Episode 39 – Jack Kirby&'Star Wars' - a podcast by Phi Phenonenon

It’s the ultimate episode: Ted gets to talk Jack Kirby, I get to talk Star Wars. On this episode we talk comic artist Kirby’s artistic legacy, my lack of enthusiasm towards that legacy, his departure from Marvel Comics, Stan Lee’s “Marvel method” of writing comics, the two or three baseline yet undeniable similarities between Kirby’s New Gods comic and George Lucas’s A New Hope mythology, and the brilliant Eisner Award-winning Tom King/Mitch Gerard mini-series Mister Miracle. Also: The Kirby-created character Darkseid’s influence on Marvel’s character Thanos, Lucas’s history with comic books or strips, the Marvel Star Wars comics throughout the years, the obviousness of Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress influence, the less obvious avant-garde influence of the Arthur Lipsett’s 21-87 (1963), and the Kirby/Lee authorship argument.

(One oversight in the conversation: We neglect to mention the New Gods film in development from the great director Ava DuVernay, currently co-scripted by her and King.)

Ted Haycraft is film critic for WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat’s Facebook page.

Star Wars is available on VOD and Disney+. The Hidden Fortress is available from Criterion and is also on HBO Max. Jack Kirby’s “Fourth World” comics are available both physically and digitally from DC Comics.

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