It was BIG news when Jack Kirby left Marvel for DC in 1971. His soon-to-be legendary titles of New Gods, Mister Miracle and Forever People had readers (and DC's top brass) hoping for new versions of Thor, Captain America and Fantastic Four. They would be disappointed and glad by that!
But they also wanted the "King" to take over Superman (and presumably Action Comics) as well but he wanted a challenge and picked Jimmy Olsen and turned that into the weirdest mainline DC title of that era!
But what if he had chosen BATMAN over SUPERMAN? The Caped Crusader was still reeling from the camp TV shows that ended three years prior but was still running in syndication. To renovate the character might have appealed to Jack. As he had done earlier with the Sandman & Sandy and Green Arrow & Speedy, Batman & Robin could be plugged in the dynamic action that he revolutionized with Captain America & Bucky.
But what direction would Kirby had taken the Dynamic Duo? What would he have kept, changed or dropped? Would he have taken over both Batman and Detective? What about Brave & Bold?
I think that he would have kept Robin, obviously. He liked sidekicks and partners and the Teen Wonder was the first and best-known of them all.
I get the feeling that he would have altered Alfred into more of a comedic role and drew him more like Alan Napier, the TV Alfred.
He would have ignored Batgirl or created a new one, probably more the latter.
The Bat-Cave would have become a Kirby Techno-Wonder cavern and the Batmoblie would have had more tricks put in as would all of Batman's vehicles.
Batman would become more of a sci-fi/fantasy book with weird menaces, dimensional travel and alien encounters AKA the 1950's Batman on steroids!
The Joker would be kept because of course he would but the others would be phased out except for, in my mind, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Clayface with some new menaces.
Would this Batman be tied into the Fourth World. Possibly or else Kirby might have added World's Finest to the mix to bolster Batman's involvement with Superman.
Would you have liked to see a Jack Kirby BATMAN? And what would YOU have expected to see?.
Replies
I assume it would be a lot like his Black Panther -- Batman in name only.