Anyway, I said I'd do some Top Tens. Right now is my Personal Top 10 Favorite Jack Kirby Superheroes! Yes, I'm gonna limit it to Heroes, which, unfortunately knocks out Dr. Doom, Darkseid, and Galactus. Anyway, let's get on with it:
Honorable Mention: The Black Panther: Besides being the first Black Superhero in comics history (and, quite frankly, the most iconic and memorable black superhero in comics history (nobody remembers you, Blade)), the Panther was cool for a lot of reasons. For starters, he was the anti-Dr. Doom, namely, a normal human with no powers who go toe to toe with superpowered beings, while also being the ruler of his own country. While Doom was a fascist dictator, Panther was a benevolent king of a country where everyone was prosperous and worked together for the greater good. Also, his costume is the model for less is more. It's so simple but so utterly brilliant in its design.
10. Devil Dinosaur: Fools mock Devil Dinosaur, but us hip cats know that the Red T-Rex is the real deal! Solid! Anyway, Devil Dinosaur is a dinosaur who beats up any monster stupid enough to get in his way. How cool is that?
9. Etrigan the Demon: Gone! Gone! The Form of Man! Return the Demon Etrigan! Kirby's second greatest anti-hero, the Demon was also his 2nd most iconic creation at DC (Darkseid being the first). Etrigan has appeared in numerous comics, cartoons, and toys, and is one of Kirby's most popular cult characters. Sadistic, vicious, ugly, and unpredictable, Etrigan is almost the antithesis of a typical Kirby hero, which is part of what makes him cool. Also, he breathes fire and cackles in the face of certain doom. Gotta love that.
8. Kamandi the Last Boy on Earth: Kamandi's got a lot of potential strikes against him. His design is simple (ripped jean shorts and boots and that's it), his hair is ridiculous, and he's got no superpowers going for him. Also, he's so obscure, you gotta be a super Kirby fan to even know who he is. BUT, what makes Kamandi so awesome is his endless supply of grit. Trapped in a world of talking, intelligent animals and relegated to being nothing more than a pack animal, Kamandi won't take no crap from no talking apes or dogs or whatever. Give Kamandi some guff, and he'll give it right back with his fists a flying. I like that.
7. The Thing: How can you not love the Thing? The ultimate blue collar hero, Ben Grimm is a monster with a heart of gold, forever cursed to be an ugly Thing. A roughneck brawler, Ben was never that bright, but what he lacked in brains he made up in guts, smashing anyone stupid enough to mess with his extended family, the Fantastic Four. His rock cover hide is one of the most iconic designs in comic history.
6. Thor: Welp, do I really need to do a run down on this one? 3 blockbuster movies. Tons of merchandise. That iconic hammer designed by the King. Kirby took classic mythology, invented new mythology, and then combined it with his modern day superhero sensibilities. All that cool stuff you see Thor do with his hammer in the movies? All Kirby.
5. Captain America: Again, I shouldn't really have to explain Captain America. I've always loved the character, long before I even knew who Kirby was. Love the costume, love the shield, love the never say die attitude. I loved the comics, and I loved both the movies, both of which borrow liberally from the King. Need I say more?
4. OMAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Ahem. OMAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The One Man Army Corps!!!!!!!!!! He is from The WORLD THAT IS TO COME!!!!!!! HE HAS A MOHAWK!!!!!!!! A Computer from Space Aids and Protects in the Fight with Evil!!!! In the world of the Future, Any War could lead to Nuclear Extinction, so OMAC exists to Prevent all Wars by PUNCHING PEOPLE IN THE FACE UNTIL THEY STOP BEING WARLIKE!!!!!!!! To Bring Peace, OMAC MUST BE VIOLENT!!!!! COMIXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Orion: Kirby's other anti-hero, Orion is more complex and interesting than Etrigan. He's also an ultraviolent spacegod who blows people up with Death Rays. Orion is a strangely conflicted character. Born on the nightmare world of Apocalypse, but raised on the peaceful world of New Genesis, Orion is an argument for Nurture overcoming Nature, as Orion strives to overcome his internal demons in his quest to bring peace to the universe by destroying his own father, Darkseid, lord of Apocalypse. One of the many things that I love about Orion is that no one has ever done a better job of writing or presenting the character than Kirby did. Kirby's version is still the most definitive. Also, again, Death Rays.
2. Mister Miracle: The flip side of Orion, Mr. Miracle is born on peaceful New Genesis, but raised in the hellish world of Apokalypse. Mr. Miracle was trained to be a mindless soldier and killing machine, but instead chooses the path of peace, escaping to Earth to become, not surprisingly, an escape artist. I love the costume. I really, really love the costume. I love the gadgets. I love the daring escapes. I love Big Barda. CRAP! I forgot to put Big Barda in my Top Ten! CRAP! I really should plan these Top Tens better. Anyway, Barda's awesome. Mister Miracle is awesome. I'm fawning, aren't I? Moving on...
1. Silver Surfer: When I was 9 years old, I saw a drawing of a silver skinned alien flying on a silver surfboard. This image set my brain on fire and made my want to read comics. So, I started reading Silver Surfer comics. The Surfer traveled through space, battling various evil aliens, while occasionally having run-ins with his former master, Galactus, a giant, god-like being who ATE PLANETS. These comics made my mind explode in a supernova of creative possibility, and so, at the tender age of 9, young Joseph Morris swore that when he grew up, he would make comics. And so he did. The Silver Surfer was created by Jack Kirby. That is why he is my King. Without him, my life loses most of its meaning.
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