Jack Kirby: Tales of Suspense #12 - November 1960

In commemoration of Jack Kirby's birthday

 August 28 1917

Nov. 1960: Tales of Suspense #12

Jack Kirby's 100th Birthday/Kirby Centennial

Not sure I can add to what's already being said regarding the genius and influence and brilliance of Jack Kirby; instead I'll just post a few of my favorite Silver Age Kirby splashes. 

1968: Thor #159

1969: Captain  America #112

1969: Thor #167

One of My Favorite Jack Kirby Covers

Now that's a Kirbyesque face!  ;)

Jack "King" Kirby  

August 28 1917- February 6 1994

Psst: betcha can't guess who the lanky figure in black is ;)

Jack Kirby's 97th Birthday

In honor of what would have been Jack Kirby's 97th birthday, let's take a look at--ahem-- Fantastic Four #97 (1970), one of the later Lee-Kirby collaborations from that comic's historic run. 

FF #97's  "The Creature From the Lost Lagoon!" features a sympathetic alien "monster" who adopts a human guise for much of the story.  To illustrate the obvious, check out these panels (l. and r.) of that human form:

But check out these pages from Fantastic Four #97, Kirby-Giacoia art: 

To achieve freedom, he busts loose in true Kirby style.  

Was  #97 Kirby's way of expressing his dissatisfaction and frustration with the House of Ideas? As we know, less than 6 months later and as officially announced in Fantastic Four #102, the King left Marvel (though he'd return in 1975). Why was the alien silent in his human form? Did Stan notice the resemblance? 

Jack "King" Kirby  

August 28 1917- February 6 1994

If you'd like to read more of FF #97, you can purchase it from an online vendor or check your LCS, they may have this classic issue. Plus the story's been reprinted in Essential Fantastic Four Volume 5 and Marvel Masterworks Fantastic Four Volume 10. 

By the way, when this same alien creature made another appearance a few years later in Fantastic Four #124-5, in the flashback scenes John Buscema drew the creature's human identity with a longer, ess stocky body instead of the more compact Kirby physique shown in #97.

Jack Kirby's 96th Birthday

Taking a break from our Medusa marathon to post a belated commemoration of Jack Kirby's birthday. As I'm sure most of you already know, on this past August 28th he would have been 96.
Here, a few of my favorite faces by the King:

Captain America #109

Thor #175

As many have noted, here Reed seems to be a Kirby self-portrait.

Fantastic Four #79