For the record, I just deleted a series of comments because they annoyed me so much that I couldn’t stand to have them on our site. Which is saying a lot considering some of the crap that gets tossed around here.
This is not how the cover looks. There is a big serif title crossing over the whole front, spine and back. It makes the book look totally different than this. As if there was not enough happening with this design, there is a huge title wrapping across the whole book cover. Totally unnecessary in my opinion. Hope this comment does not get deleted.
Auguste, I highly doubt that Paul would illustrate this? Jack was enough of a comic illustration legend. This is probably a collage of Jacks work by Paul… with perhaps Paul’s typography.
Looks like a gray Hulk. It would be cool to see all the pieces of art this was constructed from.
i recently posted this on my site and included this cover under “regrets.”
http://www.paulsahre.com/regrets/
the cover you have posted IS the final cover. it is similar to the cover that i did which was used for promoting the book. the wrap around (posted by tal) is an even earlier study before we abandoned the large title which was set in mercury.
The art is a collage using kirby art (i can drawn, but i can’t draw like that…)
long story short: because of disagreements i bailed midway thru this project. the cover i started was suppose to fold out into a poster, but because of legal issues it doesn’t. my revised cover was rejected and the author hated what i was doing on the interior so i quit, sent them the files and wished them luck.
The only thing they changed from my earlier cover was the type in the lower left (if you look at the actual cover it looks a little weird). The spine and the flaps i had nothing to do with. I requested that i not be credited.
In the end (cropped like this and just showing the cover), I like it, but the whole package is kind of a mess.
Cool. At least that wrapping type did not make the final cut. I remember picking up an old promotional poster for this at the BEA in NYC I think last year. Was that the poster design? It said Abrams on the bottom left.
Whatever the version, they all come across as a gorgeous definitive collection of The Great Jack Kirby’s work that I just had to impulse buy. Yet another book to add to my pile of books that I’ll never get the chance to read in this lifetime. Great job Paul. And I love your surviving interior page. I would like to hang that up on my wall.
While this is nice and in keeping with the typical comic book aesthetic, I am really fond of the stripped down cover on the Fletcher Hanks retrospective, I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets.
“How about just a “Kabam!” bubble on a plain background? C’mon, let’s get crafty…”
...Ugh.
I think you’re taking the whole “don’t put anything literal on the cover” rule a little too seriously. They already explained, in the above comments, why the art was used.
This is a beautiful cover, and the idea is perfect! I’d be more than pleased to place this on my shelf at home. The concept of the “super-perspective-enhanced-fist” is touched on wonderfully.
I recently saw the book on the shelves of a comic book shop in Brooklyn and the jacket was the one posted here. Which has me curious as to where the jacket shown on Boing Boing that was linked earlier comes from.
Right. That’s why I’m not a design critic writing for a magazine. I am posting on a blog. “Sucks” will suffice unless the mood moves me to type further.
Despite Paul Sahre’s displeasure with the results (he freely admits to bailing on the project at the least convenient point for the publisher-and for a project like this, “THE” Kirby book, by an author who is “THE” person best suited and qualified to write on the subject), the cover package turned out exceedingly well-a naturalistic (if you will) evocation of the essence of Jack Kirby, without excess frill and designerisms (unusual, considering what appears to be a conflicted design process). Having been put through the wringer by numerous authors myself, there is still a point where one’s divergent artistic vision and doing right by the subject matter need to be reconciled, be it baseball, the civil war or the bio-history of one of the cornerstones comic book history. And yes, I’ve taken my name off of many, many covers thank you very much. Sometimes, some projects can’t be so easily dismissed.
Perhaps, in an odd way, the results worked out best in spite of the designer’s desires and the author’s.
In The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) the Hulk was gray.
“The Hulk debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), by writer Stan Lee, penciller and co-plotter Jack Kirby, and inker Paul Reinman. In the first issue, the Hulk was grey rather than green. Writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Lee had wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group.[1] Colorist Stan Goldberg, however, insisted to Lee that the coloring technology at the time could not present the color grey clearly or consistently, resulting in different shades of grey, and even green, in the issue. From issue #2 (July 1962) on, Goldberg colored the Hulk’s skin green.[2] Green was used in retellings of the origin, even to the point of reprints of the original story being re-colored, for the next two decades. The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #302 (Dec. 1984), reintroduced the grey Hulk in flashbacks set close to the origin story. This was reaffirmed in vol. 2, #318 (April 1986), which showed the Hulk was grey at the time of his creation. Since then, reprints of the first issue have displayed the original grey coloring.”
True, all true. But that the Hulk was presented as gray originally is no longer germane, he has been “ol’ greenskin” (as Stan Lee would say) for 46 years (and counting). Yes, the modern incarnation of Marvel Comics has played around with this anomaly, creating a storyline to go with a gray-skinned Hulk, but it is not how the masses know the character as it has passed from the arena of comicdom, with all of its inherent contradictions (i.e., depending upon what writer wants to do what at any given time) to the broader popular culture. Putting a gray Hulk on the cover of Kirby’s monograph may be a nerd’s nerd’s nerd nod to obscure pop-historic trivia, but it belies the iconic significance of the character. Kirby is a creator of icons, and in this case, the icon is green.
kapow
— Eric Jacobsen, 2008-03-10 08:54:00
I’d like to see how this wraps.
Thanks for nothin!
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-03-10 11:22:00
It wraps like this:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/07/new-jack-kirby-coffe.html
— Tal, 2008-03-10 11:38:00
Thanks Tal!
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-03-10 11:44:00
For the record, I just deleted a series of comments because they annoyed me so much that I couldn’t stand to have them on our site. Which is saying a lot considering some of the crap that gets tossed around here.
— Ben Pieratt, 2008-03-10 19:29:00
Did Paul illustrate this cover? himself?
— Auguste, 2008-03-10 20:28:00
thanks for putting that on the record, Ben
— Mike, 2008-03-10 21:26:00
Glade to be a help…
— khokhar, 2008-03-11 05:33:00
ah sorry, didn’t mean to post this without the wrap-around image and a little commentary.
For the one or two of you who aren’t aware, the super-perspective-enhanced-fist is basically Kirby’s trademark (and possibly even invention).
— Eric J, 2008-03-11 10:52:00
This is not how the cover looks. There is a big serif title crossing over the whole front, spine and back. It makes the book look totally different than this. As if there was not enough happening with this design, there is a huge title wrapping across the whole book cover. Totally unnecessary in my opinion. Hope this comment does not get deleted.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-03-11 11:41:00
Auguste, I highly doubt that Paul would illustrate this? Jack was enough of a comic illustration legend. This is probably a collage of Jacks work by Paul… with perhaps Paul’s typography.
Looks like a gray Hulk. It would be cool to see all the pieces of art this was constructed from.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-03-11 12:25:00
i recently posted this on my site and included this cover under “regrets.”
http://www.paulsahre.com/regrets/
the cover you have posted IS the final cover. it is similar to the cover that i did which was used for promoting the book. the wrap around (posted by tal) is an even earlier study before we abandoned the large title which was set in mercury.
The art is a collage using kirby art (i can drawn, but i can’t draw like that…)
long story short: because of disagreements i bailed midway thru this project. the cover i started was suppose to fold out into a poster, but because of legal issues it doesn’t. my revised cover was rejected and the author hated what i was doing on the interior so i quit, sent them the files and wished them luck.
The only thing they changed from my earlier cover was the type in the lower left (if you look at the actual cover it looks a little weird). The spine and the flaps i had nothing to do with. I requested that i not be credited.
In the end (cropped like this and just showing the cover), I like it, but the whole package is kind of a mess.
— paul sahre, 2008-03-11 12:59:00
Cool. At least that wrapping type did not make the final cut. I remember picking up an old promotional poster for this at the BEA in NYC I think last year. Was that the poster design? It said Abrams on the bottom left.
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-03-11 17:13:00
ahhh, the BEA poster. No, they blew up low rez art from the cover comp and did that in-house.
— paul sahre, 2008-03-12 09:48:00
Whatever the version, they all come across as a gorgeous definitive collection of The Great Jack Kirby’s work that I just had to impulse buy. Yet another book to add to my pile of books that I’ll never get the chance to read in this lifetime. Great job Paul. And I love your surviving interior page. I would like to hang that up on my wall.
— Henry Sene Yee, 2008-03-12 11:34:00
I just have to say—I followed the link to Paul’s site and this gave me such a delight:
http://www.paulsahre.com/work07/plan_b/
The “magic eye” magic worked, even on the computer screen! This takes me back 15 years… wow.
— anonymous admirer, 2008-03-12 13:13:00
Fucking love it.
— Blake, 2008-03-14 06:28:00
Wow… a comic on the cover of a book about comics. Fvcking ingenious. Sarcasm.
How about just a “Kabam!” bubble on a plain background? C’mon, let’s get crafty…
— C-Dog, 2008-03-14 20:15:00
While this is nice and in keeping with the typical comic book aesthetic, I am really fond of the stripped down cover on the Fletcher Hanks retrospective, I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets.
— PF, 2008-03-15 08:16:00
“How about just a “Kabam!” bubble on a plain background? C’mon, let’s get crafty…”
...Ugh.
I think you’re taking the whole “don’t put anything literal on the cover” rule a little too seriously. They already explained, in the above comments, why the art was used.
— j, 2008-03-17 09:04:00
This is a beautiful cover, and the idea is perfect! I’d be more than pleased to place this on my shelf at home. The concept of the “super-perspective-enhanced-fist” is touched on wonderfully.
— Jason Gabbert, 2008-03-17 18:28:00
I recently saw the book on the shelves of a comic book shop in Brooklyn and the jacket was the one posted here. Which has me curious as to where the jacket shown on Boing Boing that was linked earlier comes from.
— sal, 2008-03-18 14:08:00
sucks
— not a sucker, 2008-03-19 01:32:00
What does “sucks” even mean? Let’s attempt to be a little bit more descriptive and rational.
— Jason Gabbert, 2008-03-19 08:11:00
“not a sucker” sure sounds like a sucker to me. what have you ever designed?
— Eric N, 2008-03-19 09:17:00
—> new cover
P.S. “not a sucker’s” pièce de résistance:
http://www.amazon.com/Think-BIG-Kick-Business-Life/dp/0061547832/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205947659&sr=1-1
— Auguste, 2008-03-19 10:31:00
“what have you ever designed?”
Heh… that’s like saying movie critics can’t critique movies unless they’ve made critically successfull movies themselves. It can’t work that way.
— C-Dog, 2008-03-25 01:12:00
c-dog, you have a valid point. however, ‘critics’ generally have something a bit more relevant and insightful to say than ‘sucks.’
— Eric N, 2008-03-25 06:34:00
Right. That’s why I’m not a design critic writing for a magazine. I am posting on a blog. “Sucks” will suffice unless the mood moves me to type further.
— C-Dog, 2008-04-10 09:09:00
Why not keep “sucks!” to yourself or write it in your journal, not on a blog.
— Anonymous, 2008-04-11 11:14:00
c-dog is a joke.
— c-dog the joke, 2008-04-28 13:26:00
cool jack
— jack, 2008-04-29 10:15:00
Despite Paul Sahre’s displeasure with the results (he freely admits to bailing on the project at the least convenient point for the publisher-
and for a project like this, “THE” Kirby book, by an author who is “THE” person best suited and qualified to write on the subject), the cover package turned out exceedingly well-a naturalistic (if you will) evocation of the essence of Jack Kirby, without excess frill and designerisms (unusual, considering what appears to be a conflicted design process). Having been put through the wringer by numerous authors myself, there is still a point where one’s divergent artistic vision and doing right by the subject matter need to be reconciled, be it baseball, the civil war or the bio-history of one of the cornerstones comic book history. And yes, I’ve taken my name off of many, many covers thank you very much. Sometimes, some projects can’t be so easily dismissed.Perhaps, in an odd way, the results worked out best in spite of the designer’s desires and the author’s.
— Jesse Marinoff Reyes, 2008-04-30 07:49:00
..But my pet peeve is The Hulk should’ve been green!
— Jesse Marinoff Reyes, 2008-04-30 09:20:00
Apparently there was a gray hulk at some point…
— ian shimkoviak, 2008-05-03 14:50:00
In The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) the Hulk was gray.
“The Hulk debuted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), by writer Stan Lee, penciller and co-plotter Jack Kirby, and inker Paul Reinman. In the first issue, the Hulk was grey rather than green. Writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Lee had wanted a color that did not suggest any particular ethnic group.[1] Colorist Stan Goldberg, however, insisted to Lee that the coloring technology at the time could not present the color grey clearly or consistently, resulting in different shades of grey, and even green, in the issue. From issue #2 (July 1962) on, Goldberg colored the Hulk’s skin green.[2] Green was used in retellings of the origin, even to the point of reprints of the original story being re-colored, for the next two decades. The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #302 (Dec. 1984), reintroduced the grey Hulk in flashbacks set close to the origin story. This was reaffirmed in vol. 2, #318 (April 1986), which showed the Hulk was grey at the time of his creation. Since then, reprints of the first issue have displayed the original grey coloring.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hulk1.jpg
— Charles Brock, 2008-05-04 11:41:00
True, all true. But that the Hulk was presented as gray originally is no longer germane, he has been “ol’ greenskin” (as Stan Lee would say) for 46 years (and counting). Yes, the modern incarnation of Marvel Comics has played around with this anomaly, creating a storyline to go with a gray-skinned Hulk, but it is not how the masses know the character as it has passed from the arena of comicdom, with all of its inherent contradictions (i.e., depending upon what writer wants to do what at any given time) to the broader popular culture. Putting a gray Hulk on the cover of Kirby’s monograph may be a nerd’s nerd’s nerd nod to obscure pop-historic trivia, but it belies the iconic significance of the character. Kirby is a creator of icons, and in this case, the icon is green.
— Jesse Marinoff Reyes, 2008-05-06 11:46:00