Welcome to the first blog post for Kirby's Fourth World at 50! Each blog takes a chronological look at each of Kirby's Fourth World issues on, or close to, the fiftieth anniversary if their original publication date, and I'll be guided by the dates listed in the Grand Comic Book Database and the reading order here. Each post will contain my notes on, and thoughts about, each issue in turn. Think of it as my online notebook, combined with an invite to contribute your own thoughts in the comments section.
Fifty years ago today - April 25th, 1970 - saw the publication of Jack Kirby's first work for DC since he left them in early 1959 - Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133. It seems a weird choice of book for Kirby to start back at DC with. Why Jimmy Olsen? It's to Kirby's credit that he took the title because no-one had been allocated it, and it meant that no-one would lose work on any other title that Kirby may have chosen. That's a pretty admirable thing to do, in my book.
To prepare myself, I read a few previous issues of this title, and they provided me with a sense of the context in which #133 may have been perceived by readers of this series. These pre-Kirby stories seems rooted in the narrative and visual styles of the past. Reprints of stories from the 1950s were in evidence, and even the newly created stories had nothing to distinguish them from the years' old material. It was all traditional, staid stuff, beautiful in its own way - but a complete tonal contrast to Kirby's style. It's easy and perhaps lazy to simply repeat adjectives that are usually allocated to Kirby's work - energetic, bombastic, kinetic etc. - but as good cliches will attest, they often reflect a core of truth.
It's instructive to look at the cover of Kirby's #133 with that of #132 by Curt Swan.
Swan's cover is beautifully illustrated, and I'd expect nothing else from perhaps the quintessential Superman artist of the last century. Swan dominated Superman in the pre-Crisis era of comics and his style set a template for all artists who drew the Man of Steel. Swan's cover provides us with an illustration of a specific scene set in the recognisable context of an authentic setting - in this case, an office. Superman is being held back by two men, powers held in check by kryptonite manacles. A weakly apologetic Jimmy is unable to help his hero and friend.
However, there is little sense of energy or struggle in this illustration compared with Kirby's work. It has the aesthetic effect of a still life painting or a photograph, beautiful but somehow inert, whereas Kirby's cover is dynamic in its representation of movement, design and visual effects. On Kirby's cover, Superman, in the foreground, is knocked over by a motorcycle, which sends him hurtling towards us, the readers. The point of impact is emphasised with a visual burst of energy, complemented and heightened by the yellow and orange bursts in the background. Everything about the cover screams ENERGY! and DRAMA! - and opposed the more sedate style of #132's cover, and many others previously published in this series.
Jimmy gets an image make-over in this issue. Gone are the jacket and bow-tie combo in favour of a more contemporary look. It's a vast improvement, to my mind, and helps the series re-centre itself in the 1970s, rather than remaining in the style of the 50s that dominated Jimmy's stories. It's a reinvention that must have raised some eyebrows for peers and readers.
I love the Whiz Wagon too - pure Kirby tech! It's taking the concept of the Fantasticar and customising it to the max, in turn propelling the reader into the new Kirby universe in the process.
This contemporary look extends itself to the narrative too. We're definitely taken beyond the previous style of Jimmy Olsen stories. Jimmy's closeness with Superman is replaced with a more tense generational opposition. Jimmy comes to represent youthful rebellion in his desire to pursue a story against Clark/Superman's paternal wishes. Clark/Superman becomes something of a father-figure, or at least a conservative older brother.
Jimmy's involvement with the new Newsboy Legion and the Hairies underscores this emphasis on youth too. It's interesting that Kirby bridges the gap between his earlier time at DC and his return with a new incarnation of the Newsboy Legion - I'll probably look at some original Newsboy Legion comics in a future installment and see how they compare with the newer versions here. The new characters here strike me as being a total contrast to how youth was represented in #132, which I read prior to this issue, which featured the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club - a group of boys who dressed like and idolised Jimmy Olsen, and this didn't strike me as being the most exciting concept, to be honest. At least the Newsboy Legion have some edge to their characters. The Hairies seem to be Kirby's attempt at doing Easy Rider, which had been released the previous year. I'd love to know if this film was an influence on these characters.
There is a sense that these generational conflicts are shaking the foundations of not only Jimmy's world but the Superman mythos too. The introduction of Morgan Edge and Galaxy Broadcasting in this issue surprised me, as I hadn't realised that these were Kirby creations. I wonder if this had to be agreed across the other Superman titles at the time? It's a pretty significant change and I'll probably try to look at other Superman comics of the time to try and gauge how quickly they adopted Edge and Galaxy into their Superman stories.
I'm intrigued by the Mountain of Judgement references at the end of the issue. It's obvious that the paternal, protective Superman doesn't want Jimmy to go, but that doesn't hold any sway over Jimmy. The next issue, #134, was published on 13th October 1970, so look out for a post on this on/around the 13th of next month.
