You Remember Vira, the She-Demon, don't you?
April 13, 2015 12:42 AM Subscribe
If you've ever felt that the remake/reboot/reimagining of your favorite story/character/fictional universe sucks, just imagine how Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke felt when Jack Kirby and Marvel did "2001: A Space Odyssey: The Comic" in 1976-77.
Well, maybe Clarke more than Kubrick.
Well, maybe Clarke more than Kubrick.
This was about the same time that (as I noted in the Comics Crossover thread) Marvel and DC teamed up to do "The Wizard of Oz", and it looked fairly unaltered.
And, JHarris, maybe awesome (or as the blogger called it "wonderful but completely bonkers"), but that was SO NOT "2001".
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:51 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
And, JHarris, maybe awesome (or as the blogger called it "wonderful but completely bonkers"), but that was SO NOT "2001".
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:51 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
2001 is amazing for many reasons, not the least of which is that it gave us Aaron Stack The Machine Man. His robot brain needs beer.
posted by Faux Real at 12:57 AM on April 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Faux Real at 12:57 AM on April 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
This looks totally nuts, I'd love to read it.
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals, though? I mean, a couple of those characters are literally cavemen, but still.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:58 AM on April 13, 2015
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals, though? I mean, a couple of those characters are literally cavemen, but still.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:58 AM on April 13, 2015
I forgot to mention: via "70s Sci-Fi Art" (previously), which just posted this magazine cover from 1978 with a cover story "ARTHUR C. CLARKE Exclusive Interview: Paradise Found!" Yep, totally '70s.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:01 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:01 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wow. Mad Magazine's 201 Minutes of a Space Idiocy is actually less bonkers.
(And better drawn too: I mean in the Mad parody actors look like themselves; in those Kirby covers everybody pretty much looks like Galactus.)
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:32 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
(And better drawn too: I mean in the Mad parody actors look like themselves; in those Kirby covers everybody pretty much looks like Galactus.)
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:32 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Writer: Dick DiBartolo, Artist: Mort Drucker... MAD definitely assigned its A team to do that one.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:36 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:36 AM on April 13, 2015
That's not actually the adaptation of 2001 though; that's the follow-up series after the Treasury edition that actually adapted the movie, just like Marvel also did with Logan's Run and a little movie called Star Wars.
And that followup series gave us Machine Man, so shut your piehole, fleshy ones.
posted by MartinWisse at 3:32 AM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
And that followup series gave us Machine Man, so shut your piehole, fleshy ones.
posted by MartinWisse at 3:32 AM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals, though? I mean, a couple of those characters are literally cavemen, but still.
That might be Kirby's distinct Marvel-era artistic style, going back to the 60s. While Kirby's work was certainly distinctive, I've always thought it wildly overrated, even when I was a comic fan-kid in the 70s. Everything he drew had that blockhead-anatomy look to it. But I guess it was well suited to rendering The Hulk.
posted by 2N2222 at 4:36 AM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
That might be Kirby's distinct Marvel-era artistic style, going back to the 60s. While Kirby's work was certainly distinctive, I've always thought it wildly overrated, even when I was a comic fan-kid in the 70s. Everything he drew had that blockhead-anatomy look to it. But I guess it was well suited to rendering The Hulk.
posted by 2N2222 at 4:36 AM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
As MartinWisse notes above, the actual adaptation of the movie is more-or-less faithful to the movie. This short-lived series was a science fiction anthology in which the Monolith occasionally pops in, almost like a mute, mysterious Rod Serling. There was some discussion recently--not sure where, Kurt Busiek linked to part of it on his Tumblr--as to whether or not a really comprehensive Machine Man/Mister Machine/Aaron Stack/X-51 omnibus could be done, as Marvel may not be able to reprint any of this title due to the rights having reverted to whomever owns the movie.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:52 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:52 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals,
It was the '70s. I gather Mad Men explains this in the current season.
Or the musical 'Hair'.
posted by Mezentian at 5:18 AM on April 13, 2015
It was the '70s. I gather Mad Men explains this in the current season.
Or the musical 'Hair'.
posted by Mezentian at 5:18 AM on April 13, 2015
the actual adaptation of the movie is more-or-less faithful to the movie.
And that's how we ended up with Jaxxon, and the Hoojibs in Star Wars.
Cannon. Still.
posted by Mezentian at 5:19 AM on April 13, 2015
And that's how we ended up with Jaxxon, and the Hoojibs in Star Wars.
Cannon. Still.
posted by Mezentian at 5:19 AM on April 13, 2015
I love Kirby and his legacy, but he was bat-shit crazy.
posted by clvrmnky at 5:35 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by clvrmnky at 5:35 AM on April 13, 2015
I love Kirby and his legacy, but he was bat-shit crazy.
That's that ol' Kirby Kackle.
(And, to be fair, nothing I have ever read suggested he was Krazy. And certainly not Milller crazy.)
posted by Mezentian at 5:43 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's that ol' Kirby Kackle.
(And, to be fair, nothing I have ever read suggested he was Krazy. And certainly not Milller crazy.)
posted by Mezentian at 5:43 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have some of these comics! There are fun ideas here and there, but the writing is generally terrible and some of it is just plain weird.
posted by malevolent at 5:55 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by malevolent at 5:55 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I barely remember this from my childhood. I never bought or read any of them, but I recall seeing them in the racks. Looking at it now, mostly I am surprised that the dense, enigmatic film got dealt with in a single issue, while the contemporaneous Star Wars comic took six issues to cover its film's breezy source material.
As we saw a couple of years ago on the blue, even a somewhat more faithful comics edition -- albeit with a totally different aim -- can be problematic: previously.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:55 AM on April 13, 2015
As we saw a couple of years ago on the blue, even a somewhat more faithful comics edition -- albeit with a totally different aim -- can be problematic: previously.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:55 AM on April 13, 2015
while the contemporaneous Star Wars comic took six issues to cover its film's breezy source material.
Or 3-6 graphic novels these days....
posted by Mezentian at 5:57 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Or 3-6 graphic novels these days....
posted by Mezentian at 5:57 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oooh! I actually have the Marvel large format treasury edition, is it worth anything? I haven't looked at for decades.
posted by epo at 5:58 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by epo at 5:58 AM on April 13, 2015
Oooh! I actually have the Marvel large format treasury edition, is it worth anything?
eBay puts Vol1 at US$40-80. So, maybe. Depending on condition.
If it were me, I'd hold on. The new recolourings of various 1970s comics are awful, so you'll never get Amazing Fantasy #1 prices, but when they remake 2001.... modest bank might be made.
posted by Mezentian at 6:07 AM on April 13, 2015
eBay puts Vol1 at US$40-80. So, maybe. Depending on condition.
If it were me, I'd hold on. The new recolourings of various 1970s comics are awful, so you'll never get Amazing Fantasy #1 prices, but when they remake 2001.... modest bank might be made.
posted by Mezentian at 6:07 AM on April 13, 2015
Metafilter: everybody pretty much looks like Galactus.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 6:15 AM on April 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 6:15 AM on April 13, 2015 [7 favorites]
I actually have the Marvel large format treasury edition, is it worth anything?
I'm no grader, but I got mine in good shape for $10. I love those Treasuries, they're the closest I'll ever get to buying one of those big-ass original art-sized Artist Editions.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:52 AM on April 13, 2015
I'm no grader, but I got mine in good shape for $10. I love those Treasuries, they're the closest I'll ever get to buying one of those big-ass original art-sized Artist Editions.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 7:52 AM on April 13, 2015
Kirby had a lot of ideas and only one body with which to put them on the page. I'm sure he's much happier as a godhead now. (See also the last Moore issue of Supreme.)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:35 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:35 AM on April 13, 2015
Psst. The Treasury Edition version of 2001 by Kirby is online here.
posted by wittgenstein at 9:20 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by wittgenstein at 9:20 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wow! I have all of these, in a box in my basement. I bought them in the 80s when I was a kid. They're... weird.
posted by Ratio at 9:36 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by Ratio at 9:36 AM on April 13, 2015
Julian Darius of Sequart has published a monograph on this comic that's worth a read. It's titled The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made: Understanding Jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I read it a couple months back and remember it as being pretty solid analysis. The title certainly indicates that he's in agreement (at least in principle) with the FPP.
I remember buying as many issues of this as I could off the stands - I loved Kirby's 70's stuff, but had a hard time finding it consistently. As weird as this book is, try reading it when you miss issues!
posted by jkosmicki at 9:41 AM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
I read it a couple months back and remember it as being pretty solid analysis. The title certainly indicates that he's in agreement (at least in principle) with the FPP.
I remember buying as many issues of this as I could off the stands - I loved Kirby's 70's stuff, but had a hard time finding it consistently. As weird as this book is, try reading it when you miss issues!
posted by jkosmicki at 9:41 AM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
For some reason, my brain refuses to distinguish between Jack Kirby and Jack Chick whenever I see either of their names in print. Which is why I thought this was going to be a TOTALLY DIFFERENT funhouse romp than it was.
posted by Mayor West at 9:52 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mayor West at 9:52 AM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Same (very, very generally) idea but less bonkers, and more closely aligned with the feel and spirit of the actual source material is: 2001 Nights.
Huh. there may have been an anime rendition as well.
posted by Naberius at 10:19 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Huh. there may have been an anime rendition as well.
posted by Naberius at 10:19 AM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I had the Treasury Edition of this. Being a comic fan and 2001 fan it seemed like a natural, but I was horribly disappointed. While I was always a fan of Kirby's work, I never liked his inking of his own work (give me Joe Sinnott any day) and late period Kirby is pretty rough at best. This always struck me as Jack wanting establish himself as something larger, not realizing all he needed to was wait until his genius was recognized.
posted by doctor_negative at 10:22 AM on April 13, 2015
posted by doctor_negative at 10:22 AM on April 13, 2015
Wow. Mad Magazine's 201 Minutes of a Space Idiocy is actually less bonkers.
Hah! I remember this very well. For some reason, I was especially struck the NASCAR-ized interior wallpaper on the spaceship. Aerospace and technology company logos everywhere. This was not the obvious gag in 1969 that it would be now and Honeywell and Grumman Aircraft were hardly household names.
(And better drawn too: I mean in the Mad parody actors look like themselves; in those Kirby covers everybody pretty much looks like Galactus.)
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals, though?
It's a good thing (not a Good Thing) there's so few female roles in 2001, because without colorful superhero costumes it's impossible to distinguish between any two female characters drawn by Jack Kirby.
posted by Herodios at 11:04 AM on April 13, 2015
Hah! I remember this very well. For some reason, I was especially struck the NASCAR-ized interior wallpaper on the spaceship. Aerospace and technology company logos everywhere. This was not the obvious gag in 1969 that it would be now and Honeywell and Grumman Aircraft were hardly household names.
(And better drawn too: I mean in the Mad parody actors look like themselves; in those Kirby covers everybody pretty much looks like Galactus.)
What was it with the 70s comics that all men looked like shaggy neanderthals, though?
It's a good thing (not a Good Thing) there's so few female roles in 2001, because without colorful superhero costumes it's impossible to distinguish between any two female characters drawn by Jack Kirby.
posted by Herodios at 11:04 AM on April 13, 2015
If you can't tell the difference between Sue Storm and Big Barda, let alone Stompa, that's your fault, not Kirby's.
posted by MartinWisse at 1:30 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by MartinWisse at 1:30 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Heh. What would Kubrick and Clarke have made of Nextwave?
posted by Pronoiac at 2:23 PM on April 13, 2015
posted by Pronoiac at 2:23 PM on April 13, 2015
If you can't tell the difference between Sue Storm and Big Barda, let alone Stompa, that's your fault, not Kirby's.
C | o | m | e | on, | m | an . . .
posted by Herodios at 3:54 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
C | o | m | e | on, | m | an . . .
posted by Herodios at 3:54 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
The on, is actually Ron Wilson inked by Joe Sinnott.
While I was always a fan of Kirby's work, I never liked his inking of his own work (give me Joe Sinnott any day) and late period Kirby is pretty rough at best.
The 2001 Treasury was inked by Frank Giacoia; while Giacoia may not be a great fit for Kirby (Kinda stiff and stingy with the blacks, maybe? I'm a Mike Royer guy.), IIRC that art in the book almost looks as if it were shot for reproduction in a regular-size comic, but then got blown-up for the Treasury, so it looks sort of sloppy and sketchy.
*I only have a vague understanding of printing & production, so I could easily be talking out of my ass on this.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:26 PM on April 13, 2015
While I was always a fan of Kirby's work, I never liked his inking of his own work (give me Joe Sinnott any day) and late period Kirby is pretty rough at best.
The 2001 Treasury was inked by Frank Giacoia; while Giacoia may not be a great fit for Kirby (Kinda stiff and stingy with the blacks, maybe? I'm a Mike Royer guy.), IIRC that art in the book almost looks as if it were shot for reproduction in a regular-size comic, but then got blown-up for the Treasury, so it looks sort of sloppy and sketchy.
*I only have a vague understanding of printing & production, so I could easily be talking out of my ass on this.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:26 PM on April 13, 2015
The on, is actually Ron Wilson inked by Joe Sinnott.
Och! Grabbed the wrong link. Well, pick any Kirby-drawn Sue Storm image you like to replace it.
posted by Herodios at 6:40 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Och! Grabbed the wrong link. Well, pick any Kirby-drawn Sue Storm image you like to replace it.
posted by Herodios at 6:40 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can be a literary snob, but I don't care if it's James Joyce, Dante, or Kubrick - ANYTHING can be improved by adding Jack Kirby. The Machine Man is great, and I don't understand how 'weird' is a pejorative these days, especially in geek culture. Isn't what you want to have your mind expanded and challenged? Kubrick and Clarke took old school hard sci-fi into the psychedelic era before the New Wave and Moorcock did, and blew minds so throughly that even the Lego Movie incorporated clips from 2001.
I'm sure if I dug through French or British comics I could find something 'weirder' than this. But what's great is Kirby's velocity of ideas. Kamandi predicted Adventure Time. He tossed off asides that could make other people's careers.
I'm still annoyed that Argo robbed us of a proper Jack Kirby: Lord Of Light series.
I love Kirby and his legacy, but he was bat-shit crazy.
You misspelled 'creative'.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:08 PM on April 14, 2015
I'm sure if I dug through French or British comics I could find something 'weirder' than this. But what's great is Kirby's velocity of ideas. Kamandi predicted Adventure Time. He tossed off asides that could make other people's careers.
I'm still annoyed that Argo robbed us of a proper Jack Kirby: Lord Of Light series.
I love Kirby and his legacy, but he was bat-shit crazy.
You misspelled 'creative'.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:08 PM on April 14, 2015
I just looked at the source, and the blog is by a member of All India Radio, a Melbourne band I remember really liking a few years ago. And he's also worked with Steve Kilbey, who's band The Church did an album for Jeff Vandermeer, who deserves some Kirby-esque art of his own.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:16 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:16 PM on April 14, 2015
"Writer: Dick DiBartolo, Artist: Mort Drucker... MAD definitely assigned its A team to do that one."
Please allow me to say I met Mort Drucker at Starbucks in Syosset, NY in 2013. I struck up a conversation, because I sketch and here was somebody with a sketchbook!
posted by xtian at 6:18 PM on April 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
Please allow me to say I met Mort Drucker at Starbucks in Syosset, NY in 2013. I struck up a conversation, because I sketch and here was somebody with a sketchbook!
posted by xtian at 6:18 PM on April 17, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by JHarris at 12:44 AM on April 13, 2015 [11 favorites]