That suit looks familiar
Quite often when I was buying comics it took me quite a while to decide exactly which book to choose. I had a limited budget. When Kamandi issue #29 hit the stands every other comic seemed to disappear. Never before had a cover grabbed my attention the way that one did. I recall the ads for Kamandi #1 by Jack Kirby in many of the DC titles but never purchased any issues prior to this. I was way too interested in the traditional super hero books.
I knew from the ads that Kamandi was a post apocalyptic story similar in theme to the “Planet of the Apes” movies and I was intrigued but still couldn’t risk my 25 cents on this untested and unproven comic. Everything changed when I saw that Superman costume on the cover of issue #29. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Here was a story that would explain how or if the world’s mightiest being survived a nuclear holocaust. “Well, did he?”, you are probably asking yourself. I’m not going to tell you. Go track down a copy and read it for yourself . Actually, the story never really tells whether Supes survived or not, just that he performed heroic deeds in preventing the utter destruction of the planet and elevating his stature to that of a god in the minds of the new society that sprang forth from the devastation.
I think this was Jack Kirby’s greatest gift as a comic book creator. He understood that comics and their heroes were our modern mythology and he created stories that captured that feeling better than anyone then working in the industry and probably even today. I think it is fitting that Jack Kirby himself has become a legendary figure of the industry and years after his passing and years into the future his impact will be felt.