Jack Kirby's The Losers

JKTL

JKTL


Jack Kirby’s The Losers – In 1974 and 1975, Jack “The King” Kirby worked on The Losers, a World War 2 title, and for 12 issues he wrote and drew the adventures of four commandos – one from the Army, one from the Navy, one from the Air Force, and one Marine – cialis 20 mg doses fighting on special missions like the inglourious basterds that they were. Nice. The stories are relatively sophisticated and there is poetry amidst the explosions and the mass executions. And in one episode there is even an insane killing machine like you’d expect in Kirby’s Fourth World, but it’s kind of silly and incongruous (but, hey – why not?). And, of course, there are lots of one-page and two-page spreads to really enjoy that Kirby drama and visual flair. Love it. WHUUMM! TZUM! FOOMP! POW! CRASH! And this is just on page five. The end-pages of some chapters are usually devoted to drawings of World War 2 equipment and uniforms, archival stuff.

The tale “Kill Me With Wagner” has a wonderful “Ride of the Valkyries” moment-of-irony at the end, as a sadistic Nazi general lies dying. “Bushido” has our boys up against a fanatical Japanese captain. “The Partisans” is a cool ghost story set in Yugoslavia. Then there are spies on Broadway. “Panama Fattie” is about a lady hijacker, a pathetic story drawn out over two issues. “Mile-A-Minute-Jones” is about a black sprinter who ran in the Olympics, meeting his German rival on the battlefield. Man, those boys can run!! “Ivan” is about a sadistic war profiteer, and this tale has our Losers undercover and dressed in SS uniforms (funny how everybody speaks English in DC’s Europe). “The Major’s Dream”, is a very strange one indeed – about a shellshocked British major who has nightmares that he’s being attacked by a Burmese Shiva. Getting psychedelic horror stuff here, though, amazing. The final story, “Gung Ho”, is about orphaned French boys being trained as marines. Interesting, unique, but not a fantastic story, as most of The Losers sit this one out.

Kirby fought in World War 2, so these more than any of his books are passionate and informed by experience. Very nice.

Here’s a great two-page spread:

JKTL2

JKTL2

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