Notes
262 NOTES INTRODUCTION 1. In the larger context of comic book history, the fan-coined terms “Golden Age” and “Silver Age” are misleading insofar as they privilege the changing fortunes of the superhero genre and the nostalgic focus of collectors. Too often these terms are used to tell the entire history of American comic books, as if that history could be collapsed into or summed up by the status of the costumed hero. In fact as larger historical categories these “Ages” are slippery, untrustworthy, and mystifying. Despite this, I have sometimes used them here, strictly in the contexts of superhero comics and superhero fandom, which are crucial contexts for understanding Kirby. Use of the Age terms is practically unavoidable when discussing the genre. Still, I refer readers to Benjamin Woo’s cogent critique of the “Age” concept. 2. Marvel Entertainment, LLC, formerly Marvel Enterprises, is rooted in Marvel Comics and hence can claim a corporate history dating back to what collectors call Timely, that is, Martin Goodman’s comic book publishing outfit launched in 1939 (if not further back to Goodman’s pulp publishing venture, launched c. 1932–33). Note that Marvel officially observed its “70th Anniversary” in 2009, an observance that amounts to a claim of continuous and integrated history. In fact, however, the corporation’s history is discontinuous and bewilderingly complex, the more so since Marvel went public in 1991. Suffice to say that today’s Marvel, though related by name and of course intellectual property, is a distinctly different company from its pulp forebears, or even from the Marvel of the early nineties . The current Marvel Entertainment—the entity acquired by Disney—stems from the 1998 merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc., and its partner Toy Biz, Inc., a merger that effectively redeemed Marvel from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and ended a bitter struggle among investors for control of the company. Officially, today’s Marvel comics are published by Marvel Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment; note, however, that the company licenses its intellectual properties through a wholly owned subsidiary called Marvel Characters, which can make the fine print on Marvel products confusing. Past Marvel owners, besides founder Goodman, include the Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation (later Cadence Industries), to whom Goodman sold the company in 1968, followed by New World Enterprises, then financier Ron Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Notes 263 Inc. During the nineties, Marvel’s shifts in management, aggressive business practices, and eventual bankruptcy wrought havoc in the relatively fragile comic book market. For background on the company, sources are legion but many are untrustworthy. I refer readers to Daniels’ “official” history; Raphael and Spurgeon’s biography of Stan Lee; and, for more recent financial history, Raviv (and the corporate information available at Marvel .com). Lee’s autobiography Excelsior! (with George Mair, 2002) gives Lee’s preferred version of his history at the company. Regarding Disney’s buyout of Marvel, the deal, reportedly worth more than 4.2 billion, was announced in August 2009 and completed by year’s end. 3. In September 2009 Kirby’s four children notified Marvel, Disney, and various licensees of their intent to regain copyrights to a great many properties Kirby co-created for the company. In January 2010 Marvel filed suit to block this move, seeking to have the Kirbys’ claims rendered invalid by judicial declaration. In March 2010 the Kirbys countersued, requesting a jury trial (Kirby v. Marvel Entertainment, Inc.). The upshot of all this hangs in the air, unresolved as of this writing. For context, see Barnes and Cieply; Goldberg. 4. I should note some habits in my handling of citations and quoted material. First, when citing passages or details from Kirby comics, I give the page numbering of the original comic book editions whenever possible. Because Kirby reprints are many and varied, and because I cannot predict which editions my readers will consult, I have tried to minimize confusion simply by giving the page numbers as they were originally inscribed on the comic book pages. That original numbering is typically retained in the various reprints (though reprint editions often include their own continuous page numbering as well). Second, given the lack of reliable release dates for so many old comic books, I have generally given the “cover dates,” that is, the dates printed on the covers and/or in the indicia of the comics, knowing full well that comic books were typically released two to three months ahead of...
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