Actually, Mark Evanier has given us plenty of preparation for his new book, Kirby: King of Comics. Years worth, in fact!
The book exists! It’s here! Mark’s first pass at a biography of comic book creative dynamo Jack Kirby does not disappoint. I’ll give it my usual short review for something that I consider to be a must-get item for anyone with any interest and inclination in the subject — get it! The page count is relatively low, about 220, but the format is B-I-G, as it must be to do justice to Jack’s powerful art. Reproduction and printing are faultless, and World Economy worriers take note — it was printed and bound in the U.S.A.
I’ve had the book for literally only an hour, but I can assure that, as expected, it does the job of providing a complete, but not overly detailed, history of Jack’s life and work. I’ll quote one passage, from pages 34 and 35.
[Jack] may also have fantasized the tale of his one day at Pratt Institute, a story he told often in later years. Details changed with each telling, but essentially involved him landing a few minor illustration jobs — minor in both importance and salary. These jobs, he said, turned around his father’s attitude about there being money in drawing. It was arranged for Jack to enroll in the famed art school, but the very next day Ben Kurtzberg lost his latest tailoring job, and his son had to quit art school.
It’s nifty to know there was some sort of connection between Kirby and the name Pratt, however tenuous it may have been! Personally, I don’t know if art school would have helped or hindered Jack’s natural talent.
I’ve scanned a couple of photos from the book. The one at left is from 1966, and it shows what I would guess might be one of the last pictures of Stan Lee before he started wearing hairpieces. The other picture, of Evanier with Kirby, is undated, but I’d guess sometime in the 80’s. If you want to hear Jack’s voice, go back to this previous posting of mine
Bravo, Mark! THANK YOU, Mark. Kirby: King of Comics will hold us over until you complete your ultra-deluxe, obsessively detailed, KING SIZE edition.
Could you please cite some specific reviews? The reader comments on Amazon.com give it 4.5 stars.
So far the book has gotten terrible reviews-I did not waste my money.
That’s a scan of the small embossed section of the cloth binding. The dust jacket for “Kirby: King of Comics” is colorful and splashy. It’s not what I would have done for a cover, but it does convey the “BIG and LOUD” tone of most of Jack’s work. Subtle he wasn’t.
Sounds great! Love the cover! Oh, on a totally different note, I got Stephen Colbert’s book out of the library (the drawing of him as “The Hulk” in the end sheet just popped into my brain). Man, does it push the envelope! I already broke one of his rules about the book: DO NOT TAKE IT OUT OF THE LIBRARY! It’s screamingly funny in some places, and makes you squirm in others. I had to take it away from Molly.