The Fabuleous Fifties

My, my, my...

Jack Kirby Weeks #22

Here is the list of fantasy stories Jack Kirby worked on from 1956 to 1959, which is the period his DC stories in this genre appeared. For this purpose I've adapted Ray Owens Kirby Checklist, taken from the Marvel Masterpiece website. I have taken out all other genres (such as western, romance and war) and his work on longer series. Which leaves the pieces he did for Stan Lee in 1956, the DC stories for Jack Schiff, the stories he did for Joe Simon at Harvey and the first of the stories he did when he returned to Atlas/Marvel in 1958.

If I am counting right, I have show 21 of the 32 DC stories in the last three weeks. I am keeping them up some time. If anyone can provide me scans of the missing ones, I will add those keeping these pages as a permanent only source for research. As I said before, I hope in the end they will be collected by DC in a nice book (and I wouldn't mind being asked to provide the commentary).

Previous research has led me to believe that the stories printed in Black Cat Mystic #59 and #60 may have been done by Jack Kirby a year earlier, before his move to DC, around the same time he did the stories for Black Cat Mystic #58. For some reason Harvey suspended publication of Black Cat Mystic #58 and #59, with #58 appearing in July/Sept 1956 and #59 in September 1957. In fact, I believe the two stories he did for Atlas which were published in late 1956 to have been done by Kirby around the same time and maybe for the same lot, before it was known that pubication of Black Cat would be halted (not knowing it would be picked up again a year later). I come to this conclusion because of the subsequent job numbers of these two stories plus the fact that a war story he drew for Stan Lee (which appeared in the same month) has a much lower job number, indicating that he may have come in with two stories, which were ascribed job numbers on the spot and went home with a script from Stan's desk, which would automaticly have a lower job number, having been commisioned earlier.

I am not sure if the Race for the Moon stories were all drawn in 1956 as well, but the act that some of them were inked by Al Williamson, while most of Kirby work around that time was inked by himself, seems to suggest that the uninked stories had been lying around for some time and were assigned an inker when Kirby himself wasn't around to do it anymore. If that's the case, the stories for Alarming Tales would have to be done in 1956 as well.

Another explenation would be that Kirby was on his way out of DC much earlier than we thought. Eventhough he keeps appearing at the DC titles well into 1959, it is entirely possible that he slowed down or finished his work for Jack Schiff when he started doing his newspaper strip Sky Masters. Harvey had resumed publishing short story books and Kirby drew as much as he could for them, not only for Race tot the Moon and Alarming Tales, but also Pvt. Strong and The Fly. I just don't think he would have stopped working for the better paying DC if they still were offering him work and I see no reason why he would be getting less work there in 1958.

As a bonus, I am adding Pokerface, one of the early Atlas stories I believe could have been brought in to Stan Lee's office all prepared. The scans were taken from the Atlas Tales website.

Since writing this post, I have been discussing the same subject with Harry Mendrick at his Simon and Kirby blog. Harry thinks that Race for the Moon, The Fly and Private Strong produced right before their publication date. Race for the Moon was a reaction to Sputnik fever and could not have been made in 1956. The Fly (and in a lesser form Pvt. Strong, but still so) was created on Harvey's request when they saw the succes of DC's news superheroes at the end of the fifties. Joe Simon has stated so, so there is very little reason to doubt that. That leaves the stories for Black Cat Mystic and Alarming Tales. Harry is willing to consider the Black Cat material to have been made earlier, although he doesn't really think that my circomstantial evidence about the job numbers on the two Atlas tales is enough to be sure about the fact idea they may have been part of the lot Kirby did for Harve before knowing the title had stopped. Harry doubts the Alarming Tales material was part of that same inventory and sees no reason why Kirby couldn't have done all that while working for DC and Prize and starting up his renewed relationship with Marvel. On of the posters on his blogs says that he thinks the two earlier Atlas stories would fit in stylisticly with the Black Cat material, but ads that subsequent job numbers appear later in Kirby's career as well, most notably with Yellow Claw and two of his western stories. My impulse would be to find another reason than coincidence for those two occurances as well, but I am fully aware that it may be my love of a good story that leads me to these conclusions.

Dec 1956
Astonishing # 56 : Atlas - "Afraid to Dream" (4)
Strange Tales of the Unusual # 7 : Atlas - "Pokerface" (4)


Feb 1957
Showcase # 6 : National - cover (1)
Showcase # 6 : National - "Secrets of the Sorcerer's Box" (Chall) (24)


Mar 1957
House of Secrets # 3 : National - cover (1)
House of Secrets # 3 : National - "The Three Prophecies" (6)

Apr 1957
House of Mystery # 61 : National - "The Thing in the Box" (6)
Tales of the Unexpected # 12 : National - "The All-Seeing Eye" (6)

May 1957
House of Secrets # 4 : National - "Master of the Unknown" (6)
My Greatest Adventure # 15 : National - "City under the Sea" (8)
Tales of the Unexpected # 13 : National - cover (1)
Tales of the Unexpected # 13 : National - "Face behind the Mask" (6)

June 1957
House of Mystery # 63 : National - "Riddle of the Red Roc" (6)

July 1957
My Greatest Adventure # 16 : National - "I Died a 1000 times" (8)
Tales of the Unexpected # 15 : National - "3 wishes to Doom" (6)

Aug 1957
House of Mystery # 65 : National - cover (1)
House of Mystery # 65 : National - "The Human Dragon" (6)
Tales of the Unexpected # 16 : National - "Magic Hammer" (6)

Sep 1957
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - cover (1)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "Contents" (1)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "The Cadmus Seed" (5)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "Logan's next Life" (2)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "The Fourth Dimension" (5)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "The Last Enemy" (6)
Alarming Tales # 1 : Harvey - "Donnegan's Daffy Chair" (4)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - cover (1)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "Intro" (1)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "Today I am A?" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "Weemer is the best of all" (6)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "The Great Stone Face" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "Take off, Mr. Zimmer" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 59 : Harvey - "Untitled" (1)
My Greatest Adventure # 17 : National - "I Doomed the world" (8)
Tales of the Unexpected # 17 : National - "Who is Mr. Ashtar?" (6)

Oct 1957
Tales of the Unexpected # 18 : National - "Collected Planets" (6)

Nov 1957
Alarming Tales # 2 : Harvey - "Hole in the Wall" (6)
Alarming Tales # 2 : Harvey - "The Big Hunt" (4)
Alarming Tales # 2 : Harvey - "The Fireballs" (5)
Alarming Tales # 2 : Harvey - "I want to be a Man" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - cover (1)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - "Snap of the Fingers" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - "Woman who discovered America" (2)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - "Town full of Babies" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - "The Ant Extract" (5)
Black Cat Mystic # 60 : Harvey - "Shadow Brother" (5)

Dec 1957
My Greatest Adventure # 18 : National - cover (1)
My Greatest Adventure # 18 : National - "Nuclear Creature" (8)


Jan 1958
Alarming Tales # 3 : Harvey - cover (1)
Alarming Tales # 3 : Harvey - "This World is Ours" (5)
House of Mystery # 70 : National - "Creatures from Nowhere" (6)
House of Secrets # 8 : National - "Cat who knew too much" (6)
Tales of the Unexpected # 21 : National - "Mysterious Mr. Vince" (6)

Feb 1958
Tales of the Unexpected # 22 : National - "The Volcano Men" (6)

Mar 1958
Alarming Tales # 4 : Harvey - "Forbidden Journey" (5)
House of Mystery # 72 : National - "Man who betrayed Earth" (6)
Race for the Moon # 1 : Harvey - cover (1)
Race for the Moon # 1 : Harvey - "Intro" (0.5)
Tales of the Unexpected # 23 : National - "Giants from Outer Space" (6)

Apr 1958
My Greatest Adventure # 20 : National - "Big Game on Neptune" (8)
Tales of the Unexpected # 24 : National - "Two-Dimensional Man" (6)

May 1958
My Greatest Adventure # 21 : National - "Metal-Eating Monster" (8)

July 1958
House of Mystery # 76 : National - cover (1)
House of Mystery # 76 : National - "Artifical Twin" (6)

Aug 1958
House of Secrets # 11 : National - cover only (1)

Sep 1958
House of Mystery # 78 : National - cover only (1)
House of Secrets # 12 : National - cover (1)
House of Secrets # 12 : National - "Hole in the Sky" (6)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - cover (1)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - "Intro" (1)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - "Thing on Sputnik" (5)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - "Lunar Trap" (5)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - "Island in the Sky" (5)
Race for the Moon # 2 : Harvey - "Face on Mars" (5)

Oct 1958
House of Mystery # 79 : National - cover only (1)

Nov 1958
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - cover (1)
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - "Intro" (1)
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - "Long, Long Years" (5)
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - "Saucer Men" (5)
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - "Space Garbage" (5)
Race for the Moon # 3 : Harvey - "Garden of Eden" (5)

Dec 1958
Strange Worlds # 1 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Worlds # 1 : Atlas - "The Flying Saucers" (7)
World of Fantasy # 15 : Atlas - cover only (1)

Jan 1959
Tales to Astonish # 1 : Atlas - cover (1)
Tales to Astonish # 1 : Atlas - "Ninth Wonder of the World" (7)

Feb 1959
My Greatest Adventure # 28 : National - "Microscope Menace" (8)
Strange Tales # 67 : Atlas - "I was the Invisible Man" (7)
World of Fantasy # 16 : Atlas - "Prison 2000 AD" (5)

Mar 1959
House of Mystery # 84 : National - "The Negative Man" (8)
Journey into Mystery # 51 : Atlas - "Creatures in the Volcano" (5)
Journey into Mystery # 51 : Atlas - "Alien on Earth" (4)
Tales of Suspense # 2 : Atlas - "Invasion from Outer Space" (5)

Apr 1959
House of Mystery # 85 : National - cover (1)
House of Mystery # 85 : National - "Stone Sentinels of Giant Island" (8)
Strange Tales # 68 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Tales # 68 : Atlas - "Test Pilot" (4)
Strange Worlds # 3 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Worlds # 3 : Atlas - "The Creature from Planet X" (4)
Strange Worlds # 3 : Atlas - "I Fly to the Stars" (4)
World of Fantasy # 17 : Atlas - cover only (1)

May 1959
Journey into Mystery # 52 : Atlas - cover (1)
Journey into Mystery # 52 : Atlas - "Menace from Mars" (5)
Tales of Suspense # 3 : Atlas - "Terrible Time Machine" (5)
Tales to Astonish # 3 : Atlas - cover only (1)

June 1959
Strange Tales # 69 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Tales # 69 : Atlas - "The World that was Lost" (4)
Strange Worlds # 4 : Atlas - cover only (1)
World of Fantasy # 18 : Atlas - cover (1)
World of Fantasy # 18 : Atlas - "To Build a Robot" (4)

July 1959
Journey into Mystery # 53 : Atlas - cover only (1)
Strange Worlds # 5 : Atlas - cover only (1)
Tales of Suspense # 4 : Atlas - cover (1)
Tales of Suspense # 4 : Atlas - "One of our Space Men is Missing" (5)
Tales to Astonish # 4 : Atlas - cover only (1)

Aug 1959
Strange Tales # 70 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Tales # 70 : Atlas - "A Giant Walks the Earth" (5)
World of Fantasy # 19 : Atlas - cover only (1)

Sep 1959
Journey into Mystery # 54 : Atlas - cover (1)
Journey into Mystery # 54 : Atlas - "Menace from the Purple Planet" (5)
Tales of Suspense # 5 : Atlas - cover only (1)
Tales to Astonish # 5 : Atlas - cover (1)
Tales to Astonish # 5 : Atlas - "The Things on Easter Island" (5)

Nov 1959
Journey into Mystery # 55 : Atlas - cover (1)
Journey into Mystery # 55 : Atlas - "The Giant in the Sky" (7)
Journey into Mystery # 55 : Atlas - "My Neighbors Secret" (4)
Tales of Suspense # 6 : Atlas - cover (1)
Tales of Suspense # 6 : Atlas - "Luna Lizards had me Trapped" (5)
Tales to Astonish # 6 : Atlas - cover (1)
Tales to Astonish # 6 : Atlas - "The Great God Pan" (4)

Dec 1959 (24)
Strange Tales # 72 : Atlas - cover (1)
Strange Tales # 72 : Atlas - "I Fought the Colossus" (5)