Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and that old Black Magic

As discussed in my last blog post, Simon and Kirby published some of Ditko's earliest comic art. One such story appeared in Black Magic # 27, Nov-Dec 1953.

Cover to Black Magic # 27 by Jack Kirby; letters by Ben Oda. Very likely inspired by the atmospheric 1942 movie "The Cat People" directed by Jacque Tourneur. The cat on the right is actually Yancy Streeter Barry Pearl's cat "Kirby", who enjoys wearing scarves and tee-shirts.   

Along with work by Kirby and Bob McCarty, Steve Ditko drew a six page story, "A Hole in His Head". For a young talent Ditko turned in atmospheric scenery and strong character faces, which would only improve over the years. What's interesting is the stone age creature that shows up and wreaks havoc with our cast.

Page 4 of "A Hole in His Head" by Steve Ditko; letters by Ben Oda.

With the appearance of the stone age creature, someone, either Simon or Kirby, didn't think Ditko's version was dramatic enough and replaced his figures with those of Jack Kirby.

A detail of panel 2, introducing the stone age creature. Kirby's hand is evident in the pose and musculature. Kirby's figure is likely more imposing than the one Ditko originally drew.

     

Panel 3 detail. Again, a distinctive Kirby pose.

Page 5 includes one unaltered Ditko creature. Can you guess which one?

Clearly a Kirby face and figure in panels 6 and 7. The hand in panel six is possibly by Ditko.

Detail of panel 3 by Ditko. Here the figure looks less imposing, although the face may have been altered. Kirby's creature is more solid and powerful looking, not unlike some of the monsters he would draw a few years later on Marvel's pre-hero line. Kirby's stone age creature in this story reminds me of "The Abominable Snowman" he drew, which, if I recall correctly, was inked by Ditko. In that same period Ditko would specialize in weird aliens and moody stories. Both men were well-served drawing their own particular brand of suspense.

The last page features the creature in only one panel. And if the story didn't frighten you, the ugly pimples that the ad refers to might! As revealed by Blake Bell, who had the stats to the story, the ad replaced a final panel, although there was no Ditko art to be seen (is this how the Missing Man started? Take a look here for the story:

 http://blakebellnews.blogspot.com/

close-up of Page 6, panel 1, which looks like another Kirby illo. 

This early Ditko story is an example of alterations that often occurred in comics. When editors were not pleased with the art on a particular page, figure or panel they would institute changes, often asking an artist other than the original to make the corrections.Sometimes they decided to change an ending, as in this story, and alter or delete a scene. This was often done due to time constraints, so if another artist or someone on staff was available, that person would make the change. This often led to a rather jarring stylistic jumble that wasn't always appealing.  

Whether it was Simon and Kirby or Stan Lee, editors had their own view of what sold, or of a distinctive look they wanted. Covers, in particular, were of paramount importance, and many were altered before the final product was allowed on the stands (some changes were demanded by publishers). For those of us looking from the outside, the changes don't always make sense, but the bottom line was sales, or what those in charge perceived would sell. Comic books are a business, and unless an artist is in complete control of his work there are always others who, for good or ill, will have the final word.     

      

Early Ditko and the mystery of the Utah Kid

One of Steve Ditko’s early published stories appeared in Blazing Western # 1, dated January 1954. “Range War” was an eight page story published by Timor publications, one of a group of imprints, including Stanmor, Gilmore and others, under publisher Stanley P. Morse. Quite a bit of his horror stories heve been reprinted over the years, and you can see examples of some of the complete comics on this excellent site, which only includes public domain material :  

http://comicbookplus.com/?cid=829

Technically this was the first year Ditko’s art appeared in comics, although its dated Jan 1954, it appeared on the stands most probably in either October or November of 1953. Ditko’ s earliest art appeared in 1953, including background inks for Simon and Kirby on Captain 3-D, along with work on unpublished issues; stories for Black Magic, and likely breakdowns, possibly with Sy Moskowitz for “Hair-Yee-eee” in Strange Fantasy # 9, published by Ajax-Farrell. The first story Ditko sold, “Stretching Things” would see publication in  Fantastic Fears # 5, January 1954, at Ajax-Farrell (sold to them by Morse).

Quite a bit of Ditko’s early work was sold to small publishers such as Stanley Morse. Morse published comic books from 1951-1956, leaving comics to go into the men’s adventure magazine business, competing with Martin Goodman. Morse was prolific into the 1970's and his story, if ever told, would be quite fascinating. You can read more about Morse, as well an assortment of small 1950s horror publishers, in this excellent essay by Lawrence Watt-Evans :

http://web.archive.org/web/20090422090241/http://www.watt-evans.com/theotherguys.html

Some of Ditko's earliest sales were to Morse, including “Paper Romance” in Daring Love # 1 (Sept-Oct 1953), with others sold to Ajax-Farrell. Some stories may have been produced for other companies, but eventually saw publication through Morse, which leads to the mystery of “Range War”

Blazing Western # 1, Jan 1954. Cover by Bernard Baily, who did a fair share of artwork for Morse's comics, including bizarre, nightmarish covers for Weird Chills and Weird Mysteries (long before DC, Morse had the Weird field covered!)

“Range War” is a typical western featuring the “Utah Kid” the hero of the story, and his Indian companion, Golden Eagle. The eight page story proves that Ditko was accomplished early in his career. The pacing, storytelling and composition are quite good, despite a few awkward figures and panels. Ditko was learning very quickly, and his character faces were already beginning to stand out. What makes this story odd, though, is the uncanny resemblance the hero has to an Atlas western character.

Splash page to "Range War" by Steve Ditko; scripter uknown; lettering by Ben Oda.

My first inclination was that perhaps Ditko tried to get work from Stan Lee earlier than suspected, and, for whatever reason, it was not accepted. Ditko’s first story for Atlas was in Journey into Mystery # 33 , dated April 1956 (“They’ll Be Some Changes Made”, scripted by Carl Wessler) but counting production it had to have  been drawn in late 1955. In “Range War” the hero’s name is very crudely re-lettered throughout, replacing another name.

Two examples of the crude UTAH lettering replacing whatever name Ben Oda originally lettered in. At least we know he was a "Kid". THAT narrows it down! 

Atlas comics had a character called the Ringo Kid, dressed in black, with a red scarf. black hair and (often) yellow gloves. Ringo also occasionally had an Indian companion. The Utah Kid has the same outfit. color combination and black hair. Could this have been a rejected Ringo Kid story?

"One Hour Truce", as reprinted in Ringo Kid # 12, Nov 1971. Originally printed in Ringo Kid Western # 17, April 1957. Art by Joe Maneely. 

The theory makes sense - except the dates don’t correlate. Blazing Western # 1 was dated Jan 1954. Ringo Kid Western # 1, debuted eight months later, in an August 1954 dated comic. Ringo Kid stories were usually five pages long; Utah Kid was eight pages. But how to explain the remarkable coincidences?

I passed on the scans to Michael J. Vassallo, good friend and Timely-Atlas expert, to get his thoughts on the matter. He was surprised and stymied as well. I postulated that perhaps the Ringo Kid was being prepared in 1953 but did not see publication until 1954. Perhaps Ditko was given a script to work on and, for whatever reason, it was turned down. Would Lee have given the story back to Ditko? Could Ditko have then kept it and shopped it around? Michael opined that perhaps the story had not been completed, perhaps only pencilled and lettered, and Ditko inked it later on. Obviously, if there was knowledge that the story was prepared for Atlas the characters name would have to be changed. Or is there another answer?

page 2 of "Range War". One can see Ditko's eye for detail, character and panel composition early on.

Could there have been another character in use at the time similar in look to the Ringo Kid? Was the story prepared for a different company? Interestingly, the Utah Kid was featured in later issues by different artists (Les Zakarin pencilled or inked the story in # 4. Issue # 2 was again re-lettered, although by issue 4 there are no changes. Blazing Western ran until issue # 5, and I’m uncertain if the Utah Kid was featured in every issue. His appearance pretty much remained the same, although, from the stories I've seen Ditko’s is by far the best artistically. 

    The Ringo Kid turned out to be a popular Atlas Western hero, appearing in his own comic as well as in anthologies such as Wild Western. He was drawn by a number of noted artists, including Fred Kida, John Severin, and, most memorably, the incredibly talented Joe Maneely.

Maneely was an Atlas workhorse; versatile, dependable and exceedingly talented. In 1970 Marvel brought the Ringo Kid back in reprint form, utilizing Maneely’s original covers and stories. I distinctly recall seeing the first issue on the newsstand and was impressed by the tall, thin figure who commanded the cover spot. This was something different than the typical Marvel style. Although there was no signature on the cover I looked forward to this artists work, not knowing until years later of his contributions to 1950s Atlas. 

Joe Maneely adds character, simplicity and perfect composition to this cover that caught my attention back in the fall of 1969. I particularly like how Maneely positioned the owlhoot on the right side. Ringo Kid # 1, Jan 1970; originally from Ringo Kid Western # 18, June 1957. 

Comics were a business, and a great amount of material was produced, some never published; others altered or sold to different publishers. Steve Ditko, beginning his long and exceptional career in comics, was making the rounds in the early 1950s and getting assignments. In time he settled down to a few big accounts, notably Charlton and Atlas. The question of “Range War’s” origin may be a long forgotten memory, but a detour –hopefully – of some small interest within the circle of  comic book mysteries.                   

 

A Marvel Oddity-America's Best TV Comics

In 1967 Marvel packaged a comic book for the ABC television network, promoting their Saturday morning cartoons. Not coincidentally, two of the debuting cartoons featured the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. The indicia provided further information:

“Published by the American Broadcasting Company” and “prepared and edited by Magazine Management Company.”

It also included information that did not appear in other Marvel comics:

"Distributed nationally by the Independent News Company" 

Independent News had been distributing Publisher Martin Goodman's products since 1957, although, as far as I know, it was never included in the indicia (The IND symbol appeared on covers for a period of time).   

There was no reference to Marvel, either on the cover or interior pages, aside from the reprinted FF and Spidey stories.

In the past Goodman packaged comics for outside companies (see my blog post on Big Boy). As with Big Boy, Production head Sol Brodsky was almost certainly overseeing the ABC comic; employing Marvel staff and freelancers on new material and likely assisting on the art in places. 

AMERICA'S BEST TV COMICS on sale in August, 1967.

The cover is a compilation of vignettes featuring ABC's cartoon line-up, including stats of the Fantastic Four (Jack Kirby pencils; Joe Sinnott inks) and Spider-Man (John Romita). The art for Casper, King Kong, George of the Jungle and Journey to the Center of the Earth has been attributed to Mike Royer. The center image of Mr. Fantastic reaching out to the reader is penciled by Jack Kirby. The figure looks a little awkward, and the face may have been altered by another hand  (perhaps putting a smile on Reed's face). Inking is likely by George Roussos with Sam Rosen providing the distinctive lettering.    

The inside front cover includes all the upcoming ABC animated cartoons. The copy may be written by Roy Thomas, who, in email exchanges explained that he did not script any interior stories but may have written some of the ad copy. The art is possibly by John Verpoorten, who at the time was production assistant; lettering by Sam Rosen (Note that the Spidey and FF cartoons rate two exclamation points instead of one!!!). As a child I eagerly awaited the FF and Spidey cartoons in the fall of 1967 and watched all the ABC cartoons, including the Beatles, which, likely due to contractual agreements, did not rate a feature.    

  

"The Flying Horse" originally appeared in The Friendly Ghost Casper # 17, January 1960. Script may be by Ralph Newman; art by Warren Kremer; lettering by Joe Rosen. 

Casper, the Friendly Ghost had a long history in animation and comics. Originally created for a children's book by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo, the character instead found life (pun intended) in Paramount/Famous Studios cartoons beginning in 1945. While the theatrical cartoons ran until 1959, Casper became a staple of early television, with new cartoons soon created for television. Casper first starred in his own comic book at St. John in 1949, moving to Harvey comics in 1952. In 1959 Harvey purchased the rights to the character. 

        

Special thanks to Mark Arnold for providing story and possible author info. 

A truncated version of Fantastic Four # 19 (October 1963) by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers (with the spelling of Pharaoh corrected from the original; thankfully I have spellcheck to fix my errors!) is included. The story was loosely adapted for the 1967 Hanna-Barbera cartoon (with Alicia cut out of the storyline). Added to the splash is the Marvel corner symbol and a copyright and trademark notice.

"The Birth of a Super-Hero!" by Stan Lee and John Romita, was originally published in Amazing Spider-Man # 42, November 1966, approximately a year earlier. It was heavily edited to fit the 10 page slot. Unlike the FF tale, this was not adapted for the Grantray-Lawrence cartoon. The Mavel corner symbol and trademarks again appear on the splash page.

Journey to the Center of the Earth. Paul Reinman pencils and (likely) inks. Jean Izzo letters. Author unknown.  

The cartoon version of the famous Jules Verne story (which had been adapted into a movie in 1959) took many liberties with the original. Produced by Filmation, an animation firm in competition with Hanna-Barbera, was best known for adaptations of Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Archie, and Star Trek. Like H-B, their limited animation technique was often lacking, although a few, including Star Trek, offered a degree of quality. As with many of these cartoons, the openings were better animated than the rest of the show (and they often had catchy theme songs), as can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpvAY96sZOY

The series lasted one season, although it continued in re-runs. The voice of Prof. Oliver Lindenbrook and Count Sacknussem were supplied by Ted Knight, who worked as a  voiceover artist for Filmation in the 1960s. Knight began his career as a character actor and would go on to greater acclaim a few years later as inept broadcaster Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore show.           

King Kong. Possible Sol Brodsky pencils; Frank Giacoia inks; Jean Izzo letters. Writer unknown.   

King Kong was a Rankin-Bass production, in association with Japan based Toei, who provided the animation. The cartoon was (very) loosely based on the original movie, and Jack Davis, of EC and Mad fame, was involved in character designs. You can read much more about the genesis of the cartoon here:

http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2008/12/20/king-kong-cartoon-series-guide/

Watch out for that TREE!!  I’m uncertain of exactly who drew George of the Jungle; Bill Everett dabbled in a few children's titles a decade earlier for the pre-Marvel Atlas line, and Ursula’s face has an Everett feel; inking possibly by John Tartaglione.  Jean Izzo lettering. Writer unknown.

George of the Jungle was the last new cartoon series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. Both men are noted for the satirical Bullwinkle show, which included segments on Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairy Tales and Peabody and Sherman. George lasted one season and contained episodes of Tom Slick and Super chicken. the catchy opening theme can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaXWy-HQefc

ABC's Sunday morning schedule. Art possibly by John Tartaglione and/or John Verpoorten. Letters by Sam Rosen. Copy by Roy Thomas?

The inside back cover promoted ABC's Sunday morning line-up, which included Bullwinkle, Peter Potamus and Tennessee Tuxedo, the latter which featured the voice talents of Don Adams of Get Smart fame. While the copy claims the cartoons were all-new, many - if not all - shows had been in syndication. Discovery '67 was an educational programs geared towards teens that ran from 1962-1969, changing it's name each year (researching these shows has been quite educational!).  

ABC also the comic as an opportunity to promote its prime time fall programs in full page ads.

Cowboy in Africa. John Tartaglione art; Frank Giacoia inks or corrections (the lion in the center frame may be the work of Giacoia); Sam Rosen letters; Roy Thomas copy?

Cowboy in Africa starred Brooklyn born Chuck Conners, of Branded and Rifleman fame. This series was produced by Ivan Tors, known for his hit series about a dolphin, Flipper, as well as a show about a boy and his pet bear that I fondly remember, Gentle Ben,  but it only lasted one season. You can see the opening here:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jnLeo3hnQ

The Second Hundred Years. John Tartaglione art? Morrie Kuramoto letters. Roy Thomas copy?

The Second Hundred Years was another short-lived series. The premise revolves around a gold miner frozen in ice for sixty-seven years (perhaps the producers were reading The Avengers # 4, published a few years earlier, for inspiration. In that issue Lee and Kirby resurrected Captain America in the same manner) and revived in present day 1967. The series starred Monte Markham, an actor with a prolific career, particularly on television, beginning in the 1960s. He appeared everywhere from Mission Impossible to the Golden Girls. Arthur O'Connell was another familiar face in movies and TV. One of his earliest roles was in the closing moments of Citizen Kane, but he also had a strong supporting role in Anatomy of A Murder (1959) starring Jimmy Stewart. I even found the opening episode of this obscure show on You Tube! Watch it - if you dare!       

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz-sUUnnv5U

Custer! and Batman by George Tuska pencils and (likely) inks; Sam Rosen letters; Roy Thomas copy?

Boy, did ABC have it's share of flops in 1967! Custer was another one season wonder. The series co-starred Slim Pickens but was cancelled after seventeen episodes, facing heavy competition from the Virginian and Lost in Space.

A clip of Custer can also be viewed on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F786Jp9opVk

While it’s odd to see Batman promoted in a "Marvel" comic, it should be noted that it  was packaged for ABC, and the caped crusader was enjoying his third season on television, although after becoming a phenomenal hit with both children and adults the ratings were sliding precipitously. 1967-68 would be its last season. Art is by veteran George Tuska who likely never drew Batman before, but would do so again in the 1980's at DC.  Robin is left out of the picture, likely due to ABC's desire to promote Batgirl, who debuted in the third season, played by Yvonne Craig. (Thanks to Britt Reid for correcting the info!) 

                                 Off To See The Wizard. John Verpoorten art?; Sam Rosen letters.

Off To See The Wizard was a program the spotlighted recent MGM family movies such as Clarence the Cross Eyed Lion and Flipper, highlighted by wraparound animation segments and music from the Wizard of Oz. Chuck Jones was executive producer, Abe Levitow, producer and director, and voices were provided by Daws Butler, June Foray and Mel Blanc. You can view an animated segment here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tQksNVUCpU

Back cover. The Flying Nun. John Tartaglione art; Sam Rosen letters; Roy Thomas copy?  

We end with a particularly odd concept, even for 1960s TV, which featured monster families, witches and talking horses. The Flying Nun was based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios. It starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille, a nun who discovered she had the ability to ride air currents. Every week she became involved in outlandish situations. The show was a modest hit for ABC, running three seasons. Sally Field went on to greater heights (I couldn't resist!) on television and critically acclaimed movies such as Norma Rae (1979), Places in the Heart (1984) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1990). To continue the comic book connection, Sally Field played Peter Parker's Aunt May in two movies beginning in 2012.

Master artist Alex Toth's rendition of Jack Kirby's Watcher, a supporting character in the Fantastic Four. The Watcher appeared in a few FF cartoons, notably adaptations of "It Started on Yancy Street" and "Galactus." 

On a personal note, there was an air of excitement that Saturday morning in September, 1967 when the new cartoons premiered. As a kid I was already hooked on comics, having been weaned by my older brother John, and was particularly thrilled that two of my favorites - FF and Spider-Man - were being translated to TV. A year earlier I enjoyed the syndicated Marvel Super Heroes, shown, broadcast in New York on WOR-TV, channel 9. ABC's affiliate in New York was Channel 7, and after Casper (yes, I watched that too!) the FF debuted. I  enjoying seeing the Lee-Kirby characters come to life, assisted by Alex Toth, an exceptional comic book artist who produced storyboards for Hanna-Barbera on all their shows in this period. The jazzy theme song and incidental music was another plus. I later learned that Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic was voiced by Gerald Mohr, a radio performer (notably as the lead in "The Adventures of Philip Marlow") and character actor who was featured in many western-themed TV shows in the 1950s and 60s. 

The 1967 Spider-Man cartoon often utilized Steve Ditko images on the show, as they had done earlier with The Incredible Hulk segment of Marvel Super-Heroes in 1966, reworking many of his drawings from Tales to Astonish.  

Spider-Man followed (with the words "IN COLOR" flashing on my black and white TV. I didn't quite understand why there was no color on MY set!). It was a thrill to see my favorite hero brought to life, although I couldn't quite understand why The Green Goblin  was so different from the comic book version, and why they didn't adapt the unmasking story! Grantray-Lawrence obviously didn't understand their target audience!     

 

While many of the cartoons don't hold up under viewing as an adult, they were appealing to me as a child and remain sentimental favorites. It's surprising that many of these obscure shows have survived, especially the short lived prime time programs, and can be viewed (at least in part) on You Tube. 

Bullwinkle # 1, November 1987, part of Marvel's Star Comics Children's line. Ernie Colon pencils and possible inks. image from the Grand Comic Book Database.  

America's Best TV Comics was packaged in the hopes of getting children who read comics interested in ABC's programs. Sales may have been lacking, since no other collaborations between ABC and Marvel occurred. Adaptations of cartoons or television shows were left largely to competitors such as Dell and Western/Gold Key, who specialized in such fare. This would change in the 1970's and beyond, as Marvel became involved in a slew of movie and television adaptations, including The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Man From Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica, Indiana Jones and many others. While each title achieved varying degrees of success, it pointed to a different editorial mindset, where less emphasis was placed on developing new characters and concepts unique to comics. The foundations of the past, where the Fantastic Four's and Spider-Man's became fodder for animation, was now inverted. Marvel, once promoted as "The House of Ideas,"  was often taking those ideas from other media.   

 

Jack Kirby's Sgt. Fury Feature Pages

The early issues of Marvel's popular 1960s era war series Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos included many feature pages that were likely the invention of Jack Kirby, who may have written some as well. "Weapons of War" debuted in Sgt. Fury # 1 and since the title is self-explanatory, let's let the pictures do the talking!

Sgt. Fury cheerfully introduces the "Weapons of Wa"r feature. Jack Kirby may have come up with the concept and possibly did the research; Editor-writer Stan Lee likely provided Fury's dialogue. For you completists, Dick Ayers inked, Artie Simek lettered and Stan Goldberg is the primary palette suspect. Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos # 1, May 1963.

"The Enemy That Was!" is very likely written by Kirby, with some editing by Lee. The style is terse and reads very much like his later solo-scripted stories:

 "The German soldier was tough, well-trained, well-disciplined! He carried out orders with unquestioning, deadly efficiency!"   

Dick Ayers inks, Artie Simek letters, Stan G. colors? Sgt. Fury # 2, July 1963

Sgt. Fury # 2 included two "Weapons of War" pages. I won't "chatter" about this page too much, but will note that Kirby likely produced this solo as well, with possible Dick Ayers inks. The use of "quotation marks" was a Kirby stylistic tic that he used throughout his career.   

Sgt. Fury returns to introduce another special feature focusing on the cost of war. Kirby pencils and possible script; Dick Ayers inks; Sam Rosen letters; Stan Goldberg colors? Sgt. Fury # 3, Sept 1963. 

This "Weapons of War" page is signed Lee-Kirby, although there is little copy, so I doubt Lee had much input. Sol Brodsky inks ?; Sam Rosen letters; Stan Goldberg colors ? Sgt. Fury # 4, November 1963.   

Kirby's final published "Weapons of War" page appeared in Sgt. Fury # 5, January 1964. This page is signed "Stan and Jack". Kirby inks ?; Sam Rosen letters, Stan Goldberg colors. 

One final feature page was uncovered in recent years and finally published in The Complete Kirby War and Romance Omnibus in 2020 thanks to Editor Cory Sedelmier (and I'd add well worth purchasing).  The crossed out notation on the top right reads: "no room for this page" and was likely scribbled by Lee. It was originally scheduled to appear in Sgt. Fury # 6, but instead the decision was made to devote two full pages of house ads to promote Avengers # 4 and X-Men # 4. Kirby would depart from Sgt. Fury after issue # 7, returning in # 13 to depict a sensational team-up with Captain America. It would be another decade before he again worked in the genre and then at DC (see my post on The Losers here: https://nick-caputo.blogspot.com/2012/10/kirbys-losers-personal-journey-into-hell.html 

The "Weapons of War" page unceremoniously reappeared one year later in Sgt. Fury # 14, January 1965. Kirby was probably not involved, but neither was Dick Ayers, the artist who took over Sgt. Fury from Kirby for a long and successful run. The art appears to be the work of Don Heck. Its possible that Heck only inked the piece, but I don't detect another artist under the inks. Lee likely script, Artie Simek lettering. 

Other special features would appear from time to time in Sgt. Fury, by the likes of Dick Ayers and John Severin, mainly in the Annuals (and I may showcase them one day) but when Kirby returned to a war feature, "The Losers" in Our Fighting Forces at DC, many issues included pages similar to those seen in the early issues of Sgt. Fury., leading me to believe Kirby was the primary architect of the concept. 

Kirby's feature pages began in his second issue of Our Fighting Forces, # 152. Jan 1975. Inks and Lettering by D. Bruce Berry.   

Kirby provides info on the allies and the opposition. Mike Royer inks and letters. Our Fighting Forces # 153, March 1975. 

The "Big Boomers" of World War II. D. Bruce Berry inks and letters, Our Fighting Forces # 155, May 1975.

These special pages which appeared in both Sgt. Fury and Our Fighting Forces, gave the reader something extra for their money. They added background into the weapons, attire and hardware of WWII era combat which Kirby experienced first hand. I can't vouch for the authenticity of Kirby's research (if he indeed did the research on his own, although he probably had reference books in his library) but his gritty style and honest passion are evident. Kirby's sense of drama and superb storytelling was intensified by a feeling of desperation: nowhere did this come through more than in his war stories over the decades in Foxhole, Warfront, Battle, Sgt. Fury and The Losers.