Bronze age works of Jack Kirby 0

[Marty Mann]

These issues are part of the reason I started to buy comics again!

 

IMG CAPTAIN VICTORY #1

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/9372859694_6462e83a21_z.jpg' alt='9372859694_6462e83a21_z.jpg'>IMG 2001 #10

 

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Edited February 15, 2016 by Marty Mann

[Mercury Man]

Captain America #197 was probably one of my earliest comic books I owned. Picked it up at the 7-11 when 7-11 was my comics shop.

[Rick moma]

7-11? Your comic shop?? That's AWESOME! Comics and SLURPEE'S!!

[Mercury Man]

7-11? Your comic shop?? That's AWESOME! Comics and SLURPEE'S!!

 

Yeah, that was the 1970's. When you could leave the house at 8 years old without adult supervision, ride your bike without a helmet to the 7-11, pick up some comics/Slurpee, and meander back for dinner 2 hours later, without being asked "Where were you!!?".

 

Magical times......

[jools&jim]

 

7-11? Your comic shop?? That's AWESOME! Comics and SLURPEE'S!!

Yeah, that was the 1970's. When you could leave the house at 8 years old without adult supervision, ride your bike without a helmet to the 7-11, pick up some comics/Slurpee, and meander back for dinner 2 hours later, without being asked "Where were you!!?".

 

Magical times......

Amen to that!

 

In some ways, that era (i.e., late 1970s/early 1980s) was the beginning of the end of the more-or-less typical, carefree, mid-century American childhood.

 

Good times indeed. I fear we shall not see their like again...

 

 

[Phicks]

How would you all rank Kirby's DC works? I loved Mister Miracle, and liked Kamandi and The New Gods. I could not get turned on to Forever People, and I have not even tried Jimmy Olson. Am I actually missing out on the best part of his DC projects?

[MR SigS]

The Demon

[Rick moma]

Yesssss Demon!!!

 

Well phicks I wouldn't say your missing out on the best parts of his projects. Truth be told...everything this man has done has a flavor of its own. He was exceptional and deserves such a high amount of respect and gratitude for his contributions to the media, that there is no argument about best or not best. Popularity does not equal best and best is in the mind of the individual.

 

I think if you are a fan or you have even an interest and curiosity, you will enjoy all of his stuff for what it is.

[Jeffro.]

Yesssss Demon!!!

 

Well phicks I wouldn't say your missing out on the best parts of his projects. Truth be told...everything this man has done has a flavor of its own. He was exceptional and deserves such a high amount of respect and gratitude for his contributions to the media, that there is no argument about best or not best. Popularity does not equal best and best is in the mind of the individual.

 

I think if you are a fan or you have even an interest and curiosity, you will enjoy all of his stuff for what it is.

 

Let's not drink the Kool Aid too deeply here. I am a fan but not everything Kirby did is worthy of such praise. As is the case in all aspects of art, there is good stuff and not so good stuff. We need to recognize Kirby's misses and well as his hits.

[Zonker]

How would you all rank Kirby's DC works? I loved Mister Miracle, and liked Kamandi and The New Gods. I could not get turned on to Forever People, and I have not even tried Jimmy Olson. Am I actually missing out on the best part of his DC projects?

 

Read the first 6 issues of his Jimmy Olsen (133-138). So many new concepts and throwaway ideas on virtually every page. The 1980s post-Crisis Superman creative team strip-mined these issues for ideas for many years!

 

Forever People had some of the least-developed characters in the Fourth World series, but at the same time was pretty central I think to the philosophy Kirby was exploring at the time. Check out an analysis here of FP #3 posted on these boards several years ago.

[Rick moma]

Are what exactly are Kirby's "misses" my good sir? Is there any intelligent or specific things that you can State as what a "miss" is? Oh I see ...your opinion is fact. ..I think you sir have drank the cool aid. THE SPIKED ONE

[Jeffro.]

Are what exactly are Kirby's "misses" my good sir? Is there any intelligent or specific things that you can State as what a "miss" is? Oh I see ...your opinion is fact. ..I think you sir have drank the cool aid. THE SPIKED ONE

 

I get it. You're not interested in any type of constructive discussion.

[Rick moma]

Yea..I get it to. You just blurt nonsense with no intelligent backing or comments whatsoever. Are you just bored? Is that it?? Swell because I'm bored with you buddy.

[Mr. 10%]

Hate to say it, but I thought his DC work (from Jimmy Olsen to Kamandi to New Gods to Mr. Miracle, etc.) was garbage, as was his Captain America run in the 200s.

 

The one exception to this was his incongruously _awesome_ work for DC on the Losers in Our Fighting Forces.

 

so lemme see if I get this right? everything from Jimmy Olsen to Kamandi to New Gods to Mr. Miracle, etc.) was "garbage"?

 

Huh?

 

[Jeffro.]

Yea..I get it to. You just blurt nonsense with no intelligent backing or comments whatsoever. Are you just bored? Is that it?? Swell because I'm bored with you buddy.

 

You must have missed my comments in this very thread where I state that I am a Kirby fan. However, I am capable of seeing that not everything he touched turned to gold. No creator bats 1000. I see that you are incapable of finding any fault at all with Kirby's work.

[Rick moma]

I see your point. It's all opinion. I love the art therefor I do not understand "fault". You like or you don't...that's the flavor of comics. You are correct. Not everything he touched is gold.

 

If you are referring to popularity or market value this is a true statement. Some people like what mainstream does not. One man's junk is another man's treasure.

 

Your point is valid. I've seen you around and I know that you know your comics.

[Gatsby77]

I'm with Jeffro.

 

The vast majority of Kirby's 70s output was sub-par.

 

Blocky, needlessly stylized, almost art deco .

 

He was past his prime and, for DC, mostly phoning it in with his 4th World stuff, particularly relative to the work the new breed of 70s artists (including Smith, Adams,, Kaluta, Colan, & even latter Ploog & latter Steranko) were producing during the same time period.

 

On the one hand, I get that "Kirby is Kirby" but to seriously compare his 70s DC work (as I've said, some Jimmy Olsen & Our Fighting Forces excepted) to his phenomenal output during the 1960s on titles like FF and Thor is just

 

The worst of Smith's output on Conan or Colan's work on Tomb of Dracula, for example, ran circles around anything Kirby did in Kamandi, New Gods or Mister Miracle.

[Gatsby77]

What's next?

 

Folks praising Kirby's Topps Comics' from the early 1990s?

 

Or Neal Adams' art on Continuity?

[Jeffro.]

I'm with Jeffro.

 

The vast majority of Kirby's 70s output was sub-par.

 

Blocky, needlessly stylized, almost art deco .

 

He was past his prime and, for DC, mostly phoning it in with his 4th World stuff, particularly relative to the work the new breed of 70s artists (including Smith, Adams,, Kaluta, Colan, & even latter Ploog & latter Steranko) were producing during the same time period.

 

On the one hand, I get that "Kirby is Kirby" but to seriously compare his 70s DC work (as I've said, some Jimmy Olsen & Our Fighting Forces excepted) to his phenomenal output during the 1960s on titles like FF and Thor is just

 

If anything, I think Kirby is guilty of trying to do too much at times. Look at all the stuff he created in the 70s and early 80s. Clearly the guy had ideas. He was incredibly creative and his work always seemed to have an amazing energy about it but I think he overreached. I disagree about "phoning it in" on the 4th World stuff. That would suggest he didn't care about it and I can't agree with that. I love Kamandi but then I've always been a sucker for the post apocalyptic. Demon is an incredibly fun, but all too short, 16 issues.

 

Ironically, although I am a huge DC war fan, I've never thought much of Kirby's OFF work. However, I need to revisit those issues. It's been a long time since I read them.

[jaeldubyoo]

I think that whoever inked Kirby's work during that period also helped defined the look. Mike Royer was the principal inker of Kirby's Fourth World. What would have the Kirby art looked like if old school inkers like Joe Sinnott had inked it?