Edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows Publishing)
ISBN: 978-1-893905-89-6
A waggish pal gave me this recently on the occasion of my fiftieth birthday, and I must admit I couldn’t have asked for a better or more evocative gift, packed as it is with nostalgic milestones of my life that just happen to coincide with some of the greatest moments in the truly stellar career of the greatest creative force in American comics.
A colossal tabloid-sized soft-cover, it’s actually the fiftieth issue of that magnificent periodical The Jack Kirby Collector which has been celebrating the genius (a much-over used term, but one that actually applies here) of Jacob Kurtzberg, nee Kirby, the undisputed King of Comics.
If you’re not a fan or prepared to go see for yourself what all the fuss has been about then no words of mine will change your mind. That doesn’t alter the fact that Kirby’s work since 1939 shaped the entire American comics scene, affected the lives of billions of readers and thousands of creators in all areas of artistic endeavour around the world for generations and which is still, 15 years after his death, garnering new fans and apostles from the young and naive to the most cerebral of intellectuals. Jack’s immortal work is instantly accessible, irresistibly visceral, deceptively deep and simultaneously mythic and human.
This 168 page blockbuster compiles a number of categories and lists half-a-hundred landmarks in each: 50 Best Stories, Covers, Unused artworks, and Character Designs. These are supplemented by a 50 page Art Gallery (including a too brief colour section) and a formidable discussion section wherein fifty shining lights relate the impact Kirby has had on them.
Amongst these varied worthies are the likes of Bruce Timm, Jim Steranko, Jim Starlin, Steve Rude, Alex Ross, Walter Simonson, John Romita Jr. & Sr., Gail Simone, Alan Moore, Leo Ortolani, Qui Nguyen, Tom Scioli, Arlen Schumer, Brent Staples, Byron Roberts, Stefano Priarone, Geoff Grogan, Glen David Gold, Junot Diaz and a host of others from fields as diverse as fine art to heavy metal music.
Swamped with candid photographs and awash with scores of comic pages and sketches (mostly his seldom seen pencil art) this celebration of the Kirby magic is fascinating, revelatory and powerfully joyous and moving.
All characters and properties TM and © 2008 their respective copyright holders. All other work © 2008 the Jack Kirby Estate.