Friday, April 20, 2007

TEEN REX from BIG BANG COMICS Wrecks My Theory!!!

In part one of my article about ARCHIE COMICS I mention the passing of most of the teen titles from the comic book racks.
In reply, a very talented cartoonist, and a friend of mine via internet for some years, Joe Zierman, sent me copies of BIG BANG PRESENTS #5, which contains not one, but two artistic tributes to Jack Kirby, one of the great comic book cartoonists of history.
Mr. Kirby passed away in 1994.
TEEN REX and THE BADGE, the featurette that rounds out the issue, are loving re-creations of two phases of work by Kirby, approximating, in close detail, Kirby's work on KAMANDI, THE LAST BOY ON EARTH (DC COMICS) and also evoking similar memories, of Kirby's DEVIL DINOSAUR (MARVEL COMICS), from the 1970's (first phase of recreation here), and Kirby's work with his then partner, Joe Simon, on the "Superman/DC" published work "The Sandman" and "Manhunter", from the 1940's.
I put the last two series titles in quotation marks as they were not eponymous features, and listed the publisher for them as "Superman/DC", as that company was generally known as "DC/National" at that time, unlike today, when we call them DC COMICS, and then, when SUPERMAN was "probably" their best-known character.
In any case, I wholeheartedly recommend BIG BANG PRESENTS #5, featuring TEEN REX, to comic book enthusiasts of all ages.
It is a real window to comic book history, allowing newer comic book readers to see what us old-timers love about Jack kirby drawn comic books, and allowing us old-timers to take a stroll down memory lane.
No mistakes that I know of to report right here, Joe and his collaborator, writer Gary Carlson, did not make any!!!
;o)

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