SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN!
It was Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel’s birthday the other day, so we’re keeping the Super-salute alive with this groovy Jack Kirby sketch of the Man of Steel that our pal Kerry Callen came across.
Now, see that’s pretty grand on its own, but Kerry got inspired:
“One of my very favorite things is to discover a character sketch, by a major comic artist, who was not known for drawing that character,” sez Kerry. “I love inking and adding color to the art. An example is the Ramona Fradon Spider-Man posted here a couple of weeks ago. This time, I’m sharing a Jack Kirby Superman drawing that I finished. (I know, I know. Kirby drew Superman in several books for DC, but most of it was altered to match DC’s house style.)
“Some people fish or play sports to relax. This is what I do.”
So Kerry first gave it a monchromatic, red finish on a tan background:
Fab on its own, right? Like something you might have seen in the 1970s prozine The Amazing World of DC Comics.
But Kerry kept going, and went all in with sumptuous, traditional colors:
That looks like the greatest Bronze Age Superman poster that never was, doesn’t it?
Now, imagine if Andy Warhol got a hold of all of it:
What art can do to the imagination and the soul.
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Want more SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN? Come back next week!
Want a commission? Send an email to KerryCallenArt@gmail.com. You can also find other work at linktr.ee/kerrycallen.
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MORE
— GREAT PUMPKIN! It’s the PEANUTS Monster Mash-Up. Click here.
— Dig This Marvelous Rarity: RAMONA FRADON’s SPIDER-MAN. Click here.
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KERRY CALLEN spent much of his career as an artist and art director, developing product for Hallmark, but has also dabbled in comics for many years. As a freelancer, he creates work for a range of needs, spanning from Mad Magazine to children illustrations. He has two graphic novels available on Amazon worldwide, Halo and Sprocket: The Definitive Collection, as well as Dirtnap: Mystic Spit.
October 19, 2025
“prozine”?…I think you invented something there.
I enjoy your color treatment the best I think. I’m really not a fan of such a hard set house style as was DC in the day. DC should have just let Jack do Jack. Anyone know, is that part of the reason for him going back to Marvel?
October 19, 2025
I didn’t invent that, actually!
October 19, 2025
One of the reasons that reading Kirby’s Fourth World is so frustrating* to me is because of the way that DC management and production of the day completely butchered his Superman (and Jimmy Olsen) drawings. It’s such a jarring experience seeing Kirby figures interacting with Murphy Anderson figures in the same panel. But when you see unaltered, unfettered examples of Kirby’s Superman (like above), it’s sooo much more visually interesting than the bland “Swanderson” version of the character.
Because of DC’s visual butchery, every time I try to read Kirby’s Jimmy Olsen issues, it’s like reading the comics equivalent of Josstice League (where management, in its short-term thinking, tried to force a marriage between two completely incompatible artistic styles to disastrous results).
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*A close number two is Vince Colletta’s awful, awful inking. When Mike Royer took over as inker, it was like night and day.
October 20, 2025
Ha! This is wonderful! Jack is the best. And this ink and color treatment is true to what Jack was doing.
October 21, 2025
“Not plane nor bird nor even fr…”oh, sorry.