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Brian Rhodes
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Posted: 31 January 2023 at 8:14pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

When I was a kid (in the 70s), I used to think of Kirby's art as "ugly". Ditko's, too. The styles of both would grow on me, eventually, though. 
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James Woodcock
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Posted: 31 January 2023 at 8:48pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

I liked his first stint @ Marvel, especially around FF 50.

As a kid, I did not like his return such as Black Panther. I do now appreciate
that I was young, & could not see what was what.
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 31 January 2023 at 11:06pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I remember disagreeing with my best friend at school.  I was of the "Neal Adams is the best artist!" school and he was "Kirby is the best!"  But I still always loved the old Kirby and Ditko stuff.  I gladly bought the pocket book reprints and the Treasury Edition reprints and MARVEL TALES and MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS, but I really learned to appreciate Kirby when he wrote and drew CAPTAIN AMERICA over the Bicentennial.

I know it was common in the 70's for some artists to lay out covers for others--Ed Hannigan for sure, and I read about Jim Starlin doing it earlier.  (And then John Romita and Marie Severin did a lot of alterations everywhere.)  Didn't Kirby lay out most of the covers in the 60's?  No big deal, but some of the covers I've posted already look like Kirby layouts as well as the pencils.
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 31 January 2023 at 11:25pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Kirby did four nice DEFENDERS covers in a row.

DEFENDERS #42 by Jack Kirby & Klaus Janson
Just like he did with the Sandman, Kirby takes a Spider-Man villain--the Rhino--and makes him looks VERY powerful!  And Solarr was from a non-Kirby Captain America period and he makes him impressive.  Very fun to see Kirby's take on Valkyrie and Dr. Strange, but especially Luke Cage!

DEFENDERS #43 by Jack Kirby & Al Milgrom
Another powerful take on the Hulk, different than Kirby's 60's version.  Though a Silver Age villain, Kirby didn't draw the Cobalt Man until now--and makes him look very formidable.  Fun to see Kirby's Nighthawk.

DEFENDERS #44 by Jack Kirby & Al Milgrom
I drew all the Defenders villains for fun and I was surprised to see that he has long sleeves in the story, but here Kirby shows off powerful arms that make the cover more dynamic.  More Kirby Luke Cage and Nighthawk!

DEFENDERS #45 by Jack Kirby & ?
A powerful shot of Valkyrie as Kirby makes her his own, and more good Luke Cage and Nighthawk in the background.  I do like Kirby's 70's Hulk--I wish he had done some issues!  (Red Guardian was redrawn by John Romita.)  I wonder if Kirby knew that Hellcat was Patsy Walker--a character he drew years earlier attending Reed and Sue's wedding!



Edited by Eric Jansen on 31 January 2023 at 11:30pm
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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 2:54am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

From Jack Kirby Collector #29, here's the sketch Kirby was given for Defenders #45 (I think it's by Al Milgrom, but the resolution is too lousy to be certain):

And here's Kirby's pencils.  As Eric noted, Red Guardian was redrawn, and all of the faces (particularly Valkyrie's) have had some redrawing done on them too:

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Jason Czeskleba
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 2:59am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Here's another from JKC #29.  The cover for Invaders #32.

First is Alan Kupperberg's layout sketch:

Next are Kirby's pencils, with an inset of the redrawn version of Thor's face that appeared on the printed issue:

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Jonathan A. Dowdell
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 3:11pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

I started buying the FF @ issue 149 (1974). Not too long after that I discovered Marvel's Greatest Comics - Lee/Kirby reprints. I bought both series for years -- not sure I even understood that MGC was a reprint book (I was 7). I loved Buckler/Sinnott and wondered why the FF in MGC had squiggles (shading) on their uniforms. It did take a few years to understand and appreciate Mr. Kirby. He returned to Marvel shortly after I started reading comics and I did not read any of his books at the time. I've read all of them now and find most of his 70s Marvel work to be very enjoyable. 
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 4:18pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Interesting that Thor's missing the wings on his helmet in the original.
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 4:20pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

It's always, er, strange to me when I see a Kirby Doctor Strange.
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Brian Floyd
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 5:50pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

Do any pictures of Kirby's pencils from his run on CAPTAIN AMERICA exist?


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Peter Hicks
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 5:50pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

There is an infamous story that Dave Cockrum played a joke on Jack, and sent him a layout for What If?  Thor Wore A Bra?   The sh#t hit the fan, and Jack’s wife ended up yelling on the phone to Marvel staff in NY.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 6:08pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

First I’ve heard of that.
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