1st Issue Special: Museum Object and Cultural History
1st Issue Special: date made: 1975. maker: D. C. Comics, Inc.. Object Name: comic book.
The object in the museum catalogue
The unusual DC comic 1st Issue Special ran for 13 issues in 1974-1975. The title was an anthology series that featured a different character each issue, testing their potential to headline their own comics. The premier issue featured Jack Kirby's Atlas, a herculean strongman.
Kirby wrote and illustrated the story. He also provided the cover art, which was inked by D. Bruce Berry, and colored by Tatajana Wood.
Comic legend Jack Kirby was responsible for the creation of many of the most recognizable and influential characters in the Marvel Comics Universe prior to leaving for rival DC Comics in the early 1970s. The move to DC highlighted dissatisfaction amongst many comic creators over pay-rates, lack of creative control, and being left out of merchandising and other profits.
German born Tatajana Wood had been coloring comics in the US since the 1950s. She began working for DC in the 1970s.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 1975
- maker: D. C. Comics, Inc.
- Object Name: comic book
- Physical Description: paper (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 6 3/4 in x 10 3/4 in; x 17.145 cm x 27.305 cm
- Subject: Comics
- Subject: Fantasy
- ID Number: 2013.3039.012
- nonaccession number: 2013.3039
- catalog number: 2013.3039.012
- Credit Line: Gift of George R. Zug
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
Sources
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