My adoration of Jack Kirby began with Kirby / Colletta Thor. As a youngster, the first Kirby I read was from his Eternals / Super Powers / Captain Victory era, which I hated then, and even now appreciate, but hardly rank among his best. Years later, when I read Thor, I had a much greater understanding of why he was called the King. Thor, along with Sky Masters and Sinnott FF, will always stand as my favorite of Kirby's runs.
I know a SINGLE hard core Kirby fan who liked his work on Thor.
I know a few. The Kirby Collector readers are pretty divided on it. A lot of them feel the quality of Colletta’s fine line fit the fantasy elements of the book, and I think there’s some merit to that argument. Of course, no one likes the shortcuts Colletta took. Though I have to say that I have seen instances where Colletta’s eliminating a background element actually helped the composition of a panel. But then, it wasn’t his job to act as art director.
But to not read a Bob Haney/George Tuska production just because of li’l ol’ Vinnie? Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water, man!
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