![]() ![]() ![]() In 1961, Stan and Jack produced Fantastic Four #1, and began what has become known as the Marvel Age of Comics. They worked on Western, war, and monster comics before lightning struck. That comic helped redefine what comics could be with its innovative page designs and proportion-exploding panels.Īfter serving honorably in World War II and working briefly for National/DC, Jack returned to Marvel and began to collaborate with Stan Lee, his former assistant and now his editor. Its titular hero punched Adolf Hitler in the jaw on its iconic cover, months before America had joined the war. In spring 1941, Jack and Joe Simon created their biggest and most influential blockbuster comic, Captain America Comics #1. One of their first jobs was working for the company that would one day be known as Marvel. The two decided to strike out on their own-a collaboration that would endure for 16 years. At Fox’s studio he met Joe Simon, a fellow writer and artist. Taking the pen name “Jack Kirby,” he would go on to work in Max Fleischer’s animation studio, illustrating for Lincoln Features syndicate, and winding up at the comic-book publishing house of Victor Fox. He was inclined at an early age to pursue drawing, inspired by the comic strips of Milton Caniff and Hal Foster. Those fights were a firsthand influence on the dynamic action he would bring to the pages of his comics. He grew up in New York’s Lower East Side neighborhood during the Great Depression, where he faced fights every day just to walk to school. Jacob Kurtzberg was born in 1917, the son of European Jewish immigrants. We've updated the article to make that clear.The work of Jack Kirby helped define the Super Hero, expanded the power of the comic book, and brought thrilling tales of wonder and adventure to millions throughout the world. Update: Ahmed, a novelist and comic book writer, tweeted this article out, and should be credited for the find. Separate Kirby's intent from its structure, and you have a very progressive (even for today) view of what the comic book industry, and more specifically the superhero industry, should be. (and yes, the terminology's a bit dated, but that's pretty cool stuff for a guy born in 1917) Granted, the language Kirby uses wasn't elegant. Kirby also managed to voice his displeasure with stereotypical Asian characters. Remember, in my day, drawing an Asian was drawing Fu Manchu - that’s the only Asian they knew. Then I began to realize that there was a whole range of human differences. And here I am a leading cartoonist and I wasn’t doing a black. It suddenly dawned on me - believe me, it was for human reasons - I suddenly discovered nobody was doing blacks. My first friend was a black! And here I was ignoring them because I was associating with everybody else. I suddenly discovered that I had a lot of black readers. KIRBY: I came up with the Black Panther because I realized I had no blacks in my strip. GROTH: How did you come up with the Black Panther? And one day, he realized he was ignoring how important it was for him, and for the comic book industry, to reflect humanity (emphasis Vox's): In the spirit of remembering Kirby, writer Saladin Ahmed tweeted and pointed to a 1990 interview with the Comics Journal, where Kirby explained that he was compelled to create the superhero Black Panther because the default had always been white characters. More characters like Kamala is what Kirby would have wanted. Marvel series featuring Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager. And while it can get ugly, sexist, and racist, there's plenty of good to come out of this battle. The past few years in the comic book industry have been underscored by a struggle for more diversity. And there are still people fighting battles today in the spirit of Kirby's legacy. A massive part of this legacy was that Kirby was always telling stories - through his heroes like the X-Men, the Thing, the Hulk - of being an outsider and becoming a hero despite living in a world that's seemingly out to get you. From his iconic stories and characters to his contentious relationship with Marvel, Kirby's legacy is a rich and memorable one. Over the past week, comic book enthusiasts have been celebrating the late artist Jack Kirby's birthday by remembering the impact he had on the industry. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |