TwoMorrow Publishing's book Jack Kirby's Dingbat Love is an historic event, the last collection of previously unpublished 1970s Jack Kirby stories which will ever be published. Comprising stories from the cancelled magazines True-Life Divorce and Soul Love, along with two Dingbats of Danger Street stories, the book confirms (if it was ever in doubt) that the DC editorial hierarchy had no idea what they possessed in the hiring and in the talents of Jack Kirby. Characters he created then which were shortly cancelled live on nearly half a century later in movies, comic books, TV shows and toys.
Kirby's initial early '70s conception for a line of slick, ad-selling genre magazines, which also would contain comics (not all by him) was scaled down by DC into B&W, pulp paper mags with Kirby doing all the writing and art - only two of which were ever published, and then promptly cancelled. Dingbat Love (couldn't TwoMorrows have thought of a better title?) prints all the existing romance stories Kirby wrote and drew for True Life Divorce and Soul Love, in all their various stages of completion. These stories were created by the man who created the genre in comics nearly a quarter of a century earlier, and these more adult tales are explosive, dynamic and inherently compelling, every one of them. Only some dry and unnecessary narration/forwards threaten to impede the greatness of these.
The Dingbat stories, continuing both Kirby's long line of kid gang comics (dating back to 1942) and, specifically, the introduction of Dingbats of Danger Street in 1st Issue Special No. 6, are likewise fun, giving origin stories for two of the gang's members, Krunch and Good Looks. These are top-of-his-game Kirby efforts, beautifully inked by Mike Royer and D. Bruce Berry. While it's sad to know, while reading them, that these are the last '70s Kirby stories we'll ever experience, the presentation and superior printing give them a more than respectful send-off.
The collection is also packed with extras: fold out pages for the two-page spreads, essays by John Morrow, Mark Evanier, Jerry Boyd and Steve Sherman, new painting for the cover of Soul Love by Alex Ross, new coloring by Tom Ziuko, rare advertising and page mock-ups for the books and more. Highly recommended.
