Kirby 100 - A look at 2001 A Space Odyssey - The Series

I made it a goal to re-read all of Jack Kirby's mid-seventies Marvel work this year. I hadn't liked it when originally published, but now I find them to filled with Kirby's wonderful imagination. See my reviews of The Eternals and Captain America's Bicentennial Battles. Yesterday I wrote about 2001 the movie adaptation, here it's 2001 the color comic.

The series I had the least hope for in terms of quality was the color comic series, 2001 A Space Odyssey. I collected these at the time but had no earthly memory at all, other than Machine Man appeared in issue 8 and that became a spin-off book. But I was wrong...this 2001 series is freaking great! The artwork on many splash pages is just bonkers, as you can see above.

This seems like a very experimental series for Kirby. The first issue seems like a replay of the main 2001 plot, with different characters. Many of the stories have the same ending as the movie: the Monolith appears and accelerates the aging process in someone to transform them into a Star-Child. But in issue #2, he does a short story about Vira the She-Demon. Half of the story is about Vira encountering the Monolith and learning how to use fear to subjugate the Neanderthals. The other half of the story is about Vera Gentry, an astronaut on Ganymede who also encounters the Monolith.



Another story takes place later on, with a character called Marakwho encounters the Monolith and figures out how to make use of swords, shields, wheels, water barrels, and other things to make his army more successful. He's not the most admirable character. But we can see civilization slowly advancing.

The series has no connection to Marvel. It has no plot that carries on between issues except for the occassional two-parter. It's like an anthology series that can take place in any time period. The only thing they have in common is an appearance by the Monolith.

One issue could be set in the time of barbarians. Another was set in a future where people play virtual reality games based on superheroes. I suspect Kirby always wanted a free floating anthology and this gave him the vehicle to do it.

It lasts for 7 issues in this anthology format, then Machine Man appears in issue 8 - where he was called X-51 at first.

The connection to the 2001 stories is tenuous; Machine Man sees the Monolith at one point, which gives him some insight as to what to do next. But it launches a new series, one separate from the 2001 license and wholly owned by Marvel. I shall cover that over on Giant-Siz Marvel. Nuff Said and Happy 100 Jack Kirby Birthday!

Kirby's 2001 A Space Odyssey: Treasury Special

In 1976, Marvel Comics welcomed Jack King Kirby back to the fold. As part of his return they published a Marvel Treasury Special adaptation of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I recently re-read this and was blown away by the scope of Kirby's work in this oversized format. I doubt this can ever be reprinted again. Others have written longer essays about how great this is, I prefer to look at a few of the mind blowing splash pages...

David Bowman getting blown through the hatch back into the spaceship so he can take out Hal.

The incredible double page spread of a shuttle zipping across the moonscape with a base / mineral city below it.

Dave Bowman removing Hal's memory discs, the most dramatic scene from the movie.

The final trip that Bowman takes, courtesy of the Monolith, is even wilder than the one from the movie.

Kirby always believed that comics were a great art form and deserved presentation in different formats and graphic novels. This was one time he was able to prove his point very skillfully. This Treasury special is well worth buying used on eBay if you are a Kirby fan. Nuff Said!

Steve Rude on Jack Kirby's Metron, Orion, Big Barda!

I recently joined the Steve Rude fans page on Facebook where I found a number of New Gods related commissions...

Darkseid and Orion, father and son.

Metron! Holding a little Mother Box the X-Element (see this image and comment below) in his hand, very nice.

Orion versus The Demon!

Big Barda.

Big Barda and Oberon!

Infinity Man.

Lashina, lashing out!

Nuff Said!

The Demon #1 cover re-interpreted

Came across this Kirby homage on Facebook, courtesy of Rich Woodall and colored by Scott Dutton (along with the DC masthead) for the King's 99th birthday...

Scott Dutton's website is Catspaw Dynamics and you can see his process for this color work. He takes bits from the original cover, cleans it up, and gives it a new spin with a fresh color perspective.  I've been following Scott on Facebook and he has recolored a number of remarkable classic covers.

Here is Scott's take on Kirby's original Demon #1 cover.  I really dig how he did his own take on everything, even the DC masthead on top.  Rise the Demon, Etrigan! Nuff Said.

Jack King Kirby's 99th birthday

Often times when I think about Jack Kirby - I remember this house ad from 1970 in various DC Comics...

At the time I really didn't know what this meant! I had just started reading Marvel, the very first Fantastic Four issue I read had art by John Romita! Of course I was reading some Kirby material in reprint books like Marvel's Greatest Comics. But there was no Internet. It was way before I knew about fanzines or could subscribe to The Comic Reader. 

You know what my first thought was? This ad was promoting a religious line of comics! The Great One.

But later we did see that it was indeed Jack "King" Kirby and he was taking over, of all the DC Comics in the world - Jimmy Olsen! That was later in 1970. As terrific as Jimmy Olsen was - we still had no idea what a Boom Tube was.

Late in the fall of 1970 we probably saw this house ad, advertising the first 3 titles in the Fourth World series: New Gods and Forever People in late December followed by Mister Miracle later in 1971.

I never was able to find Forever People #1 on the newsstands! I searched and searched, too, because it had Superman on the cover. But I was unable to read that until many years later.

I did buy New Gods #1 as soon as I saw it. The cover was amazing...even this photo does not do it justice. It was like no other comics cover I had ever seen before. The work inside was amazing and promised to unfold an even bigger epic in the months ahead.

The King had arrived at DC Comics! We hoped he would reign for a decade or more, but alas, it was meant to be a short tenure. But even during that period of 4-5 years he created some of the most amazing characters and concepts that is surely about to propel DC's new Justice League movie. 

Nuff Said.

Celebrating King Kirby and the Fourth World

I missed writing on Jack Kirby's two days ago but still wanted to celebrate.  Earlier this year I went through several of DC Comics' Fourth World Omnibus books, plus the second Omnibus featuring Kamandi.

The Fourth World series was phenomenal and I enjoyed it even more than when I was a kid.  I had read all of these when they came out: Jimmy Olsen, New Gods, Mister Miracle -- but somehow skipped both the Forever People and Kamandi.  Kirby's colorful depiction of New Genesis is shown above.  The first few issues of each series were an explosion of characters and cosmic concepts, probably the release of the King's imagination after feeling mistreated at Marvel.

In particular the New Gods story which made a big impact this time around was "Glory Boat" in New Gods #6.  After doing a quick search on the Internet, I see that I am not alone in my admiration for this story, with a beautiful climax in the splash page featuring Orion and Lightray on top of a giant Source-infused warhead ready to take down Deep Six.  This illustration was also featured in Mark Evanier's King Kirby biography.

I've read and re-read the Mister Miracle series more than any of the others, as this is probably my favorite Kirby character after the Silver Surfer and the Thing.  I love the whole concept of the character and the origin of Scott Free and how this intersects with Orion and Highfather.  But the series really comes alive with the introduction of Big Barda.  How did Kirby get away with that skimpy red metal bikini?  And my favorite issue #6 featured Funky Flashman (Excelsior!) meeting Barda, who quickly sees right through his massive bullshit.

There was always one big gap to my Fourth World history: the Forever People!  I only bought one or two issues in the 70s.  Perhaps this was because the first issue had spotty distribution -- it was impossible to find and I gave up since I wasn't there at the beginning.   But this series was equally as wacky and cool, with characters like Big Bear, Beautiful Dreamer, Serafin, and Mark Moonrider.  Finally after reading it now, I understood the power of the Anti-Life equation and also why Sonny Sumo was such an important figure that Grant Morrison referred to him in Final Crisis.  In another Final Crisis link, I always wondered why the Omega Beam transported Batman back in time -- that is answered in FP #6 and #7.  It doesn't always kill!

One thing I noticed in this re-read: for some reason the sixth issue of each series is almost the high point of each one!  New Gods #6 is Glory Boat.  Mister Miracle #6 features Funky Flashman.  Forever People #6 features Darkseid, Sonny Sumo and the Anti-Life equation.

Reading the Kamandi volumes was another joy.  Why, why, why did I not collect Kamandi during this period?  I am a huge Planet of the Apes and science fiction fan.  Nearly every issue of Kamandi is a mind blower in terms of a new concept being introduced.  It's pure single issue fun with little overriding story arc.  And with solid inking throughout the series it seems like pure Kirby.  Incidentally, my theory about issue #6 being the best holds up here -- Kamandi #6 is titled "Flower" about his girlfriend with a shocking ending.

I am sure at the time when New Gods, Forever People, and Mister Miracle were cancelled, that must have seemed like an epic failure to Kirby.  Likewise when his long run on Kamandi ended with Gerry Conway dialoging his last few issues it must have seemed like the final nail in the coffin.  But these stories seem timeless and they endure.  I have heard that parents can read these stories to their kids with no problem.  Can you imagine what a Kamandi animated series would look like, especially if Bruce Timm was involved?  I think this is a hidden goldmine for DC.  Nuff Said.

Jack Kirby, Curt Swan, Wally Wood, John Byrne, Jim Steranko, etc on a Silver-Bronze Age Jam!

Another Jam piece, commissioned by Martin Greim in 1978 to 1982!  This one is a doozy, one of the few times (perhaps the only time) that Wally Wood inked Curt Swan on Superman, and this unique team-up is complemented by what some would call the two greatest penciler/inker duos in the history of comics: Kirby/Sinnott and Byrne/Austin.

• Tom Sutton - Vampirella
• Ernie Chan - Hulk
• Ramona Fradon - Plastic Man
• Kurt Schaffenberger - The Original Captain Marvel
• Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott - Captain America
• Michael Golden & Joe Sinnott - Ant Man
• Curt Swan & Wally Wood - Superman
• Joe Staton & Dick Giordano - Wonder Woman
• John Byrne & Terry Austin - Spider-Man
• Gene Colan & Klaus Janson - Howard the Duck
• ??? & Dave Simons - Doll Man
• Jim Steranko & Joe Rubinstein - Nick Fury
• Jim Aparo - Batman

How could you not be proud to own this fine piece?  Many of them are by classic Silver & Bronze age artists: Aparo on Batman, Swan on Superman (getting Wood to ink him was a real coup), Byrne/Austin on Spider-Man and Steranko on Fury--oh my!  It was also signed by Captain America co-creator Joe Simon!  Nuff Said.

Jack Kirby Fourth World Gallery: pinups by Byrne, Simonson, and more!

Whenever I feel a bit down, the best therapy is always to go explore my long boxes. A couple of weeks ago, I came across the 1996 pin-up special, Jack Kirby Fourth World Gallery!

New Gods assembled by Walt Simonson.  I really think Simonson drew my favorite interpretation of these characters after Kirby.  Orion of the New Gods was a great series and still holds up to reading today.

Orion by John Byrne.  Of course, Mr. Byrne was no slouch at capturing the power cosmic of these Kirby characters as well.  Love how he draws Orion coming out of an exploding galaxy here.

Lightray by John Byrne.  Magnificent vista of New Genesis in the background!  Lightray has to be the most positive character in the history of comics.

Mister Miracle by Steve Lightle.  Funny that Lightle resisted the urge to go for a full profile shot and instead drew this image of Scott Free in space.  Was this a rejected cover for an earlier series?

Forever People by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, who do a pretty good job of drawing these timeless hippies alongside the Infinity Man.

Seeing these images makes me feel good about the original incarnations of these characters.  I usually like Grant Morrison's work, but I feel his re-imagining of the New Gods in Seven Soldiers was a huge mistake.  Even worse were the final fate of the New Gods in Final Crisis.  I am sure someone is planning for their return in the New 52 DC Universe.  Will it be the classic versions or Morrison's weird take?  Let's wait and see.  Nuff Said!

Crystal by Bruce Timm, with a Kirby pin-up

A few characters by Timm always seem spot-on.  Or maybe all the women he draws are just spot-on?  In any case, he really nails the character of Crystal in these two pin-ups.  The above has Crystal standing in Attilan, the home of the Inhumans.  The costume has these real subtle elements, like the belt buckle around her (tiny) waist, the flared gloves and boots. 

I always like Crystal from the first 140 issues of the Fantastic Four.  She was Johnny Storm’s first love, and the one that hurt him the most when that slime ball Quicksilver stole her away.  She had various guest appearances over the years, was an Avenger for a brief period of time.  Lately she was married to Ronan the Accuser of all people.

Jack Kirby designed Crystal’s look and costume, of course, but where did this costume actually appear in the FF?  I searched quickly through a few comics and could only come up with this pin-up from Fantastic Four Annual #5 in 1967.  In other FF appearances, I found Crystal wearing a variety of outfits, and when she replaced Sue briefly in the latter stage of Kirby’s run, Crystal put on the traditional blue FF outfit.  At any rate, it is a great costume.  I imagine Kirby created this in less than an hour and did it all based on imagination and instinct.  Nuff Said!

Big Barda by Bruce Timm and Jack Kirby, designer of swimwear!

Big Barda is a secret little favorite among comics geeks who hardly gets any attention.  She appeared in Mister Miracle but has made very few guest appearances over the years.  I always like to see artists that get a kick out of drawing Barda for fans.  Bruce Timm obviously digs Barda, especially in this outfit.

Barda strikes another pose.  I started wondering about this battle bikini.  Did Kirby really invent it?  I recalled that he did and all the elements on that outfit seemed to be designed by the King.

The answer is YES!  Big Barda’s first appearance was in Mister Miracle #4, 1971.  In that issue, Barda first appears in her full-on battle armor, with the blue chain mail.  At the end of the story, when Barda is at home with Scott and Oberon, she slips into this bikini—a little something comfortable.  Oberon, who didn’t like Barda up until this point, even exclaims: Whoever made that Gal wear a uniform should be horsewhipped! 

Kirby knew he had designed a great character at this point.  The splash page of Mister Miracle #5 from 1971 featured Barda doing Yoga in her swimwear, to the delight of Scott Free’s neighbors.

I cannot imagine being a super-villain and facing down Big Barda or Wonder Woman!  I do find it incredibly strange that this character has remained hidden in DC Comics for all these years.  Nuff Said.

Jack Kirby Mister Miracle cover progression: pencils to inks to color

Mister Miracle is one of my favorite characters created by Jack Kirby.  Out of all the New Gods, the story of Scott Free, sent as a baby to Apokolips by Highfather in a bid to stave off war, was the most compelling.  Not only did Mister Miracle have the best costume (sorry, Tim Gunn, I disagree), the best gadgets (a Mother Box and lots of nanotech before there was nanotech), the best origin (escaping from a totalitarian regime ring any bells for a Jewish artist?)--but he also had the best girlfriend, Big Barda.



TwoMorrows has published a lot of cool Mister Miracle pieces, but this one, the cover to the Jack Kirby Collector #21, seems so iconic that it could have been a cover on the original series.  I use the same words over and over to describe art that I love.  Words like really, great, and poster.  But this image is really great and it should have been a poster. 



Tommy Kohlmaier owns the version of this cover that was inked by Bob Wiacek.  Compare this to the original pencils below.  Wiacek keeps the King's lines intact, adds a few dimensions and smoothes out a few things.



Here are the original pencils for this piece (owned by Tod Seisser), which was published originally in the 1971 Kirby Portfolio.  That portfolio had some other New Gods drawings as well, worth checking out here.  Nuff Said!

Link: Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 2 HC (reprints FF #31-60 in a giant-sized hardcover)
Link: Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1
Link: Tommy Kohlmaier Gallery at ComicArtFans
Link: Tod Seisser's Gallery at ComicArtFans.
Link: TwoMorrows Publishing.

Jack Kirby's Birthday: Amazing Heroes 100 Tribute

Today is Jack Kirby's birthday today and we Giant-Sized Geeks celebrate this the way others do any religious holiday.  Kirby was a God among comics creators!  That fact entitles you to sit back and read a few Kirby comics today.





There have been a lot of publications about Jack Kirby that honor his contributions to the comic industry.  One of my favorites was Amazing Heroes #100 (from 1986).  It featured a great cover by Jack Kirby, inked by Steve (The Dude) Rude.

This issue of Amazing Heroes was jam-packed with content.  It had an article by Mark Evanier and a series of written tributes to the King by industry professionals, such as Frank Miller, Jerry Ordway, Steve Rude, Stan Lee, etc.  A few of the artists contributed some drawings.




Probably one of the most touching tributes was William Messner-Loebs contribution.  Messner-Loebs was the writer-artist who did Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire, and later wrote many other comics like Flash, Impulse, and Comico's Jonny Quest.  In this cartoon, he expresses his love for Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos:  Now, no matter how placid or bland my immediate surroundings, I can close my eyes and call up the glorious anarchy of the Howlers!  I feel the same way about various comic-book characters.  Messner-Loebs fell into a bad financial situation in the early 2000s, but according to the Wikipedia article, he is doing better now.  I hope so.




Kevin O'Neill, the artist most of you will know from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, drew this fantastic gun on steroids, powered by Kirby, pumping out idea bullets and spewing genius.  I swear I saw Marshal Law carrying this weapon, I'll have to re-read those issues to look for it.





Scott Shaw!  delivered this cartoon giving a mighty big hand to Jack.  Scott Shaw had a website called Shaw Cartoons that you can visit.  Both O'Neill and Shaw are recognizing Kirby's skill at taking any object and blowing it up, making it larger than life.  What was extra nice was that Scott also gave a shout out to Kirby's wife, Roz.




Dark Horse Comics lined up their stable of artists to provide a little jam tribute to the King.  The most notable artists here are Paul Chadwick, who drew his creation, Concrete, on the left.  In the middle, I see Ron Randall's Trekker character.  I wish I could name all of the rest.

I was inspired to explore Amazing Heroes #100 after visiting The Kirby Museum.  Check it out, I think you will find lots of Kirby magic there.  Nuff Said!

Link: Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 2 HC (reprints FF #31-60 in a giant-sized hardcover)
Link: Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Vol. 1