From November 29th to December 7th, The One Art Space hosted the Jack Kirby: From the Ghetto to the Cosmos exhibition, celebrating the life and art of legendary Marvel Comics co-founder and illustrator Jack Kirby. Located at 23 Warren St, a joint venture between the gallery space and The Jack Kirby Museum, it is a celebration for anyone that admires and is a fan of the King of Comics. My girlfriend Jharleen and I attended the exhibition to see the works up close and personal. I first came across the exhibition a few days prior due to comic book illustrator Dean Haspiel posting about the pop-up.
The gallery had an array of works on display, such as oversized displays of Kirby’s original pencilled pages of Street Code. The exhibition featured some Celestial helmets that attendees can actually wear and take photos with, which might be the closest anyone may have to feeling like one of the Eternals. There was a slew of unseen archival footage and interviews with Jack Kirby, photos of Kirby and his wife, Roz, and oversized reprints of his books that attendees can read through to see just how massive of a creator Kirby had always been, no matter the scale.
One of the biggest highlights for my girlfriend and I was this one section of the exhibition. We had spoken to one of the staff members, Lisa, who recommended we check the tent, which had a black light, and held glow-in-the-dark, selected works, pinups, splash pages, and panels from Kirby’s works on Thor, Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, The Eternals, The New Gods, and Etrigan: The Demon.
I’d like to extend a kind thanks to Staff member Lisa for her kind words and for letting us see some cool stuff with the neon prints in the black light room. I acquired a free copy of Sketches on the Sidewalk: A Secret History of NYC’s Jewish Comic Creators, written, illustrated, lettered, and colored by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, Janice Chiang, and Matt Webb. I also purchased a copy of According to Jack Kirby: Insights drawn from interviews with comics’ greatest creator, written by Michael Hill, and added it to my home library.
The exhibition was amazing and honored the King of Comics well. I wished that the exhibition ran along a little longer so that more attendees could visit and soak in all the history and wonder that Jack Kirby provided audiences with, something that stood the test of time to his upbringing, creativity, and imagination. If you’re in the city, the exhibition runs until 6 pm, from November 29th-December 7th. Highly recommended, Nuff Said,
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