Monthly Archives: March 2021

The Jack Kirby Omnibus Sampler #1

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review by VJ Miller, Sr.

A Little Personal History

I know this comic book of Jack Kirby illustrations is a publication of DC but I want to take you back to 1959 when I first saw a comic book with Jack Kirby art. It was a collaboration of Joe Simon writing and Jack’s renderings. The First issue of The Fly by Red Circle Comics got to my 11 year old curiosity.

I had been reading Superman and Batman comics since I was five, penciled by Wayne Boring and Dick Sprang, respectively. Jack Kirby’s rendering had something much different with the bold lines and the action scenes with larger than life characters. there was a darkness to the style that impressed my young mind. One should realize that credits were not given to who worked on any issue; I never found that out until years later. But I soon learned that I could recognize my fav artists in whatever book they were rendering even when the inkers were not always the same person.

To my disadvantage, I had never heard of Captain America that was also drawn by Jack. My only excuse was that after WW2 CA disappeared for several years. Comics back then were only a dime but I hadn’t enough dimes to keep up with all the other issues that caught my eye. Continue reading The Jack Kirby Omnibus Sampler #1 →

Classic Batman Logo

Bill the Boy Wonder the Secret Co-Creator of Batman

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Birth Of the Dark Night

review by VJ Miller, Sr.
Story: Marc Tyler Nobleman – Illustration by Ty Templeton

Secret Identity #1

The cover of the book about Bill finger and his co-creating of BatmanBill the Boy Wonder was born in an era when Jews had difficulty landing a job, Milton Finger created his first secret identity. Because his name, Milton was a typical ethnic one that sounded too Jewish therefore he became, Bill Finger.

His parents pressured him to become a doctor but Bill wanted to be an artist and a writer. Bill loved literature and he shared some of his ideas with Bob Kane a cartoonist he met at a party. Bob was so taken with Bill’s writing  style he wanted an adventure story to illustrate; a collaboration was born.

The Dark Knight, New Hero In Town

Superman had been introduced the previous year and took off. Vin Sullivan an editor for what would become DC told Bob he wanted another superhero sensation. Because he knew he’d need help he went to Bill’s apartment to show him his sketches for the Bat-Man. Bill felt the red  costume Bob had rendered was too cheery and suggested it be darker and more menacing even though he was a good guy. He should be different from Superman and suggested he be human and could be injured. Bob agreed Continue reading Bill the Boy Wonder the Secret Co-Creator of Batman →