A Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Christmas!

We all knew Christmas was going to be a challenge this year, but my lovely daughters have gifted me with some outstanding loot to raise my spirits, not the least of which was the exceedingly cool coloring book seen above. This one is like most of these, a hodge-podge of images from all over the DC spectrum but this one has a really hedy dose of Neal Adams.

Also up was a nifty Blu-Ray of the summer blockbuster Wonder Woman. We enjoyed it together in the theater this past year and it was the perfect Christmas present.

Much more surprising was this Blu-Ray set of the Kingsman movies. The first one was a ton of fun and I'd never seen the second one. More on that at a later date no doubt.

And finally on the comic front was this hugely fun set of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots, but with a decidedly DC mold. These two aren't like the classic set but more free-wheeling and were as fun to assemble as to play. Delightful gift which I'd expressed some passing interest in weeks ago.

Made more delightful when I revealed that on a lark I'd picked up one of the classic Rock 'Em Sock 'Em games for us to enjoy. We had some goofy fun with these pugilistic pieces of plastic for certain.

So through no special planning but lots of special love, I had an exceedingly rock 'em sock 'em Christmas.

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Kirby One Hundred!

I knew I wanted this one the moment I clapped my little peepers on it. Kirby 100 showcases scuds of vintage Kirby art which is the primary selling point for this fanboy. The sheer spectacle of the King's imagery always wows me and I love seeing it put into fresh contexts which will allow even the most experienced eye to behold it all anew. That works here. Of lesser interest are the myriad talents who praise the great and powerful Kirby and wax on about his influence and how they initially encountered him. Their words are often interesting, but if this Twomorrows book was only that, I'd never buy it. I do like that they've arranged the images in a more or less chronological order, allowing the broad scope of Kirby's career to come into a clear focus as the pages turn. This tome works on the artwork and on that score it a solid one hundred!

For a more detailed look at what's in this book and some other Kirby wonders go here.

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The Fourth World!

This one is a heavy lift...literally. The book does what it took four large books to do before and well over fifty comics to do before that, collect up the sprawling and truly awesome Fourth World saga by the "King of Comics", the great Jack Kirby. It's all here in one truly massive book which takes at least two hands to hoist.

I didn't get myself a copy because I wanted to take a look at it first and sadly I discovered what I feared, coated paper.

I'm not a fan especially of shiny paper, though it's virtues over time are undoubtedly valuable. It's heavy and its reflective qualities undermine pages meant originally to shimmer on cheap stock. The color saturation feels off to me. I don't mean to berate the makers here, this a worthy achievement and I hope welcomed by fans of the Fourth World far and wide.  No work was more worthy of this one-stop treatment in all of comics. Certainly the enormous omnibus volumes are the way of comics these days and it makes perfect sense for Kirby's important DC world to get this treatment, but sadly the sum is lesser than the magnificent parts.

All that said, I don't completely rule out picking this one up eventually. Kirby's Fourth World has a special place in my heart and I crave it in all its forms. Darkseid might have the last laugh on me after all.

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Lord Of Light!

One of the most spectacular projects in the long history of Jack "King" Kirby was a little thing called Lord of Light. I read somewhere online that Heavy Metal had dedicated an issue to featuring the project, much of which I'd only ever seen online. I missed this one when it came out and really despaired finding a copy, but fortune smiled and one of my local stores indeed had one. It's a fascinating glimpse of a wild project.

As much as I can make it out, it started as an attempt to mine the concepts of Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light novel and convert those concepts to film and even stranger into a park full of rides and entertainments. Strange is not a sufficient word for it.

This weirdo concept gets even more so when you take into account that these conceptual drawings by Kirby were later used by CIA spies to help organize a secret operation to rescue stranded diplomats from Iran after the infamous rise to power of the Ayatollah Khomeni and the fall of the Shah.

The events of the United States hostages held the nation in captivity for over a year and to no small account decided a Presidential election, but at the same time a covert project was unfolding to save a few folks from the madness.

This was dramatized in the movie Argo, the bogus name given to the doctored Kirby artwork to make the powers in Iran think it was just another science fiction movie being made at the time when such things were all the rage in a post-Star Wars environment.

But for fans of Jack Kirby, this is a grand opportunity to see some truly bizarre and lush artwork by the King, tapping into that cosmic awesomeness which was his personal pasture at the time. He was still producing exciting work and his skills were still operating at top level. The artwork is just plain pretty to look at and compelling to boot.

If you are lucky as I was and can dig up a copy of this issue of Heavy Metal, I highly recommend it for your viewing pleasure.

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Have Yourself A Gamma Little Christmas!

I hope everyone out there has a Merry Christmas and I wish Season's Greetings to each and everyone of you. This little Christmas card from the Marvel Bullpen jumped out at me (kinda' literally) and I immediately recognized the source despite the addition of the little heroes in the corner and the Santa gear (by Mirthful Marie most likely).

One of my favorite images of the Incredible Hulk is this incredible image by Jack Kirby which appeared as the front of the great sweatshirt Marvel licensed way back in its heyday.

As can be seen by this vintage ad which features the artwork of Marie Severin and images from sundry issues of Tales to Astonish. 

Here's another classic ad which gives you a look at the delightful back image for this hilarious sweatshirt. The allure for me was and is mighty, and for a mere two ninety-eight it could've been mine. I never got one, but I've always wanted one. Maybe next Christmas.

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Ten Signs Of A Really Bad Santa!

There is no doubt that Santa Claus is one of the most universal and benign characters in all the world. The very mention of Santa can bring smiles to the faces of children both young and old. But not all Santas are created equal.  There are signs that you might have a "Bad Santa" on your hands.  One is a Santa with a really crummy and marginally agressive attitude, like the one above, all angry and finger-pointing -- that's not what you ideally want in a Santa Claus.

Any Santa with a skull for a face is right out. These kind are relatively easy to spot and should be avoided at all costs. Watch out for their exceedingly sharp elbows.

Never trust a Santa who is packing heat. When Santa Claus takes out his automatic pistol and takes aim at your face, there's a reasonably good chance you have a bad Santa on your hands. Duck for the nearest safe cover and all the authorities at once.

If Santa tries to run you down, either with his sleigh or any other vehicle, it's a sign he is to be avoided. Keep your head on a swivel on Christmas Eve for sure, especially if you're elderly and have grandchildren. That's a favorite target of a Bad Santa.

Good Santas almost never join motorcycle clubs. The one-percenter lifestyle typically runs counter to the goals of a traditonal Santa Claus. There's less Meth.

Spotting a Santa Claus on a rooftop with an axe is a clear tip off that he might not be trustworthy. There's almost no reason for a Santa to need an axe to get into a house. If the axe is dripping, that's warrants extra caution.

On the more mundane side of things, be wary of chintzy Santas. These are very common alas and the secret shame of many families worldwide.

A Santa Claus who is forced to carry out his Christmas Eve duties at gunpoint is also a Santa who cannot be relied upon in most instances. Stick with more pliable types.

Santa Claus should never be Batman. That's never going to work...never.

And finally, if Santa wants to arrange you and your friends into a circle and have you join hands so that he can fill you with the "true spirit of Christmas" and there's talk of a...ahem... "Love-In", head for the hills quickly before anything gets unzipped. This is possibly the most dangerous kind of Santa and must be kept under a close watch. This is usually done by electing the perpetrator to Congress, but that trick doesn't always work.

Now go forth and enjoy the season -- knowing is half the battle. Merry Christmas to all!

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Publishing On Borrowed Time!

Jack Kirby's career is a storied one for certain. But a constant is that he often leaves projects which have a vibrant life after him, some potency in the concepts he gave life to finding a lasting audience. Certainly that was the case with the Challengers of the Unknown. Kirby worked on the comic for only three years or thereabouts but his stories have been made available to generations of new readers thanks to many reprints in many different venues. For me it was that incredible one-shot installment of Super DC Giant sporting a new Kirby-Colletta cover which introduced me to the team. But that was far from the only time. Here are the reprints I'm aware of which have landed on the shelves over the intervening years ending with the handsome trade paper volume which landed just last month. Please let me know of others I have overlooked.

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