Comic Book Resources

Very excited for this book. But, A little disappointed that you included a link to Amazon to purchase this book. There are a lot of fine independent comic shops out there that love and need our support and are most likely going to carry this book. Also how about online comic retailers (my personal fave is Marsimport.com ). Amazon is one of the reasons your local independent comic shops find it so hard to compete. Why do we have to make it harder?

I just copied the link Mark Evanier had on his website, Paul. I presume that it is one of those things where he gets a little bit of money every time someone buys his book from Amazon using that link. That seemed like a good thing for Evanier, so I went that route.

Ah, good point Brian. Does Amazon make deals like that often with Writers/ Artist? That would be good to know, and another great way to support comics.

I think it is a website thing rather than an author thing.

Now, if a writer/artist has a website, then yeah, they could do the same thing.

Buy it at Powell’s!

Oh, and I believe I’ve heard of that Kirby fellow. Can anyone tell me anything about him or why he warrants such a big book?

I ordered one. My LCS got 2 in, hoping to someday sell the other one.

For a hardcover of its size, it’s relatively inexpensive at $40. I don’t understand why more readers and collectors don’t buy more of these kinds of things. I guarantee that you’ll get more than 13 comics worth of entertainment out of this book.

Just got back from the bookstore (people gave me cash so I could pick the trades I wanted for my birthday) and flipped through it. Kirby fans will like it, but if you are on the fence or (my position) NOT a Kirby Kool-Aid drinker, it won’t do a thing for you.

There’s some really, REALLY terrific art in this book. I’m a chapter into the actual text — a breezy Kirby biography — and that might be geared a little more toward the hardcore Kirby fanboy/comics historian, admittedly, but the art…oh, the art. It’s worth it just for that, even if you never get around to the rest.

It was my pull-bag last week.
I have yet to read it, but I flipped the pages to see how it looked inside and it’s a beauty!
Lots, lots of great art, from all periods, some never seen or rarely seen before, unrealized projects.

There is also a Ditko book coming out soon from Fantagraphics (it was sollicited in the last Previews). Like Evanier’s own pet project, Blake Bell has been working a long time on his book about the reclusive comic book master. It’s called STRANGE & STRANGERS: THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO. It’s a 220 pages, full-color hardcover book that retails for $33.99.

Can’t wait to put the two babies side by side on my shelves!

I’m a bit on the fence, how about a review?

I was lucky enough to pick up one of the first 80 hot-off-the-press copies at WonderCon last month, in just the right place for both Mark Evanier and Kirby’s favorite inker, Mike Royer, to autograph it for me.

It’s a beautiful book, splendidly printed, and with impeccably selected art — much of which I had never seen before. As a biography, it’s on the slight side — Evanier is working on another, text-focused bio that will provide more detail on Kirby’s life. The art alone, however, is sufficient to make the case that Kirby is the single most important artist in the history of comic books.

And I say the above as one for whom Kirby wasn’t a favorite artist — of Marvel’s Silver Age stalwarts, I preferred the styles of John Buscema and John Romita Sr. to Jack’s. But in terms of influence, vision, and sheer creative force, Kirby was indeed the King.

Kirby is the most overrated creator in comics. He created boring characters and his art was sub par. I don’t know what is a bigger crime, Dan Didio’s existence or Kirbys.

wow, flip. You sure are an ass.

It’s yours, Flip. It’s yours.