Kirby Corrections

While most fans are aware that John Romita, Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe and others provided art corrections and alterations for Stan Lee, it is not common knowledge that Jack Kirby also contributed his share of corrections over other artists work in the early days of Marvel.

In the late, lamented Jack Kirby Quarterly # 12 (Spring 1999), I was intrigued by a column written by Nigel Kitching discussing Kirby's art corrections. Like myself, Nigel thrived on minute aspects of comics art, and his first discovery was one that had completely escaped my notice.

Splash to Amazing Spider-Man # 11, April 1964

This splash was the first image Nigel discussed, drawn by Steve Ditko. Notice anything unusual?

To quote Nigel:

"Spider-Man's head is clearly Ditko - the webbing is organized in typical Ditko fashion. But the body is nearly all Kirby. The webbing on Spider-Man's right hand has been hastily drawn as only a series of lines; Ditko never used this shorthand style. The feet are all wrong: Ditko drew a distinct arched instep." 

While I'm not completely certain that Kirby drew those hands, they may well be a quick attempt to copy Ditko as best he could.   

Nigel continues:

"If you look carefully, you can see the point where the correction artist took over from the original drawing. On the lower part of the torso, the webbing lines are much heavier. The horizontal webbing lines on the shoulder disappear on the arm where the correction artist had forgotton to draw them in..."      

Nigel goes on to explain how Kirby eliminated the groin area, how Spidey's thigh goes up practically to his waist and how differently Kirby draws the boots. Never had I seen anyone so meticulously dissect such work and I was greatly impressed. The remainder of Nigel's article point out corrections that Kirby made to early issues of Don Heck's Avengers. This led me to email Nigel, prasing him for his observations and explaining that I too liked to study art styles and had indeed noticed some of the corrections he discussed. I'll post most of them here, While Nigel and I didn't agree on every drawing, we were on the same page 99 % of the time.

Avengers # 9, Oct 1964. Spash page by Heck/Ayers/Kirby  

As Nigel pointed out, Kirby clearly draws the Cap figure in the center, and likely Thor as well. Nigel suspects Kirby also drew part of Iron-Man's left arm and I agree.   

       

Avengers # 9, page 10, panel 5

Nigel noted that the Executioner was by Kirby. The foreshortened arm and square fingers point to Kirby's involvement.

                          Avengers # 9, page 11, panel six

Nigel is certain that Cap is drawn by Kirby. I concur. Heck had a specific way of drawing Cap's face. This is also a typical Kirby pose. 

Avengers # 9, page 15

I suggested to Nigel that Kirby likely drew the Executioner figures in panels 1 and 5. Nigel was not totally convinced about panel 5, but agreed on panel 1, and suggested Kirby also drew the Executioners face in panel 4, which I agreed with. 

Avengers #9, page 20, panel 8

This is clearly a Kirby drawn Cap figure.

Avengers # 9, page 21

Nigel noted Panel 3 as Kirby drawn. The figures of Thor, Cap and Giant-Man's hands all have the Kirby look, with the exception of the wasp. I noted Kirby corrections on Cap's face in panel 5. Heck drew Cap's eye slots much bigger.      

Avengers # 10, page 8, panel 6

I suggested the Giant-Man figure to Nigel, who agreed with me, noticing the gloves and Kirby's stylized anatomy. 

Avengers # 10, page 18, panel 5

                                              
     Another very clear example of Kirby redrawing a panel.

Avengers # 11, page 9, panel 3.

In Avengers # 11, pencilled by Heck and inked by Chic Stone, we find a Kirby drawn Giant-Man figure. Note the boots and the typical Kirby pose.

Avengers # 11, panels 1 and 3.

I pointed out the Giant-Man figure in panel one as being drawn by Kirby. Note the difference in style from panel 2, which is drawn by Heck. Nigel agreed and pointed out panel 3 also being a G-M Kirby. It seems obvious to me now, and I wonder if Kirby didn't have a hand on the Spider-Man pose as well. 

                                 
                                Avengers # 11, page 14, panel one

This is one of the few panels Nigel and I disagreed on. Nigel believes this is a Kirby corrected Thor, but I feel this is likely Heck's work. Although the figure does have a Kirby-ish look, the pose, especially the left leg, looks more Heck than Kirby to my eyes. Also, note the hand which is touched up. Thor was clearly holding his hammer in his hand, but  in the previous scene Thor was without his hammer. Nigel was able to contact the great Chic Stone, who inked the issue. He had this important information to pass on:

" Jack did many "touch-ups" on other pencillers; work when Stan thought certain figures lacked dramatic impact."

Stone also belived that the Thor figure was "definitely pencilled by Jack" To Nigel's credit he admits that Stone's saying so doesn't make it positive. Artists sometimes are unable to discern styles, sometimes even their own after some 35 years had passed.  

Daredevil # 2 June 1964, page 2 -Orlando/Colletta/Kirby?

I'll close with a few possible Kirby corrections that I pointed to in my correspndence with Nigel way back in June of 1999. The above page from the second issue of Daredevil is interesting. Many artists struggled with  drawing the Thing, from Steve Ditko to Dick Ayers. This version looks a little too close to Kirby's, and very different from Orlando's style. Unless Orlando swiped from Kirby, I suspect this was Kirby redrawing or fixing up Orlando's figures. Further evidence points to someone else working on the Thing, as I don't see  Vince Colleta's fine line inking on the figure. I'm uncertain if this is Kirby inking though.     

DD # 2, page 3

Here are a few more figures from page 3. To my eye they look very much like Kirby Thing figures circa 1964, particularly panel 3. The remaining panels which featured the Thing on this page are too small to decipher, but are likely "pure Orlando/Colletta" figures (why bother to touch up such small figures)?. Am I 100% convinced Kirby drew these panels?  Nope, but the evidence points pretty strongly to Kirby.  

Strange Tales # 131, April 1965. Bob Powell pencils; Mike Esposito inks

Thing figure by Kirby?

The cover to Strange Tales is clearly drawn by Bob Powell, but the Thing's pose, his hands and his figure bear the mark of Kirby. Powell's Thing looked more ape-like, and this figure looks very much like Kirby's original. 

Strange Tales # 131, page 7, panel 5

Finally we have an interior panel from the same issue, drawn by Bob Powell, with inks by Dick Ayers. Again, the Thing's pose and figure have the Kirby look, although his features and poses in other panels drawn by Powell do not look the same. It is possible Kirby touched up a few other Thing figures in the story, but nothing jumped out at me like this panel did.    

And there you have it, an examination of some of Kirby's possible correction work at Marvel. While Sol Brodsky was the production man at the time, there were time constraints, and Stan would likely want the characters to look right. If Kirby were in the office it would be best to go to him to make the changes, since he designed most of them. Stan was also not above asking anyone who walked in the door to fix a page or panel, as we've seen in an earlier post with Ditko correcting a Kirby panel. I find this stuff to be of immense interest (at least to me and Nigel), so I hope a few others do as well. In the future I may point out some interesting art fixes by folks like Marie Severin, Herb Trimpe and Paul Reinman.      

My sincere appreciation to Nigel Kitching. I urge anyone interested in this post to seek out Jack Kirby Quarterly #  12 to read Nigel's complete article. The issue is filled with great artwork and features. The cover alone is worth the price, using Kirby's unpublished X-Men # 10 cover, nicely colored by Nigel himself.  

Ditko content worth exploring

Over the past few years I've been honored to write about the work of one of the most important, unique and distinctive artists in the world of comics - Mr. Steve Ditko - in DitkoMania. Rob Imes has been editing the revived publication, which was originated by Bill Hall. Rob's fanzine is a labor of love, and I like the fact that it is "home grown", put together the old fashioned way, with scissors, tape and tender loving care. Rob decides what to include, and his approach has been entertaining and thoughtful. While Rob has theme issues that often focus on Ditko's earlier work, he also reviews Ditko's latest output. I'm also in great company, sharing space with folks like Barry Pearl, Jason Sacks, Bruce Buchanan, Javier Hernandez, Dave Sim, Mort Todd, Batton Lash and Michael T. Gilbert (to name a few). DitkoMania has well thought out articles, wonderful artwork and a lively letters page. It's a real bargain, and I encourage anyone who enjoys the work of Steve Ditko to give it a try. You won't be disappointed.   

   http://www.ditko-fever.com/dmreturns.html

You can also read some reviews of earlier issues of DitkoMania at this site:

http://poopsheetfoundation.com/blog/2011/09/14/ditkomania-81-edited-by-rob-imes/

I think they're quite insightful.


Robin Snyder has been publishing a newsletter entitled The Comics for decades (yes, decades!), and it is always filled with interesting articles by pros (Ditko has contributed many essays over the years, detailing his involvement on Spider-Man. Essential reading for those interested in comics history), letters and artwork on all facets of comic books.  Robin produces a unique publication that centers on the positive aspects of the medium. Like Rob, his newsletter is a solo effort, and his output has been phenomenal. How he put together 12 issues a year, while also publishing the latest work of Mr. S. Ditko (lately on a Bi-Monthly basis) is beyond me. I would be remiss if I didn't add another important fact: Robin is one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure to correspond with. I salute him!  Try a sample issue, and tell him Nick Caputo sent you! You can also order Ditko's latest output from Robin, as well as much of the work he has produced with Robin over the years, including gems like Static and the Mocker.   


http://ditkocultist.com/periodicals/order-the-comics/


These are impressive, small press publications that deserve attention. They stand out in a sea of slick publications (although mags like Roy Thomas' Alter Ego, still has the same enthusiastic feel they began with, and Roy is another class act).  I hope fanzines such as Rob and Robin's continue to surprise and thrill me for many years to come.       

Unaltered Reprint covers

Ever since I can remember I've been fascinated by the process of comics: how they're put together. Pencils, inks, colors, lettering, editing, production. Early on I had an ability to notice alterations in artwork. I was a lad of 10 when Kirby moved to DC and Superman and Jimmy Olsen's redrawn faces stuck out like a sore thumb. Or, at Marvel, Romita faces were sometimes on Kirby's women, or a Marie Severin or Herb Trimpe face or figure would show up in a George Tuska or John Buscema story. I was particularly interested in comparing changes that occured in reprint titles such as Marvel Tales or Marvel Collector's Item Classics. I often took out the originals from my brothers collection and discovered that the entire story was often recolored, or there were sometimes changes in copy. Covers were particularly interesting, since the originals were often restructured in some form, either cropped, images flopped or copy added or deleted.

While many covers were new versions by different artists, especially in the 1970s, including Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, Marie Severin, Jim Starlin, John Buscema and Ron Wilson, the originals were also used, but sometimes there were subtle differences. Some of the covers, it turned out, were not the original publsihed covers, but stats of the covers before they were changed in production. There were changes big and small that occured, and I thought it might be interesting to doccument some of them.

Fantastic Four # 68, Nov 1967, Kirby/Sinnott



Detail to Marvel's Greatest Comics # 51, Sept 1974


The above example is one of the, um, minute changes that sometimes appeared and could easily escape detection. In the original published version the Thing's mouth is smaller than the stat that was published on the reprint. Why the change? Did someone think the Thing as originally depicted looked too frightening? The coloring on the reprint appears to obscure some of the machinery, but I don't think there are many alterations from the original, although on both versions Marie Severin may have touched up some of the machinery directly above the Thing's head.   



Fantastic Four # 70, Jan 1968 Kirby'Sinnott/Romita alterations

Marvel's Greatest Comics # 53, Nov 1974 



Kirby's original drawing reveals a number of differences from the printed cover. Sue's figure on FF # 70 was positioned to turn in the direction of the Android. Romita redrew parts of Sue's waist and leg's, as one can see from the way the lines on her skirt are drawn. Also, Johnny was originally drawn without the flames emanating from his body. Some of Sue's figure is covered on the reprint because the original copy was moved in order to add an additional caption on the upper left. In the 1970's editors often felt the need to add more captions or word baloons, making the covers cluttered and less dramatic.



Thor #129, June 1966 Kirby/Colletta

Marvel Spectacular # 2, Sept 1973

In the original Thor cover Stan decided to eliminate the architecture in order to focus on the three figures. This turned out to be a good idea, as the black background was more dramatic and attractive. The Marvel Spectacular cover had to crop the images a bit in order to fit the bigger logo. 





Fantastic Four # 71, Feb 1968, Kirby/Sinnott



Marvel's Greatest Comics # 54, Jan 1975 

As you can see, Marvel used quite a few unpublished stats in this period on their reprints. It is interesting to compare the two versions. In the published FF cover Stan again choose to simplify the background elements, eliminating most of the details on the left side of the cover (Reed and Johnny). Only the outline of a bulding appears by  Reed's figure, and Johnny's flame was altered so as not to cover the android's face. The burst in between the characters and the blurb was also cut out. The MGC cover cropped the Sue section in order for the logo to fit, but I find the composition of the burst more attractive  than the published cover version.

    

Thor # 133, Oct 1966, Kirby/Colletta/Romita alterations? 

Marvel Spectacular # 4, Nov 1973

The face of Ego was changed considerably on the published Thor cover, perhaps by John Romita, although I'm not certain. Stan must have felt that Ego's face looked too normal and wanted a more otherwordly look. I was comparing these covers with my brother John, who felt the published Thor cover looked better than the Marvel Spectacular stat. I believe minor alterations may have worked better, perhaps deleting the beard. I do like the way Kirby drew the eyes.





Captain America # 101, May 1968. Kirby/Shores/Romita alterations

Marvel Super Action # 2, July 1977 

Finally we come to a cover that was not not changed due to editorial choice, but by the demands of the Comics Code. Roy Thomas has explained that the Code was very touchy about the depiction of the Skull, and early on made it clear that the Skull's face should look like a mask, not a real skull. Kirby apparently forgot that demand when he was drawing the original cover, and John Romita was called on to make the Skull acceptable. By 1977 the Code had softened enough for the cover to appear on Marvel Super Action. The stat also has a few background elements that are a little different, and the title had to be relettered so that the UPC code could fit on the lower left hand corner.

Those are a few of the covers that were used on reprints in the 1970s. There are quite a few more, and I may detail some of those on a future blog post.   

John Powers Severin - An Appreciaton

"I've always been interested in people's faces. I've tried to study the types you see in various occupations or in the differences that show up with racial groups. Yes, I reckon the face is the best way to show character, but there's plenty of other things that go along with it. The hands - for example -- the way a man uses his hands shows how his mind is really working.  You can control an expression on the face, but the hands give it away. Then there's the way a character is dressed or his way of posturing."    

John Severin interview with John Benson, Graphic Story Magazine # 13, spring 1971

Beginning in 1947, and only ending recently with his passing (February 12th, 2012), John Severin had been drawing comics - and drawing them with distinctive finesse - for over sixty years. Quite an accomplishment by any standard.

"Dien Bien Phu", Two Fisted Tales # 40, January 1955. 

Severin was an artist who didn't get a lot of attention, perhaps because he was never too involved or interested in super-heroes, preferring genres rooted in a realistic background: western, war and period pieces.  Severin also spent many years working on humor strips for Cracked, and was never associated with a single character for long.  Nevertheless, Severin was one of those artists, like Russ Heath and Joe Kubert, who turned out superior work year after year.

Kid Colt, Outlaw # 84, May 1959. Severin draws you  into the scene. Severin, along with Joe Maneely, Russ Heath and Bill Everett, drew some of the most exciting covers for Atlas.

Caught # 4, Feb 1957. Severin contributed a  number of spectacular covers for Atlas' crime titles, which deserve to be collected in a Masterworks edition (you listening, Cory??)


I probably first took notice of Severin's work when he took over the artistic chores from Dick Ayers on Sgt. Fury for three issues (#'s 44-46).   

Sgt. Fury # 45, August, 1967. The expressions and body language on the characters speak volumes.

Severin continued on Sgt. Fury for a long run, inking Dick Ayers pencils, adding authenticity and detail. Severin's inks were exquisite on everyone, from Herb Trimpe to Ross Andru. Of special note is his collaboration with sister Marie on Kull.



Two-Gun Kid # 103, March 1972; Gil Kane pencils. 



Captain Savage # 16, September, 1969. Don Heck pencils. The only time Severin inked Heck.


I began to fully appreciate Severin when I discovered his earlier work, in reprints of his EC war and humor stories for Mad. As I became interested in collecting pre-hero Marvel's in the 1980s I bought many westerns at conventions, attracted by Severin's exceptional covers. All the while Severin continued to work for companies such as Warren, the short-lived Atlas/Seaboard line (in the magazine Thrilling Adventure Stories), and DC, on "the Losers", "Unknown Soldier" and "Enemy Ace" to the recent Bat Lash series. It was always worth checking out anything Severin drew since the quality of his art continued to remain high.




Western Gunfighters # 9, May 1972. Severin produced many covers for Marvel's western reprints on the 1970s and they are well worth seeking out. Severin also drew the sidebar characters.


John Severin was a rare breed that turned in exceptional work day in and day out. Never flashy, his art had a quiet integrity which stands the test of time. 






    

   

Stan Goldberg – Prince of the Palette

Stan G., as he became popularly known at Marvel in the 1960s, was both proficient and highly skilled, coloring covers and interiors, and inventing the color schemes for the Marvel Super-Heroes, including Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor, X-Men, Daredevil, Iron-Man and Dr. Strange. Goldberg was not only a stunning colorist, but also a solid artist in the teen-humor/romance line, including a long run on Millie the Model. Goldberg used his limited palette to produce a distinctive look for the Pre-Hero Marvel and Marvel Age line-up. His use of solid colors, gradations and "knock-outs" (a term used to describe the use of a single solid color in a panel) was exceptional, and Editor Lee had a trusted and professional staffer to rely on.

The "Knock-Out" from "The Clock Maker" Strange Tales # 96, May 1962, Ditko Art

Kid Colt Outlaw # 97, March 1961 - Kirby-Ayers Art. Goldbergs's coloring of the prisoners in the foreground in solid gray, along with white space, adds emphasis to the hero, Kid Colt.

Goldberg began working for Timely as a teenager, drawing stories and coloring. He soon took over the coloring department and remained with Marvel until 1968, when he moved over to drawing for Archie and DC. At Marvel, Goldberg added a quality of mood that suited the line. Very different from DC’s primary colors, Goldberg used grays, purples and dark greens to great effect, especially in the monster and fantasy stories of the late 1950's and early 1960's. His monsters all followed similar color schemes; oranges, grays, browns - making them stand out (as can be seen in my post Monster's at my Window) . 

This sense of mood continued with the Marvel heroes, fashioning a distinctive company look. Goldberg's work followed a pattern: the villains were adorned in greens and purples (Dr. Doom, The Mandarin, Loki, Mysterio, the Frightful Four); the heroes in blues, reds and yellows. Lee's Marvel line-up developed a consistent look, down to the lettering and coloring. Goldberg, like Artie Simek and Sam Rosen (see my previous post for more on both men), were professionals who created a body of work than can be admired and appreciated, especially since it was done on a deadline.

Amazing Spider-Man # 23, Apr 1965, Ditko art. Notice how Goldberg did not color Spider-Man's costume in solid red or blue, instead using shading to provide depth, as he did on many of the Marvel characters .

Avengers # 23, Dec 1965, Kirby-Romita Art. Goldberg's coloring of Kang adds dimension to the cover and contrasts with the colorful Avengers.

FF # 47, Feb 1966. Kirby-Sinnott Art. Beautiful use of grays to emphasise the heroes, with the red of the Torch standing out. 

X-Men # 16, Jan 1966, Kirby-Ayers cover. Kirby's 3-D art is enhanced by Goldberg's reds and yellows. The purple logo stands out. 

Tales of Suspense # 80, Aug 1966. Kirby-Heck cover. Another beautiful combination of colors, especially the yellows and greens.

Sgt. Fury # 16, March 1965, Kirby-Stone art. Goldberg's use of yellow in various gradations makes the reader literally feel the heat and exhaustion that Kirby vividly depicts on the Howlers.

Stan Goldberg is one of a kind. Versatile, inventive and charming in person, he is part of a special era in comics, when a few very intelligent and talented people got together and made comic books that are worth revisiting. While comic book production has changed and improved over time, and coloring is now done on computer, with endless choices, the old school of Goldberg and his peers were able to do more with less, and often accomplish much despite the drawbacks. They tower above the rest as examples of some of the best in the field.          

Amazing Spider-Man # 39, Aug '66, Romita cover. One of my earliest memories of a comic book I  took notice of on the comics rack, the brilliant gradations of light blue to purple immediately caught my attention and remains a favorite. 

   

Journey Into Minutiae - Undocumented Ditko Thor

Every once in a while its nice to write something deserving of the "Minutiae" title, and this post achieves that. A few months back my brother John, who often sends me emails when there is a question of identifying art, forwarded me something that was being advertised on Heritage Auctions. It was page 13 of Journey into Mystery # 88, an early Thor story, drawn by Kirby and inked by Dick Ayers. It's always a treat to look at original art pages, especially (for me) studying the border notes by Kirby and others, as well as Stan's production notes to Sol Brodsky. This page was particularly intriguing because it includes a panel that was changed before publication.

Original art to Journey into Mystery # 88, Jan 1963, Kirby pencils;Ayers inks

Close-up of Thor panel by Kirby

There have been numerous instances where Stan requested art corrections or alterations, so that was no big surprise. I put the page away and intended to compare it to the original, to see why it was altered and what Kirby redrew. I never got around to comparing the page, having completely forgotten about it, but the other day I found it mixed in with other papers and decided to check out the original comic. That's when I was in for a surprise.

When I took a close look at the panel I realized the alteration was not by Kirby, or production man Sol Brodsky, but Steve Ditko! The distinct inking on Thor's arms and the depiction of earth was a clear giveaway.

Published panel by Steve Ditko. Note the linework on Thor's arms and the Earth

After comparing the printed panel to the replacement, it was obvious that Stan wanted it to be clear that Thor was flying away from earth. The simple reason Stan didn't have Kirby make the change was probably because Ditko happened to be in the office when it was needed. This was not the first time that Ditko fixed a Kirby panel; he did the same in FF # 20, which was discovered, I believe, by Nigel Kitching, who has pointed out many corrections by Ditko and Kirby in this early period to me many years ago.

Page 17, panel 3 of Fantastic Four # 20, Nov 1963

It's also interesting to note that Ditko inked the cover, which he may have picked up when he made the correction.

Journey into Mystery # 88, Kirby pencils; Ditko inks

It's always a thrill to discover - and share - the little surprises that continue to crop up. It's part of the adventure of investigating the ongoing history of comics.