The Fall Of Asgard!

And then the King left the building. To this day I don't think any one artist has so impacted the industry as did Jack "King" Kirby when he took his talents to DC, abruptly and with the promise of great things to come. His days at Marvel had been filled with creation and  he was adored by fans who perhaps didn't realize how much he contributed to the comics they bought and loved. So he left the Marvel Universe he helped build and entered a "Fourth World" at the "Distinguished Competition". Marvel though had a plan to fill the void left by Kirby's departure, the plan was to utilize Neal Adams, a new talent who had made an enormous splash at DC, and let Adams get to work on some high-profile opportunities. One such opportunity was Thor and truth told it is one of the rare failures by Adams. Admittedly he was encumbered by the sleek inking of Joe Sinnott, a master but one ill-suited to the stylings of Adams which to my eye demands a crunchier line. So Adams left after a few issues and John Buscema stepped in as he had done on the Fantastic Four after John Romita's brief tenure there following Kirby. Buscema became the new main man of Marvel and continued in that role for many years to come.

(Rejected Jack Kirby cover for Thor)

All that and some more is in this fourth epic tome from Marvel. The last days of Kirby, the brief interlude of Adams, and the ascension of Buscema. Truly a book worth having. And all under an engaging Marie Severin cover replacing a somewhat more sedate one by Kirby himself.

Here are the covers of the issues in this mighty volume.

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