quite a chance that Marvel and Lee & Kirby were taking with their most popular book at that time (1966)! I’m all for any medium that allows this society to see the possibilities that we can all be who we want to be. This character taught me to reach for the stars. So many children believe stereotypes, misconceptions, or even bad personal experiences, and just rubber stamp a whole race, creed, or class of people without further inspection. The Black Panther was presented in the best possible light as an equal among superheroes without any character flaws, just like the rest.
What The Black Panther Means To Me by Edward J. Saunders Jr.
ll Jack Kirby fans need to read issues #52 and #53 of the Fantastic Four. In my opinion, they are classics in adventure storytelling and character presentation. The Black Panther was the first black superhero in comics, and one of the most elegant characters in comics to this day. One line stands out in issue #52; the emissary of the Wakandan king says, “...things are not always... as they seem!” This is true of the FF’s adventure in Wakanda, but also of the character of the Black Panther (and of the magazine The Fantastic Four). The Black Panther lends quite a credible role model for AfricanAmerican readers. First and foremost, this character has an extensive English vocabulary that isn’t littered with jive, slang, or dialects. The character is an educated man, an accomplished scientist, an astute businessman, and a just and well-loved ruler of a kingdom. His super-powers are based in herbs, rituals, and training—not a sci-fi explanation that could be taken away or embellished as time goes on. His country has one very valuable resource (vibranium) that isn’t wasted or squandered. He also believes in molding high technology with the environment. (Note the natural jungle covering the technology, and then the technology resembling an electronic jungle). The jungle isn’t laid to waste in lieu of technology or for the sake of modernization (is there a lesson here for our society?). He also believed in holding onto traditions despite the high technology his country possessed. The Black Panther displayed honor, commitment, intelligence (bordering on genius), determination, and humanity. I say humanity because for all of his wonderful abilities, he was adversely affected by the murder of his father—not unlike a certain Batman—by the evil Klaw. There’s one lesson here: Don’t allow hatred, prejudice, bias, etc. to become an obsession or it could be your undoing. One more thing to add: Forgiveness. When the Black Panther realized that the FF defeated his well-laid traps (thanks to Wyatt Wingfoot—an Native American !), he stopped fighting and started talking. (Let’s add diplomacy to the list of abilities!) As you can see, this character has a lot to offer and people can extract a lot of positive things from characters when presented in masterful ways—kudos to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as a team! Now I’ll concentrate on the effect the Black Panther had on me as a person. As you might guess, I am an African-American. I never bought into “getting-back-atwhites” or “go-back-to-Africa” philosophies. My comic book heroes were Captain America, OMAC, Captain Marvell (I was crushed by his cancer), and the Black Panther. I love Jack Kirby because he fleshed out in pencil, characters that had down-to-earth ethics or morals. Even his sultry women were nice ladies underneath their rough exteriors (unless of course they were evil). In just two issues, he gave the Black Panther realism, vibrance, and ACTION! He also expressed sensitivity in how he dealt with Sue in fighting and also in his explanation of what happened to his father. I know that Stan Lee had a lot to do with the story when it came to the Lee/Kirby team, but Jack put the COSMIC PUNCH in everything he did. The Panther Statue coming out of the ground like a huge missile out of its silo, just to Jack’s unused cover to Fantastic Four #52, featuring the first appearance of the Black Panther.
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The Joe Sinnott Interview Interviewed by John Morrow on December 18, 1995 THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR: Let’s start at the beginning. When and where were you born? JOE SINNOTT: Right here in Saugerties, NY. October 16, 1926. Seems like eons ago! (laughter) There are quite a few artists who live up here: Bernie Wrightson, Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Oskner, Joe Staton, Jim Starlin. But I’m the only one born here. The rest migrated here from other places. I must’ve exploited the great things about Saugerties, and people heard it. I should have kept it quiet! (laughter)
the Cartoonists and Illustrators School in New York City, run by Burne Hogarth. I had a lot of samples that I’d done of syndicated type strips, so I went down and they appeared to be highly impressed with them. They said I was a natural-born cartoonist; I thought they were pulling my leg so I would come to the school. But I signed up, and later on I realized I had a foot up on some of the other students as far as the cartoon field. I took a year of foundation, where we drew anatomy, and the second year I took cartooning. In late 1949, one of my instructors there, Tom Gill, asked me if I’d like to work as his assistant. I learned more from Tom than I did from the school. I was actually doing professional work, and I had someone looking over my shoulder, making sure I did it right. Tom had accounts with Timely and Dell and Fawcett. He was a prodigious worker; he worked all day at the school, and at night he drew his strips. He even had a syndicated strip going. I was doing Kent Black and Red Warrior for Timely. We were also doing some movie adaptations for Dell. He was also working on the Lone Ranger, which I helped him on. It got to the point where I was doing all his work. At first he’d just do the heads to make it look like his work, and later he let me do the heads. I worked with him about nine months while I was still at school. I got married in the meantime, and I decided that if Stan Lee was buying my work from Tom, why not buy it from me? So I went over to Stan, and he gave me work right away. And that was really the beginning, in 1950.
TJKC: Did you grow up reading comic books? JOE: The thirties were a great time for a kid to be growing up, aside from the Depression. When I was eight or nine years old, Terry And The Pirates and Flash Gordon came out. I couldn’t wait from one day to the next to see how Terry was going to get out of some of the exploits he was involved in. We got the New York Daily News, which had Terry And The Pirates. Our next-door neighbor got the New York Mirror, which had Tarzan and Bronco Billy and Mandrake the Magician. Each paper had different strips, so you’d go around to the neighbors and trade with your buddies. It was a great period. TJKC: Did those strips make you want to go into comics? JOE: It’s funny. You had no idea you had a chance of ever being an artist. I drew ever since I was young. Once for my birthday, I got a great big box of crayons. It had an Indian on the front, and I drew that Indian until I could draw it with my eyes shut. (laughter) I think that was the impetus that got me interested in comics. So I copied Terry, and Flash Gordon, and Smilin’ Jack. I used to draw all the time, drawing all the newspaper strip characters. The comic books didn’t come along until later. I really don’t remember reading comic books until around 1939, when I was 12 years old. My favorite early comic book was Action Comics. I used to love Congo Bill, more so than Superman. (laughter) I also loved Zatara the Magician. I really liked Batman, that was my favorite, because it was well drawn. Bob Kane did a great job. And also I liked Hawkman, because it reminded me a lot of Alex Raymond’s style. And the Timely books; we bought them and passed them around until they wore out. I would read the Human Torch and Captain America. Captain America was quite popular.
TJKC: What was your first published work? JOE: I’d only been at the school for a couple of months, and I took my work down to a place called St. John’s. There was a woman editor there who liked my samples, and she gave me a five-page story for a Mopsie comic book. Mopsie was something like Millie The Model at Marvel. It was a five-page filler called “Trudy.” Right after that I hooked up with Tom Gill. The first thing I did for him was Red Warrior for Stan. And I did an awful lot of Kent Blake. The first thing I actually did for Stan was called “The Man Who Wouldn’t Die.” It was a western. It was a three- or four-page filler. TJKC: What did you do between your first official work for Marvel in 1950 and when Marvel really took off a decade later? JOE: I worked just for Marvel. In those days, the stories were short, 5 or 6 pages. There was no continuity, so a story could go in any book; if you did a western for Two-Gun Kid, Stan could put it in Rawhide Kid or one of the other westerns.
TJKC: Do you remember reading Simon & Kirby’s Captain America? JOE: I’m sure I did, but I didn’t know who was doing it at the time. I remember Boy Commandos, but I never really associated the names. I just knew that it was a good comic book, and I liked the characters. I liked the way it was inked, but the names didn’t mean anything to me. TJKC: How’d you get started in comics? What was your big break? JOE: Well, after I came out of the service, I saw a newspaper ad for
Kirby/Sinnott art for a Nostalgia Journal cover. 24
TJKC: What was it like working for Marvel then? How did you get your assignments? JOE: I’d go down to the city on Friday, and Stan would give me a script to take home. I’d start on Monday morning by lettering the balloons in pencil. Then I’d pencil the story from the script and ink it
Worlds. The short stories were a lot of fun to do, because you got a lot of variety. You never got tired or bored because the stories were simple, but quite clever; although it’s often been said of Stan that, back in those days, the stories were all the same, just the names were changed. (laughter) But he knocked those stories out like you wouldn’t believe. It was a real fun time to work, and we had all the work we wanted. The rates were really good for that period, until the Comics Code came into being, and it almost killed comics. That’s when things really went into a tailspin, and Marvel suspended operations for at least six months. TJKC: What did you do once the Marvel work dried up? JOE: Things started getting tough financially, so I went over to DC. I don’t remember who I talked to at the time, but the guy was quite obnoxious. He said, “You guys from Marvel come over here because you don’t have any work, and you expect us to give you work!” He was ranting and raving. I didn’t get any work at DC, but I remember there was somebody else at the office. I think it was Julie Schwartz, but I can’t be sure. He came over to me and said, “Don’t pay any attention to him. Your stuff looks good, but we don’t have any work for anybody.” So I got work at Classics Illustrated. Then I sent some samples to a guy in Ohio who published Treasure Chest books. He had Reed Crandall working for him, and he said I’d fit into their plans. I used to do all the biographical stories for Treasure Chest; the life of Kennedy, and MacArthur, and Eisenhower. I did the Wright Brothers, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb. These were all 64-page stories. It was a real fun book, but it was only distributed in the Catholic schools. It was doing quite well at the time, around 1959-1960. I was doing all kinds of work at that time. Vince Colletta called and wanted to know if I’d pencil romance stories for him. So I was doing five romance pages a day for him for Charlton, and he was inking them. Even when Marvel started back up, I did that for Vinnie for about five years. They were easy to knock out; a lot of heads and clinch shots. Dick Giordano was the editor at Charlton at the time, and we had a good association. Dick and I did a lot of commercial work together, for Radio Shack and General Electric in the early-to-mid 1960s. When Stan called me up and said Marvel was starting back up with the monster books, I told him I couldn’t put all my eggs in one basket. I had a good account at Treasure Chest, and I liked the type of art I was doing there. So I kept the account at Treasure Chest. I was also ghosting some Archie stuff for a friend of mine.
Uninked pencils from Fantastic Four #86, page 17. and leave the balloons penciled. I’d pencil a page in the morning, and ink it in the afternoon. I never burned the midnight oil; I’d start work at 7:45 in the morning, and I’d work until about 4:30 in the afternoon. I always figured if you couldn’t make a living in eight hours a day, you shouldn’t be in the business. I’d bring the story back on Friday and he’d give me another script. I never knew what kind of script I’d be getting. Stan had a big pile on his desk, and he used to write most of the stories himself in those days. You’d walk in, and he’d be banging away at his typewriter. He would finish a script and put it on the pile. Sometimes on his pile would be a western, then below it would be a science fiction, and a war story, and a romance. You never knew what you were getting, because he always took it off the top. And you were expected to do any type of story. The Korean War was on at the time, so we did a lot of war stories. The westerns were the old staples. Then the horror trend came along, and we did the Journey Into Mystery books and Strange Tales and Weird
TJKC: At what point did you become aware of Simon & Kirby? JOE: Through the late 1940s, I saw a lot of the romance books. The Kirby romances really stood out because of Jack’s unique style. It was a very heavy-handed style, and Simon did a great job of inking Jack. That was the first thing. But then I lost contact with Jack’s work, because when you’re working professionally, you’re not really paying that much attention to other people. I would look at a few other comics. I bought the EC books, because of John Severin especially. When Severin drew an M-1 rifle, you knew it was an M-1 rifle; he was so authentic. Stan always used to tell us to buy John Severin’s stuff, because he never draws anything incorrectly. Stan was really impressed with John, and I certainly was. TJKC: How did you start inking Jack’s work? JOE: Up until that point, around 1961 or so, I had never inked anyone else’s work. When Stan called me, I thought I was doing him a favor. I 25
Page 9 1. (From FF #108, page 15, panel 4.) 2.-4. (Missing Panels, probably showing Sue planting a Mini-Camera In Janus’ house.) 5. (From FF #108, page 15, panel 5.)
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36 Page 8 1-3. (From FF #108, Page 7, Panels 1-3.) 4. “Ben says we blew it--the guy got away with a million bucks.” 5. (missing panel.) 6. “Yeah--he’s now number one-on the ten most wanted felons!” 7. “We can’t stay here! Let’s get him--” “Reed says cool it--he’s following a lead.”
Page 10 1.-2.. (Missing Panels, probably showing Sue planting a Mini-Camera In Janus’ house.) 3. “Reed is amazed at mildness of prof, who is complete opposite of ben’s description.” 4. (Missing panel.) 5. “Meanwhile, the prof’s evil brother has been watching--he says richards must be flabbergasted.” 6. “Prof says--why did you have to come after all these years?” “Because you’re a perfect cover brother--”
37 Page 11 1. “I’ve been away perfecting Mega-Power. Now--i’ll gain money-power.” 2. “You won’t talk. the town won’t talk--or it’s curtains!” 3. “stick with me. with mega-power--i may even help you walk again.” 4. “right now i’m gong to be busy in lab. richards didn’t go away without bugging the house.” 5. “i’ve got instruments to trace his bugs and destroy them. now leave me.” 6. “Yes--my plans don’t stop here--i’ll empty that whole city of its money.” 7. (From FF #108, page 7, Panel 6.)
Page 12 & 13 (This page would’ve been split into two half pages, with ads running under them--A practice that got a 20-page story out of only 19 pages of art.) 1-2.. (From FF #108, page 8, panel 2 and 3.) 3. (From FF #108, page 8, panel 6.) 4. (From FF #108, page 9, panel 1.) 5. “What Happened?” “Ben says--reed’s minicamera blew up in our faces--that’s what!” 6. “That was no malfunction-that was mega-power. Listen sue--I have a nutty idea--”