Celebrating what would be the King’s 100th birthday
If ever there was a name that brought millions inspiration, it would be Jack Kirby. Today, August 28th would have been his 100th birthday.
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Now I’m not going to act like I knew him personally because I didn’t. And I’m not going to act like I’m an expert on him because there are people out there that can do a better job than I can.
What I can do is just talk about how his art personally affected me.
I can’t say I remember when I first saw Kirby’s art. I really want to say it was in the collected edition Origins of Marvel Comics. There were reprints of the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Thor in the book, and it definitely left an impression on me. Kirby’s art was dynamic and action packed. At the same time, it portrayed a lot of emotion.
The amount of characters Kirby created for Marvel and DC is an impressive list, to say the least. Fantastic Four, Darkseid, Hulk, New Gods, X-Men, Kamandi, Captain America, etc. There’s a reason why Marvel comics is referred to as the House that Stan (Lee) and Jack built.
One of my favorite anecdotes of Jack Kirby was actually in Will Eisner’s graphic novel, The Dreamer. The fact this little guy took no crap from no one.
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There are the famous Kirby Krackle (AKA Kirby Dots) which are these dots Kirby would always use in his art. Mainly to display energy. A name so cool there’s a geek punk band named Kirby Krackle.
Kirby’s influence even worked its way into an episode of the PBS children’s show Arthur
I was watching this with my then 3-year-old and my jaw hit the floor when I saw it.
There is a reason why Jack Kirby is called the King and it shows.
Not bad for a Jewish kid from Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
So Happy Birthday Jack and thanks for the legends you created!