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A review by uosdwisrdewoh
The Sandman by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby by Joe Simon, Jack Kirby
2.0
Mainly of historical interest.
In making my way through Jack Kirby's enormous body of work, I came upon this, one of his earliest strips, which he worked on from 1942 until 1946 with his then-partner Joe Simon. Golden Age comics were still an infant artwork, and they were slapped together fast by tyro artists and editors to fill the huge wartime demand for cheap entertainment. These comics sold millions, but they were remarkably primitive works, as creators publicly figured out the conventions of the art form.
Simon and Kirby, fresh from creating Captain America, came to DC where they were given the Sandman strip, which was slated for cancellation. The Sandman had started out as a pulp mystery feature, but, in an effort to boost sales, jumped onto the superhero bandwagon that Superman and Batman had kicked off just two years earlier. Sandman was given a bright costume, a kid sidekick, and little reason to be published other than to cash in on a craze--unpromising stuff. Despite all this, Simon and Kirby took on Sandman with gusto. They didn't yet know the tricks; to modern eyes, their pages are stilted, crowded, and very hokey, but they still explode with a raw energy right out of the gate. Sandman seems to almost tumble between panels in a fury. But the book becomes a bit of a slog as you continue through it. With the positive reaction to their Sandman stories, Simon and Kirby were given more work. The increased workload shows; the tales here settle down into a competent but dull house style, finally deteriorating into downright lackluster as the team feverishly compiled material before they were shipped off to war. Though Jack Kirby would go onto far greater things, his massive talents still shine through here and there.
In making my way through Jack Kirby's enormous body of work, I came upon this, one of his earliest strips, which he worked on from 1942 until 1946 with his then-partner Joe Simon. Golden Age comics were still an infant artwork, and they were slapped together fast by tyro artists and editors to fill the huge wartime demand for cheap entertainment. These comics sold millions, but they were remarkably primitive works, as creators publicly figured out the conventions of the art form.
Simon and Kirby, fresh from creating Captain America, came to DC where they were given the Sandman strip, which was slated for cancellation. The Sandman had started out as a pulp mystery feature, but, in an effort to boost sales, jumped onto the superhero bandwagon that Superman and Batman had kicked off just two years earlier. Sandman was given a bright costume, a kid sidekick, and little reason to be published other than to cash in on a craze--unpromising stuff. Despite all this, Simon and Kirby took on Sandman with gusto. They didn't yet know the tricks; to modern eyes, their pages are stilted, crowded, and very hokey, but they still explode with a raw energy right out of the gate. Sandman seems to almost tumble between panels in a fury. But the book becomes a bit of a slog as you continue through it. With the positive reaction to their Sandman stories, Simon and Kirby were given more work. The increased workload shows; the tales here settle down into a competent but dull house style, finally deteriorating into downright lackluster as the team feverishly compiled material before they were shipped off to war. Though Jack Kirby would go onto far greater things, his massive talents still shine through here and there.