Superman and Jimmy Olsen art by Jack Kirby (partially found comic material; early 1970s): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 03:28, 14 September 2023

Unused cover sketch, probably for Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #135 or #136

Status: Partially Found

Jack Kirby was a comic book artist who created many characters and teams which are now staples of the medium (most of which for Marvel Comics, like Captain America and Fantastic Four). Contract and attribution disputes between Kirby and Marvel led him to quit and begin working for rival DC Comics in the early 1970s. It was then that Kirby began work on his magnum opus: The Fourth World.

The Fourth World

The Fourth World was a massive, epic storyline that spanned 4 comic book titles: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, The Forever People, New Gods, and Mister Miracle. This also included well a graphic novel that served as the climax for the story arc The Hunger Dogs. It began with the publication of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 in October 1970. Initially reluctant to draw a character like Superman that he did not create, Kirby made a new design for the character, using a new "S" emblem and other minor changes.

Loss

DC executives were not happy with this and made noted Superman artists Al Plastino and Murphy Anderson draw over Kirby's designs with more traditional looks for Superman and his titular pal Jimmy Olsen. As such, most of the original penciled panels that included those characters in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and The Forever People are lost.

Availability

Other people working for DC at the time, such as Kirby's then-assistant Mark Evanier and future New Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths writer Marv Wolfman, did get to see Kirby's original pencils, and some pieces of his original art do still exist, including an unused cover sketch. The rest has not been seen anywhere since the initial redraws were done before publication.

Gallery

Left - Jack Kirby, Right - Murphy Anderson redraw
Left - Kirby, Right - Anderson

Page from The Forever People #1 (compare Superman's face in panel 4 to Mark Moonrider's in panel 6).
Unused cover design tweaked and colored by Steve Rude.

External Links

Mark Evanier blog post on Kirby's Superman art. Retrieved 02 Jan '18
"Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed: Jack Kirby was okay with DC redrawing his Superman faces". Retrieved 02 Jan '18
Superman Homepage retrospective on Superman in the Silver/Bronze Age of comics and Jack Kirby's contributions. Retrieved 02 Jan '18

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+Jack Kirby was a comic book artist who created many characters and teams which are now staples of the medium (most of which for Marvel Comics, like ''Captain America'' and ''Fantastic Four'').  Contract and attribution disputes between Kirby and Marvel led him to quit and begin working for rival DC Comics in the early 1970s.  It was then that Kirby began work on his magnum opus: ''The Fourth World''.
-Jack Kirby was a comic book writer and artist who created many characters and teams which are now staples of the medium (most of which for Marvel Comics in the 1960s, like the ''Fantastic Four'').  Contract and attribution disputes between Kirby and Marvel led him to quit and begin working for rival DC Comics in the early 1970s.  It was then that Kirby began work on his magnum opus: ''The Fourth World''.  ''The Fourth World'' was a massive, epic storyline that spanned 4 comic book titles ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'', ''The Forever People'', ''New Gods'', and ''Mister Miracle'', as well as a climactic graphic novel ''The Hunger Dogs''.
+==The Fourth World==
+''The Fourth World'' was a massive, epic storyline that spanned 4 comic book titles: ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'', ''The Forever People'', ''New Gods'', and ''Mister Miracle.'' This also included well a graphic novel that served as the climax for the story arc ''The Hunger Dogs''. It began with the publication of ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #133 in October 1970.  Initially reluctant to draw a character like Superman that he did not create, Kirby made a new design for the character, using a new "S" emblem and other minor changes.
-''The Fourth World'' began with the publication of ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #133 in October 1970.  Initially reluctant to draw a character like Superman that he did not create, Kirby made a new design for the character, using a new "S" emblem and other minor changes.  DC executives were not happy with this and got noted Superman artists Al Plastino and Murphy Anderson to draw over Kirby's designs with more traditional looks for Superman and his titular pal Jimmy Olsen.  As such, most of the original penciled panels that included those characters in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' and ''The Forever People'' are lost.
+==Loss==
+DC executives were not happy with this and made noted Superman artists Al Plastino and Murphy Anderson draw over Kirby's designs with more traditional looks for Superman and his titular pal Jimmy Olsen.  As such, most of the original penciled panels that included those characters in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' and ''The Forever People'' are lost.
+==Availability==
 Other people working for DC at the time, such as Kirby's then-assistant Mark Evanier and future ''New Teen Titans'' and ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' writer Marv Wolfman, did get to see Kirby's original pencils, and some pieces of his original art do still exist, including an unused cover sketch.  The rest has not been seen anywhere since the initial redraws were done before publication.
+==Gallery==
 <gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
 File:kirbysuperman01.jpg|Left - Jack Kirby, Right - Murphy Anderson redraw
 File:kirbysuperman02.jpg|Left - Kirby, Right - Anderson
 </gallery>
 <gallery mode=packed heights=400px>
 File:Foreverpplpage.jpg|Page from ''The Forever People'' #1 (compare Superman's face in panel 4 to Mark Moonrider's in panel 6).
 File:Kirbyrude.jpg|Unused cover design tweaked and colored by Steve Rude.
 </gallery>
+==See Also==
+*[[Superman: The New Superman Adventures (found build of cancelled PlayStation port of Nintendo 64 action-adventure game; 1999-2000)]]
+*[[The Superman (lost early comic from superhero series; 1933)]]
+*[[Superman: The New Superman Adventures aka "Superman 64" (partially found deleted content of Nintendo 64 action-adventure game; late 1990s)]]
+*[[The People's Joker (unauthorized trans joker movie; 2022)]]
 ==External Links==