Blog From The Bench

Allegedly based on an unused and forgotten creation by late comics legend Jack Kirby, Galactic Bounty Hunters is a throwback to good old fashioned sci-fi adventure, when things like rocket ships, laser guns, and giant lizards took precedent over stuff like lengthy dissertations about quantum physics and astronomical anomalies. It’s not brainy sci-fi, but it is fun sci-fi. Imagine if Star Wars was a lot cheesier than it is, and you might get the picture.

The first issue begins when we meet Mainframe, leader of the titular bounty hunters, in pursuit of a deadly alien named Slugg. As the action builds to a climax, suddenly there’s a twist, and we see Mainframe in a new light. I’m avoiding spoilers here, but a crisis arises that involves our hero traveling around space reuniting his fellow bounty hunters, which include a reptilian brute, a sexy feline, and a hovering cloaked robot.

Jack Kirby’s Galactic Bounty Hunters is published by Icon, which is actually a division of Marvel Comics. There are four writers and five artists credited, as well as five names listed under “developed by,” so it’s not like this is one person’s vision, but I’ll be damned if it’s not a lot of fun to read. The characters, settings, and action are all larger-than-life, in that big and broad Jack Kirby style. There’s also a jokey tone to the whole thing, with comedic bits like a drunken robot or an alien tough guy wearing an apron. As silly as that sounds, it all fits with the overall lighthearted adventure tone of the series.

The question here is: how much of this actually came from Kirby himself? I got burned by Marvel’s Sentry hoax (they claimed the Sentry was a long-lost Stan Lee creation, and this was later revealed to be nothing but a marketing stunt), so I’m cautious about any new characters that are alleged to be unused creations from back in the day. That being said, the comic is a blast to read, so I suggest readers enjoy it as a tribute to Kirby, and not as a genuine Kirby work.

So if you think today’s comics are too dark and morbid, check out Jack Kirby’s Galactic Bounty Hunters for some retro fun.