jack king kirby – Coke & Comics

Thor #130

Thunder in the Netherworld!

Featuring: Thor
Release: May 3, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Stan the Man Lee, Writer
Jack King Kirby, artist
Vince the Prince Colletta, delineator
Artie Pussycat Simek, letterer
16 pages

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Thor #129, Story B	Reading order	Thor #130, Story B
Thor #129, Story B	Thor	Thor #130, Story B

” Let there be no further battle! Only the weakling seeks to prove his strength at every turn!”
“Thy words have wisdom, Thor– even as thy limbs have power enow to make Hercules pause! Henceforth, I shall call thee friend!”
“And I thee!”
“What riotous revels we shall enjoy together! What battles we shall share, at each other’s side!”
“Alas, Olympian– revels are not for such as me– And, my hammer swings only for justice– never for the thrill of battle alone!”
“But, what good then to be a god?”
“Thy careless query, Hercules, is far more profound than you suspect!”

Stan the Man Lee. Jack King Kirby. Every issue Stan’s had new nicknames for the creative team. We’ve seen this particular set of nicknames before. And we’ll see it again. These are the nicknames that will stick for Stan and Jack. The Man and The King.

The issue’s title is “Thunder in the Netherworld”. Seems like a missed opportunity to call it “Thunder Down Under”.

Hercules had stupidly signed a contract saying he’d rule the Netherworld and let Pluto free. Hercules thought it was a movie deal. Zeus is enforcing the contract. Hercules’ only way out is for a champion to fight in his stead, to challenge Pluto and the armies of the dead to win Hercules’ freedom.

Thor is that champion.

Journey Into Mystery #124

The Grandeur and the Glory!

Featuring: Thor
Release: November 4, 1965
Cover: January 1966
12 cents
Story by: Stan (The Man) Lee
Pencilling by: Jack (King) Kirby
Delineation by: Vince (the Prince) Colletta
Lettering by: Artie (Sugar Lips) Simek
16 pages

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Daredevil #14	Reading order	Journey Into Mystery #124, Story B
Journey Into Mystery #123, Story B	Journey Into Mystery	Journey Into Mystery #124, Story B

“Those arms of his can crush concrete! And yet!–“
“He’s holdin’ that kid as gently as if she was made outta egg-shells.”

Stan has a different nickname for the creators every issue it seems. But this is not the first time he’s referred to himself as “The Man” and to Jack as “King”, and these nicknames are the ones that will stick with them across the decades. Despite its rhyming qualities, “Vince the Prince” will not stick. I have no comment on the prevalence of this nickname for Artie.

The newsstand is selling the latest issue of Strange Tales, emphasizing what I’ve noted before: just how great a month for comics this is, perhaps the best in Marvel’s history.

Thor is reading a newspaper which is reporting on the Demon. As we’ve noted, there are no really clear stopping points in Thor’s saga anymore. Most ongoing threads resolved last issue, except last issue also began this Demon story, which is still just getting started; Thor and the Demon will finally meet in this issue’s final panels. That story involves a Vietnamese Witch Doctor finding a Norn Stone, so ultimately still traces back to the Trial of the Gods from issue 116 and Thor’s battle with the Viet Cong in issue 117. Jane remains in the hospital from smoke inhalation after being kidnapped by Harris Hobbs, as we saw in issue 122. While the Demon saga will resolve itself next issue, this issue, as the cover notes, also introduces Hercules to the mix, and a story which will continue on. The last year of Thor tales have covered a very short span of time.

Journey Into Mystery #107, Story B

Balder Must Die!

Featuring: Tales of Asgard
Release: June 2, 1964
Cover: August 1964
12 cents
Written and drawn by the prize-winning team of: Stan (The Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby
Inked by: Vince Colletta
Lettering: Art Simek
5 pages

For several months now, Stan has used all kind of creative license in the credits, applying clever nicknames to everybody. Two months ago in Fantastic Four #28, Jack was referred to as “The King”. Now, we get the credits that will resonate through the decades and become basically the official nicknames of the famous duo: “Stan (The Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby”.

This might be the first time they’ve ever shown up. Certainly that I’ve come across. Caveat that I’m reading these Marvel stories in reprints, so miss many house ads and letters pages, which are likely sources of the nicknames. This is definitely the first time we’ve seen both “The Man” and “King” within an issue’s credits.

This is the second story starring Balder, depicted here in what looks to be a Disney movie. Loki is jealous of the favoritism Odin shows to Balder, second only to his love for Thor. Loki decides to kill Balder. The only snag is the gift of invulnerability Odin had bestowed upon Balder last issue.