Jack Kirby and Alternity Comics

It’s impossible to name a modern comic company that wasn’t influenced by the King of Comics. (That would be Jack Kirby.) This is definitely true for us here at Alternity Comics. Our house style draws heavily from Kirby’s work during the Bronze Age of comics, examples from that era would be OMAC, Kamandi, Dingbats of Danger Street, The Eternals, and The New Gods. But what made Jack Kirby so special? Impact. 

Kirby’s art had weight. The way he drew fights, the leaps, dashes, punches, and kicks, made each battle look like the clash of titans. His bold lines gave his characters power, and his use of shadows added depth and intensity. To honor Kirby’s legacy, we’re putting together a special homage issue of Alternity Magazine.

Kirby loved exploring big philosophical questions, especially in The Eternals. A blonde hero facing off against extraterrestrial threats while grappling with the meaning of power? Classic Kirby.

Alternity Magazine #2 Homaging Eternals #17

The cover of Eternals #17 always stuck with me, even before I knew who Kirby was. For our homage cover, we’ve gathered some of our favorites:

• The Golden Gladiator (Drahcir’s Slaughter) – Top left

• Meddle-Head (Meddle-Head) – Top middle

• Arthur (The Roken series) – Bottom right

• The Elf Cracker (Elf Cracker) – Bottom center

The undisputed best of Kirby’s work is Kamandi, don’t look that up. I can’t rave about Kamandi enough. The world-building is perfect, just perfect. From the lion monarchy to the gorilla warfare, it’s amazing how he introduced so many cultures that were entirely unique. One of the best issues features a fully mechanical human city, but no spoilers I can’t wait until you all get there.

Meddle-Head Pin-up Homaging Kamandi #5

For the homage piece, we’ve recreated the cover of Kamandi #5, only this time, Kamandi (the blonde-haired kid) is replaced by Meddle-Head, and the ape is swapped for our humanoid narwhal, Iron-Whal.

As a final nod to the King, we’re homaging the cover of What If #9. It’s one of Kirby’s most recognizable covers and felt like the perfect way to close out this tribute. We’ll save that image for the readers of Alternity Magazine #2 on Amazon. (We almost went with Phantom Force #1, but maybe we’ll save that for another time.)

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Alternity’s list of Kirby Must-Reads

If you’re a comics fan, or even if you’re just getting started, here are some essential Kirby works you need to check out:

• Kamandi Omnibus (DC)

• DC Universe: The Bronze Age Omnibus by Jack Kirby Omnibus (DC)

• The Fourth World Omnibus by Jack Kirby (DC)

• The Simon and Kirby Library: Horror!, Science Fiction, Crime, Superheroes (Titan Books)

• The Eternals Omnibus (Marvel)

• Fantastic Four Vol. 1 (Marvel Masterworks) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Let us know what you thought of Alternity Magazine #2! You can reach us through the Contact tab on AlternityComics.com or shoot us a DM on Instagram.