§ January 3rd, 2008 § Filed under jack kirby Comments Off on Still way under the weather…
…so all I’ve got today is Jack Kirby’s embodiment of Death from the New Gods, the Black Racer:
Only Kirby could take something as potentially goofy-looking as the Black Racer and make it…well, still kinda goofy-looking, but with a good portion of kick-ass, too. If your embodiment of Death is a guy in armor on skis who flies, well, the only way you’re gonna sell it to the reader is to just throw yourself completely into it. And by God, Kirby gave us the coolest flying-armored-Death-on-skis that has ever been seen, before or since.
So, the Black Racer. Cool character, or coolest character?
(updated 8/2017)
Perhaps phrasing my topic of discussion the way I did yesterday colored people’s perceptions a tad. Well, Kid Chris did phrase it (facetiously, I re-emphasize) “Was Jack Kirby the Rob Liefeld of the ’70s?” which got me to thinking along the lines that I did. I didn’t mean to imply a one-to-one match between Kirby’s and Liefeld’s output and careers. Mostly I was curious as to how Kirby’s reputation was perceived in the ’70s, when he was putting out a large amount of peculiar, non-traditional books in what might have been seen as outdated storytelling and art techniques by fans at the time. The line of thought, caused by the Kid’s question, was that “people don’t like Liefeld’s work now, people didn’t like Kirby’s work then — does KC’s statement have a grain of truth, even if in the most general of interpretations?”
And I’d like to thank you all for your thoughtful comments [EDIT: Haloscan link dead], debating the topic, quite rightly pointing out where the Liefeld/Kirby analogy falls apart, etc., and not calling me a prick for even bringing it up.
There’s one more thing I’d like to emphasize, however…I mentioned in my post (and other folks mentioned as well) that even Kirby’s throwaway, lesser, “bad” creations are more worthy and memorable than many other people’s funnybook efforts.
To wit: I now drop the “Paranex, the Fighting Fetus” bomb from Captain Victory #7 (Oct. ’82):
Yes, I know there’s no
shortage of focus on the fightin’-est fetus of them all, but that’s the point. Long after the
Marvel Zombies have shuffled off this mortal coil, long after all the “permanent” changes wrought by the Civil Wars and Final Crises have been rolled back, long after
Ultimate Hulk Vs. Wolverine #3 comes out, there will still be people talking about “Paranex, the Fighting Fetus.”
To think that there are people in the comics industry who have never created anything that even comes close to the greatness of the Fighting Fetus — perhaps, arguably, one of the least of Kirby’s countless creations. That certainly puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?
A little something that annoyed me:
So I’m checking the Google news, and I see a headline about Heroes‘ Hayden Panettiere having a warrant out for her arrest in Japan for “violently clash[ing] with Japanese fishermen in October as she tried to save hundreds of dolphins from slaughter.”
And there’s a photo of her with that article standing there on the beachside, with other protesters. And in the comments section for that article, someone says this:
“Does that wetsuit make her look fat or what?”
Go look at the photo. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Now would you agree that’s a pretty loose definition of the word “fat” at work there? “Fat” as in “a fit, healthy-looking 18 year old woman, not anorexic like this commenter apparently believes is the physical ideal.”
“Anonymous person says something really stupid and hateful on the internet.” STOP THE PRESSES.
(post updated 8/2017)
This piece is from a comic convention program, circa mid-to-late ’70s if I recall correctly. Unfortunately, I no longer have the program in my possession, having sold it through the eBay long ago, but at least I still have this scan. It looks to me like an actual jam piece by Russell Myers, Charles Schulz, and Jack Kirby, though I suppose it could have been cobbled together from various sources. If anyone has any more information about this artwork (like which program for what convention), I’d like to hear it.
EDIT: Some of my kind, knowledgeable readers have informed me it’s from the 1974 San Diego Comic Con program. Thanks, folks!
(updated 8/2017)
§ August 28th, 2005 § Filed under jack kirby Comments Off on Today is Jack Kirby’s birthday.
I only met Jack Kirby once, but once was enough to shake the hand that created and drew Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the New Gods, Thor, Fighting American, the Newsboy Legion, the Challengers of the Unknown, the Hulk, Devil Dinosaur, and countless others.
I’m glad I had that opportunity to meet him.
Happy 88th, Jack.
(updated 8/2017)
