[♪ Upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Chen: If you were a superhero,
would you rather be married to another superhero,
or would you rather be married to a mere mortal?
I think, you know, as a traditionalist,
gonna have to go with the mere mortal.
It's so cool to be when she gets kidnapped
and you have to go rescue her.
You get that little bit of extra lovin'
at the end of the night.
You're not gonna get that from another superhero.
It's just the way it's always been.
It's always... way it should be.
Not always.
Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl,
Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, yeah.
Even though that's not the best example.
I was gonna say, didn't he beat her?
- Yeah. - He did.
- I said that's not... - Didn't he get kicked out of the Avengers
- for spousal abuse? - He did.
- [Laughter] - But still...
Superheroes with mere mortals,
they don't have those problems.
- What about you? - Superhero.
'Cause you got something to talk about,
you got common interests...
What if you're a Blue Beetle-esque character?
You don't have, like... you don't really have any superpowers,
but you're married to someone like Power Girl.
Would you be okay with being...
...a mere mortal in tights...
...but married to almost, like, a god?
And, like, so you see her cell phone
and she's like, "This Blue Beetle guy...
I don't know, I don't know why..."
"Why did I marry him?"
- Who's texting, Superman? - Superman?
[Laughter]
[ ♪ Dramatic music]
[Roar]
- Help! - Help!
Help!
[Electronic whirring]
[Boom]
[ ♪ Funky music]
Hello, welcome back to another episode of "Comic Book Men,"
the only show that believes Tony Stark himself
should wind up on the Iron Throne.
- I'm Kevin Smith. - Bryan Johnson.
- Walt Flanagan. - Mike Zapcic.
- Ming Chen. - Okay, put it starkly, boys.
What happened this week?
An item that came in, there is no debating...
...how important it was in a historical sense.
[ ♪ Funky music]
- Hey, you you doin'? - Pretty good.
Man: We have a few comic books
we wanted to bring by, have you take a look at.
- Okay. - We have a "Fantastic Four" number 12, from 1963.
Flanagan: Oh, nice.
Man: Then we have another "Fantastic Four"
number 12.
- Flanagan: Okay. - And then we have
another "Fantastic Four" number 12,
and, finally, we have...
...another "Fantastic Four" number 12.
Flanagan: Oh! Four copies of "Fantastic Four"?
- First time the Hulk and the Thing throw down. - Yeah, nice.
- ♪ ♪ - _
_
Why do you guys have four copies of this book?
We actually have 24 issues.
These are all what we just brought in.
Flanagan: Why do you guys...
When I see it, I just buy it.
Why? What's it mean to you?
I have always been a Kirby fan.
- I mean, he is the king. - Right.
You know, he's the one that really changed
how comic book superheroes were drawn.
That explains owning one copy.
- Yeah. - [Laughter]
Smith: You were never the multiple book buying guy.
I was the guy, when I got into collecting, thanks to you,
sometimes a number one would come out
and I would buy multiples,
but you never went down that road.
Flanagan: I can remember getting the bug,
and I was just like, "Maybe I should be
buying multiple copies." You know?
So then, a new number one came out,
it was Darkhawk.
- I bought like... I bought like... - Oh, man.
...seven copies of Darkhawk number one,
and I got stuck with them,
and I was like, "Never again."
Walt goes to every Marvel movie going,
"Please bring Darkhawk in. Please bring Darkhawk in!"
Hulk versus Thing. Who you rooting for?
Who do you wanna see win that battle?
I would want the Thing to,
because we can all relate to him,
but you know the Hulk is the strongest.
Now, were they fighting
because the Hulk stole his shorts?
[Laughter]
Flanagan: All right, so,
you're lookin' to sell 'em?
Man: We were thinkin' about one or all. It doesn't matter.
But we were thinkin' about maybe upgrading,
- getting something better. - Yeah.
An upgrade of another copy
- of "Fantastic Four" number 12? - Yes. Yes.
Yeah.
The first vacation is not part of the plan.
[Laughter]
Okay, unfortunately, this one has some spine separation.
- Mm-hm. - There's a lot of ink on the cover.
Okay, what about "Fantastic Four" number 12?
- Yeah. - [Laughter]
What about this one?
It looks in better condition. Some dog-earing here.
- This one's a lot nicer. - Yes, pretty good.
Almost no dog-earing, which is good.
Spine wear at a minimum.
- Yeah, I'd put that at about a six. - Mm-hm.
Zapcic: And this one...
See where the 12 is cut off?
You know, it's gotta take points off.
I'd put this at about a five.
So then we should reverse these two, right?
- Female Seller: Yeah. - Johnson: There we go.
- From crappiest to best. - [Laughter]
- Hmm. - Hmm.
Hmm.
Flanagan: Well, I'm not gonna go after the one with the ink.
That's for sure.
Probably not gonna go after the nicest one,
because that one's gonna be a little bit harder to move
if somebody comes in.
You are like the Goldilocks of comics.
Like, you're looking for one that's just right.
[Laughter]
Flanagan: I think, for our customer base,
the perfect copy to go after today
is actually this one.
Zapcic: The third best one.
Flanagan: Going for third.
What's your asking price for this particular copy?
Male Seller: About $500 for that one.
- Um... - This book is so hard to find.
Flanagan: Yeah, 'cause you got 'em all!
You're hoarding 'em all.
It's like you're stock-piling 'em.
Could you do three?
No. I would do $450.
$375, but I can't go any higher.
I think I would... I would rather hold on to it.
Yeah, I can... I can see it.
What about four? Would you be able to do four?
Come on, I'm meeting you pretty close to what you're asking for.
[Sighs]
I... Okay, that's a deal.
- $400? - Yeah.
All right. Nice.
♪ ♪
Two, three, and four.
- Thank you. - All right!
[ ♪ Funky music]
Flanagan: Well, let's wake up!
Very, very important birthday is upcoming.
Maybe the most important birthday ever.
Jack Kirby, the king.
This year, he would've been 100 years old,
and I wanna do somethin' at the Stash
to celebrate the man's legacy.
There is no bigger artist in comic book history.
So Jack Kirby birthday party at the Stash?
That's what I'm thinkin' about. Right?
Well, uh, we will fill the place with Kirby fans.
We-we get some cosplayers. It'll be great.
You know, his kids and grandkids
are really active in keeping his memory alive,
his legacy.
I think if we get in contact with them,
they'd be happy to come down.
Kirby blood in the Stash.
We'll roll the red carpet out.
I mean, this is America's royalty.
Johnson: Kirbys and the Kardashians.
[Laughter]
"Fantastic Four" issue 52,
the first Black Panther.
Wow!
There it is! It's comin'!
We're gonna have royal Kirby blood at the Stash.
Flanagan: Have a good day.
- You too. - Thank you.
- Hey, how are you? - How's it going, man?
I think I have something that you guys would be interested in.
"Fantastic Four" issue 52,
the first appearance of the Black Panther.
- Nice. - Very significant.
- Yeah, yeah. - Flanagan: Oh, wow.
- ♪ ♪ - _
_
This is a great book. Look at this Kirby cover.
Flanagan: Now, what I love of what Kirby brought to this character
was the combination of-of two cultures,
high-tech and tribal.
Now, do you notice anything
about this Black Panther costume that's different from
maybe some later versions of the costume?
Chen: Uh, is it the cape?
- Well, yes, there's two things. - Okay.
- Yes, the cape is one. - Chen: What's the other one?
Flanagan: The color. They grey would be abandoned,
and he'd go for more of a midnight blue.
Zapcic: Yeah. That was just to differentiate
so you could show his muscles.
Chen: Is that why you wear dark blue?
Like, you know, you get definition?
We wanna look sleek and catlike
when we're ringing up people at the counter. Right?
He-he looks impressed.
Yeah, yeah I am.
Flanagan: This book is blowing up, Ming, right?
For one reason, and one reason only.
- Movie's comin' out. - Oh, yeah.
Flanagan: How do you say the Black Panther's first name?
- T'Challa. - T'Challa.
- Flanagan: Such a cool name. - Yeah.
Flanagan: Do you remember what-what African nation
T'Challa hails from?
- Wakanda. - Mm-hm.
Flanagan: And Marvel, they were vanguard
in the comic book world of creating characters
of color and diversity.
In the parlance of the kids,
Marvel was woke
- way before everybody. - Oh, my God.
[Laughter]
I'm not... I'm not saying that right?
No, I think you're using it right,
it just sounds so weird coming out of your mouth.
[Laughter]
Well, think about it. A lot of us
have been able to look in comics and on the screen,
and see characters that kind of look like us.
For a lot of people,
Black Panther is like, I finally get to see me
on screen, as the main character.
- Yeah. - With that movie,
he will now stand shoulder to shoulder
with the biggest Marvel characters
who've have their own features.
So, why have you come in
with your copy of "Fantastic Four" 52 today?
Seller: I was hoping to sell this
and use the money for...
...a Black Panther helmet for my, uh, cosplay.
You cosplay as the Black Panther?
Seller: Yep, yep. He actually inspired me
to lose 30 to 35 pounds, actually.
- Flanagan: Really? - Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
That's commitment, right?
Yeah, look like your heroes.
You wear the spandex?
Yes. Very small outfit.
- So... - Wow.
It's not forgiving.
- No? - No.
All right, let's get back to the book
and why this gentleman is here today.
What are you looking to get for it?
Uh, $350.
- $350? - Mm-hm.
Zapcic: Unfortunately, here's where I come in.
Flanagan: Show us your agility like a cat!
Zapcic: There's a couple issues I see right off the bat.
There's some chipping right here on the spine,
and there's some cover separation down at the bottom.
It's been dog-eared on this side.
We've also got two chips up at the top.
Flanagan: Mike basically just used your "Fantastic Four" 52
as a litter box.
- Sorry. - [Laughter]
Flanagan: After hearing what Mike says,
75 bucks.
Seller: $75? Um...
Could you do $100?
I-I could do $85.
$95.
All right.
♪ ♪
- Here you go! - Sweet! See ya.
[ ♪ Rock music]
Flanagan: What time is it?
9:24.
Should be here any minute.
So it's the day of the Kirby birthday party,
and we're out front, waiting
for the guests of honor to arrive.
So, how do you throw a birthday party
for a guy who's not here anymore, sadly?
Flanagan: I asked Ming to find some Kirby blood,
some relatives that we can invite to the Stash
and show them...
...how much Jack Kirby meant to the comic book world.
Get outta here, man.
- You found royalty? - Yeah!
And, you know, if we're gonna do somethin'
we gotta do it with a little bit of flair.
That's why I thought to have it be
almost as if real royalty was visiting the Stash.
You mean royalty from back in the 1800s, and stuff?
Absolutely.
- Wow. - [Laughter]
There is it! It's comin'!
All right, all right, start playin', start playin'!
Start playin' the horn!
[Wheezing atonal blast]
Oh, my God.
Your eyes look like they're going to pop out of your head.
I feel dizzy.
[ ♪ Regal fanfare]
- Jeremy! - Yes, sir.
- Flanagan: Welcome. - Nice to meet you.
Flanagan: Thank you for coming to the Stash today.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
- Wow. - Oh, you guys are great.
- Hi, how are you? - Welcome.
- Thank you for coming today to the Stash. - _
You're very welcome. Thank you so much.
We're happy to celebrate with you guys.
So you wanna go inside and meet everybody?
- Tracy Kirby: Totally! Let's do it. - Flanagan: All right.
Flanagan: As you can see,
a whole bunch of your grandfather's creations
have shown up to help us celebrate
this magnificent day.
[Cheering]
- [Chatter] - _
Hear ye, hear ye!
We gather here today
to honor the 100th birthday
of the most prolific and beloved
comic book artist and creator
of all time and space,
Jack "King" Kirby!
[Cheering]
May I present to you
two of Jack Kirby's grandchildren.
Princess Tracy Kirby
and Prince Jeremy Kirby!
[Cheering]
Tracy Kirby: Hi, everyone! Thank you so much!
Oh, my God. This is awesome.
Do you mind if I pop the crown off for a moment here?
Of course.
You're heralding the entry of royalty.
I'll admit they were little embarrassed at first,
but they were good sports, and they embraced it.
They put the robes on, they put the crowns on,
and the room gave them such a great round of applause.
Yeah, when you talk about Jack Kirby in this business,
people get very passionate.
He's one of the chief architects
of the Marvel Universe,
and if you were gonna make a Mount Rushmore
for comic book creators in general,
Jack Kirby would definitely be up there.
As you can see, a whole bunch of your grandfather's creations
have shown up to help us celebrate
this magnificent day.
We have the Prince of Asgard, the mighty Thor!
[Cheering]
We have the alter-ego of Bruce Banner,
born from a gamma ray bomb,
the Incredible Hulk here today!
[Cheering]
The Invisible Woman is here today to help us celebrate!
[Cheering]
Formerly known as the Invisible Girl,
first appearance, "Fantastic Four" number one.
We have the sentinel of liberty, Captain America!
[Cheering]
Created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon!
And, of course,
the Machine Man!
[Cheering]
First appearance, "2001: A Space Odyssey,"
later graduated to his own series.
And last, but not least,
the most fearsome villain in the DC Universe,
Darkseid!
[Cheering]
Arch-nemesis of the New Gods,
father to Orion.
I mean, we got the Stash completely packed
with the most famous Kirby creations.
And Jack Kirby
drew some of the most famous characters of all time,
created the looks of characters
that endure to this day.
You're talking about legendary career.
I don't know if we'll ever see
that kind of output ever again...
...in comic book history.
Tracy Kirby: So, we actually brought, um,
a few things we thought you guys might be interested in.
Oh, we're interested.
Definitely. We'd love to see it, right?
[Cheering]
Hold on one sec.
So, this, I just thought was fun.
When my grandfather first started drawing,
he did a lot of, like, political cartoons,
little cartoon shorts, even some Popeyes.
This is one of the few pieces
that actually has his real name,
Jack Kurtzberg.
What year do you think you would put that drawing at?
Jeremy Kirby: Late '30s, probably.
Tracy Kirby: Late '30s, probably, yeah.
So, this is kinda pre-Captain America.
Jeremy Kirby: It's one of the... one of his earliest ones.
Next, what we have is a stat of my grandfather's
original artwork for Galactus
that he doctored a little, changed a little,
and he actually colored himself
when he was testing out his new watercolors, or whatnot,
that he had, and then, uh,
signed it himself, so it's one of my favorite pieces
that I have, and cherish very much.
It-it's truly breathtaking.
It's unbelievable.
Smith: You're talking about a guy who would draw books
that inspired a generation of storytellers.
This guy reinvented the wheel.
Comics were boring before this guy.
I mean, you could only compare him
to the other performers or entertainers,
uh, who changed the world,
Elvis, the Beatles, people that changed
their art forever.
Jeremy Kirby: Okay, one last thing.
Next, what we have is something that I wanted
to share with everyone here, because...
...almost no one has ever seen before.
So, this is the very first drawing.
You're actually looking at the original concept piece
for the Black Panther.
To celebrate your grandfather's 100th birthday,
we have a special gift for you.
- Oh, that's awesome! - Right on!
Flanagan: What was it like to grow up as a Kirby?
Tracy Kirby: Just really special.
Our grandparents were always there for us.
We lived very close to them, luckily,
so, to me, spending the night at my grandparents' house
was awesome, 'cause I got to, like,
sneak out and spend time within... in his studio,
'cause he worked late, late hours.
He would let me sit down, and...
...pretend I could draw just like him,
which I absolutely can not.
Jeremy Kirby: You, know, he was such, like, a...
...just a powerful person if you ever got to meet him.
He had this amazing ability
to make everyone kind of feel special.
Anyone who came to the house, anyone that met him,
you know, they'd all have their stories
and they'd wanna ask him so many questions,
and he was one of those people that would really take the time
and actually listen.
Tracy Kirby: I think he has been known
as not just a great comic book artist,
but as a great master of arts altogether.
I miss him every day.
It was an amazing pleasure
to have just been friends with my grandfather.
Johnson: Some of America's greatest have worn capes,
Batman, Superman, Liberace.
Has the cape become passé? Is it out of date?
Sadly, yeah, I think it is.
I-I would love to see, like, capes
come back into the real world, like, you know, like...
Everyday wear?
Everyday wear, or at least people, like, you know,
like the postman.
Everybody looks up to the postman still, right?
So, if he had a cape, you know, it might catch on.
You look up to your postman?
I look up to him when he brings me a package, maybe,
- but that's about it. - That's 'cause you're short.
[Laughter]
Why do you like capes so much?
Flanagan: It just looks cool. It just looks regal.
It looks... it looks...
...badass.
Well...
I was with you on the first two.
Maybe not Liberace's,
but if Liberace's had, like, some demonic...
...artwork on it instead of rhinestones, but...
Not so much fur?
[Chuckling]
Flanagan: Why? You don't think the cape is cool?
I mean, it was, back when I was a kid,
I thought it looked cool, but I think I just got older,
and I was like, "Why is he wearing that cape?"
Like, it serves no purpose.
Elvis wore a cape.
It served a purpose.
Great point.
Evel Knievel wore a cape.
- Flanagan: Oh, yeah. - Johnson: James Brown.
- As a kid... - Chen: Yes.
...please tell me you at least once
put a towel around your neck and pretended you had a cape on
- because you... - And you weren't in a closet doin' somethin'.
[Laughter]
No, that was a belt, not a cape.
[Laughter]
[ ♪ Funky music]
Jeremy Kirby: Okay, one last thing.
Next, what we have is something
that almost no one has ever seen before.
I wanted to share it with everyone here,
because it's literally history.
You're actually looking at the original concept piece
for the Black Panther.
So, this is before
the Black Panther was the Black Panther.
This is the very first drawing.
Concept artwork.
Jack Kirby's grandchildren
showed us what the Black Panther would've looked like
before they put him in the costume
we all know and love today.
That Kirby art's still relevant today, obviously,
finger on the pulse,
because Black Panther the movie is coming.
Thank the Lord the character looks more like
the version of the Black Panther we all know
instead of that early art,
but it's a thrill to see what it could've looked like.
Jeremy Kirby: You can see some of the design elements.
Um, obviously a lot of them changed
over time from the original concept,
but some of 'em were kept.
No one's actually seen the piece
other than just a reprint of it,
so it's just... it's amazing.
[Flanagan stammering]
It's amazing. I'm speechless.
In all fairness, he said the same thing
about Ming's horn playing earlier.
[Laughter]
Amazing. Am-amazing.
Thank you, thank you.
I can't thank you enough for coming down today,
and sharing those pieces of artwork
from your grandfather, and helping us celebrate
his legacy,
and to help celebrate your grandfather's 100th birthday,
we have a special gift for you.
- Oh, that's awesome! - Oh, right on, guys!
- Thank you. - Tracy Kirby: Oh, my God.
Flanagan: A Captain America shield,
with your grandfather's image right there
- where the star would be. - That's awesome. Thank you.
- That's awesome. - Thank you guys.
[Cheering]
[Applause]
- Right on. - We are gonna fight over this.
I'm serious. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Wow. That is so cool.
It's important to remember
the people that got you where you are in life,
even if you've never met them,
and you guys remember somebody very important
who got us all where we are in life.
We literally sit around and talk about...
...characters that this guy created.
Without Jack "King" Kirby,
where are we today, man?
So, thank you for hailing the King.
And we have to say goodbye to the Fourth World
as we head back to the First World
and end our show.
For Comic Book Men, I'm Kevin Smith.
- Bryan Johnson. - Walt Flanagan.
- Mike Zapcic. - Ming Chen.
In the words of the great Jack "King" Kirby himself,
"Our dreams make us large."
Good night, kids.
♪ ♪
- synced and corrected by sot26 - www.addic7ed.com