2001: A Space Odyssey

by Jack Kirby, Arthur C. Clarke (Original Story), Stanley Kubrick (Original Story)

The Ultimate Trip Becomes the Ultimate Illustrated Adventure!

One-Shot; Movie-Adaptation

Marvel published the adaptation in its then-common treasury edition format featuring tabloid-sized pages of roughly twice the size of a normal comic book.[1][2] The story is a close adaptation of the events of the film, but differs in the fact that Kirby incorporated additional dialog from two other sources: the Clarke/Kubrick novel,[3] and a copy of an earlier draft script of the film that included the more colloquial-sounding version of HAL 9000, as originally voiced by actor Martin Balsam before Douglas Rain took over. In addition, the comic narrative captions describe the characters' thoughts and feelings, a significantly different approach from that taken by the film.
The treasury edition also contained a 10-page article entitled "2001: A Space Legacy" written by David Anthony Kraft.

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Fiction, Comics Manga, Comic Book

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."

Reviews

[Jack Tripper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing cosmic art as usual here from Kirby, but (like some others mentioned), his adaptation of the story itself is perhaps a touch too literal. The mystifying nature of the film is substantially reduced, which I suppose is inevitable since we're given a peek inside the heads of the characters as well as some added dialogue. Still, I would've loved to have owned this as a kid after having been awed-yet-utterly baffled by the movie, as it does lay everything out in a much more straightforward way. It incorporates elements from an earlier draft of the screenplay, and does use some facets of Arthur C. Clarke's novel as well, though I'm not sure if the latter is due to Kirby's own artistic license or if those portions were part of that previous version of the script.


I was tempted to rate this 5 stars based on the glorious, giant-sized art* alone, but I can't quite bring myself to do it. Plus, I don't want to overly-encourage anyone to pay the outrageous prices I'm seeing online these days. Definitely worth checking out though if you come across it for a reasonable amount. Or at least just check out some images online. I still haven't had luck finding it, but thanks to my cool uncle -- the uncle who first introduced me to the film back in the day (when I was much too young to understand what the hell was happening)-- I was able to read his ratty old copy while on a recent visit.

*These images were taken from the retro comics blog Diversions of the Groovy Kind, as the copy I read was much too degraded to get decent photos out of.

(As a side note, this is entirely different from the monthly Marvel series from around the same time. Those were written and pencilled by Kirby as well, but tell original stories using the same concepts explored in the film and novel. Also this one's pages are much larger than your typical comic -- similar in size to an old-school Rolling Stone magazine or tabloid).

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an oversized (10" x 13 1/4") graphic adaptation of the famous Kubrick/Clarke film (and Clarke/Kubrick novel), but it dates from a decade after their release, so it's definitely not one of those rush-job adaptations that were scheduled to hit the stands when the film was still in theatrical release. Kirby's style fits and fills the oversized panels magnificently, with some subtle deviations and additions from the film that makes it easier to determine just what's going on. Kirby didn't just do the art the art, he also wrote the book, and it showcases his mastery of that form as well. It's an all-around winner from the King! (The cover price was $1.50 in 1976... it'd be at least twenty-times that today!)

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Kirby, man of square faces, drew and (over)wrote a comic adaptation of Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, and lo! he gave Dave Bowman a square face.



Actually, the art is really neat, quite technical and intricate. There are collage-y bits where Kirby seems to have used photocopied bits of movie photos, but only a couple of pages.

The pacing is completely off - the film takes its time, and the comic has to squash it all down, and it loses a lot. Kirby writes a lot of narrative text, too much narrative text.

I expected a lot from Kirby depicting Bowman entering the monolith, and it's okay. It's nice, but I've seen Kirby drawing a lot trippier stuff in other comics.

Let's give it 3.5 stars, mostly for the art.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty straight one-to-one adaptation of the movie. I guess its unnecessary but Kirby's art is fantastic. It also explains a bit more than the movie does, working as a bridge between the visuals of the movie and the text of the book.
**
Goodreads won't let me review the 2001: A Space Odyssey ongoing series Kirby did. He wrote and drew 10 issues using 2001 as a springboard into his own creation.

The first issues basically show the entire premise of the book in 20 pages starting with prehistoric times and a monolith jumping to the future with space travellers and the "New Seed" baby-in-space-thing.

The first 7 issues are some of the best most creative work Kirby has done. I sort of wish he had done it with 2001 as a strong influence instead of under its license (if only so we could get more reprints...)

Issues 8-10 the book takes a complete shift and starts telling the story of Machine Man who would get his own comic series immediately after. Basically just a 3-issue prologue of Machine Man that really has nothing to do with 2001. Its good but its just a superhero story.

[Gorab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to pick something read by less than 100 people. And this looked like a safe bet.
Well, however smart or artistic this comic could be, it would have been overshadowed by 2001 - the book as well as the film!
The visuals were nothing at all in comparison to the absolute brilliance of the movie.
I agree the expectations were high considering it was published almost a decade post movie/book.

The only brownie point was the slightly modified climax while I was expecting this :

An extra star just for this.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great adaptation of the Movie. Recommended

[Shaun Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

2001: A Space Odyssey Comic Book Review
Jack Kirby Did An Amazing Job On This Comic Book. From its Excellent Art Style To It's Enlightening Story, It's A Joy To Read. It's Also An Amazing Companion To The Movie/Book.


Platforms: Currently Out Of Print With No Digitized Versions Yet
Author: Jack Kirby
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Publication Date: December 1976-September 1977
No. of Issues: 10
Genre: Sci-Fi, Movie Tie-In

Intro
Hello everyone, I've returned with a new review! In this one, I'm going to be covering a classic comic book series that was created by Jack Kirby in the mid 1970s called 2001: A Space Odyssey. As you might imagine, this is a retelling of the "story" found in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 movie.

It's quite common knowledge among my friends that 2001: A Space Odyssey is not only among my top 3 all-time favorite books, but also in my top favorite sci-fi movies as well. It's true, I bring it up constantly, and the book is engraved into my memory forever. So much so that it's made all the changes they made in the movie so much more glaring but I love it anyway.

This comic book actually does an incredible job of piecing together and then expanding the story to the movie because as we all know, the movie is more of a visual experience than an auditory one so you have no real idea of what's going on unless you've read the book.

It's a shame that this comic book has been pretty much forgotten and has never received a digital re-release, as of writing this review, who knows what the future holds.

I think that about covers our introductions for this review so let's escape this airlock and get the review going!

Story and Setting
The beginning of this series focuses on a caveman known as Beast-Killer, who, surprisingly, has no relation to the caveman in the movie, who was known as Moon-Watcher. Beast Killer goes through a similar change as Moon-Watcher though and is aided by a monolith to gain a semblance of sentience.

The comic book then proceeds to follow the plot of the movie with Dave going up against Hal and ultimately becoming the Star-Child, which is known as The New Seed in the comic book. Once it reaches this point, which is the 7th issue, the comic becomes its own unique story that expands upon the overall universe.

I don't want to spoil what happens, so I'll leave it at that but it goes deep into sci-fi territory and even features a robot rebellion.

The comic book's story was very entertaining, and I was quite surprised that it incorporated dialogue not only from the movie but also the book as well. I later learned that it also incorporated material from an early version of the script as well, namely how HAL 9000 is portrayed.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit though and it fills in a lot of details that you don't really get in the movie since it's mostly silent save for ambience through most of it. It's also much easier to get into than the book might be for some readers so if you can track it down and have only ever seen the movie I definitely recommend it.

Artwork
This is one area of the comic that I can simply praise as being phenomenal. The amount of detail in the images that Jack Kirby drew in this comic book is amazing. It's equally amazing that they were all drawn by hand too.

There was one particular scene that I was blown away by, it was fairly early in the comic where they were travelling across the moon to the monolith discovered there. The scene portraying their traversal was absolutely amazing and I personally found it to be one of the absolute highlight images of the comic. There were plenty of other superb scenes in the comic too but that one definitely stood out among the rest. That image has stuck with me ever since I first read the comic book, which, wasn't that long ago, I'll admit. (It came out way before I was born).

Pros
Excellent Artwork
Very Entertaining Story That Not Only Fills In Movie Details But Also Expands Upon The Universe
Utilizes Dialogue From Not Only The Movie But Also The Book, and An Early Version of the Script
The New Material From Issue 7 Onward Was Pretty Cool, and Definitely Fit The Universe Quite Well.

Cons
No Longer Available For Purchase At Reasonable Prices
Hasn't Been Released Digitally Yet (As Of Writing This)
It's Quite Old Which May Put Off Some Younger Readers

Final Verdict
Overall, I absolutely loved this comic and I wish more people could experience it today. It's an enjoyable read that should easily please fans of not only the movie but also the book as well. The major downside is the fact that you can't buy it at reasonable prices any longer (Just Issue #1 is going for $50 on Amazon and the treasury from 1976 is going for over $200). The other downside is that it hasn't been digitized yet either. Hopefully the comic gets a digitized release one day so younger readers can enjoy this gem of a comic as well.

In the end I've decided to give this comic 4.5/5 stars, it's excellent all around but it would be even more amazing if people could read it.

Thanks For Taking The Time To Read The Review!

You Can Find More Reviews Like This One On My Blog World's End Book Reviews: https://worldsendbookreviews.blogspot...

[Willy Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird, idiosyncratic interpretation the film by the comics master. Crushingly literal. Will either appall or delight depending on sensibility. The follow up comic series was even more bizarre and is recommended.

[David Muñoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

JACK KIRBY IS SO TALENTED THAT HE WROTE A COMIC ADAPTATION OF A MOVIE BUT IT STILL FELT LIKE A MOVIE!!!

I finally was lucky enough to find a way to read one of Kirby's most prolific works, the adaptation of Stanley Kubricks ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ This treasury edition was written almost 10 years after the acclaimed film came out and was always looked at as one of Kirby’s most outstanding works. I’ve wanted to read it for so long but could not find a good condition copy for the right price (even though Kirby’s work is priceless), but once again thank god for %#@() (*#^( online.com for having this whole masterpiece available !
Kirby does the writing, pencils, and part of the coloring on this one and is partnered with Frank Giacoia and Archie Goodwin on inks and finally Marie Severin on colors. WHAT A SUPERSTAR TEAM!

As I stated above the story is an adaptation of the 1968 film. As of writing this review, I’ve only watched the opening intro to the film and didn’t feel compelled to continue. So as to how close it is to the movie I can’t fully speak on, but from the stuff I have seen (the little amount) and bits and pieces you hear about from such a highly ranked film, I’d say it seemed to follow everything pretty well. The story starts us off in a time where humankind were just starving apes on the road to extinction. They then come in contact with Monolith; a giant cube giving off warm energy which attracts the apes. After coming in contact with the cube, the apes feel different, they evolve, learn, and progress. They learn to use tools, hunt, and even defend. We then get the iconic transition, like in the movie, and we are taken to the future where man is now in space and traveling all around our galaxy. Dave Floyd is our main protagonist and he and his crew of astronauts find themselves in contact with Monolith just like the apes did 4 million years ago. When Dave and his team come in contact they as well learn more and progress. Now the ships are bigger and more advanced with AI, they are traveling farther and faster. Although, there is still a lot to be uncovered, and the plan of action must change!

I loved, loved, loved Kirby’s writing in this one! Obviously the plot and I guess overall story isn’t something that Kirby created, he still does a perfect interpretation and was the perfect fit for the job. The pacing of the book moves perfectly and Kirby’s narration feels super engaging. It’s nothing over the top and fills you in with the right amount of info. It’s straight up storytelling! Everything you read feels important and Kirby strays away from any filler dialogue or narrating, which is something hard to find in a late 70s book haha.

Now for the main event and what makes this read so damn perfect, the marvelous artwork!
HOLY SHIT, JACK BUSTED HIS ASS ON THIS ONE! I can not even begin to explain how stunning this work is. Something that is truly out of this world (PUN FULLY INTENDED), you can tell that Jack gave more than just more, because when it comes to the King, he always does more, but this time… NO THIS TIME HE DID BEYOND GREATNESS! The book feels alive and with the stunning scenes that Jack sets up, it almost feels like you’re watching the movie at your own pace. Jack strives with this kind of work, so of course giant panels, splash pages, and spread pages of technology and space feel real and moving. He captures the atmosphere so perfectly and you can feel how massive the environment and locations feel. The color work by Marie Severin is also a huge factor into why the book looks so damn good. Her choice in pallet seems simple at first however the tone it sets makes the read a top notch one. For example when there's a scene where it’s supposed to be bright, you might find yourself squinting cause the brightness feels like it’s a screen coming off the page.
Along with that, the ink team of Frank Giacoia and Archie Goodwin, bring their A-game as the shading and tone help amplify Kirby’s pencils and even Marie’s colors. Kirby also gives us some of his well known collage panels and pages and they too look great!

Overall; I might have to spit out a couple hundred to get a real copy cause this is something I need to hold and witness in hand. I also feel like watching the movie and hope that it’s as good as the mag ( I’m sure that pissed some people off haha) either that or I might just have to read this again. Regardless of what I do, if you haven’t seen the movie or read this mag, I don’t care in which order you do it but FOR SURE READ THE MAG!

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this oversized (King-Sized?) treasury edition comic book adaptation at least twice (possibly more, as I’m not certain of how often I read it in junior high before I started keeping track of such things). It is great and filled with spectacular illustrations in typical hyperactive Jack “the King” Kirby fashion. This makes it an odd adaptation of the cerebral and virtually motionless Stanley Kubrick classic film. Still, the juxtaposition works in odd ways.

Note: I was just given a new copy of this by a friend as a birthday gift, so I’ll likely be reading it again soon. And check out the literary analysis of this weird, mind-boggling adaptation: The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made: Understanding Jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s definitely worth the effort.

[Aaron Cockle · Rating 5 out of 5]

500 stars.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kurbrick and Jack Kirby? I mean really!!! What the fcuk could be better than that?

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey is a legendary piece of film history so capturing the brilliance of the film in comic form was always going to be a challenge. Who better to get the job done than Jack Kirby, one of the best to ever make comics? There's a lot Kirby does right - this comic is an almost 1:1 adaptation of the film, with a lot of visual similarities used. The match cut of the ape throwing the bone into a spaceship is captured perfectly, as is the closeups on Dr. David Bowman's eyes at the end. Marie Severin is an interesting addition to Kirby's artwork here, with her colors adding some cool bits of monochromatic shading that gives this book a highly unique look to it. Indeed, this is Kirby's most distinct looking comic overall. Kirby really plays to the size of the treasury edition, making the splash pages completely jaw dropping.

Where this falls short in some regards is with the dialogue. Kubrick's film is often quiet and contemplative, instead choosing to use Alex North's epic score and ambient sounds to supplement the minimal dialogue in portions. This was always going to be a limitation for a comic, but there are portions that are way to heavy on exposition that at times detract from the mood. I think that the first chapter could have been entirely wordless, though understandably comics from that era rarely did attempt wordless segments.

Nonetheless, I think any fan of the film will get a lot out of this comic, and I firmly believe this is one of Kirby's best solo works.

[Santiago L. Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi opinión sobre Jack Kirby suele ser considerada una herejía. La que tengo sobre el dibujante, que no sobre la figura y su importancia en el mundo del cómic, que jamás discutiré. Es un tema arrastrado de la infancia que nunca he logrado cambiar. No me gusta. Sus dibujos no me gustan. Nada. Bien en la narrativa, bien en la composición, pero no soporto esa representación de la figura humana, esos dedos cuadrados, esos manchones en los rostros. Hablo de los superhéroes, claro, que en lo cósmico y en lo monstruoso ya es otra cosa.
Esta adaptación de la película de Kubrick y Clarke está bien tanto en guión como en dibujo. La verdad es que la he disfrutado bastante. Y todo contando, además, con que la adaptación de este filme es una trampa para osados. Porque una de las cosas que hacen más grande la obra cinematográfica es su indefinición, el hecho de que es interpretable y que, por lo tanto, el adaptador ha de tomar partido y mostrar su versión de lo que cuenta. Estoy muy a favor de aquella por la que apuesta Kirby, absolutamente científica, aunque difiera en algún punto de la mía. A pesar de ser Kirby y de los años transcurridos desde su publicación, este cómic entretiene.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'd think with Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick source material to draw on, Jack Kirby's amazing imagination would have made this spectacular, but, if anything, Kirby's usually cosmic creativity seems limited by having to work from someone else's set ideas. Usually Kirby was collaborating with a writer, like Joe Simon or Stan Lee, or writing for himself to create something new, so while this is still good (it is still Kirby, after all), it's not Kirby's best. I plan to read his follow-up 2001 series soon, and I look forward to what he does when allowed to build on others' ideas and create something original.

[Jason Henwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the entire run and it was quite disappointing. It added nothing of interest to the ‘2001’ universe. The best part of the series was the introduction of Machine Man, which really had nothing to do with the monolith.

[Márcio Moreira]

não vou dar nota pq esse é bem esquisito
arte incrível, mais texto que o roteiro do filme inteiro

[ViNo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What with the graphics, what with the ingenious thought behind the plot. Outrageously emotional and far ahead of known imagination.

[Jules VonDoom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterful adaptation by Kirby.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

2001 é assumidamente o mais psicadélico filme de ficção científica de sempre. Entregar a adaptação para banda desenhada a Jack Kirby não é sublinhar o psicadelismo. É martelar o cérebro até que a caixa craniana se estilhace e com o terceiro olho pineal exposto se mergulhe no espaço perceptivo n-dimensional apercebido como manchas de cor viva que representa para os nossos cérebros irremediavelmente primitivos o abrir das portas da percepção.

Confesso uma relação amor-ódio com o traço de Kirby. A sua linha robusta geralmente traduz-se em figuras humanas rudes. Um traço perfeito para desenhar neandertais mas que prima pela deselegância da figura humana. Por outro lado a sua estética inovadora, uso arrojado da cor e os atrevimentos estéticos com desenho e colagem contribuem para dar à sua obra um tom marcadamente cósmico.

É por isto que talvez esta seja a adaptação certa para o autor certo: nas mãos de Kirby solidifica-se na prancha a filosofia psicadélica cósmica, o energizar da abertura difusa dos anos 60 potenciado pelos electrões que transparece nas cenas mais seminais do filme de Kubrick (e tão ausentes do futurismo terra a terra de Arthur C. Clarke). O resultado é uma adaptação bastante directa do filme, com alguns necessários desvios graças à especificidade da gramática da banda desenhada, embora pouco pronunciados graças às fronteiras difusas entre a linguagem deste género e a fílmica.

Não sendo um livro extraordinário, mantém vivo o deslumbre psicadélico da obra de Kubrick. Talvez o seu real interesse advenha da curiosidade. Em vez de mais uma adaptação para comic criada por um tarefeiro da indústria, capaz de pouco mais do que representações fieis dos ecrãs do filme, a entrega a um dos maiores génios do género gerou uma obra singular. Resta saber quais os efeitos da exposição prolongada ao turbilhão cósmico de cores sobre o cérebro e os globos oculares.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this when it was released, 1976 maybe?, and wasn't impressed. Kirby was doing the Captain America Madbomb story about that time and i couldn't figure out the appeal of his art. it might be time to go back and reread them. i've finally started enjoying Kamandi and the New Goods in the past three or four years.

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un capolavoro.
Come il film e come il libro. Che lo furono in modo diverso l'uno dall'altro.
Così, dieci anni dopo l'uscita di 2001, Kirby ne fa l'adattamento a fumetti. Ma non è l'adattamento del film, ne lo è del libro, pesca da entrambi con la maestria che solo il RE sapeva.
In Italia lo pubblicò la Corno, oramai 35 anni fa, e sarebbe bello avere una ristampa.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically an illustrated version of the novel, taking imagery liberally (occasionally directly) from the film. It's okay, but mostly it's neat as a curiosity.