Warfront, no. 28
The cover of this war comic was drawn by Jack Kirby, one of the most celebrated comic book artists of the twentieth century. With its striking composition and sense of motion, the illustration demonstrates what would make Kirby a remarkable superhero artist. Even in a single illustration, there is a dynamic sense of motion and narrative. In his study of Kirby, Charles Hatfield provides some context that applies to this representation of warfare: "Starting in the late thirties and persisting to the late seventies, Kirby produced comic book work on a monthly basis, with but one significant interruption: his time as an infantryman during World War II. He was to carry this war experience around with him for the rest of his life, often telling war stories full of odd, unassuming details and spiced with a generous sense of the absurd" (13). (Reference: Charles Hatfield, <em>Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby</em>. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 2011.)
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Harvey, Alfred (Editor)
Kirby, Jack (Penciler)
Simon, Joe (Inker)
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Detective Comics, no. 230
This issue of DC’s long-running <em>Detective Comics</em> series reintroduces the Mad Hatter, a Batman villain who first appeared in the 1940s. As the Mad Hatter’s villainous ambition here makes clear—he wants to add Batman’s signature cowl to his collection of hats—the villains of the “Silver Age” of comic books are “wacky conjurors, nothing more, with no menace or violence about them” (242). This anthology comic also contains a story featuring the “Martian Manhunter,” another mainstay of DC’s superhero universe. (Reference: Andy Medhurst, “Batman, Deviance, and Camp,” <em>The Superhero Reader</em>, ed. Charles Hatfield, Jeet Heer, and Kent Worcester. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 2013. 237-251.)
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Ellsworth, Whitney, 1908-1980 (Editor)
Schiff, Jack (Editor)
Mortimer, Win (Penciler)
Roussos, George, 1915-2000 (Inker)
Schnapp, Ira (Letterer)
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Black Cat Mystery, no. 57
<em>Black Cat</em> went through a number of title changes from its launch in 1946 to its eventual end in 1963. Initially a title named after the "Black Cat," a stunt woman and actress named Linda Turner who dons a costume to fight crime, the series would change formats to a Western, horror, and mystery title. Perhaps in response to the 1954 Comics Code, this issue boasts a "NEW DESIGN in mystery." It moves away from the scantily-clad heroine of the series, singled out in Fredric Wertham's <em>Seduction of the Innocent</em> as one of the negative influences on the youth of America because of Black Cat's penchant for hand-to-hand combat. This revised <em>Black Cat</em> title features suspense and science fiction stories. The cover references "20th Century Man," a story in this issue that is "told in the format of a television show. The story panels become your TV screen and the suspense of its awful problems comes to life before your eyes." Notably, the cover to this issue is pencilled and inked by famed comics artist Jack Kirby, co-creator of the Avengers, Captain America, the X-Men, and much more. (Reference: Harry Mendryk, "Harvey Horror and Science Fiction: Black Cat Mystery #57," Jack Kirby Museum, 12 April 2012. http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/4373 )
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Editor: Harvey, Leon H. (Leon Harvey), 1901-
Penciler & Inker: Kirby, Jack
Letterer: Rosen, Joe
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