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A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
Jack Kirby pencils/Dick Ayers inks; Journey Into Mystery #86 Page 12 (Marvel Comics, 1962); image size 12.5" x 18.5"
Predates Avengers #1! The 4th appearance of Thor!

“On the Trail of the Tomorrow Man!”
The God of Thunder time travels to the future to battle The Tomorrow Man!

This page by Jack Kirby, the undisputed king of comics, opens in classic Thor fashion, with the God of Thunder raising Mjolnir and summoning a mighty storm to thwart Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man (making his debut appearance in this issue) from carrying out his nefarious plans. Thor then swoops in to save the day, defeating the villainous Zarrko in the process, all illustrated to great effect by Kirby, introducing readers to a whole new way of looking at their four color heroes. A superior example of very early Marvel artwork, this story, published in September 1962, only a few short months after the releases of The Incredible Hulk #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15, and a full year before the release of Avengers #1, making Thor one of the very first heroes introduced in the Marvel Age of comics. Pen and ink. Art is in excellent condition.

Jack Kirby ,the undisputed father of Marvel Comics, felt a special affinity for Thor. With the exception of the Fantastic Four, which Kirby famously drew for 102 straight issues, Thor was the character he stayed with the longest, not passing the reins over to another artist to continue what he started like he did with the majority of the characters he created during that incredibly fertile first few years. That affection shows through in the work, Thor, and his supporting cast, are as fleshed out and fully formed as anything Kirby created in his legendary career, and this page, from his 4th ever appearance, is among the earliest to ever come to market and remains a true artifact from one of most significant periods of comics' storied history.

The images of the published page and cover are for reference only.

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Artists Information

Jack Kirby is called 'The King of Comics' for a reason, during his career that spanned six decades he gave us many of the most iconic characters the medium would ever see. From his introduction of Captain America at the height of World War II it was clear he wasn't your ordinary comics artist. But it was his creative explosion at Marvel Comics in the 1960's that cemented his legacy, over a short period of time Kirby would give us The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, Ant-Man and Nick Fury just to name a few. Kirby would then go to DC and create his Fourth World, introducing Darkseid, Mister Miracle, The New Gods and a host of cosmic supporting players. Long live The King.

Richard "Dick" Ayers was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of the main inkers during the late-1950's and 1960's Silver Age of Comics, including some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' including Jack Kirby's The Fantastic Four. He is the signature penciler of Marvel's World War II comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, drawing it for a 10-year run, and he co-created Magazine Enterprises' 1950s Western-horror character the Ghost Rider, a version of which he would draw for Marvel in the 1960s. His career would span 7 decades until his death in 2014.