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The Kamandi Challenge #1-12
The Kamandi Challenge
Prepare to take part in one of the greatest adventures from the infinite future of the DC Universe and join the industry's top creative teams in a storytelling extravaganza titled THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE!
Born from the mind of Jack "King" Kirby, the post-apocalyptic Earth of Kamandi has been a fan favorite for decades. Prepare to take part in one of the greatest adventures from the infinite future of the DC Universe, and join the industry's top creative teams in a round-robin, no-holds-barred storytelling extravaganza titled THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE!
DC writers rescue the Last Boy on Earth and send him on his next adventure. Now, Kamandi must save Tiger King Caesar and his people from impending doom. Will he be the hero they need? Or will he use the chaos of the situation to escape for good? Each chapter of THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE brings together a new creative team, as they try to get the Last Boy on Earth out of the jam that the last team left him in!
Featuring some of the greatest creative pairings ever seen in comics, including Peter J. Tomasi and artist Neal Adams, Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Amanda Conner, James Tynion IV and artist Carlos D'Anda and more, THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE isn't just a celebration of the legendary Jack Kirby, but it's also one of the most unique experiments in industry history! Collects THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE #1-12.
Born from the mind of Jack "King" Kirby, the post-apocalyptic Earth of Kamandi has been a fan favorite for decades. Prepare to take part in one of the greatest adventures from the infinite future of the DC Universe, and join the industry's top creative teams in a round-robin, no-holds-barred storytelling extravaganza titled THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE!
DC writers rescue the Last Boy on Earth and send him on his next adventure. Now, Kamandi must save Tiger King Caesar and his people from impending doom. Will he be the hero they need? Or will he use the chaos of the situation to escape for good? Each chapter of THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE brings together a new creative team, as they try to get the Last Boy on Earth out of the jam that the last team left him in!
Featuring some of the greatest creative pairings ever seen in comics, including Peter J. Tomasi and artist Neal Adams, Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Amanda Conner, James Tynion IV and artist Carlos D'Anda and more, THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE isn't just a celebration of the legendary Jack Kirby, but it's also one of the most unique experiments in industry history! Collects THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE #1-12.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 28, 2018
In 2017, Jack Kirby would have turned 100 years old. Kirby was probably the most beloved and influential person in comics, and in his honour DC published a 12-issue limited series resurrecting one of his more obscure creations — Kamandi, the last boy on Earth. It’s a Jack Kirby version of Tarzan, basically — it’s about a human boy trying to survive and find his parents in a world of crazy techno-savvy sentient talking animals. It’s entirely bonkers, and, as it turns out, a whole lot of fun!
The Kamandi Challenge as a series has a neat concept. Every issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, the only rule is that each issue must end with Kamandi trapped in a seemingly hopeless mortal peril, so that the next team will come up with their way out of it. Every writer (except for one — more on that later) channels their best Kirby spirit while bringing their own style to it, and every artist follows suit — the stories are truly crazy, the scale is massive and the imagination is limitless. Every issue is followed by an afterword from a writer or an artist of the previous one where they say a few words about their love for Kirby, what they think of the format of the mini-series, how they would get Kamandi out of the threat they came up with, and just some thoughts in general. I actually really enjoyed reading most of these, it was a fascinating window into the creators' mindset about approaching this kind of story.
An absolute standout of the whole bunch is, unsurprisingly, an issue by Tom King and Kevin Eastman. King does what he does best — a transcendental piece on death, universe, suffering and enduring. King never fails to trigger my deep-seated existential dread, and yet he somehow manages to bring some glimmer of hope with it, too. The legendary Kevin Eastman drew this issue, and if you're familiar with his style, you already know that it's something special — his bold, extremely detailed artwork in black, white and greyscale looks phenomenal, and makes the issue stand out even more.
I also particularly enjoyed chapters written by Bill Willingham, Greg Pak, Jimmy Palmiotti and Gail Simone. Steve Orlando made an impressive job getting Kamandi out of Willingham’s shocking trouble, although his own plot and cliffhanger were a bit underwhelming. The closing story was going to be written by Len Wein, but he sadly passed away before he could write it, so Paul Levitz stepped in and did a pretty good job of wrapping up the series through a very Morrison-esque meta twist.
On the other end of the scale, there is issue #8 written by Keith Giffen, which was one of the worst comics I’ve read in a while. Garbage story, lazy writing, this guy clearly didn't give two shits about this project. In this otherwise exciting collection filled with fun and crazy adventures, I was so bored by Giffen's writing that I had to skim the issue in order to continue reading. Even his letter in the following comic stank of condescension and arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude — what a douchebag. His chapter sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise really solid book, and I wish it was written by somebody else. You know you did a poor job when even Dan DiDio wrote a better, more readable comic.
Giffen's issue aside, The Kamandi Challenge was a surprisingly cool and enjoyable series. Sure, a book with such a concept can't possibly be consistent — in fact, the story is pretty much complete nonsense. Some of the issues also felt a bit one-note and too similar to each other. But it's also obvious that (almost) every writer and artist had a blast working on the book, and that translated well on paper. I haven't read a lot of Jack Kirby comics yet, but what I have read felt true in a lot of ways to what I've read here. I don't know if this series is a fitting tribute to The King, because, as Marguerite Bennett argues in her letter, the best tribute to Kirby is making something new. But hey, why not have both? After all, it's still more than Marvel did to celebrate his life and countless contributions to our wonderful world of comics.
The Kamandi Challenge as a series has a neat concept. Every issue is written and drawn by a different creative team, the only rule is that each issue must end with Kamandi trapped in a seemingly hopeless mortal peril, so that the next team will come up with their way out of it. Every writer (except for one — more on that later) channels their best Kirby spirit while bringing their own style to it, and every artist follows suit — the stories are truly crazy, the scale is massive and the imagination is limitless. Every issue is followed by an afterword from a writer or an artist of the previous one where they say a few words about their love for Kirby, what they think of the format of the mini-series, how they would get Kamandi out of the threat they came up with, and just some thoughts in general. I actually really enjoyed reading most of these, it was a fascinating window into the creators' mindset about approaching this kind of story.
An absolute standout of the whole bunch is, unsurprisingly, an issue by Tom King and Kevin Eastman. King does what he does best — a transcendental piece on death, universe, suffering and enduring. King never fails to trigger my deep-seated existential dread, and yet he somehow manages to bring some glimmer of hope with it, too. The legendary Kevin Eastman drew this issue, and if you're familiar with his style, you already know that it's something special — his bold, extremely detailed artwork in black, white and greyscale looks phenomenal, and makes the issue stand out even more.
I also particularly enjoyed chapters written by Bill Willingham, Greg Pak, Jimmy Palmiotti and Gail Simone. Steve Orlando made an impressive job getting Kamandi out of Willingham’s shocking trouble, although his own plot and cliffhanger were a bit underwhelming. The closing story was going to be written by Len Wein, but he sadly passed away before he could write it, so Paul Levitz stepped in and did a pretty good job of wrapping up the series through a very Morrison-esque meta twist.
On the other end of the scale, there is issue #8 written by Keith Giffen, which was one of the worst comics I’ve read in a while. Garbage story, lazy writing, this guy clearly didn't give two shits about this project. In this otherwise exciting collection filled with fun and crazy adventures, I was so bored by Giffen's writing that I had to skim the issue in order to continue reading. Even his letter in the following comic stank of condescension and arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude — what a douchebag. His chapter sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise really solid book, and I wish it was written by somebody else. You know you did a poor job when even Dan DiDio wrote a better, more readable comic.
Giffen's issue aside, The Kamandi Challenge was a surprisingly cool and enjoyable series. Sure, a book with such a concept can't possibly be consistent — in fact, the story is pretty much complete nonsense. Some of the issues also felt a bit one-note and too similar to each other. But it's also obvious that (almost) every writer and artist had a blast working on the book, and that translated well on paper. I haven't read a lot of Jack Kirby comics yet, but what I have read felt true in a lot of ways to what I've read here. I don't know if this series is a fitting tribute to The King, because, as Marguerite Bennett argues in her letter, the best tribute to Kirby is making something new. But hey, why not have both? After all, it's still more than Marvel did to celebrate his life and countless contributions to our wonderful world of comics.
June 12, 2018
This was an absolute blast. For Jack Kirby's 100th birthday, DC has put out an all new Kamandi series. Kamandi is one of Kirby's crazy ideas from the 70's. It's set in a Planet of the Apes style apocalyptic future where humans are treated like animals and animals have evolved into humanoid creatures. It's bonkers and fun. The twist to this book is that a new creative team takes over each issue and must write a cliffhanger for next month's team to get out of. I loved the ones where they really try and screw over the next writer. (Yeah, I'm talking to you Bill Willingham!) This is crazy out of the box comics at its best.
May 14, 2018
I need you to understand something. I'm a HUGE Kamandi fan. That's not an understatement in anyway. And I did enjoy this series, but ... yeah, I only gave it two stars. Why? It's kind of a mess.
To begin with, some history, I first started reading Kamandi with the first issue when I was 9 years old. It was actually the first comic book I ever got that was a first issue in a series - back in those days that was a big thing (not like now when publishers restart a series with a new #1 often multiple times within a year of the last #1). Having that first issue was exciting, but it wasn't just that which captured my imagination - the story and the art blew my mind wide open. I was hooked from page 3. I missed the second issue (which was actually the last issue I was ever able to track down after the series was eventually cancelled many years later), but got the 3rd and 4th issues before my family moved to a new city and I had to find a new place to buy comic books (this was long before comic shops started opening). While I was captivated collecting this series, it was Jack Kirby's art and story that really fermented in my brain and fueled my hunger for each issue. This was also the first comic to which I got a subscription and I am still upset with DC for mailing these precious treasures to me folded in half (the savages!). I purchased every collected edition of the original series that has been published and when the Kamandi Challenge series was announced I was overjoyed.
I should have known it couldn't live up to expectations.
The problem is that this story is horribly inconsistent from issue to issue, the characterization of Kamandi is inconsistent, the art is inconsistent, the tone and texture of each issue is inconsistent. The notion of jumping from cliffhanger to cliffhanger is fun (although the authors and artists took the concept a little too literally a bit too often) but this turned into a disorganized disaster because of any kind of production consistency. There were some good spots, but also some really awful moments and the transitions between were disjointed and virtually dysfunctional. Sure this was better than the 90s mini-series, but that isn't saying much at all. This series seemed to be paying more homage to the later issues of the original series that Kirby wasn't involved with than to the actual character and stories created by the King of comics.
Am I happy that Kamandi got a new series? Yes! Am I happy that I got to see Kamandi drawn by a dazzling array of artists? Yes! What I am not happy with was the entire package. So I will likely not be buying this collected edition. It was difficult to read as individual issues over the course of a year, so I can't imagine the dizzying effect reading this in one sitting might actually have. I'll stick with going back and re-reading the original Kirby stories every couple of years. They always make me feel like I'm a kid again.
Update: I have picked up a copy of the collected edition. A hardcover copy for a sickeningly discounted price. I just couldn’t pass it up. But this still doesn’t change my mind on how badly executed this series was. I will eventually read this again, and I’m more than a bit worried at how disjointed the narrative will be. I might just have to add another update.
To begin with, some history, I first started reading Kamandi with the first issue when I was 9 years old. It was actually the first comic book I ever got that was a first issue in a series - back in those days that was a big thing (not like now when publishers restart a series with a new #1 often multiple times within a year of the last #1). Having that first issue was exciting, but it wasn't just that which captured my imagination - the story and the art blew my mind wide open. I was hooked from page 3. I missed the second issue (which was actually the last issue I was ever able to track down after the series was eventually cancelled many years later), but got the 3rd and 4th issues before my family moved to a new city and I had to find a new place to buy comic books (this was long before comic shops started opening). While I was captivated collecting this series, it was Jack Kirby's art and story that really fermented in my brain and fueled my hunger for each issue. This was also the first comic to which I got a subscription and I am still upset with DC for mailing these precious treasures to me folded in half (the savages!). I purchased every collected edition of the original series that has been published and when the Kamandi Challenge series was announced I was overjoyed.
I should have known it couldn't live up to expectations.
The problem is that this story is horribly inconsistent from issue to issue, the characterization of Kamandi is inconsistent, the art is inconsistent, the tone and texture of each issue is inconsistent. The notion of jumping from cliffhanger to cliffhanger is fun (although the authors and artists took the concept a little too literally a bit too often) but this turned into a disorganized disaster because of any kind of production consistency. There were some good spots, but also some really awful moments and the transitions between were disjointed and virtually dysfunctional. Sure this was better than the 90s mini-series, but that isn't saying much at all. This series seemed to be paying more homage to the later issues of the original series that Kirby wasn't involved with than to the actual character and stories created by the King of comics.
Am I happy that Kamandi got a new series? Yes! Am I happy that I got to see Kamandi drawn by a dazzling array of artists? Yes! What I am not happy with was the entire package. So I will likely not be buying this collected edition. It was difficult to read as individual issues over the course of a year, so I can't imagine the dizzying effect reading this in one sitting might actually have. I'll stick with going back and re-reading the original Kirby stories every couple of years. They always make me feel like I'm a kid again.
Update: I have picked up a copy of the collected edition. A hardcover copy for a sickeningly discounted price. I just couldn’t pass it up. But this still doesn’t change my mind on how badly executed this series was. I will eventually read this again, and I’m more than a bit worried at how disjointed the narrative will be. I might just have to add another update.
May 16, 2018
A chance to once more tour Kirby's world of Kamandi is a blessing, and the structure of the Challenge ensures that we do, by moving our protagonist across the world over the course of twelve issues. We get to see a number of different locales and a number of different peoples, truly portraying Kirby's vivid and wacky world of the future.
Unfortunately, the structure of the Challenge otherwise undercuts this storyline. It's all about going from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, and although that allows for some excellent adrenaline-pumping adventure, it's not very supportive of good storytelling. We also constantly lose our antagonists and even our supporting cast, destroying almost any sense of continuity.
(One author manages to excel in this environment: Tom King tells a superb story that's well worth reading under any condition.)
I was ready to give The Kamandi Challenge 3 stars as an average book until I got to the last issue, by Gail Simone & Paul Levitz. It totally undercuts the whole storyline by basically copying Grant Morrison's idea of fourth-wall breaking, but doing so without any of the build-up and without any of the skill that made Morrison's take amazing. Instead we get a stolen idea that makes this whole volume worthless. Ah well.
Unfortunately, the structure of the Challenge otherwise undercuts this storyline. It's all about going from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, and although that allows for some excellent adrenaline-pumping adventure, it's not very supportive of good storytelling. We also constantly lose our antagonists and even our supporting cast, destroying almost any sense of continuity.
(One author manages to excel in this environment: Tom King tells a superb story that's well worth reading under any condition.)
I was ready to give The Kamandi Challenge 3 stars as an average book until I got to the last issue, by Gail Simone & Paul Levitz. It totally undercuts the whole storyline by basically copying Grant Morrison's idea of fourth-wall breaking, but doing so without any of the build-up and without any of the skill that made Morrison's take amazing. Instead we get a stolen idea that makes this whole volume worthless. Ah well.
July 5, 2018
With very few exceptions *cough* Tom King *cough* the writers and artists on this Kamandi jam easily get into the spirit of the thing- subject the last boy on earth to over-the-top encounters with a world he never made, and leave him in an inescapable cliffhanger for the next team to solve.
Some of the creators went in their own direction, some tried to tap their inner "King" (not Tom). Rob Williams and Walter Simonson seemed particularly campy:
I think it went about as well as could be expected. Whether die-hard Kamani fans will go for it, I don't know. There is only one king.
Some of the creators went in their own direction, some tried to tap their inner "King" (not Tom). Rob Williams and Walter Simonson seemed particularly campy:
I think it went about as well as could be expected. Whether die-hard Kamani fans will go for it, I don't know. There is only one king.
April 21, 2018
A fun ride but better in theory than execution.
September 1, 2018
Uma grata surpresa. Uma reinterpretação de "Kamandi - Último Garoto da Terra", obra de fição científica pós-apocaliptica criada pelo mestre Jack "The King" Kirby durante sua estada na DC Comics.
As 6 partes desse encadernado são ilustradas/escritas por 6 diferentes artistas.
Curioso é que esse material lançado em capa cartão é justamente um material que merecia uma acabamento em capa dura.
Recomendado aos fãs de aventura e ficção cientítica.
Um preview aqui: https://hotsitepanini.com.br/dc/publi...
As 6 partes desse encadernado são ilustradas/escritas por 6 diferentes artistas.
Curioso é que esse material lançado em capa cartão é justamente um material que merecia uma acabamento em capa dura.
Recomendado aos fãs de aventura e ficção cientítica.
Um preview aqui: https://hotsitepanini.com.br/dc/publi...
May 26, 2019
Well that was an exercise in frustration.
Kamandi was Jack Kirby's Bronze Age riff on Planet of the Apes, a teenage boy struggling to survive in a world of evolved animals (Roman tiger, militaristic gorillas, a snake businessman, rat criminals ...). Kirby's wild imagination made it work.
As a tribute to Kirbys 100th birthday, DC did a round robin set in Kamandi's universe: each issue has a different creative team, each of whom leaves Kamandi in a deadly peril the next team has to resolve. The results are inevitably uneven: occasionally excellent, often mediocre. The supporting cast disappears too often and way too many cliffhangers involve Kamandi falling to his death. Overall it was adequate until the final issue ... when they decide to break the fourth wall and have Jack Kirby show up as a deus ex machina. And use a stupid pun to wrap up everything.
I don't know if they were blocked or just ran out of ideas, but Kirby deserved a much better tribute.
Kamandi was Jack Kirby's Bronze Age riff on Planet of the Apes, a teenage boy struggling to survive in a world of evolved animals (Roman tiger, militaristic gorillas, a snake businessman, rat criminals ...). Kirby's wild imagination made it work.
As a tribute to Kirbys 100th birthday, DC did a round robin set in Kamandi's universe: each issue has a different creative team, each of whom leaves Kamandi in a deadly peril the next team has to resolve. The results are inevitably uneven: occasionally excellent, often mediocre. The supporting cast disappears too often and way too many cliffhangers involve Kamandi falling to his death. Overall it was adequate until the final issue ... when they decide to break the fourth wall and have Jack Kirby show up as a deus ex machina. And use a stupid pun to wrap up everything.
I don't know if they were blocked or just ran out of ideas, but Kirby deserved a much better tribute.
September 17, 2018
Gold! I STRUCK GOLD! That’s how I felt while reading Kamandi’s adventures. Seriously, as a person who had no idea of who this character was, Kamandi made me go back to my childhood.
I just loved the book. This is highly entertaining, seriously addicting, jaw dropping, great sci-fi.
I remembered so much of myself as a kid and all the things that made us love adventures at that period of my life. Even the TV programs that we’d watch and also interact by phone in order to decide what we’d see next.
I’m glad DC has brought back this character with such vivacity and joy.
The Kamandi Challenge is a must read book for all those who never forget how amazing it is to feel like a child!
I just loved the book. This is highly entertaining, seriously addicting, jaw dropping, great sci-fi.
I remembered so much of myself as a kid and all the things that made us love adventures at that period of my life. Even the TV programs that we’d watch and also interact by phone in order to decide what we’d see next.
I’m glad DC has brought back this character with such vivacity and joy.
The Kamandi Challenge is a must read book for all those who never forget how amazing it is to feel like a child!
May 1, 2020
Reprints The Kamandi Challenge #1-12 (March 2017-February 2018). Kamandi has a destiny. As the last boy on Earth after the Great Disaster, he learns that he must seek out his parents and save the world. Unfortunately, Kamandi is facing earth-shattering danger at every turn. Be it fanatic worshippers, mad doctors, or scores of killer humanoid animals, Kamandi must battle through it…but what is the secret to Kamandi’s quest and will he ever find his parents?
Written by Dan Abnett, Marguerite Bennett, Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, Tom King, Paul Levitz, Steve Orlando, Greg Pak, Jimmy Palmiotti, Gail Simone, Peter J. Tomasi, James Tynion IV, Rob Williams, and Bill Willingham, The Kamandi Challenge is a DC Comics limited series collection. The series features art by Neal Adams, Oclair Albert, Amanda Conner, Carlos D’Anda, Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki, Dale Eaglesham, Kevin Eastman, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Keith Giffen, Klaus Janson, Dan Jurgens, Scott Koblish, Joe Prado, Norm Rapmund, Ivan Reis, Steve Rude, Walter Simons, Ryan Sook, Philip Tan, Jill Thompson, and Freddie Williams II.
I was always kind of intrigued by Kamandi. The series was kind of like Tarzan mixed with the science fiction of a future kind of similar to Planet of the Apes. Kamandi would go from adventure to adventure meeting new creatures and friends. The Kamandi Challenge seemed like a natural avenue for Kamandi’s story to be told in a fun way.
The series spins out of both DC Challenge and a celebration of Kirby’s 100th birthday. DC Challenge featured a continuing story by multiple authors and artists and Kamandi takes up that challenge. It is a variation of the “exquisite corpse” storytelling technique which has the story passed on to the next writer-artist combo tasked with saving Kamandi from the seemingly fatal darkness that befalls him at the end of the previous issue (the extreme here is having Kamandi disemboweled at the end of The Kamandi Challenge #5). It is kind of like a bunch of writers vamping and having fun…something that seems to be lacking in a lot of comic book storytelling nowadays.
The format does seem to really fit a Kirby model. The issues are for the most part self-contained with an over-branching story, but the threats, enemies, and allies that Kamandi meets along the path also feel very Kirby-esque. This adds to the story and helps develop it. As mentioned in the afterwards, Kamandi ends up “falling” a lot at the end of stories, but in general, that is the ultimate ending to many a comic book…so I can’t necessarily fault them.
The Kamandi Challenge is fun. It isn’t the best comic you’ll ever read or the most original, but it has something to it. I don’t love the meta-ending of series, but no ending was going to be entirely satisfying, so it is forgivable and it dovetails back to the purpose of the series as a whole. If you are a fan of Kirby and classic comics, pick up The Kamandi Challenge…and maybe it will inspire your own serial story.
Written by Dan Abnett, Marguerite Bennett, Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, Tom King, Paul Levitz, Steve Orlando, Greg Pak, Jimmy Palmiotti, Gail Simone, Peter J. Tomasi, James Tynion IV, Rob Williams, and Bill Willingham, The Kamandi Challenge is a DC Comics limited series collection. The series features art by Neal Adams, Oclair Albert, Amanda Conner, Carlos D’Anda, Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki, Dale Eaglesham, Kevin Eastman, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Keith Giffen, Klaus Janson, Dan Jurgens, Scott Koblish, Joe Prado, Norm Rapmund, Ivan Reis, Steve Rude, Walter Simons, Ryan Sook, Philip Tan, Jill Thompson, and Freddie Williams II.
I was always kind of intrigued by Kamandi. The series was kind of like Tarzan mixed with the science fiction of a future kind of similar to Planet of the Apes. Kamandi would go from adventure to adventure meeting new creatures and friends. The Kamandi Challenge seemed like a natural avenue for Kamandi’s story to be told in a fun way.
The series spins out of both DC Challenge and a celebration of Kirby’s 100th birthday. DC Challenge featured a continuing story by multiple authors and artists and Kamandi takes up that challenge. It is a variation of the “exquisite corpse” storytelling technique which has the story passed on to the next writer-artist combo tasked with saving Kamandi from the seemingly fatal darkness that befalls him at the end of the previous issue (the extreme here is having Kamandi disemboweled at the end of The Kamandi Challenge #5). It is kind of like a bunch of writers vamping and having fun…something that seems to be lacking in a lot of comic book storytelling nowadays.
The format does seem to really fit a Kirby model. The issues are for the most part self-contained with an over-branching story, but the threats, enemies, and allies that Kamandi meets along the path also feel very Kirby-esque. This adds to the story and helps develop it. As mentioned in the afterwards, Kamandi ends up “falling” a lot at the end of stories, but in general, that is the ultimate ending to many a comic book…so I can’t necessarily fault them.
The Kamandi Challenge is fun. It isn’t the best comic you’ll ever read or the most original, but it has something to it. I don’t love the meta-ending of series, but no ending was going to be entirely satisfying, so it is forgivable and it dovetails back to the purpose of the series as a whole. If you are a fan of Kirby and classic comics, pick up The Kamandi Challenge…and maybe it will inspire your own serial story.
November 4, 2024
I've been a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction ever since I first cracked open the Gamma World RPG boxed set back in the early '80s. The concept of mutants, robots, aliens, and an Earth ravaged by cataclysmic events has always fascinated me, especially the endless possibilities of what might come after the end of civilization. Kamandi embodies all these elements, mashing them together into a rich, chaotic setting reminiscent of Planet of the Apes or Thundarr the Barbarian.
Kamandi is billed as "The Last Boy on Earth" and was brought to life by the legendary comic book creator Jack Kirby. The original comics, published in the 1970s, chronicled Kamandi's journey across a world transformed by an apocalypse where mutant animals and intelligent machines now reign supreme. Although Kirby's original series has faded somewhat into obscurity over the years, The Kamandi Challenge, a 2017 revival, paid tribute to Kirby's vision. This ambitious project brought together an impressive collection of comic book writers and artists, resulting in a 12-issue narrative experiment.
The format of The Kamandi Challenge is unique: each issue is crafted by a different creative team, and the story unfolds as a continuous, omnibus-style narrative. The series is a thrilling ride through a wild, unpredictable Earth, where each chapter captures the spirit of a world overrun by mutant animal societies and rogue robots, filling the void left by humanity's near-extinction. The stories vary in tone and quality, but overall, they successfully evoke the original series' sense of danger and wonder. Kevin Eastman's contribution, for instance, stands out for its particularly dark and poignant portrayal, adding emotional weight to Kamandi's adventures.
Despite the series' strengths, my only notable criticism is that some of the side characters who join Kamandi on his journey could have benefitted from more gradual development. Their introductions often felt rushed, and I would have loved to see more of their backstories and motivations fleshed out. Additionally, a deeper exploration of Kamandi himself—and the apocalyptic events that shaped his world—could have enriched the narrative further.
If you enjoy science-fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction, complete with all the classic trappings of the genre, The Kamandi Challenge is well worth your time. It captures the spirit of Kirby's original work and delivers a series of adventures that are as chaotic and fascinating as the world in which they're set.
Kamandi is billed as "The Last Boy on Earth" and was brought to life by the legendary comic book creator Jack Kirby. The original comics, published in the 1970s, chronicled Kamandi's journey across a world transformed by an apocalypse where mutant animals and intelligent machines now reign supreme. Although Kirby's original series has faded somewhat into obscurity over the years, The Kamandi Challenge, a 2017 revival, paid tribute to Kirby's vision. This ambitious project brought together an impressive collection of comic book writers and artists, resulting in a 12-issue narrative experiment.
The format of The Kamandi Challenge is unique: each issue is crafted by a different creative team, and the story unfolds as a continuous, omnibus-style narrative. The series is a thrilling ride through a wild, unpredictable Earth, where each chapter captures the spirit of a world overrun by mutant animal societies and rogue robots, filling the void left by humanity's near-extinction. The stories vary in tone and quality, but overall, they successfully evoke the original series' sense of danger and wonder. Kevin Eastman's contribution, for instance, stands out for its particularly dark and poignant portrayal, adding emotional weight to Kamandi's adventures.
Despite the series' strengths, my only notable criticism is that some of the side characters who join Kamandi on his journey could have benefitted from more gradual development. Their introductions often felt rushed, and I would have loved to see more of their backstories and motivations fleshed out. Additionally, a deeper exploration of Kamandi himself—and the apocalyptic events that shaped his world—could have enriched the narrative further.
If you enjoy science-fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction, complete with all the classic trappings of the genre, The Kamandi Challenge is well worth your time. It captures the spirit of Kirby's original work and delivers a series of adventures that are as chaotic and fascinating as the world in which they're set.
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November 6, 2021Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, is a Tarzan/Mowgli via Planet Of The Apes knock-off who interests me about as much as other late, solo Kirby flails at the zeitgeist like the sodding Eternals. But I liked the idea of this series, where each issue a completely different creative team gets Kamandi out of the peril the last lot got him into, only to in turn set up their own crazy predicament for the next lot. Plus, some of those teams involve interesting names - Marguerite Bennett, Walt Simonson, Jill Thompson. And sometimes they do bring a bit of their own personality into the mix - Conner & Palmiotti, allegedly only paired by chance, even give the lead a green-skinned love interest. But dear me, an awful lot of the cliff-hangers are pretty literal, to the extent that by the finale even the story is taking the piss out of the repeated plummets. Still, I'll forgive a lot for the Steve Orlando/Philip Tan episode which revisits the crazier notions of Soviet transhumanism and adds bears. Tom King, inevitably, starts and ends with fancy quotes and has a very grey and depressing episode, because maybe one day that will finally make Daddy Alan notice him. But hey, at least in his afterword to the next issue (which theoretically is where each writer says how they themselves would have resolved the cliffhanger they left for the next lot, but in practice generally isn't) he has the grace to pretty much apologise for wasting Kevin Eastman on an issue of that. Still, even at its worst, obviously it's better than trying to read the original series – Rob Williams probably comes closest to trying to write dialogue in a pastiche Kirby style, but fundamentally, it has always been the case that anyone who can actually write will never be able to go full Kirby. A sweet little epilogue serves as a reminder that by all accounts Kirby was a cool guy who, away from the page, could have quite a moving way with words. It's just a shame that got drowned in hectoring and scare quotes whenever he put pen to paper.
October 10, 2023
A short definition of this book might go as follows: A 340-page love letter to the King of Comics.
Each tale utilized Jack Kirby's concepts from the original Kamandi series (read it first if you haven't) and either built on them or added to them. Like Kirby, many of the writers and artists mixed in ancient tales to their stories as well. 'Not Quite The Odyssey' by Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair with Jim Lee on the cover is probably the best example of this. It is a really fun tale that runs right up to the edge of absurdity but doesn't cross the line. It is entirely possible that Jack and Homer got a good laugh out of this while both also exclaimed "I wish I had thought of that!".
Original characters such as Dr. Canus and Prince Tuftan had new life breathed into them by Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish. Their world is fleshed out a bit more and when they become allies of the Last Boy on Earth, it brought a huge smile to my face. I wish they had been in more issues, but considering there were eleven more creative teams waiting for their turn in the barrel, it makes sense.
Some of the new characters are right out of the Kirby playbook as well. The Jet-Pack Shark Attack Crew is incredible and I'm still convinced that Jack didn't scribble the name somewhere on the back of a laundry receipt back in the 70s and DC found it just in time for this grand adventure.
This incredible book is also a 'Miss You' card to the late, great Len Wein who was supposed to write the final issue but passed away before he could take on the assignment. Len created my favorite comic monster, Swamp Thing and it was nice to see him mentioned here. This is the kind of thing Jack would have done and the folks at DC did Len (and us fanboys) a solid by mentioning him here.
Highly recommended for fans of Kirby, Kamandi, DC, or anyone who just loves a great four-color adventure!
FIND IT! BUY IT! READ IT! NOW!
Each tale utilized Jack Kirby's concepts from the original Kamandi series (read it first if you haven't) and either built on them or added to them. Like Kirby, many of the writers and artists mixed in ancient tales to their stories as well. 'Not Quite The Odyssey' by Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair with Jim Lee on the cover is probably the best example of this. It is a really fun tale that runs right up to the edge of absurdity but doesn't cross the line. It is entirely possible that Jack and Homer got a good laugh out of this while both also exclaimed "I wish I had thought of that!".
Original characters such as Dr. Canus and Prince Tuftan had new life breathed into them by Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish. Their world is fleshed out a bit more and when they become allies of the Last Boy on Earth, it brought a huge smile to my face. I wish they had been in more issues, but considering there were eleven more creative teams waiting for their turn in the barrel, it makes sense.
Some of the new characters are right out of the Kirby playbook as well. The Jet-Pack Shark Attack Crew is incredible and I'm still convinced that Jack didn't scribble the name somewhere on the back of a laundry receipt back in the 70s and DC found it just in time for this grand adventure.
This incredible book is also a 'Miss You' card to the late, great Len Wein who was supposed to write the final issue but passed away before he could take on the assignment. Len created my favorite comic monster, Swamp Thing and it was nice to see him mentioned here. This is the kind of thing Jack would have done and the folks at DC did Len (and us fanboys) a solid by mentioning him here.
Highly recommended for fans of Kirby, Kamandi, DC, or anyone who just loves a great four-color adventure!
FIND IT! BUY IT! READ IT! NOW!
July 9, 2018
I like to think I've never been shy about some of my fanboy leanings when it comes to comics, and Jack Kirby is one of them. He has his faults as a writer, but the man could imagine EPIC the way very few others could. And, most who have tried to pick up series he created, well they just have not been able to hit quite the same sense of wonder that he did. To be honest there have been a couple, but way more misses.
To honor his 100th birthday DC came up with an interesting idea. Have 12 different creative teams take a shot at telling a Kamandi story. While, not my favorite Kirby series, it was one of his longer lasting. While I won't spoil the ending, I have to say it was way over the deus ex machina for me to be able to elevate the stories to four stars. Overall this is a read with some highs, and some lows, but it is a nice way to pay homage to Kirby.
The concept is at least mildly unique. Each writer writes one issue (there is a total of 12) and leaves Kamandi in a life or death situation that the following writer has to solve.
I will say one of the installments that did standout for me was Bill Willingham's.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Kamandi is the last speaking, intelligent human in a word where animals have risen to walk on two legs, talk and try to figure out how to work the remains of human tech after a great disaster.
Yeah, Kirby missed out on the YA dystopian post-disaster market by about 30 odd years.
If you're a Kirby fan, I think you should give this a try. If you're not, go for it to see if you like how each succeeding writer tries to solve the preceding issue's cliffhanger.
To honor his 100th birthday DC came up with an interesting idea. Have 12 different creative teams take a shot at telling a Kamandi story. While, not my favorite Kirby series, it was one of his longer lasting. While I won't spoil the ending, I have to say it was way over the deus ex machina for me to be able to elevate the stories to four stars. Overall this is a read with some highs, and some lows, but it is a nice way to pay homage to Kirby.
The concept is at least mildly unique. Each writer writes one issue (there is a total of 12) and leaves Kamandi in a life or death situation that the following writer has to solve.
I will say one of the installments that did standout for me was Bill Willingham's.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Kamandi is the last speaking, intelligent human in a word where animals have risen to walk on two legs, talk and try to figure out how to work the remains of human tech after a great disaster.
Yeah, Kirby missed out on the YA dystopian post-disaster market by about 30 odd years.
If you're a Kirby fan, I think you should give this a try. If you're not, go for it to see if you like how each succeeding writer tries to solve the preceding issue's cliffhanger.
December 14, 2022
I have really grown to love Jack Kirby's work, and that goes doubly for Kamandi. A number of years ago, I was able to get my hands on much of the original single issues and really enjoyed it. To me, it was Jack Kirby's take on Planet of the Apes, and while Kirby's writing is not always the best, his art is just flat out incredible. It's really hard to look at that cover and not want to know what is on the inside.
That brings me to the Kamandi Challenge. As part of a celebration of Jack Kirby, DC not only rereleased a ton of his work and came up with the Kamandi challenge. The Kamandi Challenge is basically a jam comic (jam series in this case). Basically a team of creators writes one issues, and leaves a cliffhanger for the next team to solve.
Neat concept, but the comic gets a little disjointed, and there are a couple of creators (Kevin Eastman, I'm looking in your direction) who just completely ignored the previous teams cliffhanger and just did whatever.
I liked it . . . . kind of. I should say that there are ELEMENTS of it that I really liked, because I have to be honest with you, some of it was so unmemorable that I can't quite remember what exactly transpired, and I JUST finished it. Not a good sign.
The world of Kamandi is a really fun place and a lot of GREAT stuff can be done with it, and I have to say that I applaud the attempt here, but that being said, I won't be making room in my collection to keep this one.
That brings me to the Kamandi Challenge. As part of a celebration of Jack Kirby, DC not only rereleased a ton of his work and came up with the Kamandi challenge. The Kamandi Challenge is basically a jam comic (jam series in this case). Basically a team of creators writes one issues, and leaves a cliffhanger for the next team to solve.
Neat concept, but the comic gets a little disjointed, and there are a couple of creators (Kevin Eastman, I'm looking in your direction) who just completely ignored the previous teams cliffhanger and just did whatever.
I liked it . . . . kind of. I should say that there are ELEMENTS of it that I really liked, because I have to be honest with you, some of it was so unmemorable that I can't quite remember what exactly transpired, and I JUST finished it. Not a good sign.
The world of Kamandi is a really fun place and a lot of GREAT stuff can be done with it, and I have to say that I applaud the attempt here, but that being said, I won't be making room in my collection to keep this one.
August 10, 2018
For Jack Kirby's 100th birthday, DC Comics issues The Kamandi Challenge. Essentially, they divided the Earth of the Great Disaster into 12 quadrants, pulled one along with a writer's name and an artist's, gave out the assignments for 12 issues, and asked each team to end theirs on an unresolvable cliffhanger for the next. It's fun, and the creative teams have fun playing in Kirby's back yard, but the format does have its weaknesses. Supporting cast characters are dropped sometimes unceremoniously by writers who don't care about them, and because the Last Boy on Earth has to travel all around the Earth, there's a sense of one damn thing being thrown at him after another, and no cohesive plot (how can there be). Not to say the final writers don't bring it all together, but there's an awful lot of unnecessary incident. That said, the better chapters pay tribute to King Kirby in fun or even touching ways, his art, but also his life and philosophy. I guess most of my favorite bits ARE towards the end - the absurd Greco-Roman stand-off by Giffen and Rude, the unusual metaphysics of Tom King and Kevin Eastman, and Gail Simone's insane finale. Props to Bill Willingham as well for drawing a comparison between Kamandi and the Jungle Book, I don't know how I missed that one.
March 10, 2021
Perhaps 4 stars is a little too generous. This book was absolutely incoherent, even when you consider the concept behind it. I feel that the writers could have tried a little harder to build on what the previous writers had done, but they tended to get distracted in their own little worlds and abandon plot threads. The final chapter did a lot to try and tie it all together, but by that point, things had gotten so out-of-hand that I'm not sure it was possible.
A story composed of nonstop whiplash of imagination that lacks any kind of satisfying resolution? Wow, sounds just like the original Kamandi. And that's why I'm being generous with the rating. This story lives up to what Kamandi always was (ie. a dumping ground for Kirby's overflowing imagination). Yes, it is disappointing, but it was also great fun. It's about the journey, not the destination. Is it what Kamandi fans have been patiently waiting for for nearly 50 years? No, not really. But it's good enough.
And hey, if nothing else, that Tom King issue was absolutely amazing. Holy hell. It stands completely alone if you just want to pick that one out. I wouldn't blame you, because it hits hard.
A story composed of nonstop whiplash of imagination that lacks any kind of satisfying resolution? Wow, sounds just like the original Kamandi. And that's why I'm being generous with the rating. This story lives up to what Kamandi always was (ie. a dumping ground for Kirby's overflowing imagination). Yes, it is disappointing, but it was also great fun. It's about the journey, not the destination. Is it what Kamandi fans have been patiently waiting for for nearly 50 years? No, not really. But it's good enough.
And hey, if nothing else, that Tom King issue was absolutely amazing. Holy hell. It stands completely alone if you just want to pick that one out. I wouldn't blame you, because it hits hard.
March 12, 2019
I wanted to like this book SO much. I love Jack Kirby's work and Kamandi is one of his wildest, most thrilling series. I love the concept of creators handing cliffhangers to each other and seeing how different teams resolve a scenario. But this book ... it starts off fairly entertaining, but it becomes painfully repetitive all too quickly. Kamandi escapes a scenario, falls into the middle of two warring factions (who inevitably view him as a Chosen One) and races to the next cliffhanger. Each installment became a mirror image of the previous one - too frenetic, too busy with characters, too slight on plot or character or imagination. Few of the chapters failed outright and most of the artwork is very good, sometimes great (Eastman in particular floored me, breathing life into a fairly tedious script - Sook, Giffen, Conner and Simonson were other standouts), but twelve middling chapters in a row, each repeating the previous one, wears out its welcome all too fast. And the metafictional ending fell completely flat.
May 23, 2019
The original Kamandi was and remains one of my favorite comics ever. It was Kirby at his best. This modern version was mostly disappointing. Some of the best writers and artists in the business and this mish-mosh mess was the best they could come up with? It's time DC got off their butts and made a new continuing Kamandi series.
August 30, 2019
This book is f**king chaos! But it’s a fun type of chaos! It’s an interesting concept that was done in the spirit of the great Jack Kirby. I found myself shaking my head and laughing at the ridiculousness of it, but I did thoroughly enjoy it as a fun romp. Definitely has an old school comic vibe going on. 3.5 stars
August 11, 2018
It's disappointing because the creators don't follow the rules. Also, it gets a little repetitive. And there's too much space between handoffs. If they had handed it off every time there was a climax, I think it might have been more fun.
June 17, 2020
Round robins are always difficult. You need pretty in tune writers to pick up the pieces and be able to logically advance the story. This suffers from starting great and losing steam every issue after. Some chapters spark, most seem rushed. If you're a Kamandi fan, you'll enjoy the tribute aspects.
January 30, 2021
Fairly enjoyable book that tries to recapture the wild creativity of Jack Kirby by getting a ton of top creators to run a relay race with one of his characters, the last boy left alive in a planet of the apes, sharks, rats and robots. Pretty good, but the ending was a bit of a letdown.
September 5, 2026
DNF!
Sorry but this isn't a story, just random unrelated action scenes. It's a novel idea but completely unsuccessful. I appreciate that so many creators are showing love to Jack Kirby but this wasn't good. Overall, only for hardcore Kamandi fans, all 30 of them.
Sorry but this isn't a story, just random unrelated action scenes. It's a novel idea but completely unsuccessful. I appreciate that so many creators are showing love to Jack Kirby but this wasn't good. Overall, only for hardcore Kamandi fans, all 30 of them.
February 4, 2018
Interesting showcase of current DC Comic talents --- enjoyed Steve Rude's work the most (as usual).
May 23, 2018
Wow...holy poorly rated Batman.
I am not a huge Kamandi fan. But I thought this project gave me a good overview to his world and served as a touching tribute to Jack Kirby.
I am not a huge Kamandi fan. But I thought this project gave me a good overview to his world and served as a touching tribute to Jack Kirby.
July 6, 2018
Colorful weirdness, literal cliffhangers, and plots that twist on a dime: it's a good time and tribute to Jack Kirby.
October 24, 2018
Clever revival of Famous Jack Kirby character, with 12 teams of writers and artists telling a story, with each issue being inspired what the previous teams came up with.
January 27, 2019
It was an experimental concept that felt rough and uneven along the way. Still, it brought back a lot of fond memories of the original comics.
May 7, 2019
Somewhat uneven but there's a few gems you want tu put in front of your eyeballs.
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