Kirby Starman Zero second Sunday

This is the second of six boards (see the first and fourth elsewhere in my gallery) that Kirby wrote and pencilled around 1948 as samples for a proposed syndicated Sci-Fi strip called Starman Zero. Tiger 21 is a star system that features in the strip, which became the overall name of the project when it was reworked in the '50s as a pitch to NBC for a TV show. This (rather large: 20"x30", image area 18"x27") board comes from the Joe Simon estate, but it's unclear whether Joe had creative input. Kirby's own handwriting is visible under the inked lettering.
In any case, it's a remarkable, deeply Kirbyesque work which introduces themes that Jack would later develop in characters like the Silver Surfer, Metron, and Machine Man. The second episode develops the psychology of the protagonist, who almost seems to be trying to talk himself into an acceptance of his new non-human status. The institutional setting is obviously informed by Kirby's recent military experience. This was the period of Kirby's arrival at his first, IMHO, artistic peak, both as writer and draftsman, mostly seen in his Crime and Romance comics.
See additional images for close-ups of some of the nicer panels.