Kamandi Archives, Volume 1
When I was really little, I enjoyed Harvey comics (Little Lotta, Little Dot, Richie Rich), but I never was interested in the superhero titles. That's because I hadn't discovered the world's greatest comic book artist and writer, Jack Kirby.
I was introduced to Kirby through Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, a comic Kirby started for DC in the early 1970s. The theme was loosely borrowed from Planet of the Apes: a 12 or 13 year old boy who was thrown into a post-disaster world in which apes, tigers, dogs and other animals had become intelligent enough to form civilizations of sorts. Kamandi was the only human who had a vocabulary level richer than the Incredible Hulk.
Kamandi represents some of Kirby's best work in a very long career (He invented Captain America, The Fantastic Hour, The Hulk, Thor, Silver Surfer, and many other characters who are nearly household names.) This collection anthologizes the first 10 issues of Kamandi's 40-or-so issue run.
As a rule, I still don't like superhero comics, with the exception of those written and drawn by Kirby.
Link
Comments
Interesting! I wonder why I never heard of this. I would have been old enough to read when this was in print. I wasn't much of a comic book kid, but it is surprising that I would not have at least seen it.
Posted by: Stefan Jones | December 13, 2005 10:12 PM
Kirby creeped me out as a little kid..those flat big fingers he drew..brrrr..
now I love the stuff...truly one of the visionaries of 20th Century Art!
Posted by: Billy Mavreas | December 15, 2005 12:21 PM
same here about being creeped out. and that whole series was especially disturbing. can't wait to read it again as an adult.
Posted by: andrew | December 16, 2005 9:36 AM