Monday, November 14, 2022

Kirby Inking Kirby

Note: This is a revised and updated piece originally published on September 6, 2011.
One aspect of comic books that I've always been fascinated by - some would say consumed with - is the artwork. From my earliest days I attempted to copy the specific  characteristics of artists I grew familiar with, particularly from the nascent Marvel period. This led to an intense scrutiny of Jack Kirby's art (who, in case you didn't know, was a  creative force and primary co-creator of Marvel's superhero line). Circa 1959-1963 many talented artists in their own right embellished his pencils, including Chris Rule, George Klein, Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, Don Heck and Paul Reinman. Not widely known, though, is that Kirby also inked a selection of covers and interior pages. In this piece I will present my findings, aided greatly by the visual aspect of a blog. In burrowing through comics from over a half-century ago I hope to illuminate a largely unknown and fascinating aspect of Kirby's oeuvre.         

                         The Fantastic Four # 7, October 1962
                                         
While comics historian Mark Evanier has identified the cover of The Fantastic Four # 7 as being inked by Kirby (to which I wholeheartedly agree) I contend that there are many other instances in the period from 1959-63 where he completed the art. 

As a starting point I offer a few examples of Kirby's stylistic tics dating back several years before his Marvel tenure. I believe this will provide context to my observations and substantiate my conclusions. 



"The Mysterious Mr. Vince," Tales of the Unexpected # 21, January 1958. 
      

Clothing Folds 
                                               
Face

Hands
Machinery Squiggle
                                                     
Water Waves
The above Tales of the Unexpected page and selected panels are all from Kirby-inked stories he produced at DC months before his return to Martin Goodman's company. These examples reference concrete details in Kirby's brushwork which will be increasingly recognizable in the images that follow

(To read more about Kirby's pre-1959 inking I refer you to Harry Mendryk's blog: https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/824 )

Dating back to the beginning of his career Kirby could do it all: write, pencil, ink, letter - but going over his art in india ink was not a favorite chore. Paired with partner Joe Simon in the 1940s and 50s, a man who was also multi-talented, the team often collaborated on the art, with Simon inking Kirby's pencils to great effect. When Kirby finished the job he did so competently, with his wife Roz reportedly providing minor assistance from time to time. In several interviews Kirby explained that he felt any professional could complete the job (and, perhaps more telling, his concentration always appeared to focus on telling the next story). While lacking intricate details, since he pays little attention to fine points like fingernails, his depiction of clothing folds to indicate movement, as an example, have a somewhat abstract and organic quality that makes up for any missing elements. More importantly, it presents a glimpse into the undiluted, bare-bones artistry of Kirby; the way one might pit the contributions of The Ramones or Hendrix to Dylan's acoustic renditions. And while the contrast may be a bit more profound in a musical idiom, it is still Kirby working through his own conceptualizations, in much the same fashion as Dylan was doing in his realm. In both cases, I believe insights are gained in terms of the artist's vison.   
     
Battle # 67, December 1959

Battle # 67 is the first Pre-Hero Marvel cover I've discovered that points to Kirby inking (Kirby briefly returned to Atlas in 1956-7 and, once again, I suggest you saunter over to Harry Mendrek's blog for an analysis of the stories he delineated in that period:  https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/884.) Editor Stan Lee assigned most of Kirby's penciled art in this period to his regular stable of inkers (Klein, Rule, Ayers, Ditko). The above image bears none of their signature styles. The face of the soldier, the folds of clothing, the hands and backgrounds (including the squiggle line on the second to left enemy helmet)  are indicative of his previous inked work.


Journey into Mystery # 56, January 1960

This is the first "monster" cover I've attributed to Kirby's inking. Everything looks as though it was succinctly finished, with no frills added. The sharp lines that denote water compare with Kirby's DC story (as shown above). It also looks as though a few additional blocks of ice were crudely drawn, either by production head Sol Brodsky or art director/editor Stan Lee. It should be noted that in this period Martin Goodman's comic book division was small, so anyone in the office (including freelancers) might be called on to lend a hand in emergency situations.

Battle # 68, February 1960

Journey into Mystery was followed by another Battle cover. Inking here looks more precise than usual, perhaps indicating that Kirby labored on this piece a little longer. While there are enough elements pointing to Kirby as the leading suspect (clothing folds, hands, etc.) the possibility that someone else was involved is not out of the question.


                                             Journey into Mystery # 58, May 1960

Here is an instance where Kirby inked an interior story page. While Don Heck drew the rest of this seven page thriller from Journey into Mystery # 58, May 1960, Lee had Kirby illustrate the splash page, undoubtedly replacing Heck's original version. In all likelihood Heck's creature and startled bystanders lacked the immediacy and over-the-top drama Kirby was known for. He was, after all, king of the monsters! The technique here constitutes minimal details, so I wouldn't be surprised if Kirby rushed this out while dropping off work to Lee in the office (and it still packs a punch!).   

Tales to Astonish # 20, June 1961
                             
I originally credited Dick Ayers with the inking on this cover, but there are a number of Kirby tropes that made me reconsider, specifically his handling of the clothing, wheel squiggle (foreground) and brushstrokes on the water.


 The Incredible Hulk # 1, May 1962. Image from the Grand Comics Database.  

The Incredible Hulk # 1 has been attributed to several inkers over the years, including George Roussos and Paul Reinman, but I'm convinced Kirby is the actual inker. As evidence I'd point-out the short strokes on Banner's lab coat, lack of delineation on the Hulk's feet and face, and overall simplicity. There is neither Roussos' heavy use of blacks, Reinman's more precise line, or Ayers' thickness here. Again, it was probably a case of deadlines and Kirby being available (and a speed demon). At the time of the Hulk's debut no one knew the character would survive over half a century later and become recognized through cartoons, television and movies. It was another job in-between the next Fantastic Four and Rawhide Kid .    

Journey into Mystery # 81, June 1962

This cover is generally ascribed to Paul Reinman or George Roussos, but the reductive fleeing figures and the ink-slashes on the robot are indicative of Kirby inks.



Strange Tales Annual # 1, 1962

Unpublished cover, Dick Ayers inks. 

Strange Tales Annual # 1 features Kirby inks, which makes complete sense when a rejected cover was discovered several years ago. The original cover was inked by Dick Ayers, one of Kirby's primary delineators on the monster stories and during the first few years of his superhero work. Ayers' thick, solid inking was perfect for the genre and some of his work was retained on Kirby's version (the Shadow Thing vignette, noticeable on the brickwork). Lee apparently wanted the monsters to threaten humans, which Kirby included in the published version. A replacement would likely be rushed out in the office, so it makes sense that Kirby, instead of Ayers, inked the cover.    

Rawhide Kid # 31, December 1962

Another cover that screams "Kirby" to me. The use of basic strokes to denote hands and blocky inking on the Rawhide Kid's attire, along with the way the buttons are drawn - bigger and closer together - add up to a simple but attractive cover.

 
 Tales of Suspense # 36, December 1962

This Kirby fantasy cover clearly has the same distinguishing inking characteristics. Note the policeman in the foreground and the brusque lines on his face and clothing  (and don't you just adore the dog!) 


                                                Rawhide Kid # 33, April 1963

I long suspected Rawhide Kid # 33 to be an Ayers inked cover but upon closer examination, particularly the clipped strokes on hats, made me reassess this to be Kirby's inking.  

May 1963 cover-dated titles feature what I believe are a total of three Kirby-inked covers. Lee apparently handed out assignments in batches, so on a given month you would notice Paul Reinman or Sol Brodsky inking two or three covers, with another four assigned to Dick Ayers. My guess is that Lee needed these covers completed in a hurry and assigned them to Kirby, who was sure to finish the work on time.

Fantastic Four # 11, February 1963
While the cover of FF # 11 was altered in places, likely by Al Hartley (mainly the figure of Sue), the inking is another matter. In studying this cover some years ago I asked Dick Ayers if he inked it. He emailed me, informing me that the record books he checked indicated it was not his handiwork. Since the coloring is very dark it's hard to decipher details, but the bottom character faces, as well as the Torch's flame pattern - similar to his features on FF # 7, strongly suggest that Kirby completed the art. 


                                          Tales of Suspense # 38, February 1963

This cover has all the earmarks of Kirby inking. Notice the simple lines on the background figures and the slashing technique. This looks nothing like Ayers' work, nor the other inkers of the period. While it is true that Ayers followed Kirby's line closely in a few instances, it was highly unusual and Ayers' signature style is hard to completely miss.


Tales to Astonish # 40, February 1963

Kirby's inking of machinery was effective, giving it a cold metallic look. Ant-Man's costume is recognizable without any frills, as are the pedestrians, but Kirby was accomplished enough to make it all work.

Journey into Mystery # 92, May 1963
While the backgrounds are a little more distinctive and Ayers-like than Kirby's style, Loki's hands and costume barely have any black areas and Thor's helmet has a simple squiggle. Kirby also likely inked the smiling Thor corner trademark, which was soon changed to a more dour expression.

Tales of Suspense # 41, May 1963 

Iron Man's armor has the same choppy lines that accompany Kirby's inking of machinery, and Dr. Strange's outfit again makes use of a few lines to denote clothing folds. 
  
Strange Tales # 112, September 1963

The characters and background elements all point to Kirby's sparse inking. The Human Torch's "flame lines" appear different enough than those of Dick Ayers or George Roussos (the two primary inkers of the character in the Fantastic Four in this period) to suggest Kirby's hand. 

Sgt. Fury # 3, September 1963. Kirby or Ditko inks?

I'm still on the fence regarding this cover. In the Grand Comicbook Database the possibility of Steve Ditko as inker was brought up, and while I was initially skeptical, I clearly see him as a possibility. There are instances where Ditko literally traced Kirby's pencils, such as the "Giant-Man" story in Tales to Astonish # 50. The lack of definition in the hands and the soldier's garb looks like typical Kirby inking, but there's something about Fury's face (and, oddly enough, his canteen) that has a touch of Ditko.


                                       Love Romances # 96, November 1963

This is the only Kirby inked romance cover I've discovered thus far. The face and hair of the woman in the foreground has a distinctive Kirby touch. Is this Kirby's last "unknown" inked cover of the period? Stay tuned!






In addition to covers I believe Kirby also inked all but one of the pin-ups in Fantastic Four Annual # 1, 1963. Dick Ayers clearly inked the Mad Thinker, the only illustration that was not lettered by Ray Holloway (Artie Simek did the honors). Since the Annual was triple the length of an ordinary comic more time was afforded to complete the assignment; it's a likely assumption that pages were penciled and inked at different stages.  .   

                     Detail to the cover of Fantasy Masterpieces # 4, August 1966 

In the following years Kirby was a whirlwind of production and creativity, with Dick Ayers, George Roussos, Vince Colletta and most notably, Chic Stone and Joe Sinnott embellishing  his pencils. With Lee getting requests from fans asking Kirby to ink a cover or story, the artist did the honors in Fantasy Masterpieces # 4, illustrating his co-creation Captain America. It was to be his last ink-job at Marvel. In a business sense it was understandable. Kirby was too valuable as a penciller and had no interest in going over them, still, it would have been interesting to see how Kirby would have inked an entire issue of FF, Thor, Captain America or the Hulk.   

Kirby's efforts as an inker is a small part of his enormous contributions to the world of comic art. Nevertheless, it deserves attention. Like his pencil art, his inking had a raw, unfinished feel that, while not technically perfect, packed a wallop similar to a two minute rock song: fast: furious and wildly exuberant. 

     Special thanks to Frank Mastropaolo for his "minimal" assistance (it's an IN joke!)

41 comments:

Kid said...

Kirby also inked a cover of Fantasy Masterpieces. It was so unusual an occurrence that Stan Lee mentioned it in the Bullpen Bulletins. I can send you a scan if you like. I'll have to check, but I think it was #4.

Nick Caputo said...

Kid,

Never let it be said I don't take suggestions seriously! While I did mention the FM cover, I didn't add a scan, but I've updated my post and here it is. BTW, Fantasy Masterpieces # 4 is one of the earliest comics I recall my brother John buying at a Ice Cream parlor (yes, I am a vintage person), and as poorly printed as those old stories were, it made me aware of a far away era (it also introduced me to Pre-Hero Monsters as well).

Unknown said...

Nice work, Nick!

Batton Lash said...

Let me add that I think Ditko had a hand on the Sgt. Fury cover. Something about Fury's canteen (of all things!) looks like Ditko's handiwork. Also, that "Zog" cover-- there was something about the figure of Zog himself that doesn't quite look like Kirby's work. The way the body is composed always reminded me of Don Heck's figures. Who knows? Regardless, thanks for your good work, Nick! I look forward to your next entry!

Nick Caputo said...

Rand and Batton,

Thanks for the comments. Batton, looking at little details is important in identifying art styles, and I'ts interesting that you see Ditko's possible hand on the Sgt. Fury cover as well. I don't see any evidence of Heck on the Zog cover, what you may see in the composition of Zog is repositioning by another hand, as Stan was very picky on his covers.

Booksteve said...

Keep in mind that it;s fairly well documented that Kirby's wife Roz helped out with inking on a fairly regular basis beginning in the late fifties and lasting, I believe a few years at least.

Oh and count me in for the "Yes that's Ditko " on the SGT FURY cover. All kindsa little Ditko touches but the first thing I see is Dum-Dum's hand.

STEIBEL said...

Hi Nick,

Great article. Would you mind if I posted a link to your article on Kirby Dynamics and included enlarged versions of the covers you mentioned? Here is the site:

http://kirbymuseum.net/blogs/dynamics/

I think the covers would look great at the big size I can use at the Museum site and maybe some more readers will chime in with opinions. Thanks.

-Rob Steibel

Ger Apeldoorn said...

Great stuff and I completely agree on all cases. Have you included the romance covers? Are they all inked by others or did Kirby do some of those as well? What you don't mention on FF #11, is the fact that the Thing s drawn with a blocky hide, as Kirby always intended. It was Dick Ayers who softened Thing's look in his earliest appearances. I believe it was also one of the major arguments for Mark Evanier to give #7 to Kirby.

Nick Caputo said...

Booksteve,

You are correct that Roz assisted in the inking department for some years, although I don't know if she was still helping Jack out in the Marvel period. A number of DC stories have a fine line that I don't see at Marvel that I suspect may be the work of Roz.

The more I look at that Sgt. Fury cover the more I'm leaning to Ditko inking as well.

Rob,

You have permission to provide a link to my blog and to enlarge the covers.

Ger,

All the romance covers I've looked over did not appear to be inked by Kirby. The majority were inked by Chris Rule and Vince Colletta although there is at least one mystery inker that I will take a closer look at.

Kid said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kid said...

Nick, I can't find a contact address for you, so I hope you'll forgive me leaving this here. It's further info about Rob Kirby's planned book about British Marvel - from the 'It Came From Darkmoor' Blog:

From Cents to Pence - Rob Kirby to chart the history of Marvel UK

As announced by Simon Williams, over at the Make Mine Marvel UK!!! Facebook group, this week, there are plans afoot for the publishing of a written history of all things Marvel UK. Rob Kirby is the guy who's been piecing stuff together over the past couple of years, and while 'Marvel: From Cents to Pence – The Definitive Guide to Marvel’s British Comics 1951-2007,' to give it its full title, does not have a release date (as of yet) Simon assures us that work is complete on the text itself and its indices.

The book will apparently be published in hardback and as 'A Quality Guide' - the first in a new imprint of books from Dez Skinn's long-running publishing company. Dez was, of course, a former Editorial Director of Marvel UK, as well as being in charge of Warrior magazine in the 80s (V for Vendetta, Miracleman) - so if ever there were a right company for job...

Kirby promises that:


the first half of Marvel: From Cents to Pence will contain a copiously
illustrated 26 chapter history of Marvel’s activities in the UK, and is chock
full of surprising revelations, candid admissions, rib-tickling anecdotes, and
unexpected connections to the American side of Marvel’s many publishing
activities (thanks, in no small part, to much exclusive commentary by many of
the editors, writers and artists to have worked on the UK comics on both sides
of the big pond over the years). That leaves the latter half of the book to
dedicated to indices that, character by character, dissect in painstaking detail
almost every story ever printed by Marvel in Britain since 1972.


The book will also cover the post imprint days we live in now, and Panini's role in Marvel's distribution here in the UK, and will include breakdowns of pretty much everything Marvel UK ever put out; from US reprints to full ‘Printographies’ of every creator to have produced original material, which appeared here in print first, in the UK.

I have to say that this sounds really promising. I think that for every Marvel UK fanboy out there, regardless of age, there's always been a little bit of resentment at the lack of recognition given to some of the great work done for Marvel UK. Seeing it both discussed and recorded in print will hopefully remind a few people just how much was done over here.

And, as I keep reminding people, the term "Earth 616" originated here, long before the rest of the Marvel Universe embraced it.

Like I say, no finite details yet, but I'll spread the word as soon as I hear more. And for more details, if you've got access to Facebook, you can find the full item posted up on the Make Mine Marvel UK!!! group. They're a friendly bunch, and you can find them here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5511398398

The Seditionist said...

I am incredibly *not* persuaded. I only looked at a couple of the covers as well as FantMast 4 as a control. (I would assume there's no doubt about Kirby inking that one, right?) All I'd say is that the covers I looked at did *not* looked like they were inked by the man who inked FM4.

And not only does FM4 look to me far more Kirby-like than the others, it was inked a couple years after the other covers on the post yet looks the most Kirby-like. So "tics" in the FM4 cover should be even more pronounced in the earlier covers, but they are not.

IMO, of course. As Jim V. says, YMMV.

Doc V. said...

Bravo, Nick! The other inker on one of the romance issues was probably George Klein on TEEN-AGE ROMANCE #84.

And pay no attention to that bullying Seditionist! He's still trying to figure out how to spot Gene Colan's Timely pencils!

:-)

Nick Caputo said...

High praise coming from you Mike. I've spent many, many hours studying Kirby's known inking, and along with the work I own, poured over many examples on Harry Medryk's blog, where he identified Kirby inked stories of the 1940s and 1950s. I don't expect to convince everyone, but the evidence is there to decipher.

Nick Caputo said...

Kid,

thanks for the info. BTW, Kid has a great Blog that I'm sure many will enjoy.

http://kidr77.blogspot.com/

It's worth checking out. No Kidding!

Kid said...

Thanks for the plug, Nick. The cheque is in the mail.

Nick Caputo said...

For those who were asking about the mention of Kirby inking Fantasy Masterpieces, here it is, from the Oct 1966 Bullpen Bulletins:

"For years fans have been asking to see a sample of King Kirby's inking, but Jolly Jack just hasn't had the time to put down his pencil and pick up a brush. However, just for kicks, he both pencilled and inked the fight scene depicting Captain America and Ivan the Terrible on the cover of FANTASY MASTERPiECES # 4. So, if you want a real, not-soon-to-be-repeated treasure, latch onto a copy pronto."

the stiKman said...

What fun! For some time I have theorized that Bill Everett did some inking on the Fantastic Four 11 cover. The folds on the clothing are a clue.

None said...

It is great to finally get to see the Marvel art that you believe was inked by Kirby. I wish I could voice my opinion but unfortunately I have not done sufficient study of MM #4 the only documented piece of Kirby inking. But as you point out it is very reasonable that in a bind Stan might call on Jack to inked his own piece.

I know you said that Rawhide Kid #31 screamed Kirby to you but to me it screams someone else, Marvin Stein. In particular the brushwork in the shadow of the man at the center bottom and the blunt picket fence on the shoulder of the man on our lower right corner. Stein was a marvelous inker (working mostly for DC) and great at inking Kirby. But there is a really big problem with my attribution, Stein had left comics after 1959 although there is one story by him published by Harvey in 1962.

Harry

Nick Caputo said...

StiKman,

I don't see any signs of Everett's distinctive inking on the FF cover. Everett was only sporadically doing job for Marvel in this period, since he was employed at a greeting card company, notably DD # 1 in 1964. I don't believe he did any work for Marvel in late 1962.

Nick Caputo said...

Harry,

Thanks for the comments. In 1962 Stan had a very limited number of artists working for him and Stein has never been mentioned as being among them, although I believe he did some work for Atlas earlier on (Doc V, please chime in here).

Perhaps Jack picked up some pointers from Stein and that's what you see in the inking.

the stiKman said...

Has anyone seen the original to Fantastic Four #11? I seem to remember seeing the bottom "heads" piece original many years ago. Looking more closely at the cover I see some "everettiness". Especially on the clothing, the torch, and the feet. However Reed's is a perfect match for the Kirby inking style. The "faces" strip looks rather like Ditko inking. I believe George Roussous once mentioned that in the pre-"George Bell"-early 60s that he and Everett and Ditko would occasionally drop in and do a little coloring when Stan Goldberg was swamped.But we can also agree to disagree. Thanks for posting a rreat article.

Nick Caputo said...

stiKman,

Everett did work in production in the mid-1960s and did some coloring, notably the Silver Surfer # 1. I've never heard any mention of Ditko coloring at Marvel, although he has mentioned that he suggested colors for Spider-Man's costume,which was not followed by Stan G.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nick
great article, and am in agreement in all cases! I see though that you attribute Tales of Astonish 50 (not featured) to Ditko (who is also credited on the splash page). I see it as Kirby with some Heck corrections instead.....I rate Ditko as one of Kirby's best inkers, but I don't see any of his style in the Giant-man feature at all, and the inking instead appears to my eyes very similar to Rawhide Kid #31 or Suspense #36. I have not seen any of the original pages though.....however I don't see it as being impossible for Lee (or Brodsky)to have asked Kirby to ink over one afternoon in the office as it was too late to get Ditko. Kirby may not have considered changing the credit. It would also explain Heck even later on making certain fixes, which Ditko would have done....
Some comics where the inking credit is incorrect include Avengers #4 and FF Annual #5 (which I am sure you know about anyway!)
Thanks for the blog. I constantly look for new updates.
Marco

Nick Caputo said...

Marco,

Thanks for the kind words. I'll take another look at Astonish # 50. I agree there is very little noticeable of Ditko in that story, but I attribute it to Ditko's rushing out the inks and practically tracing over Kirby's pencils, but I could be wrong. Credit boxes are not always correct, particularly in the case of inkers, since their credits are penciled in by the letterer who credits the inker that was assigned to the job. Sometimes last minute changes occurred and the correct name was not revised.

drivingovercanaan said...

Kirby always did great dogs.

Jim Long said...

Nick,

The Sgt. Fury cover is inked by Vinnie Colletta. One key to look for is the organic look to the sand under Fury and Dugan.

Nick Caputo said...

Hi Jim,

I'd have to disagree on Colletta here. His inking was much lighter and examples from the period, particularly inking Kirby on romance stories and early Thor, bear this out. I'm still of the mind that this is either Kirby inks or someone closely following his pencils.

Bfoss said...

This is the first really intelligent comic blog I’ve come across. It’s so rich in detail. A lot of blogs seem to focus on the writing and how everything fits into the Marvel Universe. There seems to be a focus on the art here, which is my main interest. Thanks so much, I can’t wait to read all of them.

Nick Caputo said...

Bfoss,

Thanks so much for the praise. I do my best to focus on different aspects of the creators, often focusing on art-related subjects, but using it as a forum to celebrate writers, letterers and others involved in the fascinating world of comics.

Billy Hogan said...

If I'm not mistaken, the panel from a Kirby DC story, showing a man swimming towards shore, is from a Green Arrow story showing a flashback of his origin.

Nick Caputo said...

Billy, I believe you are correct.

AirPiratePress said...

Hi, Nick ... I would also point out that the figure of The Thing on FF11 (and FF7 for that matter) tends to indicate Kirby inking. Other inkers on either side of this issue tended to ink The Thing with "dinosaur hide", Ayers being the "worst" offender. However, Kirby was already pencilling The Thing in all his blocky glory ... it was his inkers (perhaps at Stan's behest) who were smoothing the pencils off to obscure the blockiness. But Kirby's look was the version that endured ...

AirPiratePress said...

... oh sorry, that was me, Alan @ Marvel in the Silver Age

Nick Caputo said...

Hi Alan, Kirby's Thing certainly was unique, so much so that quite a few artist's couldn't get that hang of drawing the character. Kirby's version did indeed endure. Thanks for those worthwhile points.

Pete Hale said...

Strangely, Kirby worked briefly at the Fleischer Studio in the 30s. I am writing a history of the Golden Age of Animation, and I'm confused at how 0% of books mention this weird bit of geekdom.

Pete Hale said...

Hi Nick! I find it odd that he worked there. Also a Fleischer fan! In my book I hope to do justice to it, and I'm sure many Marvel fans will be confused.

Anonymous said...

I've always questioned the inking credit for the Giant-Man story in Tales To Astonish #50. Ditko is credited, but it doesn't look like his work at all to me. The GCD notes Don Heck touch ups on the Wasp's face, which I do see. The inking is very minimalist, and full of thin lines. If it was Ditko, it must have been a rush job. Or -- could it have been hurriedly inked by Kirby himself?

Nick Caputo said...

I posited the Heck touch-ups on the Wasp's face on the GCD. I agree that it's very hard to see any Ditko in the inking. I do see touches of Ditko inking, but I suspect he was following Kirby's pencils precisely, perhaps due to deadlines, but he may also have deliberately not added anything because he wasn't interested in inking others work at this point and wanted to concentrate on producing complete art on Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

Anonymous said...

Yes, that would make sense. And it was surprising to see Ditko inking Ayers as late as Sgt. Fury #15. As an aside, the Ditko/Ayers combo is the only instance I can think of during the Silver Age of Marvel where each artist inked the other's work (TOS #48 and Sgt Fury #15).

Nick Caputo said...

I believe you are correct.