Kirby appreciation but with no Jimmy???

[Superlad93]

This is what the month of August is looking like for Jack Kirby:

THE NEW GODS SPECIAL #1
Written by SHANE DAVIS • Art by SHANE DAVIS and MICHELLE DELECKI • Backup story written by and art by WALTER SIMONSON • Cover by SHANE DAVIS and MICHELLE DELECKI
In a feature length story, Orion and Lightray must come to the aid of Forager and his people, as Kalibak has established a brutal dictatorship over the Bug colony. In confronting his evil brother, Orion faces the darker side of his own nature. And, in a back-up story, master comics writer/artist Walter Simonson tells a tale of a young Orion and his friend Seagrin. Also includes a reprint of a classic New Gods tale by Jack Kirby!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 2 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

THE NEWSBOY LEGION AND THE BOY COMMANDOS SPECIAL #1
Written by HOWARD CHAYKIN • Art and cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Jack Kirby’s two wartime kid gangs share their first adventure together in a novel-length tale written and illustrated by Howard Chaykin! When the Boy Commandos arrive in New York on the trail of a secret Axis agent, they’re greeted as turf invaders by the crime-fighting Newsboys! Can these kids put aside their rivalry and join forces to protect the home front? Also features a Kirby reprint!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 9 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

THE SANDMAN SPECIAL #1
Written by DAN JURGENS and STEVE ORLANDO • Art by JON BODGANOVE and RICK LEONARDI • Cover by PAUL POPE
Don’t miss two new tales starring Jack Kirby’s costumed Master of Nightmares from the 1970s. Sandman, Brute and Glob battle an onslaught of dreams so powerful that they are invading the dreams of other people! Then, a grown-up Jed Walker returns to his childhood home, only to find himself haunted by dreams from the past. Plus: a seldom-seen Sandman story from the 1970s!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 16 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

MANHUNTER SPECIAL #1
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and DAN DiDIO • Art by NICK BRADSHAW • Backup story written by SAM HUMPHRIES • Backup story art by KLAUS JANSON • Cover by BRUCE TIMM
Big-game hunter and private detective Paul Kirk has marshaled his skills to fight crime as the masked vigilante known as Manhunter. But now crime has reached epidemic proportions that may push him to the limits—and draw the attention of the Golden Age heroes Sandman and Sandy! Plus: a short story featuring Etrigan the Demon by writer Sam Humphries and artist Klaus Janson and a Golden Age reprint.
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 23 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

DARKSEID SPECIAL #1
Written by MARK EVANIER • Art by SCOTT KOLINS • Backup story written by SAM HUMPHRIES • Backup story art by STEVE RUDE • Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
Mark Evanier, longtime Kirby associate and biographer (Kirby: King of Comics), tells a tale starring one of Jack’s greatest villains. The latest daring escape from the orphanage of Granny Goodness leaves an infuriated Darkseid determined to capture and punish the escapees. The Lord of Apokolips puts his best hunter on the case, but one of Granny’s students is unlike anyone he’s encountered before. Plus, an untold tale of Omac by Humphries and Rude and a classic Kirby Fourth World tale!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

THE BLACK RACER AND SHILO NORMAN SPECIAL #1
Written by REGINALD HUDLIN • Art and cover by DENYS COWAN and BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Shilo Norman has taken up the mantle of Mister Miracle, following the example of Scott Free by cheating death on a daily basis. But when he pushes himself to the limit, the Black Racer comes calling. Now Shilo is literally running from death itself and a cosmic chase leads both target and hunter across the universe. Also featuring a Fourth-World era reprint!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

MISTER MIRACLE #1
Written by TOM KING • Art by MITCH GERADS • Cover by NICK DERINGTON • Variant cover by MITCH GERADS
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
From the team behind THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON and the Hugo Award-nominated writer of Vision comes a unique new take on one of Jack Kirby’s most beloved New Gods.
Scott Free is the greatest escape artist that ever lived. So great that he escaped Granny Goodness’ gruesome orphanage and the dangers of Apokolips to travel across galaxies and set up a new life on Earth with his wife, the former female fury known as Big Barda. Using the stage alter ego of Mister Miracle, he has made a career for himself showing off his acrobatic escape techniques. He even caught the attention of the Justice League, which counted him among its ranks.
You might say Scott Free has everything...so why isn’t it enough? Mister Miracle has mastered every illusion, achieved every stunt, pulled off every trick—except one. He has never escaped death. Is it even possible? Our hero is going to have to kill himself if he wants to find out.
Written by Tom King (BATMAN) and illustrated by Mitch Gerads (The Punisher), this is a MISTER MIRACLE unlike any you’ve read before.
On sale AUGUST 9 • 32 pg, 1 of 12, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

Sounds pretty dope, right? But for whatever reason DC seems to be completely neglecting Jimmy Olsen's (and Superman's) rather large role in Kirby's time at DC. I mean, Darkseid has to be introduced as "Darkseid, first appearance in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134" till the end of time. Jimmy's book brought about the DCU's most recognized villain ever. That dumb purple guy at the end of the Avengers movie is basically a pastiche of Darkseid, and it all started with our guy Jimmy. It's also the book where the king of comics wrote freakin Superman.

So, DC.......the f$#k, bro?!

It's my genuine hope that the idea is to do a super crazy Jimmy Olsen maxi in the fall. It would make sense because Scott Free is absent from the Kirby specials because he's getting a whole 12 issue maxi by Tom King. I can only hope that they're gearing up for something similar with Jimmy, and hopefully with a comparably inspired choice of team.


Anyone heard any news? Rumors? What're your thoughts?

[dumbduck]

I can't prove it empirically, but I think Wikipedia pages were also edited to lessen Jimmy's importance from last year.

I used a few pages when discussing Snyder's killing of Jimmy 'for fun' and giving the link to New Genesis and Darkseid to the most popular character in the world today, Batman, in contrast to Kirby writing the 4th World in Jimmy's book in the 70s.

[Superlad93]

I was thinking that maybe the idea is to only use Kirby's original creations, but then I'm like "oh wait, Kirby created Cadmus/The DNA PROJECT in Jimmy Olsen and I see not mention of them here." And it's not like Cadmus is some throw away idea for DC. They keep coming back to it in, and not just in the comics.

Funny you mention Batman, because we actual just saw Cadmus again in the Dark Days lead up even to Metal. It would be kind of messed up to count that as the Cadmus tribute. I feel like I sound like I'm overrating, but we haven't see Jimmy or these elements of the Superman world in a Superman book for a good long while. It's getting pretty annoying.

[dumbduck]

Maybe he will appear with the Newsboy Legion. But he should also have been mentioned if that's the case.