spanking – Coke & Comics

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: April 9, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Written by: Stan Lee (The leader!)
Drawn by: Jack Kirby (The king!)
Inked by: Chic Stone (The master!)
Lettered by: Art Simek (The letterer!)
22 pages

Stan’s been doing “clever credits” for a while now, giving all sorts of nicknames to the creators. This one happens to be Kirby’s most famous nickname. He is generally known today as Jack “King” Kirby. This is the first time we’ve seen the “king” nickname in our reading. Can’t confirm whether it’s been used anywhere else before. This project began 20 years into Jack’s rather prolific career.

We turn now to the story, where the Fantastic Four and X-Men meet for the first time. (Well, Human Torch and Iceman had already met…)

We begin with a statue of Thing that has been sculpted by the brilliant Alicia, working by touch alone.

Featuring: Captain America
Release: August 15, 1946
Cover: November 1946
10 cents
16 pages

The table of contents for the entire issue credits: Syd Shores as art associate, Stan Lee as editorial and art director, and Al Sulman as editor. Syd Shores also seems to have drawn this story.

It is clear that Syd Shores is no Jack Kirby. Kirby’s direct involvement with drawing the character only lasted about a year. He was then overseeing the creation of the stories by other creators before being drafted into the US Army. It would be more than 20 years before he returned to Captain America. Shady royalties practices on the part of publisher Martin Goodman may have helped keep him away from the company.

It is 1946. World War II is over. What does Captain America do now? Steve Rogers could hang up the stripes for good, but he chooses not to. He and Bucky continue their partnership as crimefighters.

Tag: spanking

Fantastic Four #28

PRELUDE: Captain America Comics #59