Thursday, June 30, 2011
Random Reads: "Horoscope Phenomenon or Witch Queen of Ancient Sumeria?" by Kirby and Royer w/Kaluta and Wrightson
Hey, hey, hey, Groove-ophiles! How 'bout some King Kirby? Did you ever grab a mag 'cause the cover looked cool and you could'a cared less about what was inside? Mike (The Shadow) Kaluta covers had a habit of making Young Groove do that very thing. After the cool and creepy Kaluta cover on Weird Mystery Tales #1 (April 1972) screamed my name from the spinner rack, I plunked down my twenty cents and headed for the car. I flipped open to the first page and there was some spooky guy named Destiny staring back at me--illoed by Bernie (Swamp Thing) Wrightson, no less. Next to him was a slightly smallish splash panel done up by, wonder of wonders, Jack Kirby (and inked by Mike Royer, natch), himself. It was strange to see a Kirby story in a mag without a Kirby cover, but it was the Groovy Age, baby! Expect the unexpected! As usual, The King blew me away. "Horoscope Phenomenon or Witch Queen of Ancient Sumeria?" might've had a goofy title, but it featured the Kool Kirby Karacter designs I'd come to love and expect, this time featuring various members of the Zodiac (not the Marvel bad-guy group, Gilligan--I mean the "What's your sign?" Zodiac). I didn't know it at the time (and actually could'a cared less back then) but this terror-tale was created for Jack's defunct black and white horror mag, Spirit World. A few more of those unpublished tales would find their way into early issues of Weird Mystery Tales--and once I knew Kirby'd be featured in WMT, Young Groove would be looking for 'em! Are you ready to enter the Spirit World, Groove-ophiles?
That "mandarin dog" panel is one of Kirby's most inspired cinematic moments. Every time I read this story (and that's more than a few times) it still always gets me. Just imagine that on a movie screen revealed with a surprise jump cut, Hammer Films style.
ReplyDeleteWoW... thanks for the Super Groovy post! I have never seen this one before, and I have quite a few Kirby comics from the period. As you mention in your article it was unusual to see a Kirby feature in a comic then without a Kirby cover, probably why it fell off my radar! I will certainly keep my peepers pealed for it now!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see Wrightson's frontispiece! He did superb work on such for HOUSE OF MYSTERY and HOUSE OF SECRETS from 1972-3, then for CREEPY and EERIE from 1974-5. Ah, those days are long gone. He doesn't even draw like that anymore.
ReplyDeletei have never seen this, thanks for posting. i loved SPIRIT WORLD and IN THE DAYS OF THE MOB. i wish they could have gone on for more issues.
ReplyDeleteTrying to find stuff my Groove-ophiles might have missed is what I live for. Mission accomplished. For this week! ;D
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