Tales to Astonish #26 - Jack Kirby art & cover, Steve Ditko art

Jack Kirby

Tales to Astonish v1 #26, 1961 - In the first of two Jack Kirby stories, a famous explorer stumbles upon ancient ruins. Inside, multi-armed aliens plan their conquest of Earth. His second tale is set in the 1800s, where a magician offers a devilish deal to gawking villagers. Dick Ayers is credited with inking both stories, but the former tale is more polished and streamlined than the latter. Steve Ditko illustrates one man's difficulty in discerning dreams from reality. His layouts use a repetitive nine-panel grid, effective for slow-paced sequencing. Ditko approaches this psychological thriller with consummate skill and precision. This silver age tale was later reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #8. This is 26 of 57 Tales to Astonish issues by Ditko and 25 of 81 Tales to Astonish issues by Kirby.

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Kirby cover pencils (Dick Ayers inks) = **
"Look Out!! Here Come the...Four-Armed Men" Kirby story pencils (Dick Ayers inks) 5 pages = ***
"He Walked Through Walls" Kirby story pencils (Dick Ayers inks) 6 pages = **
"Dream World" Ditko story pencils and inks 5 pages = ****

Jack Kirby

Steve Ditko

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