A Few Words About Jim Shooter

I always feel like I'm a few steps behind the pack. When it comes to the Jim Shooter blog (JimShooter.com) I'm probably a few miles behind the masses. Oh well. I have to tell you that I just discovered this blog and although this is probably not news to most of you out there, it is a very cool blog (although not that up-to-date). What is especially cool is if you load the name "Jack Kirby" into the blog's search engine you'll find all sorts of great info courtesy of Jim Shooter's memory from back in the day when he was Marvel's head honcho. In fact, as interesting as his recollections are, the reader/fan feedback is almost just as good and in many cases even more illuminating then what Jim writes about.

Jack and Jim

In my humble opinion, everyone's recollections of a specific moment-in-the-life of Jack Kirby is somewhat skewed or biased based on how one feels about Jack Kirby. I don't think it is a stretch to say that Jack Kirby was pretty much universally loved but that may not have been the case back when Jack was still pumping out enough pages per day to produce almost a book a week. With that in mind it's nice to read Jim Shooter's take on the Jack Kirby art return controversy and Jack's relationship or lack of with Stan Lee. It is really revealing stuff and thoroughly enjoyable.


A Knight in Shining Armor?

Jim Shooter himself was no saint and anyone old enough to remember his 8-year stint as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics probably has a love him or hate him recollection of the job he did leading Marvel out of the late 1970's and into the early-to-mid 1980's. I'll take the low road and say only that I dare anyone to try and manage such an amalgamation of old and new talent while at the same time keep all of the Marvel line on schedule. And you wonder why before Jim Shooter the EIC position at Marvel was almost like the flavor-of-the-month club.

Jim seems to recall nothing but good times when it came to his relationship with Jack Kirby during Jack's time at the House of Ideas from 1975-1978 and maybe superficially that is so but I wonder how much of that was reciprocated by Jack himself. At any rate there is plenty to read and enjoy and Jim Shooter is to be recommended for putting the words on paper.

So What are you Waiting for?

In terms of being a student of the game I encourage everyone out there to check out Jim Shooter's blog. It seems like it petered out around mid-2013 but that doesn't matter because all the great Jack Kirby articles were posted around 2011. Like I said, Shooter's blog makes for great reading and until said time as to when Mark Evanier's be-all-end-all Kirby book is published (and by now I don't see how it can possibly live up to all the hype but that's another story), blogs like Jim's continue to add another dimension and further layers to the life and times of Jack Kirby.