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Old March 12th, 2013, 08:20 AM
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F.F. and Jack Kirby Documentaries!

Best Features: Fantastic Four Extended Version Documentaries

I was just at a convention where I got the two disk version of the Fantastic Four movie (the newer one, not the Roger Corman, which I also have). I didn't like the film when it first came out (2006?), but I liked the extended version much better. At the time I was annoyed by how different it was from my beloved Sixties version of the comics. But time moves on, and I can see now how they stayed true to the characters in essential ways while updating the tale for modern audiences.

Anyhow, I didn't put this in the movies section, because what I discovered was two brilliant extras on the second disk, which I've been waiting for years for someone to make--and it turns out they already did! They are worth more than the $2 I payed for the set at a Flea Market, and should be required reading for comic book fans old and new. The two important ones are in the Extras Section titled THE COMIC BOOK:

THE WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE

This is a decade by decade analysis of the Fantastic Four comic, with all of the major writers and artists still alive who contributed (1961-2005). Stan Lee discusses his seminal partnership with Jack Kirby in a fair and balanced way, which is greatly to his credit after the controversies of the past. See many of the beloved original comic panels from the entire history of the F.F. Highly recommended!



JACK KIRBY: STORYTELLER

Tells the creative story, with some biographical information, of Kirby's work from the Forties onward, with major comic artists and writers commenting on his influence on them. If comics are now considered Art, Kirby was The Master. An important work, which gets to the heart of what he did on the pages of his stories. Great stuff!

***

I thought that the most interesting observation about an F.F. character in the first extra was by one of the writer/artists. Here's a paraphrase:

"The one who was behind the fictional marketing of the Fantastic Four to the public in the comic itself was Mr. Fantastic. Reed's greatest secret, and I don't know if the others ever tumbled to it, was that he did it so that the others could have some kind of a life, after the accident he caused that turned them into freaks. With no secret identities to hide behind, they couldn't have a normal life, but they could have a positive one."

***

Here are some of my favorite paraphrases from the second documentary:

"When I was younger, I didn't like Kirby's blocky style. I was more interested in drawing accurate anatomy. What I realized later was that Kirby could draw just fine. But he was reaching for the deeper emotional context in his portrayal."

"Kirby was showing action in time. Here's a panel where people are sitting in chairs, and yet they seem to be moving around in them. Not all the parts of a single body were coexisting in the same instant."

"Jack portrayed action, not violence."

From Stan Lee: "I outlined the plot, but left him room for his own ideas. When I saw his rough work on my character Galactus, there was this naked guy on a surfboard. Who was that, I asked. Jack explained that a being as grand as Galactus would need a herald to find planets for him. I said 'Okay; great.' And that was the Silver Surfer."

"After the near collapse of the comic industry in 1952 when Frederick Wertham was telling the public that comics were corrupting American youth, Jack went from company to company, taking their characters and reconceptualizing them, trying to relaunch their efforts and rehire some of the staff who had been laid off. The first three times it didn't work. Teaming up with Stan Lee did, and the fourth time was the charm that resussitated a dying industry."

***

Last edited by chas; March 12th, 2013 at 08:18 PM.
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Old March 18th, 2013, 12:26 PM
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Re: F.F. and Jack Kirby Documentaries!

Quote:
"When I was younger, I didn't like Kirby's blocky style. I was more interested in drawing accurate anatomy. What I realized later was that Kirby could draw just fine. But he was reaching for the deeper emotional context in his portrayal."
I remember actively mocking Kirby as a kid. His drawings were so clunky and stiff compared to my idols (Byrne, Adams, Perez). After more or being away from comics for decades, absorbing other art, I came back and was amazed at what I saw: Kirby could draw, and he was so inventive, deep, and clear! It's been something I try to remember when I look at things today and think to criticize them: I'm not as smart as I think I am. Try looking at a thing differently before dismissing it.
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Old March 18th, 2013, 12:51 PM
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Re: F.F. and Jack Kirby Documentaries!

Cool stuff. Thanks for the post chas.

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The empty sky holds no reflection, for sorrow
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