#JackedKirby - A brainwashed Ben is a dangerous THING!!! 💥💥💥 This has to be one of my all time FAVORITE opening splash pages during the legendary 102 issue run of Jack and Stan on the Fantastic Four... and I really love it because of the insight the original page provides us! The page comes from #Issue42 of the FF series, published in September of 1965. 💥💥💥 At the bottom of the original art page (pic 1) you can see a long list of “notes” from Jack to Stan in the margin. I couldn’t find a close enough zoomed in image to see the details, but this page (and many others confirm what Jack had claimed: That even though he was tasked with DRAWING the whole story BEFORE Stan dialogued one single word (The Marvel Method), he also provided story guidance and character direction in his art margins to assist Stan on dialoguing the story. This means he definitely had input on actual stories... and would dispute the long claimed idea that the artists merely drew the comics and didn’t come up with any of the storylines or arc directions at all! 💥💥💥 When you get past the controversial margin notes, you are left with a pretty FANTASTIC (hehehe... see what I did there!) opening splash (pic 2/3) that shows the Frightful Four surrounding their newest ALLY... a brainwashed Ben Grimm!!! This would allude to the awesome cover that shows The Thing and Mr Fantastic tangled in a heap... The Thing blames Reed for his hideous visage and faults him for being the rock monster we all love!!!! 💥💥💥 You can also see the original art was mostly a waste up shot of Ben and the Frightful Four... but when it was colored in the finished boom it seems it was pushed a bit further back depth wise and we can clearly see the legs of all five of the figures! I personally prefer the original inked layout... a close up of The Ever Lovin’ Blue Eyed Thing in all his magnificent rocky glory!!! 💥💥💥 #JackKirby #KingKirby #Kirby #FF #FantasticFour #TheThing #TheFrightfulFour #OpeningSplashPage #KirbySplashPage #Brianwashed #Comic #Comics #ComicBook #ComicBooks #MarginNotes #60sComics #ComicsOfThe60s #ComicsOfIG #IGcomicCommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/BxTGIsIh3bA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1b5jlvcbtlwkf
