Blogotional: Comic Art

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Comic Art

Here we will end our long look at Kirby's Masterworks, the denizens of Asgard at Marvel and The New Gods of DC, but oh what an ending! Today we look at the star of all of it - The Mighty Thor! Thor has always been the title character of the Asgardian legends at Marvel, he was first and he is the focus. He was Stan Lee's idea. But it was Jack Kirby that turned Thor into an ensemble book with his small "Tales of Asgard" back stories in the old comics, and when stifled in those efforts at Marvel, took it to DC in the form of the New Gods. And yes, I did almost hurt myself very seriously more than once trying to swing a hammer with enough velocity to make myself fly.

To be entirely honest, Thor was not a favorite when I was a kid - the pretend Old English dialogue and the strange notions of honor were a bit difficult for a 12 year old, but the book just looked so doggone good that I had to keep reading. And when Thor was on Midgard (Earth) he was tangling with some of the baddies and teaming with many of the good guys that I loved so much.

Many say that the FF was Kirby's greatest work, and it may in fact be his best writing, but it is Thor that is iconicly Kirby to my art eye. Walt Simonson may be the best Thor writer ever, and his art on the series was distinctive, and fresh after a long spate of poor Kirby imitators, but no one can draw Thor better than Jack Kirby.

There are, I believe, two completely definitional and iconic superhero images - Batman and Jack Kirby's Thor. (Sorry all you Supes fans out there)

Kirby's Thor contains all the light and heroism of a Superman in a much more graphic, detailed, and interesting image. You still have the flowing cape, but the long hair, the winged helmet, are so evocative.

It is very fitting that this series end here. These last two images represent some of Kirby's best work. The Herc/Thor battles are legend. The classic battle of strength against strength, legend against legend.

But this last cover, Thor with the other of Kirby's definitional and never done better characters, Galactus, sums it all up. So much so that when I was choosing comics to frame and hang on the wall of my office - this was one of them. Near Mint condition, archivally framed, away from direct sunlight, it adorns the walls of my office where I gaze upon it daily as perhaps the best art ever put on a comic cover.

It simply does not get better than Jack Kirby and Thor.