In case you haven't guessed it by my posts, Jack "King" Kirby is my favorite comic book artist. Actually, limiting the names to solely comic books, I have a whole string of artists that I consider favorites: Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, Bernie Wrightson, the entire EC stable. But, with his dynamic panels, realistic foreshortening, mind-bending perspectives, and breathtaking double-page spreads, Kirby is damn hard to beat. He also had a talent that many comic book artists didn't (and still don't) -- writing.
Yes, when Kirby was cut loose to do his own thing by DC, it's amazing what he came up with. Character after character, scenario after scenario, the man must have literally called down the gods to create his incredible stories.
Many of them took place in the future, where Jack's imagination was free to roam. One such, was the improbably-titled OMAC. Acronym for One Man Army Corps, OMAC is a bizarrely costumed hero, who is determined to clean up mankind's act. The first issue opens with the mohawk-haired hero raiding the warehouse full of "Build-A-Friend" life-size talking dolls, noticeably all female. So is this what "love dolls" have evolved into? Following is the story on how he came to be and his connection to Brother Eye (pie in the sky becomes eye in the sky).
OMAC was introduced after the NEW GODS series was cancelled. The title lasted for a year and 8 issues. But in the meantime, we got a look into our freaky future.
It's good to hear the King's writing getting a shout out. So many people rag on his dialogue for being unrealistic, as if his art wasn't totally abstracted as well. A Kirby book from his Bronze Age heyday looked and sounded like no other comics ever created. OMAC is an excellent and often overlooked example.
ReplyDeleteViewed through today's lens, many comics are given short shrift, just as films. It's like the old saying: "You had to have been there."
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