Tuesday, March 30, 2021

The Missing Marvel Original Art of Jack Kirby

 

 
"Read here on OhDannyBoy's blog about what happened to the hundreds of others which were stolen from the Marvel offices and Kirby never got back. 'Out of the 4,537 pages that Kirby drew over those 274 [Marvel] issues, 2,480 went missing. Some of those pages were handed back to inkers, but the bulk was stolen.' Culprits are apparently known but no names are given here - it makes for some sad, sobering reading: 
 
"'This art was stolen directly from the Marvel offices. Now there are stories that are well known in these circles. The artist who stole John Buscema and John Romita art to pay for his divorces. The artist who stole art to pay off their house and set themselves up for life. The editor who used to ask for corrections to be done on vellum so he could keep the original art boards. The writer who proudly boasted about conning Steve Ditko into handing over original art because, as he and falsely claimed, the company they worked for had a policy that meant the writer got a portion of the art. The writer who used to constantly ask his artists for art, but only key or splash pages. The colourist who used to steal entire issues. The artist who, when given pencils by famous artists, would ink them on vellum and submit those for publication and keep the pencils. The list is endless really. All the names are those connected with the industry and held in the highest regard.'"

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