It’s now Day 10 of Howard Simpson’s month-long celebration of Jack Kirby! Open to all creatives, you should be able to find the work being generated on your favorite social media platforms by the hashtag #KirbyArtTributes.
Today’s prompt is Galactus. He first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four, in probably one of the best-loved and remembered stories of that book, known by most fans as the Galactus trilogy.
The Fantastic Four carried the tag “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” on its covers. While it was mostly Stan Lee playfully doing promotional hype, more often than not during the book’s initial run by Kirby and Lee, it was truth in advertising. Galactus as a character was something very different. I don’t think anything like him had ever been seen before in a superhero comic. Not just a street thug or a regular human guy in a super suit, he was more a force of nature, virtually godlike. He presented a real challenge to the storytellers. How can you defeat an antagonist like that?
Surprisingly, I realized this is the first time I’ve ever attempted to draw Galactus! I’m not gonna lie; it was a little intimidating to tackle him. His visual, while there are certain consistencies, also fluctuates a great deal from comic to comic. Even his coloring seems to change over his appearances!
Anyway, I felt like he came out okay, to my relief. Hope you enjoy it, and hopefully you might stop in here again tomorrow!
Galactus! What an unforgettable embodiment of the ultimate human weakness-unbound aquisition. Interestingly there has been lots of discussion what evolves from his “suit.” I suggest that there need not be. But I understand that it is fun to speculate. I would suggest however the character appeared at a key point in the run of the original FF. I do not know the sales figures but i bet there was a revitalization of sales with the appearance of the destroyer of worlds. Nice job on the classic Galactus smirk. Thanks.
Very glad you liked it, Joe.
The Galactus trilogy fell pretty darn close to smack-dab in the middle of that run of FF. But you’re right; it was a pivotal story. No one had ever tried anything quite like that before.