Jack Kirby passed away on this date 22 years ago.
I wrote passed away because he never died. What he did for the medium, how he influenced so many, will be unmatched. Artists have come and gone who drew “better” than him but have they left a legacy as untouchable as him? Nope, not in comparison.Get into a discussion about creators in comicdom and his name comes up faster than two guys who created some fella named “Superman”. If there was no Kirby, so many characters would not have existed; characters who influenced other characters and franchises including Star Wars. He’s influenced so many artists who have gone into the field of comics. There have been many creators in fiction, science fiction, and superheroes. Greats, Icons, Legends…but there was only one King. He may not have created Superman but he was one in his own right. Kirby has been ripped off in more ways than one that it’s sickening, His work is so great, so grand, that when Hollywood takes the properties he created, co-created, or embellished on, the hard core fans flip tables and revolt. They boycott. I don’t and can’t blame them on that. I’m not in any way, shape, or form dismissing the work of every other artist out there established or not; but what Kirby brought to the plate is untouchable. He’s the Babe Ruth of comics. The Elvis that shook it all up. He was and remains, The King.
His legacy lives on, there are some great Kirby pages that are on Facebook run by some passionate creative gentleman who we’ve been lucky to have interviewed on Eclecticka (streaming live on Sunday nights at 8:30pm on SEVNetwork. com with taped shows on YouTube) Check them out, and you’ll find that they, and members of their pages, have books, essays,magazines, and other merchandise on Kirby that you’ve never seen before.
Long live the King.