Comic Book Artist Jack The King Kirby
Creator and Co-creator of Some of the Most Famous Superheroes.
Jun 13, 2009
Jack Kirby was born in Manhattan, New York, on August 25th, 1917, under the name of Jacob Kurtzberg. His impoverished and struggling childhood years would have an enormous influence on his character, instilling a determination and desire to succeed which would make him one of the best-known names in the comic book industry in a career which spanned over fifty years.
Kurtzberg to Kirby
Kirby was inspired by newspaper cartoon strips and science fiction pulp magazines to seek a career in comics. His early jobs involved editorial illustrations and daily strips for Lincoln Newspaper Features, and a brief stint at Max Fleisher's animation studio drawing in-between frames for cartoons such as Popeye.
During the 1930's, he worked on a variety of comics strips for Fox Features, and moonlighted under a variety of pen names. In 1939, he officially changed his name to Jack Kirby.
Captain America and WWII
The outbreak of World War II provided an impetus for the creation of patriotic heroes, and Captain America and his young partner Bucky were emblematic of the spirit of the times. The adventures of this Joe Simon creation, as illustrated by Kirby, became an enormous success for Timely Comics, and was associated with Kirby for the rest of his career. Drafted in 1943, Kirby served in the European theatre, and was sent home in 1945 after nearly losing his legs to frostbite.
After leaving the Army, Kirby returned to the comics industry and was reunited with Joe Simon. During the next few years, they created a series of romance comics, selling millions of copies of titles like Young Romance.
In spite of this initial success, financial difficulties caused Simon to leave the comics industry, and Kirby went to work for DC Comics, but left shortly thereafter due to legal disagreements.
The Sixties and Marvel Comics
It was the 1960's which saw Jack Kirby reach his full potential as a storyteller and develop his mature style as an artist. He returned to Timely Comics, which in 1963 became the Marvel Comics Group. During his time at Marvel, Jack Kirby revived (literally) the character of Captain America and created or co-created of some of the best known and most popular super heroes: The Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer and Daredevil.
Dubbed "The King" by Marvel Comics writer/editor Stan Lee, his bold, kinetic style set the standard for an entire generation of comic book artists. Kirby's art was powerful and dynamic: his blocky, almost primitive figures dominated the panels, and the sweeping, graphic lines he used to create motion had a life of their own.
Later Years
Leaving Marvel in 1970 for a position at DC, Kirby wanted to create a new mythology, a new set of gods for a modern age. Commonly known as the Fourth World series and featuring characters such as Darkseid, Orion, Mister Miracle and Big Barda in three different comic books, it was not a financial success, but has continued to maintain a following.
During the 80's, Kirby became involved in a legal debate with Marvel Comics over his original artwork. The struggle became a cause célèbre in the comics industry, and was eventually resolved by the return of thousands of pages of artwork from the Marvel archives.
Kirby's Legacy
At the time of his death at his home in California on February 6th, 1994, at the age of 76, Jack Kirby could look back at a career which had defined the nature of comic books for over 50 years. As a final tribute, the Smithsonian Institute placed a request for the battered desk from which Jack Kirby had built an entire universe of imagination.
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