Worst Cover Ever: Defoliants In Your Succotash

For all of the spectacular heights of the late Jack Kirby's legendary career, he had his share of creative low points as well. In my opinion, the lowest of those low points remains a dreadful story that began in Jimmy Olsen #139 (1971), as represented by this cheesy, jaw-droppingly bad cover (click on the cover for a larger view).

Appearing somewhere in the middle of Kirby's meandering New Gods saga, what was intended to be only a brief cameo for comedian Don Rickles turned into a two-issue, two-Rickles ordeal. In addition to Kirby's (astoundingly unfunny) version of Don, a "long lost alter-ego" named Goody Rickels also showed up.

Oh, and don't overlook the campy cover copy ("landmines in your lunchbox"?), the fat sausage fingers of Superman's left hand and the altered faces of Supes and Jimmy Olsen. Apparently, DC wasn't thrilled with Jack's version of the characters, so they had artist Murphy Anderson bring them "on model", or closer to their standard look. That seems extreme in hindsight, but really...when a hot creator you just stole from Marvel pens the phrase "defoliants in your succotash" on a cover and creates Goody Rickels, I can't blame DC for wanting to exert some measure of control over Jack's loopy, increasingly incoherent experiment.

Comments

[Pat Curley]

Yeah, I remember thinking, "Do I have to actually buy this issue just to keep the run going?"

[Mark Engblom]

Whenever Kirby's New Gods are so rapturously remembered by people, they tend to forget that so much of it was as unfocused, nonsensical, and tin-eared as the Goody Rickels stuff. DC gave Kirby almost everything he'd ever wanted from Marvel (full, or virtually full, creative control over his creations), and what did he do with it? Vermin Vundabarr? Granny Goodness? Goody Rickels? Lazy plots and wince-inducing dialogue? God love 'im, Kirby was one of the greatest pencillers of the 20th century, and one hell of a collaborator, but when it came to sitting at the driver's seat, the guy choked.

[Wes C]

Well, I don't think he choked, it may be very different from his Marvel work, but it has a charm all it's own.

It's not all great, the King did have his faults (regardless of what the zealots say). I find much of the Fourth World titles to be very engaging. I remember the Mister Miracle run being particularly good from about #4-#9.

His writing does have it's rough spots, but it has a certain authentic voice that appeals to me.
That said, I use way to many quotation marks when I "write", I think it's a "bad habit" I "picked up" from Jack.

As far as the cover goes; It's not great, it's not horrible. It seems you used your position as an authority on bad covers to take a swipe at Kirby's Opus ;)

Goody Rickles was a waste of issues, on that I think we can all agree.

BTW: New Gods #9 is one of my favorite covers of all time. Why, I'm not exactly sure, other than the coloring on the original issue is quite lovely.

http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=25171&zoom=4

[Ivan Wolfe]

"the NOW Newsboy Legion"?

Is that supposed to be the "NEW" Newsboy Legion?

I don't get the "Now" - Now makes a rather terrible adjective, considering its usually an adverb and all that (yeah, people talk about "the now fashions" - but even then it sounds stupid).

[suedenim]

I think at the time, "now" was a hep, happening, "with-it" adjective! (Or at least it was among middle-aged white guys at comic book companies....)

I actually love the pure strangeness of having Don Rickles in a Jimmy Olsen comic... but Kirby loses me once Goody Rickels is added on top of that.

I must admit, I do keep perversely hoping for a 21st century revival of Goody - he might be the only character Kirby created for DC who *isn't* still around in some form!

One thing that surprised me a bit while reading the New Gods Omnibii is that Kirby didn't misuse the "quotation thing" all *that* much, and where he did, it was generally referring to unusual slang or a Kirby-tech sort of thing.

I think he must have really gone nuts with the quotes in later years.

[Brian]

Wasn't there a WWII-era Newsboy Legion? I assumed the "now" was in part a reference to that, to suggest it was the updated version. But yeah, I agree it was also probably a lame attempt to sound all hep and groovy and keen in the face of Marvel's slangy marketing.

I assume that's what's behind the "sucotash" jokes, too (although, not being a Rickles-ologist, I readily concede there may be a Don reference here I'm not getting). But to me, it just seems like Kirby and DC trying to be like Stan Lee, and failing miserably. We can argue all day about who's responsible for what on Fantastic Four, but no one could huckster with more melodramatic, tongue-in-cheek charm than Stan Lee.