POST # 65 - "FEARS OF A GO-GO GIRL!" by Kirby/Colletta (original art)

Hello, Comics Fan!

I am 

THE APOCOLYTE!

I am pleased to bring you today's artwork!

It is an unpublished story from an unpublished black and white magazine that Jack Kirby was going to produce for DC Comics. In 1971,  Kirby got the greenlight from DC to produce a line of mature-themed black and white magazines, two of which saw print and two of which were never published. IN THE DAYS OF THE MOB, with stories about infamous gangsters like Ma Barker and Al Capone (which can be viewed in it's entirety here), and SPIRIT WORLD, with stories of supernatural mysteries, each managed to get one issue each published. In addition to these two B & W magazines, Kirby was working on two mature romance-themed books, TRUE DIVORCE CASES, about the other side of romance, and SOUL LOVE, an African-American romance comic. For whatever reasons, the publisher pulled the plug before these two romance mags could see print.

Today's story, "FEARS OF A GO-GO GIRL!" was one of the tales to be included in the first issue of SOUL LOVE.  It is a shame these books never got to be produced, since Kirby at this time was at the top of his form, and who knows what great work was never realized. Kirby's pencils were inked by Vince Colletta, and in the original artwork shown here (which was found online at the Heritage Auction website) you will see quite a bit of white out and re-work done, specifically for the female protagonist's face. Colletta is now infamous in comic book circles for often erasing and allegedly decimating Kirby's detailed pencil art, and whether you are a fan or a detractor, I leave those critical judgments for you, the viewer, to decide here.

I welcome your comments, opinions, and insights below. 

So, for better or worse,

Here is Jack Kirby's

"FEARS OF A GO-GO GIRL!"

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-click on images to enlarge-

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Here is the proposed cover to SOUL LOVE #1, ink wash artwork by Jack Kirby.

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What did you think of this story and artwork, friend?

Leave a comment below and let me know...

I'll be back soon with more great black and white artwork and stories!

POST # 54 - "HERBIE THE LIAR SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT" by Alfredo Alcala

Hello again, friends!
I am
THE APOCOLYTE!


Today we look at at a story by the incredible Filipino artist 

ALFREDO ALCALA!

Alfredo Alcala was born in the Philippines in 1925, and developed an interest in comic books as a youngster, particularly influenced by the artwork of Lou Fine. He began a career drawing the comics he loved in 1948, and soon his exquisite and detailed style made him one of the most famous and popular comics artists in the Philippines. 

He began to be known by American audiences after publishing his character VOLTAR in 1963, a sword and sorcery style hero along the lines of Conan and Prince Valiant. Alcala's lush and expressive brushwork soon drew the attention of North American comics publishers. In the early 1970's he began doing work for DC and Marvel. 

Many comic readers are familiar with Alcala's wonderful abilities as a penciler and an inker, his style being easily recognized. In the mid 70's Alcala used his gifts as inker to add new dimensions to the artwork of THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN stories drawn by John Buscema, rendering elaborate panoramas and splendidly ornate embellishments that elevated the stories' artwork from good to grandiose. I personally regard the stories he worked on as some of the greatest Conan artwork ever published. (You can see one of those amazing stories by clicking the link HERE)

Our story today originally appeared in Marvel's TALES OF THE ZOMBIE #9, published in 1975, and was written by Doug Moench. Alfredo Alcala's brilliant brushstrokes bring to life a tale of a lonely freak who struggles to make sense of the world around him, while dealing with the loss of his only real friend.

Now, I'll let my co-host SKULLY introduce today's gut-wrenching chronicle!

"HERBIE THE LIAR SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT"

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Don't forget now, if you want another real special treat,

click on the image below and feast your eyes upon an amazingly beautiful

CONAN  story by John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala!

You won't be sorry!

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POST # 33 - "IN THE DAYS OF THE MOB" by Jack Kirby and Vinnie Colletta

Sometimes it pays to have friends!

Regular readers of my blogs know I am not the most regular or punctual of bloggers...I never seem to find enough time to keep all seventeen of my blogs organized and on schedule. Yet.

That is why I am grateful to my fellow comic blogger LYSDEXICUSS, creator and author of TEN CENT DREAMS as well as his new personal art showcase HUNGRY COMIX.

Today's post comes courtesy of Lysdexicuss, and it is a stunning example of black and white stories by none other than the king himself, Jack Kirby, aided ably by inker Vince Colletta.

I have little need to explain who either artist is to you, my knowledgable readers. I don't need to share that Kirby was born on August 28th, 1917, that his real name is Jacob Kurtzberg, and that he grew up on Suffolk Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. That he grew up reading classic adventure stories by H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as pulp magazines, is probably common knowledge. Kirby had no formal art education in his youth, but he almost did. After enrolling in Pratt Institute and attending one day of class, young Jack came home to find his father had lost his job. No more Pratt Institute for him. The next day he was out selling newspapers to help support his family.

It was in this depression era that young Jack became part of a local boy's club, the Boy's Brotherhood Republic, or BBR for short (this may explain his fondness for drawing comics like the Boy Commandos, Boys Ranch, and the Boy Explorers later in his career). It was there that he began what is one of the most amazing careers any comic artist has ever experienced, as  from 1933 to 1935 he drew his first feature, Kurtzberg's Konceptions, printed as a mimeographed newsletter that sold for a penny apiece. In 1935 he started working for Max Fleischer Studios, doing work as an 'in-betweener' for animators (filling in poses in between the other artist's poses). In 1937 he drew his first daily comic strip, The Lone Rider, and soon after began working for the Eisner-Iger studios. 

In the early 1940's, Jack met future partner Joe Simon, whose collaboration would produce, among other things, their most famous creation, Captain America. Later, it was his collaboration with Stan Lee at Marvel Comics that would earn Kirby the nickname of  "The King", as his powerful and dynamic style set the tone for just about every comic book to come after that point, ushering in the revolution known as the Marvel Age Of Comics in the 60's.

Vince Colletta's name has become a polarizing force in recent days, and I don't desire to add any more fuel to that controversy, other than to say that I feel some of his best work, aside from the romance comics that he is heavily identified with, is when he was inking Kirby. Many fine artists worked as inkers for Kirby in the 60's, and in my mind Colletta was one of them, his work on The Mighty Thor remains a much beloved example to many fans. The story posted here is another wonderful example of his skills as an inker.

(for more of my thoughts on V.C., you can check out my comments on Jacque Nodell's SEQUENTIAL CRUSH, here.)

Aside from a short story intermission (written by Mark Evanier and Steve Sherman), all of these stories were written and edited by Kirby, and published in 1971 under DC Comics Hampshire Distribution banner (the only comic published that way). I now present to you, courtesy of Lysdexicuss, a beautiful example of Kirby's art in a rare black and white format. I hope you will enjoy...

IN THE DAYS OF THE MOB!

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An extra bonus, here are two pages of gangster cartoons that also appeared in this issue, as drawn by the incomparable

Sergio Aragones.

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