Thirteen years after his death, the work of Jack "King" Kirby is top of mind for comic book fans.

Marvel

Some are upset that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer doesn't portray Galactus anywhere close to the way Kirby drew him when he debuted back in Fantastic Four No. 48 (March, 1966). The movie shows the planet-devouring Galactus not as a giant man in a purple helmet (cheesy) but as an amorphous storm cloud (sinister).

Well, I own a comic book that may soothe my fellow fanboys by providing a justification for the filmmakers' decision.

When I was reading Fantastic Four as a kid, it was written and drawn by John Byrne. In issue No. 262 (January, 1984), he wrote that Galactus is a "force of nature" that looks different to everyone. "And each mind that views him struggles as best it can to perceive that unguessable force as an image it can comprehend."

So my theory is that in the mind of a mid-1960s comic book reader, a giant man in a purple helmet seemed reasonable. But to the more sophisticated minds of 2007 moviegoers, the storm cloud is more appropriate.

If that doesn't make the fanboys feel better, they can take comfort in this subtle tribute: As the movie's version of Galactus moves toward Earth, the shadow it casts on the rings of Saturn seems to be in the shape of a big purple helmet.

Dan owns two purple shirts, but no purple helmet. E-mail him at dkoller @quickdfw.com.

MORE FROM KIRBY

DC Comics

Jack Kirby spent the 1960s at Marvel, where he and Stan Lee created the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Avengers. After a financial dispute with Marvel's new owners, Kirby moved to DC, where he was given free rein to create on his own.

Some of the characters he came up with in the 1970s are still prominent today. Mr. Miracle was one of the heroes featured in Seven Soldiers. Intergang popped up throughout 52. And Darkseid seems to be a major player in DC's new weekly series, Countdown.

The first appearances of these characters and many others are being reissued in four hardcover collections labeled Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus (right). The first of these deluxe editions arrived in stores last week ($49.99).