This is interesting -- I just found a reference to that Kirby page in an interview Jim did waaaay back in 1974, for The Legion Outpost! (Ironically, an interview that I reprinted as the editor of The Best of The Legion Outpost.) This was when he was out of comics, before he returned in the mid-70s to return to the Legion before he went over to Marvel editorial. This is what he told Harry Broertjes, who'd tracked him down in Pittsburgh:
"So I gave up the scholarship to give Marvel a try. The deal was that I got a regular salary for a 40-hour week at the office, and freelance for anything extra... and I was going to try some inking, coloring, and what-have-you. I did some editing -- art corrections, little story corrections and stuff like that. They showed me how to color and I hassled Sol Brodsky until he let me do some inking samples for him. And boy, he was a slick one; he gave me these two splash pages, one by Jack Kirby and the other by the guy who did Daredevil... Gene Colan. He said, "Here, see what you can do with these." And I was impressed, y'know, inking Jack Kirby. I thought that was cool. Anyway, I did it and I tried to be as faithful to his style as I could -- and that was my big mistake. I inked it like I thought he wanted it, the way the pencils suggested, because Kirby does a real thick job on machines and everything else. So I took it in and then Mr. Brodsky told me that this drawing had been rejected originally, and it had been rejected because it was too cluttered and had no depth. And I had so accurately interpreted Mr. Kirby that it was still too cluttered. Brodsky then told me what I should have done; he's a good art critic. By the way, everyone else in the office loved it. And let me tell you, Marie Severin at Marvel is one of the gentlest, kindest, nicest people on Earth."
Then he's asked, "The same thing happened to the Gene Colan sample?" to which Shooter replies, "It came out all right, but it wasn't anything special. Anyway, Brodsky really showed me how an illustration should be done." He also says he only worked at Marvel for about two weeks.
I never got to meet Jim, only interview him over the phone (which I describe in greater detail in my own newsletter -- there's a longer story there) but he would answer emails, which made me feel like I knew him better than I did. I was able to wish him well a couple of months ago, at the prodding of a mutual friend, and I'm so glad now that I did so. I was hoping he would last longer than he did.
A great tribute to Jim. I admired, laughed and at the end, weld up with emotion at that final image. Not sure how we guys wind up in this industry as mainstays... I mean, we all curse the industry at some point but at the same time are propelled by some unseen, unknown force to soldier on in it. And we love it. Jim never had any other love. Comics and the comic book industry was his greatest love. I am glad that he gave so much to all of the world through his love of the industry. But mostly happy to know that he not only got in, but became a mainstays for all time. There is nothing else I could imagine would be a greater dream to the young kid he was when he first discovered comics. God Bless you Jim. We will enjoy the fruits of your labors for as long as we are here. And now, for you, off to the unlimited galaxies and worlds of the cosmos! You've earned it.
This is interesting -- I just found a reference to that Kirby page in an interview Jim did waaaay back in 1974, for The Legion Outpost! (Ironically, an interview that I reprinted as the editor of The Best of The Legion Outpost.) This was when he was out of comics, before he returned in the mid-70s to return to the Legion before he went over to Marvel editorial. This is what he told Harry Broertjes, who'd tracked him down in Pittsburgh:
"So I gave up the scholarship to give Marvel a try. The deal was that I got a regular salary for a 40-hour week at the office, and freelance for anything extra... and I was going to try some inking, coloring, and what-have-you. I did some editing -- art corrections, little story corrections and stuff like that. They showed me how to color and I hassled Sol Brodsky until he let me do some inking samples for him. And boy, he was a slick one; he gave me these two splash pages, one by Jack Kirby and the other by the guy who did Daredevil... Gene Colan. He said, "Here, see what you can do with these." And I was impressed, y'know, inking Jack Kirby. I thought that was cool. Anyway, I did it and I tried to be as faithful to his style as I could -- and that was my big mistake. I inked it like I thought he wanted it, the way the pencils suggested, because Kirby does a real thick job on machines and everything else. So I took it in and then Mr. Brodsky told me that this drawing had been rejected originally, and it had been rejected because it was too cluttered and had no depth. And I had so accurately interpreted Mr. Kirby that it was still too cluttered. Brodsky then told me what I should have done; he's a good art critic. By the way, everyone else in the office loved it. And let me tell you, Marie Severin at Marvel is one of the gentlest, kindest, nicest people on Earth."
Then he's asked, "The same thing happened to the Gene Colan sample?" to which Shooter replies, "It came out all right, but it wasn't anything special. Anyway, Brodsky really showed me how an illustration should be done." He also says he only worked at Marvel for about two weeks.
This is all so great--and really makes more sense than the abbreviated story he told us at the show.
Smashing tribute, thanks Chris
I never got to meet Jim, only interview him over the phone (which I describe in greater detail in my own newsletter -- there's a longer story there) but he would answer emails, which made me feel like I knew him better than I did. I was able to wish him well a couple of months ago, at the prodding of a mutual friend, and I'm so glad now that I did so. I was hoping he would last longer than he did.
A great tribute to Jim. I admired, laughed and at the end, weld up with emotion at that final image. Not sure how we guys wind up in this industry as mainstays... I mean, we all curse the industry at some point but at the same time are propelled by some unseen, unknown force to soldier on in it. And we love it. Jim never had any other love. Comics and the comic book industry was his greatest love. I am glad that he gave so much to all of the world through his love of the industry. But mostly happy to know that he not only got in, but became a mainstays for all time. There is nothing else I could imagine would be a greater dream to the young kid he was when he first discovered comics. God Bless you Jim. We will enjoy the fruits of your labors for as long as we are here. And now, for you, off to the unlimited galaxies and worlds of the cosmos! You've earned it.
Great sendoff, Chris!
Eerily enough, I just read Fantastic Four #94 last night before I heard of Jim's passing…