Long Live the King!

I'm well prepared to eat crow, but every sentiment regarded within the following entry is diametrically opposed to the previous entry's viewpoint. I have to say, the shittiest DC title on the stands is the best DC title on the stands. I'm referring, of course, to "DC Countdown to Final Crisis Town," or something like that. It's the weekly DC series that replaced "52," when that particular title mysteriously ended about a year ago. While 52 was a boring, turd-steamed piece of shitpie, Countdown is based pretty much entirely (at this point, anyway) around Jack Kirby's mid-1970's series for DC. The two primary titles are Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth and OMAC (the One Man Army Corps).
I have a particular soft spot for these two titles. I would hasten to add, as a matter of fact, that Kamandi was Kirby's finest hour. There, I said it! DC told him to basically 'cash-in' on the then-current "Planet of the Apes" fad (a fad I am always in full support of reviving), and he came up with this twisted tale. It's basically a Tarzan-like kid living in an animal ruled, barbaric state. The latest issue of Countdown has what seems to be the pre-KAMANDI origin of Kamandi. Now, normally I don't like when they fuck with Kirby shit (see below), but this is pretty cool. There is nothing which goes entirely against the overall mood and tone of the originals; it's just a neat backstory. And the inner-nerd in me (as opposed to the outer-one) is going bakabalooey.
Another crazy twist... the lead of OMAC (the original series) turns out to be Kamandi's grandfather! Wowey wooey!! It's the best superhero comic series going today, and it comes out every week.

Funnybook Regicide

I hate to be one of those people that gets all fired up over the events in a comic book, but lately, I just can't seem to help myself. Being a big admirer of Kirby's works, I often find myself going back and looking over different issues or series. Recently, I decided to re-read the "New Gods" saga in its entirety, courtesy of the recently published "Fourth World Omnibus" collections from DC.
Although I'm really enjoying the original issues (even moreso than when I first read them years ago), I can't help but feel very uneasy as I go through the collections. The reason I'm reading them in the first place (well, technically 'second place), is connected to another new DC release, Jim Starlin's "Death of the New Gods."
I have never been a big fan of Starlin's works, but I don't really hate them, either. I guess I'm pretty much stuck in the middle. In fact, I think I actually wrote a blog entry about this series before, but I don't feel like checking. The point is, I am reading this series solely because it's about the New Gods, and more specifically, the death of them. Which is what makes rereading the original all that depressing.
I grew up in the 1980s, and it seems like that entire decade was centered around replacing time-honored characters with darker, more "serious" renditions. The word of choice was Gritty. Well, this must be the 1980's version of the New Gods, because it involves lots of death, deceit, and dastardly doings. It's basically Watchmen done with the Fourth World characters, but a whole lot stupider.
Certain characters go nuts and kill each other; other time-honored characters have been brutally murdered; ones who seemed to be genuine, 'good' characters are revealed to be insidious, evil beings. One guy, Mister Miracle, was transformed from an escape artist into some evil, obsidian, horrendous being of pure energy and revenge. The original was based on Joe Steranko; I wonder how he feels about this version.
I have to admit, it taints my reading of the originals. These are all funnybooks, and it's just silly when you get right down to it, but as I read through I can't help but feel strange with their 'modern memories' lurking behind my eyes.

Kirby is Still the King!

Last night, I finished reading Mark Evanier's new biography of Jack Kirby, "Kirby: King of Comics." I got it from Amazon, and you can check out ordering info from their very own internet-based website. All in all, I really enjoyed this book. First and foremost, the artwork reproductions are phenomenal. It rivals the Masters of American Comics collection as far as quality reproductions goes, and in many ways surpasses that volume.
Page after page of Kirby artwork is included, in both published, original pencils, original inked pencils, and (in some rare cases) actual pre-penciling breakdowns. Say what you will about the man, Kirby's pencils were powerful. That's the oldest cliche in the book when it come to Jack, but there's a reason it became a cliche in the first place. Sorry, I can't figure out how to put that little accent mark on top of the "e" in "Cliche." It's also nice to see his work inked by so many different artists, both through the years and within the same era.
In a project which includes such great (and rare) Kirby artwork, it would be easy to just slap together a few explanatory paragraphs, or a bare-boned overview of his life and works. Thankfully, Evanier's text was indeed informative, but lacked a little of the depth I would expect from him. Mark Evanier was Jack Kirby's personal assistant during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and remained a close friend for the rest of Jack's life. As such, I would have expected the text to go into much greater detail, but that's more a flaw of my approach than the author's. Even still, it provided a great, comprehensive picture of the man's life and works. Strung together, it's amazing what a phenomenal run the guy had. Though I've always preferred the Fourth World stuff, even his final few series (for Pacific and the like) have their high points.
Those who are even marginally interested in Jack Kirby, or the history of comic books (they really are pretty much the same story; sorry for the second cliche) will find this a worthwhile read. Evanier has said that he's working on a much more extensive follow-up, which should satiate Kirbyphiles such as myself. It'll be a great companion, I'm sure.