Random Happenstance

"Is This the End of the Kirbyverse?" Before now, I would've had to say yeah.

Hey, a topical post! Part of Newsarama's Comic-Con International: San Diego coverage was a piece on a revival of some of Jack Kirby's creator owned properties, in particular Silver Star and Captain Victory. The story also mentions possibly finishing the abortive Kirby crossover Victory. I had the first issue of that one from 1994, and I think I bought it from a grocery store with a sixer of Henry Weinhards. (Even though I don't drink much anymore, don't you miss buying comics and booze?) I was a fan of the Giffen 'Five Years Later' Legion of Super Heroes, which is probably more why I bought it, than any fondness for Kirby's later work. That wouldn't come until later, and Busiek's gone on to do a ton of fun comics as well.

This Victory, though...I don't know how well Kirby's characters and overall design work in Giffen's nine panel grid: Giffen does open it up a lot more than usual, but there's six nine-panel pages. And a big crossover like a Crisis or a Secret Wars works a lot better when the reader has some attachment to the characters, or at least has a vague idea who they are. I'm usually all for cramming as much story as possible into a comic, but this one's got, deep breath now, Captain Victory, Bombast, Captain Glory, Nightglider, Boojum, Aurik, Dijit, Seera, the Kreech, Brian Bluedragon, Dezira, Dr. Mordius, Frightful, Hardluck Harrigan, Kuga, and Silver Star. And some supporting cast members for each group.

And villains, Death Flash, General Ordiz, Dr. Roag, Darius Drumm (who looks like an albino Darkseid in this one), and the Lightning Lady. Like a G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, the main villains of the individual books appear to be teaming up, even though their goals don't seem to be compatible at all. But it's sorta expected.

Since I sadly haven't read anything else with Captain Victory, his appearence at the end of the issue doesn't do much for me, except remind me of the Daxamite fleet from Giffen's Invasion! from DC a few years prior. Still one of DC's better crossovers, so it's not a bad moment to bring back, but then again, I knew who the Daxamites were going into that one. The issue did have a solid two pages of short descriptions of all the characters mentioned, though, so they at least made some effort to bring new readers up to speed.

Topps had planned Victory as a five-issue limited, but the last four never appeared, and I think the company wasn't around for much after this. A pity, but maybe the series will turn up someday. After all, you have to look forward to a second issue Busiek was cheeky enough to call "Secret War!"

All pictures from Victory #1, "Invasion" Written by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Jimmy Palmiotti. "Invasion" and "Secret War"? Was the third issue going to be "Millenium" or "War of the Gods"?