Jack Kirby's comics collages

[Doohickamabob]

Very interesting article from Imprint.

 

Thursday, Apr 26, 2012 05:00 PM PDT

 

Comic collages in context

"Fantastic Four" cartoonist Jack Kirby's work traces its roots to ancient Japan and early cubism

By Steven Bower, Imprint

 

Jack Kirby had choices to make, especially considering he could do it all: writing, penciling, inking, coloring. Along the way he found it prudent to concentrate on what he could do best: dream big and render those flights of fancy in graphite. Why then would he choose to break his stride and search through various magazines in search of the right image, rubber cement in hand?

 

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[KirbyJack]

Why? Maybe because that's what artists do.

 

There are modern creators who are one trick ponies. They can draw muscular men. Some are at a loss when you take them out of their comfort zone and ask them to draw horses, or machinery, or even feet.

 

Kirby was a true, fine artist, and challenged himself accordingly. He was trying to establish the medium as something beyond pablum, so he experimented. The collages didn't reproduce as well as he would have liked, but they still worked. Stan Lee was editor enough to make Kirby re-do pages, and I believe he would have 86'ed the collages if he didn't see the value of them.

 

I liked them, particularly the one in FF 51. It really gave a sense of a different universe.