Daily Archives: 24 March 2008

It’s finally done. KIRBY FIVE-OH! (the double-size book that’s the 50th issue of the Jack Kirby Collector) is finally to press. Me… am… tired.

It should be shipping around April 18th, hopefully just in time to debut at the New York Comicon, where we’ll have a primo booth, right up front of the Javits Center. I think I’ll be awake and recovered by then. If not, please don’t kick me while I’m napping under the tables at our booth.

Oh yeah; the book is really, really, really, really, really, really good. Really.

And if you haven’t yet gotten Mark Evanier’s book KIRBY: KING OF COMICS (which was released a few weeks ago), pick it up. It’s gorgeous, full-color, and gives biographical details about Jack that I’d not known previously, plus presents lots of luscious Kirby art. Although we didn’t exactly plan it this way, our two books really compliment each other nicely. Mark’s is a great bio of Jack, focusing on him personally. KIRBY FIVE-OH! is about Jack’s 50-year career, and focuses on his best stories, covers, character designs, etc. Both are chockful of art, and go together like peas and carrots. (Sorry, just saw part of Forrest Gump for the eleventeenth million time on TNT last night.)

Back in the early 1970s, Jack Kirby was invited backstage to meet Paul and Linda McCartney at a Wings concert in LA. For the occasion, Jack drew a really nice illo (below) of Paul and Linda with Magneto, and we did a write-up of the event (courtesy of Gary Sherman) in The Jack Kirby Collector #43.

Now, through some amazing detective work, Rand Hoppe (curator of the online Jack Kirby Museum) has managed to track down an audio clip of McCartney introducing Jack to the LA crowd during the show. You can hear it, and see Jack’s drawing much larger, at the Kirby Museum site (and if you haven’t joined the Museum, get to it!):

http://kirbymuseum.org/gallery/v/Real+Folks/Paul+McCartney+and+Wings/