Captain America officially turns 80 in a few weeks, and this iconic character is definitely worth an anniversary celebration. (Cap #1, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, is cover-dated March 1941, but the on-sale date was December 20,1940.)
First up is this great Jack Kirby homage by Ron Frenz and Bruce Timm that appeared as a pin up in Captain America #50 (3rd series.). This piece, typical of Timm’s other published comic book work, is “inks-only” over a Frenz layout.
The layout itself is an homage to Jack’s Captain America art that appeared on the cover Marvelmania #1 (fan magazine), near the end of his Silver Age run at Marvel. Frenz added the Super-Adaptoid, and Bruce did his magic, creating a classic Kirby look.
Jack’s original art for this cover was little-seen until it finally appeared in color as the cover to the Jack Kirby Collector (#34, 2002),
The Super-Adaptoid was a mid-60s creation appearing early during Cap’s Silver Age revival. Also pictured, Captain America #1 with Cap decking Hitler a full year before the U.S. entered World War II.
Concluding our look at SHIELD on the eve of its 55th anniversary.
Gene Colan was a polarizing storyteller when it came to artistic style.
Fans either really loved his work (count me in that group) or didn’t like it at all. I could never figure that out. Of course his work didn’t look anything like the rest of Marvel Bullpen, but that was cool; his dynamic storytelling and extraordinary use of light and shadows was astonishing. To me, at least.
Colan’s run on Captain America came after both Kirby and Steranko, and that was a definite change of pace. But Gene’s reality-defying physics felt like a perfect fit for Cap, Marvel’s own reality-defying super powered acrobat.
Inking Gene Colan was one of the most challenging assignments in comics, but the legendary Joe Sinnott delivers here.
Nick Fury, of course, is the most important supporting character in the Marvel Universe. After Kirby and Steranko’s run was completed, the character couldn’t sustain his own title, but SHIELD was an important part of the entire Marvel Universe, primarily with Captain America in the latter part of the Silver Age.
And of course that dynamic repeats — brilliantly — in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And for the record, even though it appears Fury’s up to absolutely no good by hypnotizing Steve Rogers in this scene, he actually did have a higher purpose in mind.
Ultimately it didn’t work. The man is Captain America, after all.
Inking Gene Colan was one of the most challenging assignments in comics, but these two issues stand out: Issue #127, inks by Wally Wood, and #135, inked by Tom Palmer. The Palmer splash is a wonderful harbinger of monstrous things to come on the Wolfman/Colan/Palmer Tomb of Dracula series, while the Wood issue is simply spectacular looking from start to finish.
Meta Fury: Fury is retooled as a black character in the Ultimate Marvel line in the early 2000s, and writer Mark Millar ultimately utilizes the likeness of Samuel Jackson for the role — neglecting to tell him that. But Jackson held no grudge — ultimately playing the character in 11 films and counting.
Fury and Cap share a special bond early on, as discussed here.
Classic Jack Kirby action highlights this dynamic page from the extremely short-lived Double Life of Private Strong in 1959.
Here though, “Classic” suggests a Kirby Golden Age look and feel. (As an example, The Shield is jumping out of a panel — very similar to earlier Simon and Kirby techniques.) Definitely a time warp, since we were theoretically a few years into the Silver Age at this point.
When did the Golden Age end, exactly? I devoured all the comics’ history books I could get my hands on as a youngster. (Steranko, Feiffer, Daniels, Lupoff / Thompson, et al.) I’m not sure they all agreed on, or even in some cases, identified, the exact point of the “end.”
So my youthful brain filled in the blanks: If the first appearance of Silver-Age Flash (Showcase #4, 1956) launches the Silver Age, then Flash #104, the final issue of the original Flash Comics (1949) obviously ends the Golden Age. (Let’s just call the in-between period the “EC Age.”)
Very neat and tidy, but it only took a short while before I realized it was much more complex than that.
If not Flash, then, how about when All-Star Comics kicks out the Justice Society and switches to All-Star Western (1951)? Perhaps the last issue of the Spirit newspaper supplement (1952)? Or maybe when Captain Marvel and Whiz Comics ceased publication (1953)? And what about the brief return (1954) of Marvel’s “Big Three” (Sub-Mariner, Torch and Captain America). Are those Golden Age Comics?
EBay defines Golden Age Comics as any published through 1955. The well-known back-issue retailer Sparkle City Comics says the era ends in 1956, leading directly into the Silver Age.
See, it gets complicated.
But, if we consider Golden Age as a style of superhero storytelling rather than a timeframe, my vote goes here: The final Simon and Kirby team-up.
Archie Comics, seeing DC’s success at re-introducing superheroes, hired Joe Simon, who in turn hired Jack Kirby (they were no longer partners at this point) to help create some new super suits for themselves.
Two titles came as an immediate result of that ideation: The Fly, and The Double of Life of Private Strong, featuring an updated version of their original patriotic superhero, The Shield. Both characters were Simon and Kirby superheroes. And both looked and felt like Simon and Kirby superheroes. (Even if Simon himself didn’t ink the page.) The page and the story don’t in any way capture the modern feel of DC’s sleeker and slicker Flash, Adam Strange, et al — or especially Kirby’s own Challengers of the Unknown.
The Fly buzzed around for a few years, although Simon and Kirby left after a few issues. Private Strong? A mess from the start, with a terrible title, retro trade dress that appears borrowed from Simon and Kirby’s Golden Age Speed Comics, some obvious knock-offs from Captain America, and a background story that seemed so similar to Superman, DC sent a cease and desist letter to Archie.
After two issues, The Shield was done. Shortly thereafter, the temporary reunion of the Simon and Kirby team was also finished.
A few months later, Kirby and Stan Lee, already churning out monster stories at Marvel, would collaborate for the first time on an ongoing character with Rawhide Kid #17. Although no one knew it at the time, the “Marvel Age” had begun, and the Silver Age was about to rev into high gear.
And the Golden Age of Comic Books was definitively over.
With some pretty great old-school art by Jack to usher it out.
Archie’s original version of the Shield predates Simon and Kirby’s Captain America. Not to ever give the patriotic superhero concept a rest, the two star creators develop Captain Freedom (below) for Harvey, and Fighting American, an early creator-owned series in the 50s.
Apparently Joe and Jack couldn’t decide on Captain Freedom’s costume from issue to issue. Notice the star on the mask that disappears and reappears, not to mention the proportions of the stars on the chest, and the belt too.
Meanwhile… Across town at DC, Kirby’s Silver Age Challengers of The Unknown look like… Jack Kirby in the Silver Age! Giant robots, futuristic cities, et al, are a sign of things to come.
Redo of Tales of Suspense #59, undated (approx. 2008)
The late, great Darwyn Cooke
produced a number of these reinterpretations and homages of classics during his
all too short lifetime.
I asked him about this one
time and he told me he did them to “relax.” Relax? Wow. Think Albert Pujols
walking into the batting cage prior to a game. Bam. Home Run. Bam. Another.
Bam. Another…
Chic Stone originally inked this milestone splash, one of Jack Kirby’s best known from his Captain America run. Darwyn’s version makes some tweaks — for the better. Most notable are the subtle changes to the face. Cap’s eyes now engage the reader more directly, and overall, his facial expression is clearer and more confident and feels more accurate to Kirby’s vision.
Once upon a time, Darwyn and
Marvel talked about an origins series, sort of the Marvel version of his
amazing New Frontier series at DC. That is definitely a project I’m certain would
have been a classic as well.
For more about Darwyn and the New Frontier, click here.
For more about this classic Captain America tale, click here.
Key appearances of Captain America during the Silver Age revival: Strange Tales 114 — the “first” one — is a cheat. (It’s an imposter, not Cap); The actual first appearance is Avengers #4, quickly followed by his own series in Tales of Suspense. His first solo cover is TOS #70, and he finally breaks into his own series — continuing the numbering from Tales of Suspense — with Captain America #100.Darwyn’s brilliant New Frontier at DC. Now imagine the Marvel version too.
Anthony (“MAC”) Castrillo gathers Marvel’s original heroes from its “Timely Comics Era” (1939-1950) for a group portrait used for a print.
And we present it just in time (ok, barely) for Marvel’s 80thanniversary.
Castrillo’s art-style for the piece works well ; A bit cartoony in the contemporary sense, adding some pizazz and just a touch of whimsy to some of the otherwise stoic heroes.
I didn’t immediately recognize every character — even in color — and Roy Thomas was kind enough to help me sort through it when I acquired the original. With the exception of one mystery character who might be one of the “Marvel Boys”, the full cast list is presented below.
(“Rows” are a bit subjective because of the group composition.)
From top to bottom:
Row 1: Sun Girl, Red Raven, Citizen V
Row 2: Blue Diamond, Blazing Skull, Toro
Row 3: Marvel Boy (?), Challenger (AKA Thunderer), Vision (Original), Jack Frost, Black Marvel, Namora, Patriot, Thin Man, Mercury (AKA Hurricane)
Row 4: Miss America, Destroyer, Namor, Captain America, Whizzer, Human Torch, Bucky, Angel, Blonde Phantom
Marvel Comics #1 launches the Marvel Golden Age with introductions of the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. My friends and I first encountered the “original” Torch in reprints 25 years later.
Marvel published additional solo stories of its most popular characters in the aptly-titled All Winners Comics.
Finally, in All Winners #19, Marvel’s most popular characters appeared in one story together. Rebranded the “Invaders” in the Silver and Bronze ages, the team continues exist in one form or another today. One of many “Marvel Boys.” Click on the pic for more info.
Our friends at Hero Initiative are running one of their great “100 projects,” this one featuring 100 different artistic interpretations of Captain America done on blank sketch covers. Lots of great original art at auction on EBay right now, including this astounding Cap cover by the amazing Gabe Hardman.
This round ends Tuesday, 9/3; Bid often — it’s for a great cause.
(Gabe along with his wife, the very talented writer Corinna Bechko, will be attending the terrific Long Beach Comic Con this weekend, 8/31-9/1. Hope to see you there.)
