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JACK KIRBY pencil & inks - Harvey ALARMING TALES #3 from 1957 - Joe Simon - martians - Sci-fi- alien creatures -

Artists: Jack Kirby (Penciller) , Jack Kirby (Inker) , Jack Oleck (Writer)

8 Comments - 2,004 Views - 1 Like

JACK KIRBY pencil & inks - Harvey ALARMING TALES #3 from 1957 - Joe Simon - martians - Sci-fi- alien creatures - Comic Art

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Alarming Tales #3 Jan. '58!

Published page.

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Artwork Details

Title:	JACK KIRBY pencil & inks - Harvey ALARMING TALES #3 from 1957 - Joe Simon - martians - Sci-fi- alien creatures -
Artist:	Jack Kirby (Penciller)
Artist:	Jack Kirby (Inker)
Artist:	Jack Oleck (Writer)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	Sorry- this one is a keeper!
Views:	2,004
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	8
Added to Site:	3/18/2012
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I have always been a HUGE fan of Rod Serling�s The Twilight Zone. This piece brings back fond memories of certain episodes like, �Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?� This is a very early example of Kirby�s flare for wacky science fiction in HARVEY�s �ALARMING TALES� #3. There have been several on-line blogs that have debated over this five page story and even used this particular page as an example. Some have suggested Steve Ditko may have had a helping hand in inking a few of the faces. Others suggest it may very well be solely Jack Kirby doing his "Austere inking" as he did for Atlas and DC.

It is a known fact Kirby wasn�t too fond of inking his own material, due to lack of time or interest. It is rare to locate Kirby�s pencils on the market these days but his inking may be just as scarce so I'm a happy camper. Another cool treat is to see all of Kirby's hand-written dialog still underneath the inked text. It may not be signed but it does have his writing all over the page.

Love the last panel with all those C-R-A-Z-Y Kirby vapers and gases! Check out that space-age city in the last panel too! Sweet page and one of the last collaborations with Simon, written by Jack Oleck. Even has the comics authority stamp from 1957 on back (Published in January 1958)! So happy I finally scored a silver age Kirby page! Jack�s pencils are always at their best when inked by his greatest inker, Kirby himself. We will not see another Kirby in this lifetime!

You know, the bald guy's design bares close resemblance to THE WATCHER! Bald head, headgear, knee high boots, bare legs and chestplate garb, you have to admit - that second panel does share some similar characteristics! This came out the very same year he started back at Marvel in '58 so who knows? Maybe a slimmer version of the Watcher, minus the BIG ol' head! Classic Kirby!

I want to give Steve at KOCH COMIC ART a word of thanks for making this transaction work for me! You rock, Steve!

I just found out tonight this page comes directly from the personal collection of Kirby's old sidekick, Michael Thibodeaux!!! Now how cool is that?

Forgot to mention these pages are TWICE-UP - all art should be done this size!

Blogs:
http://www.whatifkirby.com/gallery/comic-art-listings/alarming-tales-issue-3-page-3
http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/category/z-archive/200705

Excerpt from the KIRBY MUSEUM concerning this 5-page story:

"Not long ago it was recently pointed out to me that a page from �This World Is Ours� was up for sale on eBay. In the listing the seller suggested that it was inked by Steve Ditko. In all fairness the seller later added that he had received some email indicating that some disagreed with that attribution. I wonder if some people have suggested Ditko inking based on the man in the lower right corner of the splash page. I think he has a Ditko look to him. Unfortunately I really have no idea what type of inking Ditko was doing at this time. I certainly would not want to base my attribution on that one face.

Perhaps because the splash image is so filled with the fireballs, I find nothing else on it that provides me with any good clues for the attribution. Besides which I always like to look at the inking for the entire story. The second page has a very familiar look, it is Jack Kirby doing his Austere inking. We find simple, often spatulate, cloth folds, negative cloth folds, flooded blacks and even a shoulder blot. I have not yet reviewed Jacks late work for the Prize romances, but we will see the rather abstracted upper eyelids of panel 5 again there. The presence of pen spotting should not come as a surprise because we have seen it often before in the Austere inking for Atlas and DC. With this in mind and returning to the splash I find nothing in the brush work that I have not seen Kirby do previously. I will not discount the possibility of other inking hands at work on this story, but clearly Jack�s played an important part in the inking."

http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/4467

Alarming Tales #3 (January 1958) �This World Is Ours�, pencils by Jack Kirby

"The inking of this story has in the past been attributed to Steve Ditko but I think we can confidently reject that claim. The figure in the lower right corner of the splash does look a little like Ditko�s work, however the blunt brushwork is nothing like Ditko�s inking at the time. One explanation could be that the inking of the splash was done by Mort Meskin whose work greatly influenced Ditko. Beyond the figure�s appearance, nothing in the brushwork suggests Meskin�s inking. Still I find it hard to believe that Kirby inked the splash either. The rest of the story does look very much like the inking of Kirby himself."

"This World is Ours!" (art by Jack Kirby); "They Walked on Water," "Get Lost," "The Strange One," and "The Man Who Never Lived." Bob Powell and Doug Wildey. Cover price $0.10.

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About the Owner

	Robbie Cook
Joined:	July 2006
Last Login:	August 2025
Ebay Id:	welcometothehouseoffun
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Anthony F
Member Since 2004

Posted on 3/18/2012

Wow Robbie, nice example of Kirby! I'd love some twice up, too!

The Comic Coffin�
Member Since 2007

Posted on 4/1/2012

A wonderful example from these two comic art legends!

Jerry C.
Member Since 2009

Posted on 5/10/2012

Fantastic!

Hart R.
Member Since 2004

Posted on 8/31/2012

IMPRESSIVE page to say the least...Thanks for sharing this gem with us!

David K
Member Since 2008

Posted on 6/7/2013

Oh man I want a pre-hero Kirby so bad. This is an absolute stunner!!!

artless artmore
Member Since 2013

Posted on 5/16/2014

Cool page!

CIRO SCOGNAMIGLIO
Member Since 2009

Posted on 6/6/2017

Vintage Kirby, fantastic!

j sly
Member Since 2011

Posted on 6/26/2020

Stunning! I own the title splash for this story. Most people know me as a 90's art guy but I have a soft spot for very old sci-fi by Kirby. Congrats!

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