The exquisite draughtsman!

Jack Kirby was an amazing artist, a creative writer and a ground breaking editor. But to me he was an  exquisite draughtsman. His style changed with time as every artist would, but his skill as a story teller was always constant. For me the height of his mountain of work was during is Fantastic Four period, from the wedding of Read and Sue in Fantastic Four Annual #3 October 1965, with Vince Colletta inking his work, to his last full work on that comic book in Fantastic Four #102 September 1970, with inks supplied by Joe Sinnott. His last work for the FF was parts of an unfinished strip, finished of by John Buscema and John Romita SR published in Fantastic Four #108 March 1971.

To prove my point just take a look at the above picture of the Fantastic Car from December 1968, in a story called "Enter..the exquisite elemental!" issue number 81. Although my picture is taken from the black and white Fantastic Four pocket book #18 from MarvelUK in 1981, to fully show the clearness of the great man's work. This story was, as always written by the legend Stan Lee, with Joe Sinnott inking Kirby's work. During this period the king would love big splash pages, action scenes, futuristic gadgets and stylish heroes. This page has it all. The Fantastic Car fills the page as it plummets downward to join the action from a great height. By far the best design of the fab four's flying bathtub. He uses sharp lines to give the impression of speed. Again these sharp lines are used to make the metal fuselage look shiny and sleek. The background is a cityscape full of boxes and square lines, a very modern city. But this isn't draw square on to the Fantastic Car, but at a slight angle again to give urgency to the vehicles flight. The very muscular Read Richards with hair blowing in the wind pilots the craft, Crystal sits at the rear with perfect hair looking beautiful and Ben Grimm on one side pointing to where the action is. Speech bubbles bounce around the panel.with snappy dialogue from Stan Lee filling in the story with banter and techno jargon aplenty. If you could tell a story in one panel this is how it would be done. Not a millimetre of space wasted.

 I always tried to draw like Jack Kirby. I used his shapes, his layouts, his male and female body forms. I'm  a poor artist, not because the technic was wrong, but because there aren't many artists in the same class as the Kirby. Some come very close, like John Byrne, John Buscema, John Romtia, Jim Steranko, Neal Adams, Barry Smith, George Perez, Alan Davis and maybe some more, but there is only one King!

Make Mine Marvel.

Carmine Infantino- Never forgotten.

In this week a 87 year old ex-Prime Minister died, last week an inspiring American artist aged 87 also passed away. That's were the comparison ends. Although he will always be remembered for his DC work on the likes of Bat-man and Flash, I'll always remember Carmine Infantino for his work on Spider-Woman, Nova, the Avengers and of course Star Wars strips that found their way to the UK in the late 70's and early 80's, in Marvel UK magazines like Spider-man and the Hulk weekly, Spider-man, Rampage weekly, Rampage monthly, Marvel Super-Heroes and Star Wars weekly, at the same time as the Iron Lady first came to power. His stories, more often than not with Marv Wolfman as writer, filled this young reader with a fix of escapism.
Carmine Infantino born in Brooklyn New York on the 24th of May 1925, died on 4th of April 2013.

May he rest in peace.

Make mine Marvel.

"The tower of the elephant!" -a moral view.

"The Tower of the Elephant!" is a tale that questions my own moral thinking, comes from Conan the Barbarian #4 April 1971, adapted by the legendary Roy Thomas, from the story of the same name by Robert E Howard, drawn by Barry Smith, (later named Barry Windsor-Smith) and Sal Buscema. It was reprinted in 1975 in Savage Sword of Conan #4, a weekly black & white comic from Marvel UK. It was also again reprint in the UK in Conan the Barbarian pocket book in October 1980. But I'll take my reference from the 75 weekly. 

Our tale starts in a thief redden bar, full of ugly men and beautiful women, in the Arenjun city of Zamora. Where Kothian, a fat slave trader, loudly holds court. Conan asks him about the Elephant tower that he has heard so much about. He tells him of Yara a high priest and a mysterious jewel, the Heart of the elephant. Conan questions Kothian's courage, which starts a fight and ends in his death. But more on that later. Intrigued Conan spy's upon Yara who enters the tower gate, unseen by all he walks on air. Covertly the young barbarian climbs over the wall and crosses the gardens to find a dead guard, whose killer reveals himself to be Taurus of Nemedia, a prince of thieves. Together they decide to share what ever booty they can liberate from the tower. They face lions that attack in silence, Conan kills one with his sword. The glass sided tower poses the next obstacle, that they manage to scale with the aid of a rope to the very top where Taurus cunningly enter a door to find death, which Conan soon find out was cause by venom from a giant spider, again Conan slays the beast. In a lower chamber the young Cimmerian finds what he at first believes to be a green idol with the body of a man and the head of  an elephant. The chained creature awakes from his sleep.

Now this is where the story calls to my moral thinking, Yag-Kosha the alien creature, the last of his race, who had come to earth before the dawn of man, even though his body injured and eyes that no longer see he senses that Conan has blood on his hands. Conan answers from "A spider in the chamber above.. ..and a lion in the garden." To which Yag-Kosha replies "You have slain a man too, this night." Now at first I didn't understand  who he was talking about. Yes Conan had killed, but only as a solder in wars, or in self defence, or to save a pretty maiden, but never in cold blood. My comic heroes aren't murders. But then as I thought back to the bar fight Conan had slain Kothian, under the extinguished light of a candle. Beautifully drawn by Smith. This shows perfectly the blood soaked age this tale is set in, but for a young readership in 1971 and 1975 Britain. Now Thomas perfect paced plot pay off. Yag-Kosha requests that Conan ends his immortal life and Yara enslavement, as he is tired of his lonely torment at the priests hands. Conan follows Yag-Kosha wishes with a heavy sword, throw the heart.

Conan finds Yara but doesn't attack with his sword but instead takes the globe like, Heart of the elephant,  gives it to the wizard priest and quotes Yag-Kosha's last enchantment, where upon touching the scarlet gem the old priest begins to shrink into the globe. Conan watches as a no longer maimed or blind elephant man acts out his vengeance. Conan turns and flees the crumbling tower. With more questions than answers, the young Cimmerian looks back maybe with some sense of justice. 

I think Conan was a little puzzled to about being accused of being a murder. But I do believe he does own a code of honour, even in this Hyborian age, he hold a greater moral standard than other characters around him. This makes him a hero fit to stand with Marvel other heroes like, Spider-Man, Captain America and Thor. That's why I love these tales, so refreshingly crafted by Roy Thomas, Barry Smith, Sal Buscema and Sam Rosen, under Stan Lee's editorial eyes. I can read these tales again and again. I love the adventure and drama, but I love that it gets me thinking about life and myself. Like all stories should. Truly amazing and revolutionary!

Make mine Marvel!