Bob Powell's Hulk from Tales to Astonish #74, dec 1965

Recently I asked a fellow comic fan what ever happened to Bob Powell after the Golden Age? Was he working in the 60's? 

Turns out Bob Powell did draw comics in the 60's and for Marvel no less. 

Happy 74th birthday Captain America!

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America is one of the first political comics ever created. Captain America Comics #1 (cover dated March 1941) pissed off a lot of people by having Cap punch out Hitler. The pro Nazi American's (yes, we did have them before the war) were incensed and even sent Timely Comics death threats.

Captain America has always been a special character ever since his first appearance in Captain America #1, March, 1941. 74 years ago. He speaks to the American spirit in all of us. He stands for the freedom and equality of all people no matter the race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Whenever someone is trying to oppress another, he will be there to defend their rights to freedom.

the primordial FIRST WORLD of Jamie Chase!

Come see the wild and weird primordial dawn of man in 

Jamie Chase' 

First World!

Jamie Chase's First World is unique in the world of comics these days. It is a throwback to a long gone time in comics when there was a love for powerful jungle lords and when ferocious T Rexes clashed with sharp horned Triceratops.

Happy 97th Birthday Jack Kirby! The Marvel story.

Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994), born Jacob Kurtzberg, was one of the greatest comic creators ever. Not only did he create important comics and heroes of the Golden Age like Captain America but he revitalized the whole industry with his Marvel Comics creations of the 60's and influenced all the succeeding artist for decades afterwards.

Self portrait of Jack Kirby with many of his creations.

Jack Kirby's Red Skull - a history

In 1941, when Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were young, enthusiastic comic creators they came up with Captain America and of all the colorful villains they pit him against, the Red Skull was the most enduring.


'An Ear for Music' from Captain America #7, Oct. 1941

Jack Kirby's Machine Man!

Jack Kirby's mind was too fertile to suppress. He was always throwing big ideas into everything he did. In 1978's Machine Man he struggled with the idea of artificial Intelligence. Is an artificial mind as good as a mans? Is artificial life real life? What does it mean to be a man?

The Avenger's The Earth's Mightiest Comic title!

There is so much goodness packed into The Avengers over the years with so many amazing creators that each one deserves a essay of their own, but for lack of space and time I'll give you the abridged highlights of the title.

The Avengers issue #177 is one of the first comics I ever owned and made me a life long Avengers fan.

Jack Kirby's use of 4 panel grid

I find comics fascinating, not only in their content but also in the way that content is communicated. With this and subsequent posts I'd like to look at some of the more popular forms of panel arrangements in comics.
Besides the splash page (which is technically not a comic page in the true definition of comics being a medium of sequential panels) the most basic of the common page divisions is the 4 panel grid.
When I think of the 4 panel grid I think of Kirby's Silver and Copper age work on titles like the Fantastic Four and the New Gods, in fact I have a hard time thinking of any other artist that does use this form of page layout.

The 4 panel grid can be good when you have a very wordy page. The sameness of the panels creates a rhythm that is easier to follow. A 9 panel grid might work as well or better depending on the page.

The many faces of the Thing!

The first of Marvel's super hero titles was the Fantastic Four #1 introduced in 1961. One of the most beloved of the characters of that group has been the Thing.

The Thing along with his Fantastic Four has had many different looks over the years. Marvel has seen fit to give him a new look in the incarnation of the their super team.

The Great Comic Book Heroes

This blog is about just what it says, the great comic book heroes, all of them.