Belated Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby art featuring Thundarr, Ariel, and Ookla.

Happy Belated Birthday to one of my idols, Jack "The King" Kirby.

Remember--DC and especially Marvel Comics owe this guy BIG TIME!

Jack Kirby Visualizes Wildspace

A year and four days ago, Mr. Maliszewski had a fine little essay about Steve Ditko and Dr. Strange as inspiration for the D&D planes. I was thinking of making a similar point as a filler post before I found the Grognardia piece that pretty much said everything I wanted to.

Then I realized that in his work on Marvel's 2001: A Space Odyssey comic book series, Jack Kirby drew one the best representations of Spelljammer's Wildspace ever!

A Gnomish Spelljammer Sphere behind a massive worldship.

A possible representation of how someone using a spelljamming helm perceives wildspace.

Approaching a crystal sphere.

When someone first sits on a spelljamming helm, their mind adjusts to new vistas of perception.

Happy 92nd Birthday , Jack!

Today would have been Jack "the King" Kirby's 92nd birthday.

Do yourself a favor. Go read some comic books, and bask in the creativity Jack Kirby help build.

KIRBYMANIA: Three Pictures

Not much for Kirbymania this time:

Jack's proposal for a Phantom cartoon

A spread of the village from Jack's never made adaptation of The Prisoner

Your next Mutant Future campaign map:

Kirby rules!

KIRBYMANIA: My Two Favorite Thundarr Episodes

Kirbymania's animation bent continues with my two favorite episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian:




I always enjoyed how the various sorcerors were presented in Thundarr. The strange appearences, technomantic magic, and utter disregard for normals is shown well here.





This episode has one of my favorite creature designs.

See you next time!

KIRBYMANIA: Goldie Gold and Action Jack Episode 1

Many people know that comic book artist Jack Kirby designed the characters for Thundarr the Barbarian. Some people forget that he worked on several other animated series. Now KIRBYMANIA, the new Jack Kirby celebration on Mike's Amazing RPG Fun Pad presents Goldie Gold and Action Jack.



This series from 1981 was '80s pulp through and through. The world's richest girl Goldie Gold and her ace reporter/"friend" Jack "Action" Travis, and her dog Nugget travel the world in search of adventure. They report for Goldie's newspaper The Gold Street Journal for editor Sam Grit. Look beyond the cheesy "ultra rich" schtick and dialogue and enjoy the fun. Look at the villains and characters-that's Jack, Baby.

Here is episode 1: Night of the Crystal Skull





And yes Virginia, the writer of Night of the Crystal Skull was Steve Gerber, the late creator of Howard the Duck.

Cartoons rule!

Fourth World Mythos or Jack Kirby in Deities & Demigods

I’m in the middle of getting a “new” computer (my aunt’s Windows XP) and assorted family business. Because of this, I haven’t been doing any extensive posting or writing this past week. But I had this brainstorm, sparked from a comment by max from malevolent & benign here.

Imagine if, somehow, someway, TSR was able to get the rights from DC Comics to use some properties created by Jack Kirby in one of their books. The book is Deities and Demigods. The characters are the New Gods of New Genesis and Apokolips. Welcome to the Fourth World Mythos.

The introduction would give the origins of New Genesis and Apokolips, and the struggle between them. The Plane of these New Gods would be classified as an Alternate Prime Material Plane, like the Aztec Gods in the Central American Mythos. Like the Norse Mythos, members of the Fourth World Mythos adventure sometimes with their worshipers. And, one can suppose that Earth is not the only planet (plane) they can visit.

There are plenty of gods, heroes and monsters to choose from in the Fourth World Saga that could be adapted towards an AD&D setting to interesting effect. Kirby often worked with mythological archetypes in his comic book work, and these is evident throughout. (This is also used to excellent effect in The Eternals for Marvel Comics). Also, many of the science type gadgets wielded in the Fourth World Saga can easily be “bent” to a fantasy style setting.

An AD&D campaign using elements of Kirby’s Fourth World would be kind of awesome. Your 15th level fighter could battle Parademons in the service of Glorious Godfrey, god of treachery and persuasion, who is trying to take over the countryside. I’m thinking Mother Boxes as artifacts and prizes to quest for, and monks who live outside of time meditating on the writings of Metron. I see clerics who tap into the Source to cast their spells and assassins who use the dark knowledge of Kanto the Assassin and Desaad to slay their victims. High-level anti-paladins of Darkseid search the Outer Planes for the Anti-Life Equation, as the Hounds of Orion stalk the servants of their god’s father.

Can your party of 20th level characters venture into the dark Orphanage of Granny Goodness to rescue their mentor, Mister Miracle, God of Escapes and his Consort, Barda the Protector? Wouldn’t it be neat to try?

Sources for the Fourth World Saga by Jack “The King” Kirby:

Jack Kirby's Fourth World on Wikipedia

Kirby expert Mark Evanier on Jack Kirby

The New Gods Library