Best of 2021 :: Published/Unpublished Strip Art

Sky Masters - July 2, 1959

Owner: Ron S
Artists: Jack Kirby (Penciller) , Wally Wood (Inker)

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Artwork Details

Title:	Sky Masters - July 2, 1959
Artist:	Jack Kirby (Penciller)
Artist:	Wally Wood (Inker)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
Views:	585
Likes on CAF:	3 4
Added to Site:	7/10/2021

Description

Sky Masters was a syndicated comic, published from September 8th, 1958 to February 25th, 1961. Designed to be a “realistic” space strip, it had a lot of potential. Written by Dave and Dan Wood, the art was initially by Jack Kirby and Wally Wood. Wally Wood left the strip around July 11, 1959. After that, the strip lumbered along until it breathed it’s last in early 1961.

At that time, artists of successful, published strips were at the top echelon. Kirby most certainly wanted to move from his current role at DC Comics into the ranks of artists like Capp, Caniff, and Raymond, who were well known and respected.

Alas, it was not to be.

Kirby’s business arrangement was poorly handled (sadly a theme in his career) and he ended up in litigation regarding royalties almost immediately after the strip started syndication. He lost the lawsuit on December 3rd, 1959; Wood left the strip shortly before that (because Kirby needed to save money). After Wally left, the strip was inked by Kirby himself, Ayers, or in some cases, perhaps Roz. It’s clear that Kirby realized it wasn’t going to be the monetary success he had hoped for, and the artwork suffers at that point. As I said above, it continued publication for a little over another year, but it effectively ended in terms of quality when Wally Wood left.

For more on the story, I recommend Sky Masters: The Complete Sunday Strips by our own Ferran Delgado and Sky Masters: The Complete Dallies by Hermes Press.

On a positive note, the failure of the strip and his anger at DC led Kirby to try something different across the street with a guy named Stan Lee.

Yep, if Sky Masters was a success, we would not have the same Marvel Universe we’ve all grown to love.

I’ve been able to grab a few of the Sky Masters strips over time, and they show us what could have been.

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About the Owner

	Ron S Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	June 2007
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	lihama5
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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