The World's Greatest Comic Book Artist!

Jack Kirby was without question the single most important comic book artist the field has known. To find other talents of such magnitude you have to go to Kirby's own influences -- Hal Foster and possibly Alex Raymond. Certainly Milt Caniff had his own school, but that one has largely disappeared over the decades. Kirby's only rival is Will Eisner of The Spirit fame. But these days it's the dynamics of Kirby's pages and his own approach to comics which tells the tale, even if most artists don't much realize it anymore.

So as I wind down a year here at the Dojo which has looked at the "King of Comics" I want to focus on his earliest and most influential work at Marvel, the early issues of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine", better known as the Fantastic Four. Look for a focus on the first four years of the team as they developed by leaps and bounds from a ragtag concept to a rich and smoothly crafted comic book.

Also I want to look at Kirby's other famous foursome, the Challengers of the Unknown. As significant as I regard the Fourth World material at DC, it's arguable that Kirby's Challengers books are even more significant, insomuch as they helped shape the character of the later "Fab 4" at Marvel. But this is a book with its own distinctive character and one which featured some of the most beautiful artwork ever produced by Kirby thanks to the inks of Wally Wood.

In the "Favorite Covers" feature this month, it's my all-time favorite Kirby covers. I've spent quite a bit of time looking at Kirby covers this past year, but some of them are special. These are not necessarily the absolute best ones, but  these are my favorites representing the many genres Kirby worked in across the decades. These will be presented in something of a countdown as I move inexorably toward my absolute favorite Jack Kirby cover of all-time. Note that I said "my favorites" as your mileage may vary.

That and some of the usual nonsense which lolls around here this month as we make the trek toward the end of this season and the beginning of a new year.

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