The Jam (comics)
The Jam, formally known as the Jammer, is a fictional costumed hero, created by writer-artist Bernie Mireault, who originally appeared in Canadian comic books published by Matrix Graphics Series. The Jammer made his first appearance in New Triumph Featuring Northguard #2.
The Jammer is the alter ego of Gordon "Gordie" Kirby, an otherwise normal guy who found he enjoyed patrolling the rooftops of his home city of Montréal in a homemade superhero costume. The Jammer is not really a superhero. He often finds himself in the right place at the right time, and is compelled to act heroically. Sometimes he is hired to do good deeds. His personal mission is to "dominate the world with peace, love, and free beer." Through the course of his career, he has battled terrorists, a delusional psychiatrist, and even servants of the Devil.
Publication history
The first published stories of the Jam appeared in New Triumph Featuring Northguard from Matrix Graphic Series between 1985 and Summer of 1986. These stories were collected by Matrix Graphics Series as The Jam Special #1 in 1987. The special featured a new unpublished story.A second special, The Jam, Urban Adventure: Super Cool, Color-injected, Turbo Adventure from Hell #1, was published in 1988 by.
Slave Labor Graphics published The Jam, Urban Adventure #1–5 between November 1989 and the Summer of 1991. The Jam, Urban Adventure #1 was an expanded version of the new story found in The Jam Special #1.
Tundra Publishing colorized and republished The Jam, Urban Adventure #1–5 between January and May 1992.
Dark Horse Comics picked up the title and published The Jam, Urban Adventure #6-8 between October 1993 and February 1995.
Caliber Comics published The Jam, Urban Adventure #9–14 between 1995 and 1997. The short story "The Chair" appeared in Negative Burn #25 from Caliber Comics in 1995.
In 1998, Dark Horse Comics published Madman/Jam, a two-issue series featuring Mike Allred's character Madman. Madman/Jam #1–2 and Nexus Meets Madman were collected and reprinted as the Madman Boogaloo! Starring Nexus & The Jam trade paperback from Dark Horse Comics.
Evil Twin Comics published a story called "Team Jam" in Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology featuring the Jammer and other Bernie Mireault characters.
In 2009, posted an animated version of the second Jam story, first published in New Triumph Featuring Northguard #3.
In 2011, the graphic novel To Get Her was published by BEM Graphics and documented the continued adventures of Gordon Kirby and Janet Ditko.
In March 2013, Bernie Mireault posted colorized versions of the first Jam story and "The Chair" feature from Negative Burn to his Comic Art of Bernie Mireault blog.
In 2016, EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy published a short prose story "The Jam: A Secret Bowman" in Tesseracts Nineteen: Superhero Universe.
In 2017, About Comics published a collection of Bernard Edward Mireault's independent work called "XVI Short Stories" which included the colorized versions of the first four Jam stories.
Images of the Jammer were featured in Canadian Comics Cavalcade, Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special #2, the Caliber Comics 1996 Calendar, Overstreet's Fan #7 - Indy Jam Variant, Comic Eye, Modern Masters, Volume Sixteen: Mike Allred, and Madman 20th Anniversary Monster!.
The Jammer's creator Bernie Mireault was featured in Demi-Dieux, 40 ans de super-héros dans la bande dessinée québécoise published by Jean-Dominique Leduc at Mem9ire. The Jammer appeared, along with other notable characters, on the cover of the book.
| Date | Publication | Publisher |
| 1985 | New Triumph Featuring Northguard #2 | Matrix Graphic Series |
| 1985 | New Triumph Featuring Northguard #3 | Matrix Graphic Series |
| 1986 | New Triumph Featuring Northguard #4 | Matrix Graphic Series |
| 1986 | New Triumph Featuring Northguard #5 | Matrix Graphic Series |
| 1986 | Canadian Comics Cavalcade | Artworx |
| 1987 | The Jam Special #1 | Matrix Graphic Series |
| 1988.05 | The Jam, Urban Adventure: Super Cool, Color-injected, Turbo Adventure from Hell #1 | |
| 1989.11 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #1 | Slave Labor Graphics |
| 1990.01 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #2 | Slave Labor Graphics |
| 1990.03 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #3 | Slave Labor Graphics |
| 1990.05 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #4 | Slave Labor Graphics |
| 1991.01 | Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special #2 | Fantagraphics Books |
| 1991 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #5 | Slave Labor Graphics |
| 1992.01 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #1 | Tundra Publishing |
| 1992.02 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #2 | Tundra Publishing |
| 1992.03 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #3 | Tundra Publishing |
| 1992.04 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #4 | Tundra Publishing |
| 1992.05 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #5 | Tundra Publishing |
| 1993.10 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #6 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 1994.03 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #7 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 1995.02 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #8 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 1995.07 | Negative Burn #25 | Caliber Comics |
| 1995 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #9 | Caliber Comics |
| 1995 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #10 | Caliber Comics |
| 1995 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #11 | Caliber Comics |
| 1995 | Caliber Comics 1996 Calendar | Caliber Comics |
| 1995.12 | Overstreet's Fan #7 | Gemstone Publishing |
| 1996 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #12 | Caliber Comics |
| 1996 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #13 | Caliber Comics |
| 1997 | The Jam, Urban Adventure #14 | Caliber Comics |
| 1998.07 | Madman/Jam #1 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 1998.08 | Madman/Jam #2 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 1999 | Madman Boogaloo! Starring Nexus & The Jam | Dark Horse Comics |
| 2007.10 | Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology | Evil Twin Comics |
| 2007 | The Comic Eye: Comics About Comics | Blind Bat Press |
| 2008.04 | Modern Masters, Volume Sixteen: Mike Allred | TwoMorrows Publishing |
| 2009.10 | "The Jam Lives" | CO2 Comics Comics |
| 2011 | To Get Her | BEM Graphics |
| 2012.10 | Madman 20th Anniversary Monster! | Image Comics |
| 2013.03.15 | "The Jam 00a" | Comic Art of Bernie Mireault |
| 2013.03.21 | "The Chair" | Comic Art of Bernie Mireault |
| 2013.03.25 | "Team Jam" | Comic Art of Bernie Mireault |
| 2014.04 | Demi-Dieux, 40 ans de super-héros dans la bande dessinée québécoise | Mem9ire |
| 2016.03 | Tesseracts Nineteen: Superhero Universe | EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing |
| 2017.03 | XVI Short Stories | About Comics |
Fictional character biography
Major story arcs
''Fun with Flarks''
While vacationing in Montréal with friends, the Blood King hired Jane Marble to protect him from a small but determined army of terrorists who followed in his wake. Jane contracted the Gordon Kirby to be the king's body double.''Broken Hearts''
The Devil took a special interest in Gordon Kirby when he learned Gordie's happiness ratings were "off the chart".''"...Said the Madman."''
referred Gordon Kirby to Dr. Andrew Mandigo who was willing to pay the Jammer to talk about his life as a crimefighter.''To Get Her''
and Janet Ditko had been together for 10 years. Gordie had rediscovered his calling as a comic artist. Janet was frustrated and looking for a change.Multi-issue stories
''Ask Him About the Kinetic''
was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to personally deliver a message to Jane Marble's client Mark Trimble. She offered to tear up Mark's bill if he told Gordie about the Kinetic.''House of Escher''
met Frank Einstein who had traveled to Montréal to uncover the mystery behind a reoccurring dream.Short stories
''What Are You Doing to My Mother?''
The Jammer happened upon Jane Marble being mugged in an alleyway at knifepoint.''Fight! Fight! Fight!''
The Jammer spotted a mother and her child being threatened on an adjacent rooftop by an angry man with a gun.''I'm Gonna Screw Up Your Float.''
tried to return bottles to a convenience store when it was robbed at gunpoint.''Time to Get Rich''
called Jane Marble about a job opportunity and overheard an intruder breaking into her office.''You're Such a Pig, Roger.''
The Jammer happened upon an enraged man dangling another from the roof of a building by a rope.''The Price Is High.''
dreamed he was the Jammer Omniscient, ruler of Hell for Assholes.''Don't Forget the Rent.''
visited his bank and noticed two suspicious men walking in and another waiting outside behind the wheel of a car.''New Talent Night''
and Janet Ditko attended the debut of the Balloons at the Blue Angel Bar's New Talent Night.''The Mighty Jan''
dreamed she was a superhero attempting to rescue Gordon Kirby from the clutches of the evil Hell Lord.''God's Window''
was killed in a freak accident. His wife Nina held a religious vigil.''The Chair''
and Janet Ditko scrambled to acquire nice a chair that had been abandoned in an alley across from their apartment building.''Story Time at the Blue Angel''
met his friend Rex at the Blue Angel Bar to talk about an event that had been bothering him.''Megan's Story''
and Janet Ditko were invited to Studio C by Janet's Aunt Zoe for the opening of Klee Shonin's new show.''Team Jam''
, Bug-Eyed Monster, Dr. Robot, and No.1 met the Jammer when they got lost following a storyline.''Comic Jam''
attended a regular drawing workshop and social hour for cartoonists at La Sala Rosa Restaurant. The attending artists produced a collaborative comic.''A Secret Bowman''
witnessed a man being shot with an arrow by a bowman from an adjoining rooftop.The works of Gordon Kirby
''Mayhem in Alphabet Town''
"Mayhem in Alphabet Town" was a bedtime story created by Gordon Kirby for his nephew Ronnie. It is a murder mystery wherein the residents of Alphabet Town come together to determine who killed Q.''Internal Dialogue''
"Internal Dialogue" is a 16-page comic written and illustrated by Gordon Kirby about a man who is held ransom by his mistreated organs.''Hi-hat''
"Hi-hat" is a series of newspaper-style comicstrips written and illustrated by Gordon Kirby that serve as an allegory to his struggles as an artist.''Asshole''
"Asshole" is a 10-panel newspaper-style comicstrip about a clown asking for a handout from a disillusioned good samaritan.Resume summary
- Rescued a woman from muggers
- Rescued a woman and her child from an armed assailant
- Educated a clerk in the practice of bottle deposits and returns
- Prevented the robbery of a convenience store
- Counseled children on the importance of being polite
- Persuaded a man not to kill another in a fit of rage
- Rescued a woman from being bludgeoned to death in the street
- Aided local police in the apprehension of three bank robbers
- Mentored at-risk youth
- Helped prevent the assassination of a foreign leader
- Counseled a woman in crisis
- Helped free two people being held in against their will in another dimension
- Disabled a man on a psychotic break, leading to his subsequent arrest and eventual rehabilitation
- Assisted police in the identification and eventual apprehension of a domestic terrorist
Income accrued