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Jack Kirby cover/art; 1st app of the 2nd Black Knight (Nathan Garrett) COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 7 (CBI)
Tales To Astonish #52 features the first appearance of the modern-day Black Knight, the ancestor of the original Marvel character who was an Arthurian-era hero who wielded a magical ebony sword, which has become one of the most powerful weapons in Marvel mythology. The dastardly Professor Nathan Garrett is the Black Knight, a crazed scientist who wreaks havoc in this particular issue, creating a great deal of trouble for Giant-Man and Wasp in his role as a communist agent. The deranged villain spends his time genetically engineering a winged horse and inventing dangerous weaponry. He is defeated by the super-duo and eventually passes along his identity to his nephew, Dane Whitman, who chooses to use his powers for the good of mankind and joins up with the Avengers. It has been announced that Kit Harrington of “Game of Thrones” fame will portray the armored hero in the MCU, imbuing this issue with newfound importance and collectability.


Artists Information

Jack Kirby is called 'The King of Comics' for a reason, during his career that spanned six decades he gave us many of the most iconic characters the medium would ever see. From his introduction of Captain America at the height of World War II it was clear he wasn't your ordinary comics artist. But it was his creative explosion at Marvel Comics in the 1960's that cemented his legacy, over a short period of time Kirby would give us The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, Ant-Man and Nick Fury just to name a few. Kirby would then go to DC and create his Fourth World, introducing Darkseid, Mister Miracle, The New Gods and a host of cosmic supporting players. Long live The King.

Richard "Dick" Ayers was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of the main inkers during the late-1950's and 1960's Silver Age of Comics, including some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' including Jack Kirby's The Fantastic Four. He is the signature penciler of Marvel's World War II comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, drawing it for a 10-year run, and he co-created Magazine Enterprises' 1950s Western-horror character the Ghost Rider, a version of which he would draw for Marvel in the 1960s. His career would span 7 decades until his death in 2014.