Jack Kirby
Early Life
Jack Kirby, born Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, was an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. Born in the Lower East Side of New York City, he was the son of Austrian-Jewish immigrants. Kirby's interest in comics was sparked at a young age, and he began drawing at an early age, often using the sidewalks of his neighborhood as his canvas.
Career
Kirby began his professional career in the 1930s, working for various comic book companies. His first notable work was on the superhero comic Captain America in 1941, which he co-created with writer Joe Simon for Timely Comics, the predecessor of Marvel Comics. Kirby's dynamic and innovative drawing style, characterized by its emphasis on action and movement, quickly set him apart from his peers.
In the 1940s, Kirby and Simon created a number of popular characters for various publishers, including the Boy Commandos and the Newsboy Legion for DC Comics. During World War II, Kirby served in the U.S. Army, where he used his artistic skills to create maps and other materials for the military.
In the 1950s, Kirby returned to comics and began a long and fruitful partnership with writer Stan Lee at Marvel Comics. Together, they created a new generation of superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Hulk. These characters, with their complex personalities and relatable problems, represented a departure from the archetypal superheroes of the past and ushered in a new era of comic book storytelling.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Kirby continued to innovate, pushing the boundaries of the medium with his bold, cinematic style and his creation of the "Kirby Krackle," a visual effect used to depict energy and power in his drawings. In the 1970s, Kirby moved to DC Comics, where he created the Fourth World saga, a series of interconnected titles that introduced a host of new characters and concepts to the DC universe.
Legacy
Jack Kirby's influence on the comic book industry is immeasurable. His innovative storytelling techniques, his dynamic and kinetic drawing style, and his creation of some of the most iconic characters in comic book history have earned him the nickname "The King of Comics." Kirby's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990.
