The king of comics - Jack Kirby (2 of 2)

[17darkmaster1]

jack kirby drew from the heart

[FrankSavages]

Kirby followers are forever growing and apart from the legions here in England whose life he touched with such essential magic i am finding more and more people are facinated and becoming Kirbyesqe as they are exposed to his work...Genius has many levels and knows no boundries. Again thankyou for the golden soul.

[robertquentincobb]

The Greatest Comic Artist of all time: Jack King Kirby. Thanks for the inspiration: Thanks for the memories.

[cinemantid75]

Aside from both my parents being artists, Jack "The King" Kirby inspired me to become an artist today. Even before I learned human anatomy, I was already mimicking the Jack Kirby style artwork. Long live the King!!

[xRxexLx]

Jack Kirby is a LEGEND!

[DoctorLawyerWhatever]

Curious as to why he never also produced fine art. Did he paint, or produce drawings more directed to the fine art world of gallery representation?

[cha5]

@DoctorLawyerWhatever Well I don't think he ever really went in that direction as far as painting goes although there were a few hand painted works he did like his "Tribes Trilogy" and his "Dream Machine" painting which IMHO wouldn't be out of place in some galleries, (see 'Kirby Five-Oh from Tommorow Press for an example) also some of his "comics collages" are really complex and he made them with only scissors and glue and bits from old magazines.

[cha5]

@DoctorLawyerWhatever The "Dream Machine" painting is a diptych measuring over five feet wide that Kirby started on in 1970 and finished in 1975, you can find a reproduction of it in the remastered "Kirby Unleashed" book. I leave it up to others to determine wheither it's gallery worthy or not, IMHO it is.

Some of Kirby's most personal art works although not paintings would IMO be his drawings of God, or his interpretation of God in several drawings he did in the 1970s which are memorable.

[IHS7]

2:30 JAW DROPPING IMAGE of THOR!

[teakey]

SOmeone better pay his children for the money that they didn't pay Jack

[callmecorey66]

Jack Kirby created Comics, and by association, created modern cinema. Look at those panels. Did anyone ever do that before? Hell no.

So many movies made in the last 30 years owe such a debt to JK's notions of composition. Who has ever made such gorgeous use of line drawing? Just look at Thor, Fantastic Four, Avengers and XMen art from the 60's and 70's. The composition literally gives me chills. The Greatest.

[qwisp]

What more can be said than...long live The King.

[thorsnose]

stan lee was ok....but nothing compared to kirby,,the fact that he was jewish is cool,,,his wife and daughter look really nice,,he has a warm smile,,,he really did make my life fun,,but after spiderman took over it sucked,,the same story every issue,,and the early comics had a soul and not too many lines,,you could see the people much easyer,,all the remakes ruin the story lines,,they always claimed the ink was going up,,,well ink must be really high now,,and they would destroy any unsold issues

[LeighMet]

DO you have the entire Documentary with you or know who made this doc. I work 4 a documentary company and  the story that we are doing involves Jack Kirby. we are trying to get in touch with people who were involved with his life or who have interviewed him before. Thank you for your time

[jackedsamurai772]

that toys r us story made me cry a little

[hadesjr17]

THANK YOU JACK KIRBY FOR MY COOL CHILDHOOD

[16JAM77]

so in other words, stan lee is an asshole 4 taking all the credit.

[DemiathDoomhammer]

@16JAM77 - no, but Stan could have said to them to interview the genious Jack Kirby as well.. not just him

[kevin1278]

@16JAM77 And possibly an anti-semite.

[16JAM77]

@kevin1278

but i thought stan lee is a jew, no?

[cha5]

@16JAM77 Yes they were both Jewish, Stan Lee (Stanley Lieber) and Jack Kirby (Jacob Kurtzberg) as were a large number of the early comic creators Bob Kane (Robert Kahn) Will Eisner, Siegel & Shuster, Joe Simon, Joe Kubert, Sheldon Moldoff and many others. Most of them were the children of Jewish immigrants who lived in N.Y.C. immigrant communities like The Bronx, The Lower East Side, East Brooklyn, many of these artist started working in their teens, Gil Kane was 13 years old when he started up.

[aztekarrow]

Jack Kirby was very inspirational to all. He is missed. R.I.P. King.

[RULO86]

Why the X-Men fight with the Avengers?

[kevin1278]

@RULO86 Because Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch found out that Xavier boned their mom, and bragged about it to Wolverine who blabbed it to Captain America, who blabbed to Wonder Man, (who out of anger) threw it up in Scarlet Witch's face after he discovered she was banging Vision. A big fight ensued because of embarrassment, and broken trusts confidentiality. Comprende?

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

@kevin1278 : I don't know if you're joking or if this is some current storyline...

[kevin1278]

@DeepSouthWrestling1 ~No it was about ten years ago.

[kevin1278]

@DeepSouthWrestling1 ~No joke, it was about ten years ago.

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

@kevin1278 : That sounds like the biggest piece of shit I've ever heard!!! Marvel really is run by a pack of total idiots these days, huh?

[kevin1278]

@DeepSouthWrestling1 ~Google it. 

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

@kevin1278 : I believe you...

[Cartoonkid111]

Wow. That was awesome.

[rdc1622]

Jack Kirby's vision certainly made an indelible blueprint in the way I see the world. The new Marvel films with their computerized graphic are cool, but they just don't have that magic that those comics had.

[Jorge4402]

To novoneiro: Jack Kirby did indeed stick up for himself. You must understand however, those were different times. Laws then didn't necessarily favor or protect visual artists as they do today. I have to say that Stan Lee himself most probably took unnecessary credit for some of Kirby's original ideas and input into the company as a whole. What would Jack Kirby command salary wise? You can bet with today's laws he would be rich many times over!

[novoneiro]

I never knew that kirby did so much. I always thought stan lee created all the characters. Kirby should have stuck up for himself more.

[TheEye22]

Hey Nike--WHAT???

[NikeAurrs45]

in a weird way this is bias towards stan lee i mean he made spiderman(the imagination) but jack kirby made spiderman the figure. same goes to bob kane whom him and kirby made batman

[zac3k]

I might be wrong, but I don't remember Kirby ever drawing Batman, but maybe you are thinking of Bill Finger.

[wolfmerc1190]

Are you serious? It's bad enough that he wasnt recognised for his level of skill in the comic business, but for him not to get any cash at all. That's disgusting.

[chatanwarrior]

R.I.P Jack you will never be forgotten

[VinnyMonster1]

@chatanwarrior Hear Hear!

[rickyoct]

I love his work ever since i could remember ,i say around six or seven way back in the early seventies. i used to draw a lot in the eighties and Jack King Kirby was my idol and still . He actually motivated me by his art work . He inspired me to the point i adapted a lot of his drawing style as an artist. R.I.P. Jack we love you . i really love his work.

[chillout010]

Damn, the whole thing about Jack not getting the proper recognition for Hulk and CA made me feel real bad for the guy, especially 'cause it's true.

I just put myself in his place and it must be so painful.

I was hoping they would talk about the Kirby krackles/dots though, hehe. Anyway, nice little doc, thanks for the post!

[itzjoeymac]

Hulk CA FF X-Men Black Panther Iron Man Thor Gi-Ant man and on and on and on

[MrSaturn80]

tis sucks at kirby died. He was by far the best of the comic book artists

RIP JACK THE KING KIRBY

[trublgrl]

Who are these people in the film? I need to know if there opinions mean anything or not.

If blue-shirt-fatty is Mark Evanier I can believe that. Everything he writes or says about Jack comes with a gigantic shoulder-chip.

But who is the redhead?

[erodog]

His daughter or grand daughter.

[owlie14]

The red-head is Lisa Kirby, his daughter and also the head of her father's estate.

[NikeAurrs45]

the real mary jane watson

[chatanwarrior]

@NikeAurrs45 what?

[connormac1234567]

I When did Jack die?

How old was he?

[paulpunisher]

Jack passed away in 1994, he was 77 (born 1917)

[archer1949]

WHo is the guy being interviewed?

[paulpunisher]

Mark Evanier, Jack's "Assistant" and friend since 1969. A comic book writer in his own right, He recently wrote "Kirby: King of Comics". Google the book, it's got some great images.

[FlacoTV]

I gotta get that book!

[trublgrl]

Yes, He used his irreplaceable time at the feet of the world's greatest comic creator to produce such epic tales as "Groo" and "The Mighty Magnor"

Go Mark!

[cha5]

Not to mention working like hell (along with a fair number of other people) to try and get Kirby's original art returned to him and seeing that Roz Kirby (Jack's wife) actually got a bit of money from Marvel after Kirby's death, as opposed to what Kirby and his family got from Marvel during his lifetime, almost nothing.

[itzjoeymac]

Ask Stan Lee about THE KING. He'll tell you who was the greater artist/storyteller

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

@itzjoeymac : Only because he has been shamed into admitting Kirby had a bigger hand in things than previously revealed...

[Hunterbigfoot]

I thought this Document was sad,Good,  very interesting.

[ballkicker19]

yeah,rest in pimpness,king

[Nick00Fury]

R.I.P.

[mow1717]

one of my prize possesions is a comic book he signed.he signed it jack the king kirby.

[jmen4ever]

Got an avengers one signed by him.Also managed to get Lee to sign it.

[nitramlio]

OOP'S, I've made a couple of error's, It's 'Magnum' Opus not 'Magnus' and 'Fourth' world not 'Third'.Getting old you know!

[nitramlio]

It's always a shame when you find out too much information about your heroes, it's best to remember them for the impact they made on your life. As a kid I could ALWAYS tell that Jack had more to do with the creation of the FF, Silver Surfer, Inhumans,X-men,Thor, etc, than Stan, Stan was basically a manager of creative talent. Jack shouldn't have worried that he wasn't getting enough credit because the fans KNEW it was his work. Jack was a true genius, Third world trilogy his Magnus Opus.

[faliklunj]

I don't think even the most prestigious comic art award is big enough for him. It's a scandal that you Yanks promoted the rip-off 'pop'artist Lichtenstein over Kirby. As a son of NY, he should at least get a retrospective of his work on at the MOMA (and Stan Lee should cough up the cash for it).

[thehognias]

creators always get screwed by slimy suits that have no talent.

[faliklunj]

He deserves some sort of posthumous lifelong achievement award for his services to art.

[itzjoeymac]

I think an Oscar is in order.

[OrmEmber]

Jack Kirby was far too kind and generous. When he first recognized he wasn't getting his fair share of recognition/compensation, he should have gotten a lawyer to protect himself and left to form his own company, much earlier. Stan Lee really let Jack Kirby down in a big way when he refused to side with him in his battle to get his artwork back from Marvel...much of which was stolen. Lee took a lot of credit belong to Jack, and did not live up to the principles he espoused in his books...

[pantspayroll]

That was great! Where did this come from? Anybody know what the music is? It totally suits Jack's work...

[JAREDNINEJ9]

this guy is great long live the king of comics

[Magma541]

He truly deserved more credit, Notice how all the best characters lee made were during the time he was with jack kirby.

[itzjoeymac]

Another KIRBY CREATION, 'Iron Man', came out tonight and it was awesome. The artists from the time unilaterally profess that JACK KIRBY came up with almost all the ideas for characters. Still, Jack's name was not mentioned until the end credits in SMALL PRINT! It is pathetic and I believe will soon backlash more than ever considering the amount of KIRBY MOVIES in the past 7 or 8 years and the MANY YET TO COME. It was an improvement from X-men though who acted like Jack was a CATERER!

[J5MARLON]

Jack died in 94 the same time the industry collasped.

[Stepper11]

Jack Kirby was a force of nature. I like how the guy describes Kirby as "like a Ouija board". I think he was channeling information and ideas from deeper realms of consciousness, like a shaman. He was definitely tapped in.

[TheLogicJunkie]

Comic books are run by crooks.

[brabon]

not anymore...in jack's day, they were considered "work for hire" and there was no such thing as intellectual property rights...they could easily have thrown jack and other creators a bone, and given them a piece of the ancillary marketing...but they chose not too...and one of teh culprits remains....stan lee...who in the end, sued marvel for his share of the spidey franchise...but has never given anything to jack or ditko

[TheLogicJunkie]

Two points:

1) Stan Lee has always rubbed me the wrong way. Now, to find out that he took credit all along for what were truly Jack Kirby's ideas and creations, causes me to like him even less.

2) I'm also appalled by how DC Comics apparently created series like "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and all the other crises, as well as this most recent "Death of the New Gods" thing as little more than a legalistic vehicle against the Superman/boy creators Siegel and Schuster, and Jack Kirby.

[brabon]

in regards to how marvel treated kirby, mark evanier tells a story about how he wanted jack to go into a toy store with him...jack went pale and refused to go in...roz later told mark that jack couldnt go into any toy store because he would get physically sick when he saw all the merchandise of characters he created that he wasnt getting paid for..and he wouldnt be able to work for a week...makes you want to cry

[TheLogicJunkie]

That is pretty bad.

However, a new large-size art tribute book to Jack Kirby just came out on bookstore shelves and, in it, there's an interview with Jim Starlin where he essentially says that, when Jack Kirby started up his own, short-lived comic book publishing label, he gave his talent the same terms that DC and Marvel did, whereby the creators would have no copyright and lose their original artwork.

In short, he behaved no better than the big boys.

This dwindles my sympathy.

[brabon]

is that the book written by evanier? never heard the story that starlin tells over...was that when kirby joined with pacific? im hoping to get that book for my bday...im sure that if the characters had ended up being licensed, kirby wouldve shared profits with the creators...i just cant see him doing to others what had happened to him

[TheLogicJunkie]

Actually the one I'm thinking of has a Kirby drawing of Superman on the cover, and the title is "Kirby Five-Oh" by John Morrow...

...But it might be the one by Evanier. I really do think it's the one by Morrow.

[brabon]

oh, all of morrow's books are very good

[TheLogicJunkie]

Well, yeah... The book was definitely top-quality. It was a very thorough and loving effort, from top to bottom. Flattering or not, I came away from it feeling that he had left no stone unturned, with regard to Jack Kirby as a person and a phenomenon.

[itzjoeymac]

Considering how much MONEY he made then off those characters and HOW RIDICULOUSLY MUCH Marvel is making STILL off his work, it is hardly a fair comparison. Why is it executives like Stan got more money and credit from successes yet the TRUE CREATORS got JACK? Besides, Jack's company was in the 50's with JOE SIMON and Simon handled all the business affairs. Blame Joe.

[TheLogicJunkie]

Okay, I didn't know that. That clears things up.

[itzjoeymac]

Also, if you saw the extras on the ff2 dvd, there is a documentary on the comics where Starlin comes off as extremely jealous of Jack's work, in that he somehow thinks he is so much better. Funny, since Warlock, which made his career, is ALSO a Kirby creation. Starlin stinks.

[TheLogicJunkie]

Actually, I went back and looked at that book again, and the person who made the comment about Kirby wasn't Joe Starlin; it was another guy... I can't remember who, but I think it was someone who's strictly a writer.

I recognize their name, but I can't remember it off the top of my head.

As far as Starlin goes, I've never been wild about his art... his figures always seem to have a psychedelic look to them.

[itzjoeymac]

The writers at the time when Jack left Marvel were the most JEALOUS of him. Jack's self-written work in the 70's could have used an editor or script-writer(working from Jack's original writing), ala Stan, to make it more 'fresh', but, the concepts were so ingenius, WHO CARES? The writers felt they could get more from the stories but the fact is, as with Stan, they wouldn't have had a thing to write over without Kirby. Much of Kirby's post-Marvel writing is at a level beyond Stan and the rest.

[trylonperisphere]

"Actually, I went back and looked at that book again, and the person who made the comment about Kirby wasn't Joe Starlin; it was another guy... I can't remember who, but I think it was someone who's strictly a writer."

You are correct! Jim Starlin would never demean Kirby.

[trylonperisphere]

Not only is Starlin completely awesome, but he isn't even on the Kirby documentary. You owe Starlin an apology.

[itzjoeymac]

Starlin is good but will NEVER be at the level of THE KING. I'm sorry that he was arrogant enough to think he was somehow better than THE KING.

[trylonperisphere]

"Starlin is good but will NEVER be at the level of THE KING. I'm sorry that he was arrogant enough to think he was somehow better than THE KING." Starlin never said anything of the sort! Again, you owe him an apology.

[senorbellaco]

What the big guy said was true-read Tales To Astonish by Ronin Ro.Stan took credit for all the early 60's characters.Acording to Jack, the only thing he didn't help to create was Daredevil.Spiderman was based on a concept he and Simon had lying around from the 50's, but Stan took the name and the concept of the orphaned kid and added his own ideas.

[brabon]

what ideas??? he handed the character to ditko and gave him an overall synopsis...ditko fleshed out the rest

[slagit]

Amazing artist and creator!!! The amount of work he did was just...unbelievable!!!

[Killercroc100]

Jack Kirby is the best comic artist ever !

[joez116]

And to think somebody drawing soup cans was more famous than Jack. lol

[itzjoeymac]

I believe JACK KIRBY will be remembered long after Andy Warhol has been forgotten by all but the generally TASTELESS art 'afficionados'. In fact, it is likely that MANY MORE people have heard of Jack Kirby TODAY. Andy Warhol's 'art' is basically dead, whereas Jack's work is spreading across the globe faster than I can type this! It is a testament to his vision that his FANTASTIC ideas are now major motion pictures. The characters he created will likely NEVER DIE. He will be in the Louvre.

[VinnyMonster1]

@Killercroc100 Dude, Jack Kirby IS Comic Books!

[itzjoeymac]

it is OBVIOUS that the art is better than the scripting. Study more and you will find that the artists did most of the plotting as well as character creating and designing. Kirby created Iron Man BTW and spidey was an old Kirby concept. Doctor Strange is a Doctor Fate rip-off and Daredevil is also a re-creation of an existing character prompting Kirby to tell Stan Lee on an official Marvel record that Stan was always using 'the same gags as the old days'. Stan, naturally, agrees. KIRBY IS GOD.

[CaptainStacy]

Long live the King....

[itzjoeymac]

awesome. i cannot believe anyone could think that stan lee created most of the characters at marvel. it was CLEARLY Jack Kirby. why else did stan call him THE KING? stan is very important. his position as editor allowed jack kirby and the other artists to really stretch out and do more realistic stories. BUT as far as the marvel universe of characters, it almost all comes back to jack. what did stan lee ever create before or after jack was with marvel? NADA!!!

[FantomBloth]

Well Stan did create Spider-Man,Doctor Strange, Iron Man and Daredevil whit out Jack. In my mind

there both good story tellers and together there event better ones.

[itzjoeymac]

stan is great but most of the ideas for characters in their comics, all the awesome character designs and, of course, all the wild ways they use their abilities come from jack. the visual aspect of marvel comics is why they make such great movies and, according to artists at the time, they were told to tell stories LIKE JACK.

[itzjoeymac]

BTW... JACK CREATED IRON MAN and helped create Spider-man which was based on his character THE FLY... Daredevil, I'll grant you, but BILL EVERETT is the guy who really CREATED HIM as he did Sub-mariner... NOT STAN. Stan just told the artists he wanted something like Spider-man. As for Doc Strange... lol... He is nothing more than Dr. Fate. No originality at all, though I love him too.

[TheLogicJunkie]

I am not a Stan Lee fan by any stretch of the imagination. I don't know the guy personally, but he's always seemed very fake to me.

[gusbaker4u]

thank you, Jack Kirby, and you Batmitey, for taking the time to upload this neato clip