Monday, April 30, 2018
Marvel-ous Monday: "Vira the She-Demon!" by Kirby and Royer
Greetings, Groove-ophiles! More kosmik Jack King Kirby from 2001: A Space Odyssey #2 (October 1977) with "Vira the She-Demon!" Kirby exploring the rise of civilization in his own unique and action-packed way looks better to me now than it did back in the Groovy Age! The parallel/second half of the story (set in the "future", natch) gets downright psychedelic, keeping in the spirit of the flick that inspired it. Many cringe at Jack's scripting, but lemme tell ya, his plotting and art here can't be beat--at least that's Ol' Groove's most humble opinion!
some of that art is so good it should be displayed in a museum.
ReplyDeleteFor me Groove, its not so much the plotting but the themes of his hugely under-rated 2001 series that mark out Kirby as one of the best comic book writers of the 70s; who else would have given us a thoughtful contemplation of the matriarchal origins of civilisation in magic back then?
ReplyDeleteHis scripting is as monstrous as his artwork.
Always loved that line "there are giant things that live and move from galaxy to galaxy". Besides being a great evocation of cosmic dread, it also shows how Kirby wasn't about to be limited by Kubrick's film and bent 2001 to his own vision.
-sean
It took me a while Groove to get used to Kirby's crazy storytelling style: but Im hooked! Thanks to you! Now I'd love to see whole issues of The Forever People, a comic I've only even heard of cuz of this blog! That stuff looks amazing. And this issue of 2001 is far out, man.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't just Kirby's dialogue that was flawed in his +3 comics (writer/penciller/editor). As excruciating as that was (and it was, especially when he tried his "with it" jive talk) another weakness suffused throughout his Marvel and DC solo work was that he kept introducing new characters on top of one another without fully developing them. It was as if he was a kid trying to play with too many toys. That didn't apply as much here in 2001 as it was a series of stand alone stories. But they were so formulaic that it's no surprise the title didn't last very long. Lest one think I am anti-Kirby I have always considered him second only to Neal Adams as far as comic book artists go. I am so thankful I got to meet he and Roz at the NYC comicon in 1991 three years before his passing. Having recently reread his amazing 102 issue run with Stan Lee on Fantastic Four I am now ready to say that he was the greatest comic book artist of all time. But I see his post 1970 work as more of a drag on his reputation than an enhancement of it.
ReplyDeleteGroove - do me a big favor and go to
ReplyDeletehttps://stevedoescomics.blogspot.com/
and give those dudes your supreme insight into how the green/white Marvell uniform is far superios to the red/blue! Charlie is counting on you!