BHA115: The Art & Visionary World-Building of Jack Kirby (Finishing the 'Four Color Grimoire')
- anthonytyler
- Oct 9
- 2 min read
This week on Black Hoodie Alchemy, we're rounding home-plate and reading the second half of my friend and colleague Eric Millar's work, The Four Color Grimoire! And this has everything to do with the legendary and still somewhat-unsung legacy of Jack Kirby - the King of Comics! But overall, it has the most to do with the art of nerd-fandom world-building itself, and the catharsis that can come from both creating and enjoying these things.
(For those unfamiliar, Stan Lee hardly created any of the heroes he is known for, and rode off the coat-tails of Kirby in the creation of superheroes like the Avengers, the X-Men, and most of their respective casts. And when Lee wasn't riding on Kirby's coat-tails, he hitched onto people like Steve Ditko in the creation of Spider-Man.)
If you haven't listened to the last episode, I encourage you to do so, although it's not entirely necessary. In the first half of the work, we discussed the archetypal, allegorical value in modern nerd fandoms by looking at OG comic book culture and art.
In this episode, we talk all that context and dive into the legacies of some of the most inventive and esoteric creators in comic books! While a solid two-thirds or so focuses on the great Jack Kirby, we also take the time to look into the titanic art and careers of both Steve Ditko and Rick Veitch.
Don't sleep on these fascinating artists, or on Eric's Four Color Grimoire!
RELATED CONTENT:
DIVE MANUAL AUDIOBOOK (narrated by Joe Rupe)
WE THE HALLOWED MEDIA
BHA episodes with Eric Millar:
This week's featured music, as always, is brought to you by some of the most titanic beatmakers and wordsmiths of the underground! Don't forget to support that black hoodie rap and all your favorite independent artists!
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