WHAT: The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center hosts its annual walking tour of the New York neighborhood where comics legend Jack Kirby — co-creator of the Marvel Universe — grew up, tracing the streets and history that shaped his early life and career.
WHEN: Saturday, August 29, 11:00am–12:30 pm
WHERE: The walking tour begins under the Jack Kirby Way street sign, NW corner of Delancey & Essex Streets, Manhattan.
📍 Meeting point on Google Maps
WHY IT MATTERS: Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, 1917-1994) created or co-created some of the most enduring characters and stories of the 20th century (including the Avengers, Captain America, Darkseid, the Fantastic Four, Hulk, the Silver Surfer, the X-Men, and hundreds of others). Kirby’s storytelling revolutionized genres such as crime, war, superheroes, and romance and almost single-handedly defined the visual language of comic books. Evidence of his work and influence surrounds us today, not only in comics, but also in television, movies, and beyond. The tour connects his Lower East Side childhood to the street co-naming of Jack Kirby Way, offering a unique, on-location, and cultural perspective on comics history and NYC landmarks.
PHOTO/COVERAGE OPPORTUNITY: The tour is a unique opportunity to see the neighborhoods, Lower East Side architecture, and cultural landmarks that shaped Jack Kirby’s early life and influenced his work throughout his career. Led by Kirby and comic historians and drawing an engaged group of fans every year, the tour is an insightful and engaging look at one of the most important artists of the 20th Century.
About Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center
The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation, and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby. They are committed to illustrating the scope of Kirby’s multi-faceted career, communicating the stories, inspirations, and influences of Jack Kirby, celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations, and building an understanding of comic books and comic book creators. To this end, the Museum sponsors and otherwise supports study, teaching, conferences, discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications, and cinematic, theatrical, and multimedia productions. For more info, visit kirbymuseum.org and look for @JackKirbyMuseum on YouTube, Instagram, and other social platforms.