DID YOU EMBRACE THE DARK SIDE?

Image copyright DC COMICS

When I was a teenager, I pronounced DARKSEID's

name as 'Darkseed', not 'Darkside' as JACK KIRBY had

intended.  There are stories of Jack at comic cons in the 1970s

where kids would refer to 'Darkseed' and Jack didn't correct

them, he'd simply pronounce the name the same as they'd

done to avoid embarrassing any of his young fans.

All very laudable, but when I eventually learned how

the baddie's name was meant to be pronounced, I wondered

why Jack hadn't simply spelled the name of the NEW GODS

nemesis as 'DARKSYDE', so as to avoid confusion over how

to say it.  Okay, perhaps 'Darkseid' looks better in print, but if

everyone mispronounces it, it sort of defeats the intention of

calling him that to begin with, don'tcha think?  I'm surprised

DC didn't ask Jack to change the spelling before Dark-
seid's debut in JIMMY OLSEN #134.

I think this was one of the problems with Kirby's DC

output - he needed someone to rein him in from time to

time, and help refine and polish some of his ideas until they

were as good as they can be.  An editor like STAN LEE for

example, whose input was invaluable on Jack's work over at

MARVEL, would have improved the FOURTH WORLD

series of mags no end, and they could well have had a

far longer run than they actually managed.

That's why it took me a while to warm to Jack's new
titles for the Distinguished Competition - the art looked
the same as his Marvel mags, but didn't read the same - not
to begin with anyway.  It took a while to get used to Kirby's

idiosyncratic scripting, and some readers who followed him
over to DC didn't stick around after the first few issues
because the mags just didn't 'read right'.

That's my take on things anyway.  What think the

rest of you Criv-ites?  Why not weigh in with your view

in our captivating and occasionally controversial com-

ments section?  Nothing beats a good rammy!  

Posted in: Cartoons