Well August is on its way out, which is kind of astonishing. I say it every year but like, dang, where does the time go? I had a very busy summer at my day job, with several week-long work trips for conferences which is why it feels like I haven't done much here. But I am here so, let's get into it...

Monday, August 28 is the birthday of Jack "The King" Kirby! If you don't know who he is, I'll give you a quick run-down: Jack Kirby is one of the most influential comic book creators of all time. He had a hand in creating the Marvel Universe as we know it, as the co-creator of Captain America, most of the original Avengers, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and many others. He also greatly influenced the DC Universe, introducing the "Fourth World" characters who have gone on to become major players there including Darkseid and Orion.

His career in comics spanned seven decades from his first works in the 30s (at the age of 19!) up to his death in the 90s, and he worked in every genre from superheroes to war comics to romance. 

One of my favorite of Kirby's contributions to comics is his adaptation of Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey." It came out nearly 10 years after the movie, but is absolutely one of the best translations of a film into the comics medium. I was lucky to get one of these big oversized Treasury Edition copies of "2001" for a very reasonable price (aka, under $100) and I love it. I also got to see an exhibit of some of Kirby's original artwork on display a few years ago in Manhattan, and that was a very inspiring experience.

I love getting to see original comic art when I can. The Society of Illustrators in Manhattan almost always has something really cool on display, and I always walk out of there feeling absolutely jazzed to go home and draw. 

Anyway, hail to the King and happy birthday! 

Elsewhere, you'll see "LandLine" continuing Season 3 here on Zestworld. Season 4 will probably premiere sometime around November and has some big swings coming so I hope you'll continue enjoying those.

I'm also getting close to finishing "Metal Revenant," so you'll begin to see me posting some more about that as we get closer to launch! Stay tuned!

What am I reading?

I've been on a big back-issue kick lately, picking up an assortment of issues of series like "Unknown Soldier" and "Sgt. Rock," which are always fun. Every issue features largely self-contained tales of people beating the snot out of Nazis, which is just always enjoyable. Plus, they often feature artwork (covers at the very least) by another comics legend, Joe Kubert.

And speaking of Kubert, I picked up a set of issues of "Tor," a series Kubert wrote and illustrated about a caveman living in the time of dinosaurs (not scientifically accurate) and it features some truly glorious art from the master. Although Tor and many of the other cavepeople can speak, there are large stretches without dialogue that are really impactful. That's one of the things I've been trying to get better at with my own comics, so these hit me really hard!

I've also been reading "Killadelphia," by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander. This is a fantastic vampire series filtered through the lens of American history and the American history of racism. In it, we discover that former US President John Adams is actually a vampire and is still alive hundreds of years later and plotting a vampire takeover of Philadelphia and ultimately of the United States. He's driven by resentment over his reputation as a second-tier, follow-up president. In other hands, this premise might come across as laughable, but Barnes and Alexander craft a highly involving, hard-hitting story about father and son police officers trying to fight back this vampire army. It doesn't shy away from the dirtiest parts of American history and our country's treatment of black people, giving both historical and emotional weight to every huge battle or tiny moment of grief. Highly recommended.

That's it for now, though! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this week's "LandLine," and stay tuned for more!