BAB Book Review: Jack Kirby's Thor Artist Edition

Jack Kirby's Thor Artist Edition 
IDW Publishing, July 2016

Doug: On July 16th I returned home from my annual work at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. While it was great to be back home after what had been 11 days away, it was also wonderful to finally lay eyes on this book. I'd ordered it many months ago, and as seems to be true with projects of this ilk I sat through a few publication delays. It arrived just a couple of days before I did, but trust me -- the wait was worth it!

For those of you who were with me a few weeks ago when I offered my thoughts on Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Gallery Edition, I will again be using photographs of this text as opposed to scans. Similar in size to John Romita's Amazing Spider-Man Artifact Edition (and larger than the Dark Knight book), this is a cumbersome tome.

To get things rolling, how about this two-page spread to greet the reader/viewer?

To you stats geeks, here's the "tale of the tape" -- from the good folks at Comic Book Daily.com:

Jack Kirby’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition
Includes Journey Into Mystery #s 111, 117-118, Thor #s 134-135, Thor Annual #2, plus a gallery of covers, splashes and pages.

• Publication Date: July 06, 2016 (solicited for May 2016)
• Publisher Series Number: 42
• ISBN: 978-1-63140-603-4
• Diamond Item Code: JAN160388 (In Stock)
• 15″ x 22″
• 160 pages
• $125 USD
• Initial Reported Sales: No data available yet
• Variants: none

Right after the frontispiece pictured above you'll find the Table of Contents, which is really nice, and I display it for those of you who might consider at some point purchasing this volume. I especially like that it shows the inkers involved in these artifacts. Toward the end of the post I'll show you some of the samples from the "gallery section", which really, really enhance the already wonderful offerings contained between these covers. Think about it -- six complete Jack Kirby Thor stories!

Once you're into the nitty gritty of the book, this is what greets the reader:

Oh, you said you wanted words? Well that splash sure had 'em! I love the way the page is marked up at the top, and it's amazing the lines that get lost in the printing process. I also enjoyed seeing the trim size of the final product (here at 6 1/4" x 9 1/4"). That brings me to something many of you are already wondering... what of Kirby's margin notes? Karen and I discussed offline how great this book should be, especially in light of the ongoing conversation of who did what creatively between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Personally, I've always felt that Kirby was the storyteller and Stan was the wordsmith. Does that give one man more credit than the other? To me, no. The symbiosis of their collaboration, the gestalt of the work, is what matters. All the rest seems minutiae in the face of the greater work. My opinion. However, I'm sorry to report that some of those margin notes are not fully viewable in this book. I do not know if that's due to trimming at the printer five decades ago, or trimming in the photo process by IDW Publishing (I assume the former). However, there are abundant pages where Kirby's notes are complete, as in the examples below:

I included the image of Balder below (in civvies, no less) because there's some crazy white-out on his jaw/mouth. I hope my photographic reproduction shows it, as it really leapt off the page at me while looking through.

Here's another shot of the Destroyer, in a great splash from Thor Annual #2; he's a great looking character, one of my favorite Thor villains. And dig the Kirby Krackle!!

A favorite panel in the book. One can see how Kirby might have been an influence on the likes of John Buscema (which he was -- many of you know that Stan handed stacks of Kirby-drawn books to artists new to Marvel, regardless of their pedigree).

Splash pages. What would a Lee/Kirby Thor book be without the Odinsleep? And how about the Big G? Wowza!

Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch made a cameo in Thor #134. Kirby didn't handle them during the Kooky Quartet era, so it's interesting to see his take on the twins. As I said above, note Kirby's extensive margin notes on this page, lost forever to the trimming of the page at some point in the reproduction process.

The High Evolutionary and Kirby machines. That wolf ain't gonna be pretty once the High Ev. gets done with him!

Yes, you in the back of the room. You say you're in need of some more Kirby Krackle? Why... by all means...

As noted above, the end of the book contains a gallery section of awesome covers. I really got a kick out of these, with all their paste-up/white-out/stat glories! I also own the Marvel Covers Artist Edition, and the use of paste-ups was predominant on Marvel's covers. Obviously the logos, corner box art, etc. would have been stats. But you might (or might not) be surprised at how often art was glued onto the cover's bristol board.

Lastly, this Artist Edition contained several of the very earliest Thor pages, from Journey Into Mystery #s 83 and 85. It was a nice idea, and really showed the evolution of the character not only in Kirby's mind, but also from the introductory inks of Joe Sinnott all the way through much of the pages shown in this volume, inked by Vince Colletta. Specifically in regard to Vinnie, and I'm sure many of you want to ask, is it possible to see where Vinnie erased Jack's pencils? I've only been through the book twice, and haven't actually read from it. I also didn't take any sort of care as to "proper lighting". But my first impression is that "no", you can't really see any erasure marks. I will scrutinize further, but can report that I did initially feel disappointed that I could not find any evidence of Kirby's original intentions.

Why not close with a bang? One of the best ongoing tussles in all of Marveldom...

Doug: EPILOGUE!! On July 21st IDW Publishing announced at the San Diego Comicon that 2017 will see the publication of the first volume (read that again, effendi) of the Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four Artist Edition. The book will contain Fantastic Four issues #s 82-84 and Annual #6, all inked by Joe Sinnott. You know this guy cannot wait for that. In fact, I've recently fired up the sell-off machine again, so some books and action figures are going to get converted to cash for this baby. Of course I'll let you know if and when I have it in hand.

Buried Treasures: Smash's Captain America and Thor

Doug: Only two more installments in our retrospective of the superhero features contained within the youth magazines Smash and Dynamite - look for the final one in a couple of weeks. Today we're excerpting from Smash's "Fantastic Foes" series with 3-page spreads on the Red Skull and Loki. As you've done in the past, feel free to comment on the art, the source material, and the magazines. We're happy that you've been enjoying these relics!

This Cover Made Me Buy This Comic Book

Thor #275 (September 1978)(cover by John Buscema, Tom Palmer, and Gaspar Saladino)

Doug: Action in the Mighty Marvel Manner, indeed! You know John Buscema had a blast drawing this cover, replete with those ugly trolls and a quite serious battle axe being wielded by Loki. This cover just exudes energy. Gaspar Saladino's letters don't hurt, either. I have to wonder, though, if the call-out to the television cameraman wasn't in some way a form of base trickery toward readers of the day -- after all, one could find similar call-outs on Spider-Man and Hulk comments at around the same time advertising their own TV shows.

Inaugural Post - 100-Word Review

Doug: A few weeks ago I challenged our readers to enter the Guest Writer arena and perhaps take a baby step by writing a 100-word review. Apparently fish aren't biting, but since I've long had today's story on my mind I thought I'd try this myself. So here goes -- and at the end I'll evaluate the experience. Was it easy or hard to hit that 100-word parameter? What could I discuss, and what did I have to leave out? We shall see.

Doug: My earliest Thor story was the Mangog epic reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #10. Awakened by Ulik, Mangog lumbered off to defeat Odin. The All-Father had beaten back an invasion by an alien race and imprisoned them in the form of Mangog, who then possessed the strength of billions! This 4-issue novel is replete with action, suspense, awe, love... Love? My major takeaway was Asgardian loyalty. Thor’s devotion to Sif, she to him, the valor of Balder and the Warriors Three, and everyone’s willingness to die for the Realm Eternal seemed genuine. If you’ve not read this arc, seek ye it!

Doug: My 100-Word Review landed on your computer at 101 words. Not bad. But certainly not easy. I decided to start with as brief a review as I could craft off the top of my head, and here is what I got:

One of the earliest Silver Age Thor stories I read was the Mangog epic as presented in all its giant glory in Marvel Treasury Edition #10. Jack Kirby’s engine of destruction would surely bring about Ragnarok in Asgard. Freed by his would-be master, the Mangog dominated Ulik the Troll before lumbering off to defeat him who he hated most – Odin. The All-Father had beaten back an invasion by an alien race and imprisoned them in the form of the Mangog. Now this creature possessed the strength (and hate) of a billion billion people! The Lee/Kirby juggernaut gave us a 4-issue novel replete with action, suspense, awe and love. Love? My major takeaway was how loyal Thor and his friends were to each other. His devotion to Sif and she to him, the valor of Balder and the Warriors Three, and their willingness to die for the Realm Eternal all struck me as genuine. If you’ve not ever read this arc, seek ye it!

Doug: That's not very long, is it? But at 163 words, it's pretty far away from our target. Why does it have to be oh-so-close to 100 words? Because that's the hook, the gimmick. And it became a war against myself to trim it as close to the goal as I could. I initially wanted to include thoughts on Loki, the Odinsleep, and the Odinsword, but I knew space would not allow me to touch on those major plot points. So not even going there, I was still challenged to communicate some sort of brief synopsis with at least one parting thought or recommendation. I think I did that, but you tell me.

But man -- that wasn't easy! Next! 

PS: By the way, I read this story for today's review from the new tpb Thor Epic Collection: To Wake the Mangog. The book is chunky, reprinting Thor #s 154-174 in full color. Highly recommended, as the Galactus origin is in that run. Great, great stuff from Stan, Jack, and Vinnie.

 

Arc of Triumph? Thor 232-234

Karen: Here's one of my favorite stories from Thor's 1970s run. Loki gains control of Asgard and invades Earth! He neutralizes all the super-heroes except Thor (of course). Thor teams up with the US military to stop him, and eventually Firelord shows up to help Thor. It all ends with a great confrontation between the two brothers. Gerry Conway wrote it, John Buscema drew it, and three different inkers -Dick Giordano, Chic Stone, and Joe Sinnott - well, inked it. Anyone else get a kick out of this story?

Avengers Firsts: Hercules

 Today's post is #1500 by the Bronze Age Babies - thanks for reading!

Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)(cover by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta)

"When Titans Clash!"

Stan Lee-Jack Kirby/Vince Colletta

Doug: Stuck in the '60s we are! But it's been fun so far, hasn't it? Today's fare should be a blast, too, as we look in on a beloved series -- the Mighty Thor under the creative direction of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vinnie Colletta. God of Thunder vs. Lion of Olympus? Shoot -- why wait?!

Doug: We open with a nice splash page, perhaps an image that could have taken place a mere moment ahead of the shot on this issue's cover. Even in a stand-off, Kirby's figures exude dynamic power. So we get it rolling on page 2 with Thor and Loki riding their steeds amongst some craggy rocks. Thor has convinced skeptical Loki to ride with him in search of adventure in Jotunheim -- the land of the Storm Giants! Thor knows the legends, that the Storm Giants have been searching for a lost passage to fabled Olympus. But wanting a little action, and glory to report to the All-Father, Thor has come here really to create some mischief. He spies two giants moving heavy rocks and attacks them without provocation. Loki melts away while Thor takes it to these two bozos with all the fury we saw on display in the battle scene that began Thor: The Dark World. This action is fast, powerful, and over pretty quickly. But of course Thor's brazenness could be his worst enemy, and indeed in his lust for a quick and lasting triumph he creates a massive landslide.

Karen: It's interesting that the caption on the splash page finds the creative team sort of hedging their bets, saying that "if ever the son of Odin had fought the son of Zeus" it might have been like this! So maybe they weren't so sure they wanted to bring Hercules into the Marvel universe. This could almost have been Marvel's version of an imaginary story, if they hadn't followed it up with a modern meeting of the two princes in the pages of the regular title shortly after. Also, it's obvious to us this takes place in the past but if I had read this when it first came out, I might have been a little confused about that point. You're right though that this scene with the giants really seems to reflect the Thor films -or is that the other way around?!

Doug: I love these stories that have the flavor of a "Tales of Asgard" yarn, because Thor always seems to be even a bit wilder and more impetuous. In the Earthbound stories his godliness seemed a bit more to the fore.Doug: Thor falls with the rockslide, down, down, down... until he lands upright in a chamber made of stone. He figures that the giants must have been right in their guess as to the placement of the gateway to Olympus, for surely he must be in it. He ventures outside, attempting to remain in the shadows. He marvels at some of the odd creatures he sees, yet thinks that perhaps Olympus is not so different from Asgard. But he knows that he must find a way back to the Realm Eternal, so sets off in bold fashion toward a bridge. But -- you guessed it -- as fate would have it another wants to use the narrow construct first. And that someone happens to be named Hercules. What a great way to introduce the conflict between these two: who can be the first to walk across a bridge. How fitting for both of these characters' temperaments!

Karen: Lee must have felt the need to tie the realms of Asgard/Jotunheim and Olympus together, but the idea that the giants originated in Olympus is an odd one. I can't recall reading of giants in Greek myths -other than the Titans or Cyclops. Kirby gives Olympus a distinctly different look and feel than Asgard. We see typical Greek mythological characters like satyrs and centaurs, as well as the marble columns and temples that typify ancient Greek civilization.

Doug: Even though I read this in the Essentials, I could still get a sense for the brightness and airiness (is that a word?) of Kirby's Olympus. While Asgard was generally depicted as magnificent, I think the notion that it floated as an island in space always transmitted to me a darker setting.

Doug: I truly don't know which I enjoy more in this era of Thor -- Kirby's visuals or Lee's dialogue. Both are just wonderful. Hercules and Thor begin to spar verbally as well as physically, and it's just a hoot. We've provided a few images to let the pages speak for themselves -- pure fun! As we've said in our two previous reviews, it's very interesting that of the four characters we've looked at Stan seemed to have their personalities fully-formed from the beginning. Hercules is every bit as brazen as Thor as he continues to talk trash aloud while marveling at his opponent's prowess and comparing it to his own. Both godlings engage each other with their weapons, with Thor's Mjolnir coming out ahead of Herc's mace. And then they decide to go hand-to-hand. Hercules delivers "the most powerful blow *Thor* has ever felt", but Thor comes to his feet almost instantly. Thor returns the favor, but with the same result. Both combatants declare the other their virtual equal. But with egos like theirs, that just means they fight all the harder to prove one's superiority over the other.

Karen: This younger Thor is much more like Hercules in personality than his later, more somber, self. That does make it a lot more fun to watch them go at it! Hercules' look was definitely inspired by the Steve Reeves' Hercules films, although where the little "H"'s on his heels and belt came from, I have no idea (the same place as Galactus' "G" I guess). I love the dialog just as much as you do - our two boys are threatening to "pummel" and "thrash" each other in every panel! Kirby is at his dynamic best.

Doug: Hercules uproots a large totem and bends it into a shape that he declares he will use to bind Thor and make him Herc's prisoner. Dumb old Thor plunges headlong into the twisted arrangement, and Hercules does indeed ensnare him. But Thor strains against his bonds and bursts free, to Herc's incredulity. They again resume fisticuffs, with Hercules pledging to strike Thor again and again in the same spot until Thor falls. Well, Thor does indeed fall, only to bust out a trick that only fans of the Silver Age could appreciate -- the Son of Odin digs his fingers into the turf and rips up the entire landscape like it was a roll of carpet! Hercules is thrown off-balance. As Thor leaps upon his adversary, Hercules grasps two large stones, which he crashes together in Thor's face, the powder blinding the Asgardian.

Karen: Well, we got the pulling-on-the-ground trick. All we need now is someone wearing a rubber mask that is indistinguishable from a real face, and a hero wearing a really large costume piece, armor, or weapon underneath their street clothes.

Doug: With no vision, Thor knows he must swing wildly in order to stay upright until his eyes are clear of the dust. Each immortal uses his strongest punches to try to vanquish the other. But suddenly the Earth shakes as light cracks the sky. Zeus appears, and orders an end to the battle. Fittingly, he's been watching from afar and thinks the whole thing was just great. In a page out of any parental handbook, Zeus compliments both of the spoiled brats, declares them equals, and makes them shake hands and declare friendship for one another! Thor offers that Zeus has the same lordly qualities as his own father and even kneels to the All-Father of Olympus. But then Thor says he must take his leave of Olympus to return to affairs in Asgard. With some Kirby rays emitting from the royal scepter, Thor is lifted back across the divide to Jotunheim, where his adventure began. Loki awaits, and Thor accuses him of fleeing during the fight with the giants. Loki asked where Thor had gone, but the prince says that his memory is failing him. Suddenly huge boulders begin to erupt from the chasm -- Loki claims it must be the work of the Storm Giants, but Thor knows better. He smiles to himself as he watches Zeus's barrier complete itself, but muses that someday he shall again learn of Olympus and see Hercules.

Karen: Zeus shuts  things down quickly, as Thor pretty quickly accepts his authority. I suppose he was used to this sort of thing with Odin. There's a lot of nice imagery by Kirby here, some of it subtle but very effective. All in all, this was a fun romp, a light bit of early Marvel magic. I couldn't help but think of Thor Annual #5, where these two characters would meet in a much longer story.

Doug: This one was short at only 15 pages. We remarked to each other when we chose this Annual for our little Avengers series that it seemed somewhat out of place, disconnected from Giant-Size July. But when we paged through it and found how short it was it was sort of nice. It's a simple story -- the only motivation in telling it is to pit Thor against Hercules. I suppose it's more satisfying than the Thor-Hulk tussle in Journey Into Mystery #112, although like that there's no real winner here. But it must have been a thrill ride for youngsters who'd have come to this in the year before I was born! And as I remarked above, today's story hails from that time when Stan, Jack, and Vinnie were cranking out top-notch adventures each and every month.