Speak-Out Series - In The Days Of The Mob!

Here's a real behind-the-scenes treat from a Bronze Age rarity. In the Days of the Mob was along with its companion Spirit World an attempt by Jack "King" Kirby to broaden the scope of comics at the time when the four-color pamphlet rule the racks. These DC products (though they squire the "Hampshire") were one-offs, the next issues of each project being broken up and published here and yon across the DC Universe.


This seems to be Kirby's sketch for the cover of the second issue. Kirby loved to make use of photos and he did a lot of collage work in these books, most notably on the cover of In the Days of the Mob. Here you can see his few pencils with space provided for the assembled images. Below is an ad for the never-to-be-seen second issue from the first.


Kirby clearly loved dealing with this violent but fascinating period of time as he came back to it time and again. It's a shame he couldn't have done a few more issues of what is clearly a work of love for a time when he was a mere lad. Here's a link to the "Bullets for Big Al" story and some other things as well. And here's a link for the "Murder Inc." story which did see publication but not in the second issue of In the Days of the Mob as intended. And finally here's a link , that has the whole debut issue scanned in, save for the John Dillinger poster below.


Here's an original page from the second issue perhaps, inked by Vince Colletta. Mike Royer was inking Kirby by the time the second issue stories were done. So this Al Capone full-page is a puzzler.


Here are some lush Kirby double-page spreads by the King.



And here's a delicious ad for the magazine.


I have a remote memory of seeing In the Days of the Mob at my local store, stacked high up above my childlike ability to reach, clearly intended for adult attentions. I wanted it still and all. DC has reprinted these stories in a handsome hardback format and if  you're a fan of Kirby's like I am, it is a necessary addition.

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