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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

JACK KIRBY: KAMANDI #19 FROM 1974

Kirby's KAMANDI careens off into "Gangster-World" with this issue. The story seems to combine a number of fads from around 1974, the obvious one being the influence, (and I suppose ongoing popularity of) the Planet of the Apes movies (which permeated Kriby's series from issue one). But also, Kamandi #19 reminds me of the "gangster" episode from the original sci-fi TV Star Trek series, and throw in a nod to the 1973 movie Westworld, too. Also at the time was the lingering nostalgia for the 1920s, as the people who had experienced it were in their dotage. *

Kirby throws all of this willy nilly into his mash-master genius for adventure stories. Below are a few page scans from the issue.

Click to enlarge for 800 pixel wide versions.

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*(This is a cycle with pop-culture. Earlier eras are constantly resurrected and passed around one more time - - at least - - as a population ages out. Witness the growing nostalgic value of 1970s and 1980s culture, let alone the baby-boomer appetite for things from the 1960s, 50s, and earlier. Apparently, hearkening back to the good ol' days is a constant cycle in a stable society, which has the leisure time and energy to contemplate a time remembered, or imagined. Maybe most importantly are the (collectible!) relics made available for handling, or new-versions re-issued through retail channels, for a hands-on time-jump to an earlier time.)

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