Jack Kirby, Al Plastino, and Vince Colletta Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 First "Fourth World" Cover Original Ar...

 

Jack Kirby, Al Plastino, and Vince Colletta Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 First "Fourth World" Cover Original Art (DC, 1970). Kirby Is Here! This was the first Jack Kirby comic to hit newsstands following the King's move from Marvel to DC, and also the first issue of the epic that came to be called the "Fourth World" saga. Some even call this the first Bronze Age comic book.
That "Fourth World" epic is modern mythology that may be comics' closest equivalent to The Lord of the Rings or The Foundation Trilogy -- a timeless 55-issue cosmic magnum opus that many now regard as the gleaming crown jewel of Kirby's career.
In addition to all of that, the book reintroduced the Golden Age group Newsboy Legion to comics, and brought the Olsen series, a second-tier book in the minds of most, to the forefront. As Paul Levitz noted, "Readers accustomed to DC's more traditional and sedate storytelling techniques must have found Kirby's arrival -- especially on Jimmy Olsen -- eye-popping."
The "Kirby Is Here!" blurb (which is original lettering here, not a stat) was also significant because, as Paul Levitz noted in 75 Years of DC Comics, it was the first time DC had marketed an artist as a star talent since the Simon and Kirby team worked for the company three decades earlier. The company capitalized on the shock that went through comics when Kirby's departure from Marvel was announced, not just among fans but among pros: John Romita reportedly assumed Fantastic Four would be canceled without Kirby, and John Buscema said his reaction was "I thought [Marvel was] going to close up."
Comic Book Artist doyen Jon B. Cooke commented on Olsen #133 as follows: "In this, the debut of his 1970s tenure at DC, Jack "King" Kirby let loose his creative energies and hurled one new idea after another at our tender, unprepared noggins, and those of us who 'got' it... well, we were changed for good. JO #133 was prelude to the greatest super-hero adventure of them all. (Alan Moore's Miracleman epic might be the singular contender). Not only do we get the first inklings of the encroachment of Darkseid and his hordes of Apokolips, but we also get the reintroduction of a bona fide Kirby kid gang, the Newsboy Legion. Only now the group has left the gritty despair of Suicide Slum, and instead lives in an amazing futuristic new world of Kirby's imagination -- the best kind of nostalgia and yet not looking back."
The involvement of DC veteran Al Plastino in redrawing the Superman figure here reportedly came about because DC felt Kirby's portrayal was "off-model," a more common practice in those days than today.
This King Kirby classic has an image area of 10" x 15". The original production stats over the lower Newsboy Legion caption panel were removed to reveal smaller-sized original art images, and replacement caption stats were resized to give the composition a very pleasing balance, and the piece has been professionally cleaned; otherwise, the art is in Very Good condition.

Kirby, Jack: Jack Kirby (American, 1917-1994) : Jack Kirby has received world-wide recognition for his long comic book career and accomplishments. He is regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic-book medium, thus earning the nick-name "King." Among Kirby's many co-creations are Captain America, the Newsboy Legion, the Challengers of the Unknown, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, the Avengers, the X-Men, Silver Surfer, the New Gods, and countless other memorable heroes and villains.

View large image(s) of this item

Service and Handling Description: Flat Material, Small (view shipping information)

Sales Tax information  |  Terms and Conditions

Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments