The Five-String Mob Vs. the Monster of Loch Trevor

Today we present another large dose of Jack Kirby magic, deep in the middle of the fantastic Fourth World saga, where we remembered a story with a slightly musical edge.

There are loads of guest stars and a tangled plot-line weaving into and out of today's tale, but you can also enjoy it simply as a nutty installment of Jimmy Olsen from December 1971, when Kirby was trying out four books worth of wild concepts, with no end in sight.

Long-hairs, rock music and youth culture usually get a poor treatment in comic books, and I wish I could say that Mr. Kirby treated "hippie" culture any better (since it was pretty moribund and co-opted at this time, it is a very moot point) than his peers, but he did give it a good try. His books certainly went much further out beyond the more common stereotypes to become nearly psychedelic on their own.

In this week's presentation we'll also briefly notice some "real" people used as models for Kirby characters, to whit: six comic book fans whom he was friendly with, and silent-movie-era actor James Finlayson (?!).

So strap in and join us after the jump for this extra-wild ride in the latest installment of the WFMU Comic Supplement!

Like we said, it is December 1971, comic book price experiments are all over the place, as the economy begins to tumble wildly. This book retailed for 25 cents, when only a short time before, they held the line at 15. The addition of 1940s-era reprints in the backs of the books made them a good deal for us kids that bought 'em, though.   I definitely recall the overt "strangeness" of the Jack Kirby books when he went from Marvel to DC at the top of the 1970s. Those books really jumped out at me as a kid. Even though I was familiar with his art, his "new look" comics were very far out from the norm.

Enjoy!

I had never caught it until it was pointed out in the Jack Kirby Collector
magazine that Kirby used the face of actor James Finlayson as the model
for the character introduced in the left page above. That kooky Jack!

And now, on with our story............




     Wowsers.  High fallutin' stuff, that.
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