The Comics Rack

THE COMPLETE JACK KIRBY JUNE-AUGUST 1947

   There is an ongoing reprint project of which you are probably not aware. Being done independtly, it doesn't have the style, or regularity, of the DC Archives, nor is it heavily advertised like the Marvel trade paperbacks and there is so much time between volumes that I thought the company had given up on the project. Done in black and white, it is the attempt to present all the artistic works of one penciller, who is considered by many to be one the greatest comic book creators of all: Jack Kirby.
   For more years than I care to think about, Greg Theakston, through his company Pure Imagination, has been publishing The Complete Jack Kirby, a series of books to showcase and preserve the work of Jack Kirby. There have been only 4 volumes to date and the current volume, The Complete Jack Kirby June-August 1947 appeared this last summer after a nearly 2 year delay, but it was worth the wait. Within its pages are the total output from Joe Simon and Jack Kirby for the three months in 1947 mentioned in the title and they cover the entire gamut of comic styles from adventure to crime to humor to teen comics (in fact, surprisingly, the only genre not present is super heroes, since they were on the wane during these years).
Of course everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and Simon and Kirby were no exception. The humor teen work is very lame, but according to Theakston's copious notes, it helped pay the bills, so the team could get down to doing the adventure and crime material that was their forte. And what work it was! From Headline Comics and Real Clue Comics are reprints of the stories that were at the forefront of the crime genre in comics: gangsters and gunmolls, the Old West, prison breaks and even a turn of the century serial killer are all included. From Airboy, are some of the stories of Link Thorne, the Flying Fool, which rank right up there with Caniff's Terry and the Pirates for adventure in the orient. The entire book is filled with dynamic and excellent art and story, which show why Kirby is considered one, if not the, best.
   There are downsides to the book. As mentioned above, the teen and humor material is filler and not great filler at that. The art is all reproduced in black and white, and, while the reproduction is excellent, it is a shame that the sales on this project have not caught on enough to make it viable in color, or that one of the major publishers hasn't decided to step in and underwrite it (Theakston's other problems have been with Mavel and DC in that they won't allow him to reprint any of the Kirby material that was produced for them and this has left a gap between the first two volumes in the series and the second two). These problems non-withstanding, this is some of the best comic material you will ever read and should be on your bookshelf.
   The Complete Jack Kirby June-August 1947, the fourth volume in The Complete Jack Kirby series, is $25.00 in trade paperback and more for the hardback. The earlier volumes in the series may be out of print at this time.

THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL.6

   After the rather dismal review I gave to Vol. 5 of the series, I am happy to report that things are improved in The Spirit Archives Vol. 6. Although there are occassional problems with this volume, it is head and shoulders above the previous volume and features some of the best non-Eisner work done on the strip.
   Vol. 6 continues the reprinting of The Spirit stories, this time from January 3 to June 27, 1943. At this point in the strip, the look of the stories, due to Lou Fine's art, took on a darker and moodier feel and the characters begin to be drawn in a more realistic style, even the caricatures, like Ebony. Some of the more fantastic elements of the strip disappeared during this period and the menaces facing the Spirit became more down to earth.
   Whether this was a master plan on the part of anyone in particular is not known. Scripts were by Manley Wade Wellman and William Woolfolk, while the art was by Fine, Cole and others, but there is never any mention of a single editorial hand being "in charge" (in fact, it is not even known whether the writers and artisits worked in the same studio during this period!). Suffice to say, The Spirit takes on more the role of a detective in these stories, more in the mold of Hammett and Chandler, but with large doses of humor. The "outlaw" status that was established early on in the strip is hardly mentioned at all.
   For all these changes, the stories are all of a high quality, with only one or two duds in the enitre batch. There are very few stories with a final panel conclusion and most of the other lapses in storytelling that appeared in the previous volume seem to have been solved. The art is of consistent high quality. All in all, an enjoyable book.
   Those of you who have read my previous reviews of the Spirit Archives will understand the special fascination that the introduction of this volume holds for me. Written by Will Eisner, it relates how he came to create the character of Joe Dope for the the Army's Ordance Department (and, as an added bonus, there are several pages of Joe Dope strips, along with some other material, reprinted as part of the introdution). In the third paragraph of the introduction , however, a major Spirit mystery is finally solved:

"...I attempted to write Spirit scripts. I managed to do a few weeks' worth of stories writing them in the PX after hours. I then smuggled them out of camp to a courier sent down by Busy. But unltimately I gave up. The distraction of army life was too much."
   While "a few weeks" can be any stretch of time, note there is no mention of pencilling pages while in the army. In this short statement, Eisner confirms that he quit pencilling the Spirit after he entered the service. Now, if we could only find out who did the pages just before his entry into the service and why the yronwode index credits him with work long after that point, I will be a happy camper (see Huh? # 6 for more on this subject).
   The Spirit Archives Vol. 6 retails for $49.95, but can be found for less if you shop around.

AVENGERS/DEFENDERS WAR

   It's been said that "you can't go home again" and comics are no exception. There are many comic stories which are timeless and can be read time and again, but there are also many that are better left to the realm of fond remembrance. Case in point, a trade paperback from Marvel entitled, Avengers/Defenders War.
Back in the early 70s, Marvel decided that having one super team was just not enough, so The Avengers were joined by The Defenders: a group of non-group characters such as Dr. Strange, the Hulk, Sub-Mariner and, because his appearance on a cover equaled sales, the Silver Surfer. How this disparate group of individuals came together is a story for another time, what we are concerned with here is that Marvel decided that the two groups should have a battle that would crossover through both teams' books and make for a long and exciting saga (and, hopefully, bring new readers to both series and increase sales.)
   I was only a reader of The Avengers back then and was buying my comics through mail order. By the time I found out that there was a whole story running in both books, I had missed the initial Defenders chapters and could never find the missing issues at a price I was willing to pay. So, Avengers/Defenders War seemed like a good place for me to re-read those parts of the saga I had read way back when and to see how the entire story fit together.
   Unfortunately, memory has not served me well in this case. The story I had found so compelling when it came out is rather bland and contrived. Written by Steve Englehart, it is a rather shapeless mish-mash of ideas that exists only to cause both teams to clash. It's kind of like a car chase in a movie: you wonder why nobody puts on the brakes to let the other car go by. In this case, you wonder why nobody stops early on and asks why they are pummeling one another. Battle follows battle and by the end, nothing has really changed except the character of the Black Knight has been written out of the continuity (which may have been the purpose of the entire story...I'm still not sure).
   Artwise, I found a different set of memory problems. The portions of the story reprinted from The Defenders are by Sal Buscema an artist who, at the time, received very little acclaim and was virtually ignored by most of the fan community, myself included. Looking at his work now, I find that his drawing may not be flashy, but it is clear and concise. His characters all look like the characters they are supposed to be and there is never a question as to what is going on in the story.
   On the other hand, I recall loving Bob Brown's art (from The Avengers chapters) at the time and now I find numerous holes in it. The storytelling is clear, but I can now see that his work was re-drawn in many instances, sometimes quite radically. In one instance someone has re-drawn the Silver Surfer's head to give it the shape of a football and made it smaller in proportion to the body throughout an entire sequence. Another source of amusement is a Captain America and Sub-Mariner chapter in which an uncredited inker has thickened all the lines and, again, re-drawn the faces. Since Brown doesn't make these errors in other parts of the story, one must only assume that some editorial decision brought these laughable changes about. I know that Marvel went through a period (I believe it was when Romita was art director) where characters were routinely "corrected" to fit a house style and, although this doesn't completely explain the changes to Brown's material, it might be one clue.
   To say I was disappointed in Avengers/Defenders War would be quite succinct and to the point. Whether this story has not aged well, or whether I have not aged well, I'm not sure. Maybe it is a weak story or possibly I am no longer interested in the coninuity of which it is a part. Whatever the reason, this one is for completeists only.
   Avengers/Defenders War, a 128 page paperback, has a SRP of $14.95.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF MARVEL COMICS VOL. 1 & 2

   The Golden Age of Marvel Comics Vol. 1 & 2 were originally published in the late 90s and were probably the last books we will see from Marvel of their Golden Age material. Unlike DC, Marvel has (at least as of 2003) decided that they will ignore the wealth of 30s and 40s material in their vaults and will only reprint more current works. These books, however, are just the type of material that comic fans and historians should read to get a sense of the history of the comics genre. Within the two volumes, which both sport very ugly covers, is a huge sampling of the comics that were originally printed between 1939 and 1957, and, while I would question the stretching of Golden Age to such a late date, the material reprinted makes this minor error easily overlooked.
   After an introduction by Roy Thomas, the first volume starts with the first appearance of the Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett, which, in this reprinting, has been wonderfully cleaned up. The book then becomes a "who's who" of artists and golden Age characters: Captain America by Simon & Kirby, Shores and Romita, Sr.; the Sub-Mariner by both Everett (in a number of stories) and, Pfeufer; Burgos and Everett on a pair of Human Torch/Sub-Mariner team-ups. Other stories are by Heath, Maneely and Sekowsky.
   The true gems of the volume, however, are the rarer stories that, in most cases have never been reprinted. Where else can you find an early adventure of The Vision by Simon & Kirby or Marvel Boy and Venus stories by Everett? The final story in the volume is Kirby's take on the Yellow Claw from 1957: a segment of Kirby's work that Marvel left out of its earlier reprintings of the Yellow Claw.
   Volume 2, after a rambling, and forgettable, introduction by Mickey Spillane, is even better than the first. The first appearance of both the Human Torch by Carl Burgos is included, as is another Human Torch appearance by Burgos from All-Winners #1. Captain America's origin from Captain America #1 by Simon & Kirby is here, as is the Cap story from All-Winners. Two Everett Sub-Mariner stories are also included, but that doesn't begin to round out the package.
   It seems that the editors of this volume decided to go out with a bang, and there are stories in this second volume that are even rarer than those in the first. Two Kirby solo Vision stories are included, along with the Tuk Caveboy and Hurricane stories that Kirby did for Captain America #1. The first episode of the Fiery Mask by Simon appears, as does an adventure of the Fin by Everett. Add to these the chance to read stories of the Black Marvel, Citizen V, the Red Raven, and the Whizzer and you truly have a packeage that can't be beat.
   There are some minor quibbles with both volumes. Why we have ugly covers on both remains a mystery to me, especially when any number of Alex Schomburg covers could have been used. It also baffles me that the Human Torch story in the first volume (from Young Men #24) could look uglier then its previous reprinting in Marvel Super-Heroes way back in the 60s, but it does. And why, in both volumes, do we have a table of contents that lists page numbers for the stories, but there are no page numbers in the books??
   These minor deficiencies aside, these are two of the finest books that Marvel has produced and they would make fine additions to your library. Not all the stories are top notch, but they give a wonderful overview as to why the Golden Age was called the Golden Age.
   As far as I can tell, both volumes are still in print with a SRP of $19.99 on Vol. 1 and $19.95 on Vol. 2 (go figure!).

NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

   Back in the late 90s, just before their near collapse due to bankruptcy, Marvel began to produce a series of increasingly expensive hardback books. The last book from this period was to be a collection of all the Nick Fury stories that Jim Steranko worked on for Strange Tales in the 60s. Unfortunately, the book never saw print, most likely due to the proposed $180 wholesale price that was proposed. By the year 2000, however, a few saner heads surfaced after the Marvel's reorganization and a trade paperback of the same material was released (which sold out its first printing) at the more reasonable price of $19.95.
   Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., the collection mentioned above, not only reprints all of Steranko's work on the Nick Fury stories from Strange Tales #151-168, but also includes the story from 150 that was not worked on by Steranko, but fits into the continuity. During this time, Strange Tales was a split book featuring Dr. Strange in one half and Nick Fury in the other (they alternated covers every other month). Considering that each feature only had 12 pages each month, it's a wonder that each survived, and thrived, but keep in mind that many Marvel features of the 60s were built on the shorter story segments in titles like Tales of Suspenseand Tales to Astonish.
   Working at first with Kirby layouts and Lee and Thomas dialogue, Steranko began to shift the look of the strip and, within 4 issues, he was both writing the strip and handling all the art chores. Under Steranko, Nick Fury evolved from the being a strip about an older Sgt. Fury who happened to be a secret agent, into a strip about a secret agent named Nick Fury who once served in the Army. Weapons and high tech gadgets became the order of the day. Nick and the supporting cast lost their suits and ties for body suits and boots. The strip gained a hipper feel (at least, for the time) and became an adventure/espionage strip that was an homage to James Bond, Matt Helm, movie serials and film noir, yet wholly original at the same time. Even today, the stories are entertaining, action packed, and, dare I say it, probably as close as anyone has come to producing an "adult" series in the US.
   Steranko's art throughout the run is hard to categorize. At first it is quite stiff and slavish to the Kirby layouts. Once left to his own devices, Steranko begins to take on a life of his own that combines the action and power of Kirby, with the rendering of Wally Wood. It is an art style that is completely original and easily recognizable, even when inked by Giacoia, Everett, or Sinnott, as is the case in the latter stories.
   My only quibble with the book is the coloring. This volume was produced in conjunction with a publisher in Spain and their coloring is way too dark and rendered for my taste. On the plus side, however, is the wonderful introduction and afterword written especially for the volume and, of course, the fact that all these stories are available in this one volume. As an added bonus, there is a reprinting of the 2 tryout pages Steranko did over Kirby's layout and the 4 page spread from issue 167 is reproduced as a double gatefold, so you no longer have to have 2 copies of the issue to enjoy it.
   Even with the coloring flaws, I can't recommend this book highly enough to you and I'm sure you will find it a volume that you will read and reread over and over again.
   Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a huge 244 page paperback that is still in print and retails for $19.95. Don't yield, back S.H.I.E.L.D. !

WALT DISNEY'S DONALD AND SCROOGE

   Here's another older volume that you should add to your collection.
Back before the current run of Disney comics, there was a period when the Disney company itself published its own line of comics for a short time. Having very little editorial sense and even less sense about what to expect from the market place, they folded the line, before Gladstone picked up the ball once again for a very short time. One of the gems to come out of this period was a slim paperback entitled, Walt Disney's Donald and Scrooge, that reprinted six Don Rosa stories that were created between 1990 and 1992 for both Disney and the Disney licencee in Europe, Gutenberghus. Unfortunately, this book is long out of print, but copies can still be found on comic shop shelves or on eBay.
   The importance of this book lies in the Don Rosa material that it reprints. Rosa is considered by many to be the heir to the world created by Carl Barks during his long tenure on the Disney ducks and his name on the cover of a Disney book in Europe is a guaranteed sale. It is also a guraanteed sale in the US, but living as we do in a comic book ghetto, no one thinks to reprint large collections of one artist's work for our perusal. In fact, the closest we have gotten was the saga entitled, "The Life and Time of Scrooge McDuck", which, after its initial comic book appearance, was reprinted as an expensive hardback and then as a series of large graphic novels.
   Rosa's take on the ducks is well represented here and, as always, he shows that he understands their Barksian roots and what makes them work. In "The Money Pit", we are shown some of the secrets of Scrooge's money bin. "Return to Xanadu" features a sequel of sorts to the excursion that Barks took the duck on when they visited the land of Tralla La. "The Master Landscapist" and "Incident at Duck Tower" feature Donald in his overdrive mode as the tradesman supreme. "Treasure Under Glass" and "On Stolen Time" are the gimmick type of stories that Barks did so well and that Rosa has also mastered. Throughout them all, Rosa's love of the ducks shines through and there are very few, if any, artists today who can pull off humor the way he does.
   Most likely, we will never see Rosa's output collected here in the US. Since 1986, he has worked for both US and European companies creating just the type of duck stories that are both a homage and extension of Barks' work and its just a darned shame that the publishers in the US are not as enlightened as those overseas. As of this writing, the new US publisher for Disney has announced that Rosa material will be part of their plans, but, no collections seem to be in the offing. It seems that the collector's of Rosa, or good funny animal material, must content themselves with little gems such as this.
   Walt Disney's Donald and Scrooge was orginally published in 1992 with a cover price of $8.95. You may have to hunt for copies, but it is worth the effort.

For more on Don Rosa, see The Don Rosa Archives and The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion.