Hail to the King!
At the risk of repeating myself, Jack "King" Kirby's Fourth World was his masterpiece. According to reports when he got the word that both Forever People and New Gods were going to be suspended (cancelled) he was shaken to his core and ashen of face. He'd come to DC thinking he'd lead a team of talents on concepts he'd develop, and use a variety of formats to attempt to find new readers for comics. He quickly learned that was not to be the case and so poured his soul into the Fourth World books. He was just hitting his stride with stories like "Glory Boat", "The Pact", and "Himon" when the axe fell. His mythology was stifled and barely out of its crib. If the work he turned out after seemed to miss a beat or two, it's understandable, though I regard both The Demon and Kamandi, Last Boy on Earth as top-notch Kirby. The loss of Mike Royer hurt many of the later DC projects like OMAC and The Losers.
The story is that Kirby tried to get out of his contract when he learned of the cancellations and return to Marvel where he'd once again gotten some indication of a free hand. And truth told when he did get there a few years later and playing out the DC hand, he was largely left alone. Good or bad it was Jack "King" Kirby. He even worked with Stan Lee again on the Silver Surfer graphic novel, a strange work which retells the Surfer's first trip to Earth minus the Fantastic Four. Then Marvel started to give him static about getting his originals back from years before and the old frictions reared up again. He left comics for cartoon where he got paid well for much less work. Eventually he went back to DC and was given deals which allowed him to finally get royalties on some aspects of the Fourth World characters. It was a noble and belated gesture from an industry which had for far too long preyed on the talents of men like Kirby.
It's been a pleasure to celebrate Kirby's self-proclaimed masterpiece this month. I love reading it, and if I'm still kicking in a few years, I'll read it all over again. It's not a bad way to celebrate this one hundred and sixth anniversary of the true "King's" birth.
Rip Off
Well, you know my thoughts, RJ. Even allowing for the possibility that the Fourth World was a 'masterpiece' in concept, scope, and ambition, the reality (for me) is that Jack's scripting sabotaged any chance of it fulfilling any potential it may have had in that department. Don't get me wrong - it's a competent, professional, and entertaining comics series, but at the end of the day, it failed to catch on for most readers, which is why it was quickly hastened to its demise. Even the fact that it's been reprinted in a variety of formats over the years doesn't prove it's a masterpiece, as just about everything Jack ever worked on has likewise been reprinted. A cult has been built up around Jack since he died, hence new readers being interested as to why. His work has already been paid for, so it's relatively inexpensive for publishers to make available compared to newly-commissioned stuff by contemporary creators. Also, like yourself, I have various editions of Jack's Fourth World strips, so it seems that it's the same buyers who are keeping modest sales on the reprints going.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that there's an 'Emperor's new clothes' thing going on with Jack's DC work, whereas, in fact, the 'King' is naked when it comes to most of his later output. Jimmy Olsen worked, but it had Superman, and that was a great plus to the series, which remains my favourite of all his mags at DC. Don't get me wrong though. I occasionally re-read the FW mags, but it's mainly to reconnect to the particular period of my life when I first encountered them, not because I view them as the finest thing Jack ever produced. Nostalgia is my main motivation, but for a more fulfilling and satisfying read, I turn again to Jack's earlier output with Stan. Now those were the days!
Happy 100th, Jack.
There is a mythic core to the Fourth World material. It like Star Wars (which some feel drew from New Gods as source material -- I don't particularly) tap into stories which are not grounded in the same way that many other flights of fancy are. Since you deem Jimm Olsen the best of the DC group, I think it's safe to say you like your heroes well grounded. To my eye the JO stories are wonderful sidelights for the core epic. The later work of Kirby at its finest is impressionistic. The story of Orion and Scott Free is myth pure and simple and that myth speaks to my heart and the hearts of many others. At least enough to keep those Fourth World reprints coming.
DeleteAnd I agree that there is a cult of Kirby, and I likely am a devotee though I don't attend the gatherings such as it were. But likewise, there is a perhaps an even larger and more famous cult of Stan which elevates him to a status he's not really eligible for. The truth is that Kirby didn't create the Marvel Universe and neither did Lee, but together they did with lots of help from Ditko, Leiber, Heck, and Ayers among others. Jack couldn't have done it on his own and neither could Stan. But I do know that you and I will have this debate again. We always do. Thanks for the time amigo.
And Happy 106th Jack.
Oops, like RJ said - happy 106th. (Where did I get 100 from?)
DeleteI think what makes Stan eligible for his status is that he created Marvel Comics, and the atmosphere in which Jack and Steve, etc., could flourish. He created the mood, the magic, and the madness which elevated Marvel above and beyond its competitors. I'd say he did more than that, actually, but even IF that's all he did, that was more than enough to earn him his position in the comics firmament in my view. Stan made comics worth 'reading', and not just for looking at the pictures.
DeleteRip, as you can tell from my recent posts here, I'm firmly in your camp re: the Fourth World. Everything about it is far more intense than most comics, and I believe it's because it was so deeply personal to Kirby. Not only in the sense of finally being in full control of the story he wanted to tell, but because all of Kirby's work strikes me as being autobiographical at its core. The Fourth World is a more metaphoric approach to this, but it's clearly about matters that went to the heart of Kirby's life, experiences, beliefs, and his grappling with them—war, totalitarianism, faith, meaning, struggle & freedom among them. After all, his stated goal was a myth for the modern age—and what is myth if not a narrative of ultimate meaning?
DeleteLike you, I regard his dialog in the FW books as operatic, almost a feverish sort of raw, rough poetry that could also be lyrical when necessary. Charles Hatfield's fine book HAND OF FIRE speaks of Kirby's approach as "narrative drawing" where the art & the text emerge simultaneously, the text emphasizing key points in the art, which is already conveying the story. As you say, stories like "The Glory Boat", "The Pact" (my very first FW issue), and "Himon" show where Kirby was headed with his magnum opus—powerful stories that both grip the reader & make one think about them afterward. "Masterpiece" is the exact word for the Fourth World, even sadly truncated as it is.
When Kirby created Galactus and Silver Surfer he wanted to talk about God. With Thor he was able to create stories for "Gods". That makes this one his most personal work. I am always stunned when I read the Glorious Godfrey stuff about how it speaks to our current dilemmas. If Trump were as devious and smart as Darkseid we'd really be screwed.
DeleteFor me the Fourth World series was a comic book classic in scope and concept, but not so much in its execution. But I say that as someone that has only read 3 issues of New God's and 3 of the Foreve People (I read most of Mr Miracle and Jimmy Olsen).I am now making my way through the New God's collection and am enjoying it more than I did first time around. It was a shame Jack never got to complete his series .
ReplyDeleteIt's the great unfinished "symphony" in comic books. Glad you're enjoying it.
DeleteJack was indeed, the King! Like every other creator back then -- and even -- today, he got screwed by predatory publishers. It's a rotten business with a shiny veneer.
ReplyDeleteThe history of comics is one of hucksters and criminals looking to get over. The many ways Martin Goodman looked to screw his staff was downright predatory. When Kirby was drawing or laying out over fifty percent of the pages Marvel produced Goodman decided he was making too much money and wanted to cut his rate. Stan stopped it, or slow walked it and it was forgotten.
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