@@Matt_Wilson01 Because they all worked in very different eras defined by very different stories, when the industry was hardly recognizable, it's surreal to think that were all alive at the same time.
I had the honor of meeting Jack Kirby once. I told him how his visually exciting comics helped me learn how to read as a kid, and because of that I was able to go through college and attain graduate degrees, which is the truth. He told me that what I was saying made him feel wonderful. Well, his comics sure made me feel wonderful, and I'm glad I got to return the favor.
met Kirby at a show at the old penta hotel across the street from the garden in nyc, ,he was sitting at a table by himself ,I pick up a Thor issue 139 for a dollar that he signed for me for free. I'm guessing they charge for autographs these days.he was a true mench.
One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't try to meet him. I should have gone to his home in California, where the Kirbys always treated guests nicely.
I love Stan Lee, always will, but Jack Kirby should get just as much attention as he did. I wish Disney and Marvel Studios would recognize him with some type of memorial. He deserves it.
Actually Jack was leaps and bounds above Stan, Jack was a real creator and artist, Stan was marvels hype man that created a few character names, no disrespect to Stan but the actual creators should get all the glory not the “face” of the company
I got to meet Jack Kirby in person, in 1988, at a Detroit area convention put on by Greg Theikston. There was a bunch of his original art, just returned by Marvel, on display in the lobby of the hotel. I was look at a Thor pin up page, when someone came up behind me and asked, "Do you think that is any good?" I spun around that there was Jack Kirby. I told him I love it and we began a conversation. I had been hearing rumors that Jack's mind had gone, and he was being used by others to hurt Marvel. My conversation with him tore that all down. His mind was a sharp as a knife, and his imagination was equal to it. After our conversation ended (a crowd had grown, so I let others get in to talk with him), I noticed I forgot to ask for an autograph. I have since got a couple, but I didn't need one that day. The memory of that talk is ingrained in my mind. Better than an autograph. Love and miss you Jack.
Mad Mario I meant people who are obsessed with the mcu but have never picked up a comic book and people who like to post those horrible tribute things on instagram that always show up in my feed.
I do not agree with Kirby being "ahead of his time." That phrase should be reserved for those who create incredible works that are ignored in their lifetimes and appreciated only later, usually after their deaths. Vincent Van Gogh comes to mind. Kirby was instrumental for defining the time he was in, and he was well recognized for his accomplishments during his lifetime. No, he didn't have quite the respect he does now, but he was groundbreaking and highly respected.
Hello to all comic fans! I don't know English very well, I am from Russia. My childhood was in the 90s. After the collapse of the USSR, western culture became available to us. For me, a child of New Russia, Spider-Man has become a hero and an example. And there is a whole generation of people like me. I am very grateful to the creators of my favorite characters. I want to thank Jack Kirby for everything.
Jack kirby's influence was so far reaching. I remember growing up as kid in the early 70s being so moved by the images he created and the worlds those images formed. I escaped into those worlds with boundless enthusiasm. A young poor Black kid growing up in the heart of the dreary drug pervaded Harlem ghetto was had his imagination fired up by this creative genius. He made me want to learn and read and explore new concepts in a way that kept me dreaming and hopeful for a better life. What an incredible human being whose gifts touched so many of us wherever we were. Thanks Jack king Kirby,your inspiration continues. What a blessing you still are.
I've always had this belief that, unless you were the sole artist/writer/inker/etc, creating a comic book is a collaborative process. I cannot imagine a Marvel Universe without Jack Kirby or Stan Lee. Without Steve Ditko, Spider-Man would not have his iconic costume. But Stan Lee made Spider-Man a character we could relate to. And I haven't even mentioned the more unsung heroes of the Marvel Bullpen, from Larry Lieber to Don Heck, the inkers, the letterers, colorist, and so on. Many people working behind the scenes of Marvel deserve much more credit than what they got. And that goes double for Jack Kirby. We owe him a debt to his contribution to comics that may never be repaid.
I hope Jack knew how important he was in the eyes of all of us kids, and how admired he is by us as adults. This man's art inspired a world of creators.
Jack Kirby is absolutely a genius of art. When you contemplate that he didn't go to school or get any training other than experience and observation, it is astounding. Everybody needs guidance and support. For a poor kid to jump into graphics and 'just do it' is very impressive.
The Kirby crackle and his way of drawing machinery will always be two of the things I’ll remember him for the most. Such an exceptional talent and we are all luck to have his work available to us
Not even two minutes into this doc, and I already feel the intense, comic artist nerd wafting off these guys, and I love it. These are my people.
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Agreed. these are the people that inspired me to enjoy the hobbie of collecting good comic book stories...the memories of when I was young..and the great artwork and stories of Kirby, Starling, Ditko, Romita, Sr. , the older Buscema, Kane, Adams, Moore. this is why I can't be love with the supehero movies. The actors, the producers, Disney, and the studio execs...they don't care about us like these writers and artists are. Roy Thomas...what a great writer. Kirby was the greatest. REMEMBER THE ETERNALS series???
Y'know, as I learn more about Jack over the years the thing that stands out the most for me isn't necessarily his art, but his overall life. This was a guy who really lived a FULL life: drawing his way out the tenement, actively serving in the war and having some crazy tales to tell from it, getting married to a damn good woman and raising an equally good family, struggling and triumphing and struggling through the most prolific career in the history of American comics. And through it all to remain this humble, down-to-earth dude who, along with his gracious wife, would literally invite you into their house and serve you sandwiches and let you watch him draw-I mean, it's kinda nuts when you stop and think about it. If there was ANYBODY in the industry entitled to be an arrogant, egotistical prick, it was Jack Kirby. And he WASN'T. Far from it. And one of the key things to understanding his development as an artist and creator was that his incredibly full life, his incredible fullness and realness as a person, all got pumped and filtered from his brain into his hand and onto the drawing page-which is why I think there will never be another like him, at least not in comic books. That amazing confluence of experience and personality was, I believe, one of a kind. Or perhaps I should say, one of a KING.
Great comment, Randal. Had he not been the man he was, he might have decided during any low point in his comics career to go into advertising or some other medium to express his art, for higher pay and better hours. We are fortunate.
Totally agree, and that's another remarkable thing about a remarkably talented man: He absolutely LOVED comics, and he couldn't have done what he did in ANY other medium. I mean, it's awesome to have all these movies coming out with his name right there beside The Man's (it fucking took long enough), but we all know that no matter how much money they pump into these things and how many thousands of hours worth of FX you see up there on the screen, they will NEVER equal what The King put down on one page or even one panel. His unique vision only exists on the printed page--and non-glossy, please. I'm old school.
It was Jack Kirby!! Not Stan Lee! The greatest of all time, his drawings and Frank Frazzeta that I want to draw like! Thank for all these Doc's ! Great memories...👍👍❤
It was Kirby and Lee together. Ideas came from both of them, then were given form in Kirby's brilliant visual storytelling and Lee's dynamic dialogue. That's what made the Marvel magic.
There are many artists that I admired growing up and most of them are sadly passed away ! When I was younger, I wanted more than anything to be a comicbook artist ; I quickly found that while I had the desire, I didn't have the knack to do it well enough. Even if one of the Grand Masters of Art were alive today ; they'd be struggling to even get someone to look at their portfolios ! Oh well, I can dream I guess !
It's amazing how Stan Lee's writing was so complimentary to Kirby's fantastic imagery. He not only 'kept up' with Kirby's power but made it all so enduring. For a while I was with that 'Lee's Stealing Kirby's Thunder' crowd but there's nothing further from the truth. Lee helped or created the idea of turning the talent into stars. Before him (for the most part I think), publishers wouldn't even print the names of who drew some of their books. Lee's humility / visionary aspects help make comic books what they are today -motion picture rivals and foundations. Imagine a movie studio putting out a movie but not mentioning who the stars are! Old comics used to do that stupid sh*t.
1. Early Joe Simon and Jack Kirby comics had their names on them 2.Jack Kirby was already a star before teaming up with Stan lee, he has 20 years experience ahead and he made stan lee famous 3. Lee stole not only Kirby's thunder but money since Kirby did come up with the stories and ideas and he only got paid for the arts, also from Wally Wood and Ditko, The Credit only severed stan lee and his ego 4. Lee's vision couldn't even help marvel from Bankruptcy 5. Post 1960s Stan lee, what did he do? He slowly abandoned "writing" while Kirby worked till the day he died creating stories and art, stan lee turned himself into a brand selling perfume and other people's TV shows and ideas slapping his name on them
Stan Lee’s work without Kirby is not good. Kirby did great work before Lee (Cap) and after Lee (New Gods & Mr Miracle). Stan Lee begrudgingly gave Kirby credit after the fact. Lee was a great comic salesman and a key part of Marvel. But a much smaller part than Kirby or even Ditko.
It's really sad see nowadays Stan Lee receiving all the credits to the Marvel Heroes, none of this would had the same impact without Kirby, the real Marvel's King
This was cool! I especially liked that the documentary didn't only focus on Kirby but also on his beloved wife. Terrific stuff that makes you wanna go and find the old comics from the boxes and read them.
My dad used to bring me comics once or twice every week and I read them and gave them away. One day he brought me a comic of "Maxisol: El Hombre Milagro" (Mister Miracle, translated in spanish for Latin America), and I was immediately possessed by the story and the art work. I asked my dad to bring me more Mister Miracle comics. I could not believe that someone could draw like that, with that imagination, the science fiction, the complex mechanical environments, the gadgets, the abstract lines everywhere that went straight then merged into three or four spheres or zig-zags, the pudgy, very expressive faces... I kept those comics for many years, until I joined the Army and someone did away with them and all my old toys. But the huge impression the Artwork of Jack Kirby had on me still persists to this moment.
I imagined what I would ask Jack Kirby if I had the chance to meet him all those years ago. I would of asked him " Do you imagine a time when your comic book hero's will be on the big screen, in the movies?" and he would probably say "All of the time". Then it struck me that was the way he drew, unlike the static panels of early comics, his had movement, perspective, even camera angles. It's just a theory an observation.
Kirby (and a lot of other artists) was heavily influenced by the movie Citizen Kane in 1940. You can see it in his style, especially his over-the-shoulder shots.
As i look back over my history with Jack The King Kirby I began to see the true influence He has had on the entire Comic book Genre. I watch all of these animated series mainly the Justice League and i see all of Kirby's machines and some of the great episodes involved Kirby Characters. Superman the animated series was full with episodes like Darksied abusing him and causing Him to attack Earth. The Death of Dan Turpin (KIRBY) episode, Jumping swiftly to Batman as he teams up with The Demon Etrigan, a Kirby Creation, The Justice League as I said was replete with Kirby Laced episodes. The climax of season 1 Darksied and Superman when Batman calls superman an "Idiot".The Mr. Miracle Episode, the Classic episode where Lex Luther delivered the Anti Life Equation to Darksied. The Young Justice Look, I can go on and on. So, Thanks to Artist like Bruce Timm, Steve Rude,John Byrne, Kieth Giffen, Rick Buckler, Barry Winsdor Smith, Salt Simonson oh i can go on but this is my point...none of these programs make success without the use of the creativeness, if that is a word of the great Jacob Kurtzburg, His lovely Wife Roz, His Daugther Lisa who carries on admirably and I can't forget Dr. Neal Adams who i came to like just by interview along with John Romita Sr, and Jr. John and Steve Buscema, Stan the man lee to who i give as much honor to the Marvel creations for without his corny saying...Marvel doesn't sell. I close by saying this....Kirby really showed his creative majesty when He went to DC and created the 4th world and going back to Marvel creating The Eternals, Machine Man Devil Dinosaur and if that is not enough...On to Pacific with Capt. Victory, The Silver Star, anyhow I have been preparing to write this piece for some 20 years now I said it like i wanted to hope this opens the heart of all the Comic book writers and artist world over...As you can tell...I Lvoe me some Jack King Kirby....
I forgot to mention Neal Kirby I often wondered if he too was an artist but, i guess not. I t would have been wonderful if he like The Romitas had a son to follow in his steps...
i can't count the times how many times i've watched this Docu, more people should watch this.. And perhaps they would get to know the man behind the characters they think they know.
Couldn't agree more. I had my idea of who Kirby was. Seems I was very wrong. Just the stories of throngs of kids getting a sandwich from Roz then heading into the studio to watch him work. Amazing.
@@playerish Both should be more known as it is,they were done such a disservice by the people they worked with. I mean, they both kept to their own, which is pretty spot on for creatives / artists. As someone that tries to do so myself, i tend to side with them of course. But it's pretty clear to me where the actual talent laid at timely or marvel when it all began. Talking a big game infront of a camera, and coming up with copy for the word balloons, coming up with only the names for a character, does not a creator make. You can quote me on that. i'm team Kirby/Ditko for life. Both guys should be championed, i name drop them every time when people start talking to me, about comics, comic art, influences, teachers, things that inspire me, so fast their heads spin. not as agressive as it may come across here in text mind you.
ONE I feel Jack and Stan need their own bio pic. TWO it would also be really cool to see some of the interactions with some of the other publications cus lets face it there was a lot of tea behind the scenes we know about imagine the shit we don't.
PrismMime Because comic art is looked down upon as being inferior. When the truth is the Comic Masters are true artists. Its time we tell the art crowd to wake up. Massimo Berdinelli, Carlos Ezequerra, Kevin O Niel, Ian Gibson, Brian Talbot, Ron Smith etc etc were my heroes and still are.
His splash pages and double page spreads were always amazing. I didn't like the way he drew people, but his drawings of monsters (including the the Thing) were his specialty. I also loved the way he created believable environments; Reed Richards' lab, Doctor Doom's lair, Galactus' ship. This was where he really stood apart from other artists. True genius!
God, that was so good and so important. I mean, it could have gone on two, three more hours and I would not have gotten tired of watching. He's just so inexplicable, yet so very approachable.
I hope that all of these great artists, writers etc., of the golden age of comics, knew/know how much of a positive influence they actually were (and continue to be) on a lot of us. They accelerated my love of reading and art at the same time. Especially illustrations from the late 30's to about the mid-fifties. Thanks!
It's a crime that Jack died poor. He should have died a millionaire. He made Marvel a billion dollar company with the help of a few other creators. Stan Lee will forever hold that shame with him. How dare he claim to be the main creator of FF, Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, ect. How dare he deny a genius like Kirby his due. Stan Lee was a glorified editor. He was nothing without the talents of Kirby, Ditko, and many others. Yeah, Stan Lee was eventually forced to give Kirby credit, far far too late in my opinion, after Kirby had filed a suit and Marvel kept it in litigation till well after his death.
jack kirby is the marvel in marvel comics and he will always be known for what he did if you can do something in life and people remember 100 years from now then you have done something and he did it and will be remembered for ever
I like how the some of the interviewees didn't get Kirby when they were young but they grew to appreciate and understand him, it remind me when I watched Frasier when I was a kid, i didn't get it but as grew up I say it is one of the Greatest sitcoms out there, our mind is in consistent growth it can influence our perception of things, things we dont like when we were kids we come to apperciate when we are older, and the marketers doesn't understand that they just want to appeal to certain Demographic ignoring what is Art supposed to be, it is an expression
J money be quiet dickhead, i asked cos they're missing alright. way after? i don't think so he left for DC in the 70's while Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Chris Claremont all at Marvel starting out. So recheck your comic history cos your knowledge is way off jack!
@@MGSBigBoss77 But he's right, he's not pointing all the important guys, but the essential early ones who created it all, and that would be, of course, Kirby, Simon, Ditko and Lee. The ones you've cited are from a second generation of fans of the first one. Don't shut up though, that was rude and stupid.
Kirby was one of the very few artists who just got better and better; he never peaked and became one of those people whose work you start to avoid because it's gotten repetitive and boring. Look at "Captain Victory" and even that first issue of "Satan's Six": he was doing brilliant stuff right up to the end.
Jack Kirby's 'raw dynamism' lifted comics from mere entertainment to a visceral experience we all delighted in. We "felt" these moments in time as portrayed by a man who knew instinctually "How" it should be presented. Hail to Jack KING Kirby!!!
@@followthewhiterabbit2549 New Gods is probably my favorite, haven't read much Kamandi, but want to pick up the omnibus. Everything he did was brilliant.
I got to talk to Jack Kirby twice in my life. When he had come back to marvel I was about 13 years old. I knew he lived in Thousand Oaks California so I called directory and asked the operator for Jack Kirby's phone number in Thousand Oaks. To my surprise she gave me the number. I called and sure enough he answered the phone. I was a stumbling fan boy kid and he took the time to talk to me with my stupid kid questions that he had probably answered a million times. So gracious and kind. Then in 1980 I called him again to pick his brain about the pros and cons of working for a comic book company to count the cost to see if I wanted to do that for a career. Again, like before, he took the time to answer me. I can truly say he was one of the most kind genuine guy I ever met. I met Stan Lee in the early 70s at a "stan lee lecture" at UNLV. He signed my copy of X-Men #1. Stan seemed like a robot who had a canned response to everything and tried too hard to be funny. He also seemed to need to be famous. Jack on the other hand was a real guy.
Yes, that Fourth World stuff was mind-blowing. I would have really liked to see where he would have gone if he had been allowed to continue his run on 2001: A Space Odyssey. That was some amazing stuff, too.
In the olden days, the long long ago, it wasn't the stories that attracted me to the comics. It was Kirby's art. He was hugely influential to me. The Thelonius Monk of comics.
Funny comment, because the stories were created by Jack Kirby too. Stan Lee just edited the dialogs in the comics and abusing of his position in Marvel he always put his name first before the true creators. Example: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. Stan Lee & Steve Ditko. Stan Lee & John Romita. Stan Lee & Bill Everett.
Stan lee and marvel practically owe their entire comic book line to jack kirby's absolute creative genius and yet all we here today is how "great" Stan lee is and how he created marvel... what a joke. Stan was a great editor and a good writer but jack kirby was a great artist and great story teller. He added soo much to what we know as comic book superhero genre that the man deserves his due. When I think of marvel I think of jack Kirby's art and storytelling ability.
Kirby invented a new graphic language for comics. That language is still being spoken by every artist in comics today (whether they know it or not). As for the "who did what" debate, Marvel Comics needed both men, just as the Beatles needed Lennon and McCartney. I don't try to separate them; I just enjoy what they gave us.
Xwing Class it's because Stan is still currently alive, it makes a big difference when you can actually talk to a creator. In a two decades or so after Stan passes he and Kirby will likely be remembered with similar reverence, mostly forgotten.
First off, this is a terrific documentary on Jack Kirby. I've read a lot of for and againsts about Stan Lee. Since Mr. Lee has gone to the great Marvel office in the sky, I doubt anyone will really know if he hogged all the credit for Kirby's work, or if it was the company, or both--or neither. What can't be disputed and what should never be disputed is how prolific and how creative Kirby really was. He had his own style visceral, distinctive, raw, and incredibly powerful. Others have tried to imitate him, but couldn't. Often imitated, never duplicated. When it came to creating characters that virtually exploded off the page, no one was better. As great as the modern artists are, Kirby still stands alone. I only hope that I can be as inventive and prolific with my novels as he was with his art.
Wow....great documentary......I do often wonder how under compensated this guy was.....I hope his family is well off after all those years of his hard work .....he definitely left an impact on many, many, many lives.......RIP Jack!
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Wow this really made me realize why I started collecting comics as a kid.
While I worked at Marvel I met my childhood gods...Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Michael Golden, etc. But my biggest regret was not ever having met Jack King Kirby whom I considered on par with Stan Lee. I alway knew Stan was the face and voice of Marvel but Jack was the silent talent.
Kirby Continuum Nothing too exciting since I was working in the business side. I was the circulation manager and also worked with licensing. Despite working there during a low point at Marvel (chapter 11 bankruptcy) the people working there were a joy. I had to hide my fanboyism in order to maintain my professionalism however after being there for a couple weeks, I realized we were all fan boys (and fan girls). My favorite job. I wish I'd have stayed.
I'm 20 minutes in and this doc is so awesome. I could never find who did what with Simon & Kirby. Now I finally know. Those are Kirby drawings. I've been admiring them for years. I've read that the 40s team was such a famous comic book name that they asked them to stockpile stories before going overseas to war. When the stockplile ran low, they would use other artists to mimic Kirby's style, one of these artist's was Gil Kane. Also there's a fascinating story about Curt Swan drawing over Kirby's Superman faces, softening them up. This movie was too short.
Jack and Roz remind me of my grandparents. He was a WWII Naval Officer, then an engineer for GE. She was a nurse, but as they aged, she did the driving. He was a deep thinker, but she ran the house and managed all the money. He had no idea how much money they had in the bank! The greatest generation, and they had all the great ideas that we enjoy residually today.
WAS LUCKY TO CARRY HIS ARTWORK TO MARVEL OR STAN LEE AS A WOODCHUCK THANKS FOR SHOWING BOY RANCH AND PVT. LANCE STRONG MY PERSONAL FAVORITE. HE ALWAYS GAVE A BIG THANK YOU.
The bizarre thing to me as a 53 year old, is that I wasn’t there at the beginning beginning, but those comics were only 10 years old when I was a 4th grader entering the hobby.When I look at 10 years ago now, that would be like the comics of 2009, which seems like a drop in the bucket. We had the original reprints, we knew all of the original stories. I could be wrong but it was all lee and Kirby, then it was all Thomas and buscema, and it just went on and on, and now it looks like it’s all over...
Exploiting? I believe that it could be described as skillfully running a very successful business in a capitalist economic system. Making a profit is a good thing; we're not communists. Heck, these days, even the communists are actually capitalists.
Very nicely done. As a long time reader/collector, I appreciate the back stories of Jack and the perspective of comic history as well. Thank you for posting.
Jack Kirby is a very cool dude .His artwork was so cool from way back int day ,I remember one buy 2001 ;A Space Odyssey the movie adaption. from Marvel ,At the comic store .When the movie and adaption. were both old by the time bought it at the time ,But the artwork was so cool even if the adaption. And he infulanced a generation of comic book readers like me .Even though he was not doing work by that time ,But Jack Kirby is a Legend. too me ,And his drawing were the coolest thing ever to see in comics ,And a great documentary onJack Kirby .
This was such an enjoyable (and informative) presentation of Jack Kirby and his legacy. In the mid-1960s, I was about 7 or 8 yrs old when I first got introduced to comic books (specifically Marvel, DC, and Charlton). My favorite cartoonists were Kirby, John Buscema, and Johnny Romita Sr., respectively. Being an artist myself, whenever I get a chance to draw comic book characters, I realized early on my style was heavily influenced by these guys. As others have done, maybe it's time I create a comic book of my very own. It would be a great way to pay homage to the legends of comic books! :)
To me the ultimate Jack Kirby was Fantastic Four issues 57 to 64. The art in every page of those issues are the greatest of American comic. His art had a deluxe quality, like watching a Cadillac and riding it. It had a quality only a fantastically wealthy country like the United States can produce (and done so effortlessly). I'm a fan of his distorted perspective layout that's instantly recognizable, and exciting. I treasure those years when I enjoyed Jack Kirby comics in real time.
Thank you for this video. I always wanted to know more about Jack Kirby and boom, I finally come across this and clicked immediately. I love this docu.
I always come back and watch this documentary from time to time, it put a smile on my face hear all those wonderful artist talking about The King and also about his wife.
After watching this awesome documentary, I need to process the profound reach of this incredible, humble visionary... the masterpieces that he cranked out in a small bunker studio in Long Island would end up on the comic book rack of a drug store in far-flung-middle-of-no-where Manitoba... it was Jack Kirby's artwork that gave my imagination a place to go. FF, Thor, Captain America, etc... he was a creative guiding force in my life. My love for comics wasn't looked upon favourably at the time ('68 thru 74) - I remember a teacher literally ripping a Marvel comic out of my hands - so it is sweet vindication that Marvel movies are now one of the biggest forces in the world... we have Jack to thank for that. (It's incredible that it took decades for filmmaking technology to catch up with the images in his brain.) I'm struggling to say what I want to say... the strokes he penciled on paper on that old wooden desk have reached and affected so many people all over the world!
Seeing Neal Adams, Bruce Timm, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Stan Lee all appear in the same documentary is mindboggling.
Why 🤷🏻♂️ they all worked in the same small industry
@@Matt_Wilson01 Because they all worked in very different eras defined by very different stories, when the industry was hardly recognizable, it's surreal to think that were all alive at the same time.
I had the honor of meeting Jack Kirby once. I told him how his visually exciting comics helped me learn how to read as a kid, and because of that I was able to go through college and attain graduate degrees, which is the truth. He told me that what I was saying made him feel wonderful. Well, his comics sure made me feel wonderful, and I'm glad I got to return the favor.
I wish I had met him. Typical of Jack is he probably got as much good feeling out your meeting as you did
I certainly hope so.
met Kirby at a show at the old penta hotel across the street from the garden in nyc, ,he was sitting at a table by himself ,I pick up a Thor issue 139 for a dollar that he signed for me for free. I'm guessing they charge for autographs these days.he was a true mench.
a mench and a genius.
One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't try to meet him. I should have gone to his home in California, where the Kirbys always treated guests nicely.
I love Stan Lee, always will, but Jack Kirby should get just as much attention as he did. I wish Disney and Marvel Studios would recognize him with some type of memorial. He deserves it.
The dumpster fire called, Eternals should have been the big cinematic Kirby honor. Did get a little in Ragnarok though.
Actually Jack was leaps and bounds above Stan, Jack was a real creator and artist, Stan was marvels hype man that created a few character names, no disrespect to Stan but the actual creators should get all the glory not the “face” of the company
I got to meet Jack Kirby in person, in 1988, at a Detroit area convention put on by Greg Theikston. There was a bunch of his original art, just returned by Marvel, on display in the lobby of the hotel. I was look at a Thor pin up page, when someone came up behind me and asked, "Do you think that is any good?" I spun around that there was Jack Kirby. I told him I love it and we began a conversation. I had been hearing rumors that Jack's mind had gone, and he was being used by others to hurt Marvel. My conversation with him tore that all down. His mind was a sharp as a knife, and his imagination was equal to it. After our conversation ended (a crowd had grown, so I let others get in to talk with him), I noticed I forgot to ask for an autograph. I have since got a couple, but I didn't need one that day. The memory of that talk is ingrained in my mind. Better than an autograph. Love and miss you Jack.
It’s sad that most die-hard Marvel fans don’t acknowledge the work that Jack Kirby did. He did just as much as Stan Lee, if not more.
Huh... I'm not sure how one can be called a die hard fan and not be aware of that. Maybe you mean fans of the mcu films only.
I guess I’m referring more to those who go nuts in the theaters over every goddamn little thing in the movies, but it’s kinda the idea
@@mariod1547 I'm sorry but I hate MCU fans.
@@treeman8773 Lol. I'm a fan. Why you hate us?
Mad Mario I meant people who are obsessed with the mcu but have never picked up a comic book and people who like to post those horrible tribute things on instagram that always show up in my feed.
Jack Kirby was simply a man ahead of his time very creative too bad he's gone but it's creativity will live on forever through others
I do not agree with Kirby being "ahead of his time." That phrase should be reserved for those who create incredible works that are ignored in their lifetimes and appreciated only later, usually after their deaths. Vincent Van Gogh comes to mind. Kirby was instrumental for defining the time he was in, and he was well recognized for his accomplishments during his lifetime. No, he didn't have quite the respect he does now, but he was groundbreaking and highly respected.
His DC work was better than Marvel, I just love his New Gods, Superman and Jimmy Olsen work
Hello to all comic fans! I don't know English very well, I am from Russia. My childhood was in the 90s. After the collapse of the USSR, western culture became available to us. For me, a child of New Russia, Spider-Man has become a hero and an example. And there is a whole generation of people like me. I am very grateful to the creators of my favorite characters. I want to thank Jack Kirby for everything.
Thank YOU, Paul.
Jack kirby's influence was so far reaching. I remember growing up as kid in the early 70s being so moved by the images he created and the worlds those images formed. I escaped into those worlds with boundless enthusiasm. A young poor Black kid growing up in the heart of the dreary drug pervaded Harlem ghetto was had his imagination fired up by this creative genius. He made me want to learn and read and explore new concepts in a way that kept me dreaming and hopeful for a better life. What an incredible human being whose gifts touched so many of us wherever we were. Thanks Jack king Kirby,your inspiration continues. What a blessing you still are.
This is beautiful. I hope you have done better in life. Kirby would be proud.
I hear you. I'm. From NYC Brooklyn , tuff life
I've always had this belief that, unless you were the sole artist/writer/inker/etc, creating a comic book is a collaborative process. I cannot imagine a Marvel Universe without Jack Kirby or Stan Lee. Without Steve Ditko, Spider-Man would not have his iconic costume. But Stan Lee made Spider-Man a character we could relate to. And I haven't even mentioned the more unsung heroes of the Marvel Bullpen, from Larry Lieber to Don Heck, the inkers, the letterers, colorist, and so on.
Many people working behind the scenes of Marvel deserve much more credit than what they got. And that goes double for Jack Kirby. We owe him a debt to his contribution to comics that may never be repaid.
Jack Kirby was a genius! I wish I could have met the man.
Same here.
I hope Jack knew how important he was in the eyes of all of us kids, and how admired he is by us as adults. This man's art inspired a world of creators.
Jack Kirby is absolutely a genius of art. When you contemplate that he didn't go to school or get any training other than experience and observation, it is astounding. Everybody needs guidance and support. For a poor kid to jump into graphics and 'just do it' is very impressive.
He had mentors along the way. 🙂 Even worked in animation.
best moment is when len & marv turn into little boys again remembering kirby
The Kirby crackle and his way of drawing machinery will always be two of the things I’ll remember him for the most. Such an exceptional talent and we are all luck to have his work available to us
Not even two minutes into this doc, and I already feel the intense, comic artist nerd wafting off these guys, and I love it. These are my people.
Agreed. these are the people that inspired me to enjoy the hobbie of collecting good comic book stories...the memories of when I was young..and the great artwork and stories of Kirby, Starling, Ditko, Romita, Sr. , the older Buscema, Kane, Adams, Moore. this is why I can't be love with the supehero movies. The actors, the producers, Disney, and the studio execs...they don't care about us like these writers and artists are. Roy Thomas...what a great writer. Kirby was the greatest. REMEMBER THE ETERNALS series???
Hail to the King baby!
Both of them, Kirby and Frazetta, both were artistic gods!
*-- edit* TH-cam glitched and screwed up my original comments.
Frazetta was great but he didn't work on or create any classic characters that people still live today like Fantastic Four, The Hulk, etc.
You mean Hail to the King Kirby!
Y'know, as I learn more about Jack over the years the thing that stands out the most for me isn't necessarily his art, but his overall life. This was a guy who really lived a FULL life: drawing his way out the tenement, actively serving in the war and having some crazy tales to tell from it, getting married to a damn good woman and raising an equally good family, struggling and triumphing and struggling through the most prolific career in the history of American comics. And through it all to remain this humble, down-to-earth dude who, along with his gracious wife, would literally invite you into their house and serve you sandwiches and let you watch him draw-I mean, it's kinda nuts when you stop and think about it. If there was ANYBODY in the industry entitled to be an arrogant, egotistical prick, it was Jack Kirby. And he WASN'T. Far from it. And one of the key things to understanding his development as an artist and creator was that his incredibly full life, his incredible fullness and realness as a person, all got pumped and filtered from his brain into his hand and onto the drawing page-which is why I think there will never be another like him, at least not in comic books. That amazing confluence of experience and personality was, I believe, one of a kind. Or perhaps I should say, one of a KING.
Great comment, Randal. Had he not been the man he was, he might have decided during any low point in his comics career to go into advertising or some other medium to express his art, for higher pay and better hours. We are fortunate.
Totally agree, and that's another remarkable thing about a remarkably talented man: He absolutely LOVED comics, and he couldn't have done what he did in ANY other medium. I mean, it's awesome to have all these movies coming out with his name right there beside The Man's (it fucking took long enough), but we all know that no matter how much money they pump into these things and how many thousands of hours worth of FX you see up there on the screen, they will NEVER equal what The King put down on one page or even one panel. His unique vision only exists on the printed page--and non-glossy, please. I'm old school.
100 percent correct, Randal.
It was Jack Kirby!! Not Stan Lee! The greatest of all time, his drawings and Frank Frazzeta that I want to draw like!
Thank for all these Doc's ! Great memories...👍👍❤
It was Kirby and Lee together. Ideas came from both of them, then were given form in Kirby's brilliant visual storytelling and Lee's dynamic dialogue. That's what made the Marvel magic.
There are many artists that I admired growing up and most of them are sadly passed away ! When I was younger, I wanted more than anything to be a comicbook artist ; I quickly found that while I had the desire, I didn't have the knack to do it well enough. Even if one of the Grand Masters of Art were alive today ; they'd be struggling to even get someone to look at their portfolios ! Oh well, I can dream I guess !
Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four got me at first look. He got me into comics forever! Thanks Jack!
RIP STAN & JACK,.Respect to you both M England
It's amazing how Stan Lee's writing was so complimentary to Kirby's fantastic imagery. He not only 'kept up' with Kirby's power but made it all so enduring. For a while I was with that 'Lee's Stealing Kirby's Thunder' crowd but there's nothing further from the truth. Lee helped or created the idea of turning the talent into stars. Before him (for the most part I think), publishers wouldn't even print the names of who drew some of their books. Lee's humility / visionary aspects help make comic books what they are today -motion picture rivals and foundations. Imagine a movie studio putting out a movie but not mentioning who the stars are! Old comics used to do that stupid sh*t.
1. Early Joe Simon and Jack Kirby comics had their names on them
2.Jack Kirby was already a star before teaming up with Stan lee, he has 20 years experience ahead and he made stan lee famous
3. Lee stole not only Kirby's thunder but money since Kirby did come up with the stories and ideas and he only got paid for the arts, also from Wally Wood and Ditko, The Credit only severed stan lee and his ego
4. Lee's vision couldn't even help marvel from Bankruptcy
5. Post 1960s Stan lee, what did he do? He slowly abandoned "writing" while Kirby worked till the day he died creating stories and art, stan lee turned himself into a brand selling perfume and other people's TV shows and ideas slapping his name on them
Stan Lee’s work without Kirby is not good. Kirby did great work before Lee (Cap) and after Lee (New Gods & Mr Miracle). Stan Lee begrudgingly gave Kirby credit after the fact. Lee was a great comic salesman and a key part of Marvel. But a much smaller part than Kirby or even Ditko.
@@geaux6034Kirby and Ditko could not have achieved the same level of success without Stan Lee. His writing and marketing skills were very important.
I love that Marv and Len are together.
It's really sad see nowadays Stan Lee receiving all the credits to the Marvel Heroes, none of this would had the same impact without Kirby, the real Marvel's King
ELVISFX Stan always makes sure to acknowledge Jack’s contributions, he never lets Jack go uncredited...Unlike Bob Kane with Bill Finger.
I just read stan is broke. Wtf??
stans the man but jack is the king baby
ELVISFX he's not even taking exclusive credit, he's just the only one available for people to fawn over.
Stan ALWAYS says that Jack was the man at Marvel but I have a feeling that they both had equal measures of brilliance....
This was cool! I especially liked that the documentary didn't only focus on Kirby but also on his beloved wife. Terrific stuff that makes you wanna go and find the old comics from the boxes and read them.
Great woman
FANTASTIC WOMAN XXX
My dad used to bring me comics once or twice every week and I read them and gave them away. One day he brought me a comic of "Maxisol: El Hombre Milagro" (Mister Miracle, translated in spanish for Latin America), and I was immediately possessed by the story and the art work. I asked my dad to bring me more Mister Miracle comics. I could not believe that someone could draw like that, with that imagination, the science fiction, the complex mechanical environments, the gadgets, the abstract lines everywhere that went straight then merged into three or four spheres or zig-zags, the pudgy, very expressive faces... I kept those comics for many years, until I joined the Army and someone did away with them and all my old toys. But the huge impression the Artwork of Jack Kirby had on me still persists to this moment.
I imagined what I would ask Jack Kirby if I had the chance to meet him all those years ago. I would of asked him " Do you imagine a time when your comic book hero's will be on the big screen, in the movies?" and he would probably say "All of the time". Then it struck me that was the way he drew, unlike the static panels of early comics, his had movement, perspective, even camera angles. It's just a theory an observation.
Kirby (and a lot of other artists) was heavily influenced by the movie Citizen Kane in 1940. You can see it in his style, especially his over-the-shoulder shots.
Kirby cared more about getting the feeling of a story across than being technically accurate.
Hard to say it wasn’t a style without seeing any other type of artistic work.
As i look back over my history with Jack The King Kirby I began to see the true influence He has had on the entire Comic book Genre. I watch all of these animated series mainly the Justice League and i see all of Kirby's machines and some of the great episodes involved Kirby Characters. Superman the animated series was full with episodes like Darksied abusing him and causing Him to attack Earth. The Death of Dan Turpin (KIRBY) episode, Jumping swiftly to Batman as he teams up with The Demon Etrigan, a Kirby Creation, The Justice League as I said was replete with Kirby Laced episodes. The climax of season 1 Darksied and Superman when Batman calls superman an "Idiot".The Mr. Miracle Episode, the Classic episode where Lex Luther delivered the Anti Life Equation to Darksied. The Young Justice Look, I can go on and on. So, Thanks to Artist like Bruce Timm, Steve Rude,John Byrne, Kieth Giffen, Rick Buckler, Barry Winsdor Smith, Salt Simonson oh i can go on but this is my point...none of these programs make success without the use of the creativeness, if that is a word of the great Jacob Kurtzburg, His lovely Wife Roz, His Daugther Lisa who carries on admirably and I can't forget Dr. Neal Adams who i came to like just by interview along with John Romita Sr, and Jr. John and Steve Buscema, Stan the man lee to who i give as much honor to the Marvel creations for without his corny saying...Marvel doesn't sell. I close by saying this....Kirby really showed his creative majesty when He went to DC and created the 4th world and going back to Marvel creating The Eternals, Machine Man Devil Dinosaur and if that is not enough...On to Pacific with Capt. Victory, The Silver Star, anyhow I have been preparing to write this piece for some 20 years now I said it like i wanted to hope this opens the heart of all the Comic book writers and artist world over...As you can tell...I Lvoe me some Jack King Kirby....
As one Jack Kirby fan to another, I thank you for your comment, Raymond.
I forgot to mention Neal Kirby I often wondered if he too was an artist but, i guess not. I t would have been wonderful if he like The Romitas had a son to follow in his steps...
often imitated never duplicated Jack King Kirby R.I.P
i can't count the times how many times i've watched this Docu, more people should watch this.. And perhaps they would get to know the man behind the characters they think they know.
Agreed.
Couldn't agree more. I had my idea of who Kirby was. Seems I was very wrong. Just the stories of throngs of kids getting a sandwich from Roz then heading into the studio to watch him work. Amazing.
Which is more famous: Kirby or Ditko?
@@playerish Kirby
@@playerish Both should be more known as it is,they were done such a disservice by the people they worked with. I mean, they both kept to their own, which is pretty spot on for creatives / artists. As someone that tries to do so myself, i tend to side with them of course. But it's pretty clear to me where the actual talent laid at timely or marvel when it all began. Talking a big game infront of a camera, and coming up with copy for the word balloons, coming up with only the names for a character, does not a creator make.
You can quote me on that. i'm team Kirby/Ditko for life.
Both guys should be championed, i name drop them every time when people start talking to me, about comics, comic art, influences, teachers, things that inspire me, so fast their heads spin. not as agressive as it may come across here in text mind you.
Happy 100 years of King Kirby. 1917-2017.
noice
ONE I feel Jack and Stan need their own bio pic. TWO it would also be really cool to see some of the interactions with some of the other publications cus lets face it there was a lot of tea behind the scenes we know about imagine the shit we don't.
I second a Jack and Stan biopic!
Who would play them?
Kirby was born to inspire the world with his imagination and talent.
Frankly this Documentary makes me appreciate Jack Kirby even more. I mean not only was he an Amazing Artist. But a Amazing Human Being as well.
Jack kirby deserves his own marvel movie
Agreed !
With a Stan Lee cameo as a villain stealing all the credit of Jack and Steve :D
Thank you for helping me learn to read. RIP
Eric Terry yes!
There's always one, RIP !
Rest in peace Jack Kirby. Thank you for sharing your gift with all of us
Why did I learn about Picasso and not Jack Kirby?
PrismMime
Because comic art is looked down upon as being inferior. When the truth is the Comic Masters are true artists. Its time we tell the art crowd to wake up. Massimo Berdinelli, Carlos Ezequerra, Kevin O Niel, Ian Gibson, Brian Talbot, Ron Smith etc etc were my heroes and still are.
Picasso's work looks better in person than on book and computer screen.
His splash pages and double page spreads were always amazing. I didn't like the way he drew people, but his drawings of monsters (including the the Thing) were his specialty. I also loved the way he created believable environments; Reed Richards' lab, Doctor Doom's lair, Galactus' ship. This was where he really stood apart from other artists. True genius!
God, that was so good and so important. I mean, it could have gone on two, three more hours and I would not have gotten tired of watching. He's just so inexplicable, yet so very approachable.
I was changed by Kirby's conception of the Negative Zone. When I turned the comic-book page I was transported and instantly became a big fan.
That poor man NEVER got the respect he deserved. He should have got a presidential award:) I didn’t like his work as a kid but now I’m grown. Genius
I hope that all of these great artists, writers etc., of the golden age of comics, knew/know how much of a positive influence they actually were (and continue to be) on a lot of us. They accelerated my love of reading and art at the same time. Especially illustrations from the late 30's to about the mid-fifties. Thanks!
It's a crime that Jack died poor. He should have died a millionaire. He made Marvel a billion dollar company with the help of a few other creators. Stan Lee will forever hold that shame with him. How dare he claim to be the main creator of FF, Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, ect. How dare he deny a genius like Kirby his due. Stan Lee was a glorified editor. He was nothing without the talents of Kirby, Ditko, and many others. Yeah, Stan Lee was eventually forced to give Kirby credit, far far too late in my opinion, after Kirby had filed a suit and Marvel kept it in litigation till well after his death.
Kirby didn't die poor. He wasn't rich as he should've been, but not many original creators were. Even now, writers still aren't rich.
@@dilungmoveityafool777 Still a crime considering stan died filthy rich and with all the credit due to the marvel movies
Same with Bill Finger who practically created Batman.
To the God of Marvel and DC, Jack Kirby, may you live forever.
jack kirby is the marvel in marvel comics and he will always be known for what he did if you can do something in life and people remember 100 years from now then you have done something and he did it and will be remembered for ever
amazing. I was born in 1972 so by the time I discovered Jack Kirby he was doing Captain America, Black Panther and Machine Man (late 1970s)
I like how the some of the interviewees didn't get Kirby when they were young but they grew to appreciate and understand him, it remind me when I watched Frasier when I was a kid, i didn't get it but as grew up I say it is one of the Greatest sitcoms out there, our mind is in consistent growth it can influence our perception of things, things we dont like when we were kids we come to apperciate when we are older, and the marketers doesn't understand that they just want to appeal to certain Demographic ignoring what is Art supposed to be, it is an expression
Ditko Simon Kirby lee the mount Rushmore of marvel comics
Where's; Mark Gruenwald, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Chris Claremont and several others on that Rushmore of yours?
And John Romita Sr.
@@MGSBigBoss77 shut up, they all came way after smdh
J money be quiet dickhead, i asked cos they're missing alright. way after? i don't think so he left for DC in the 70's while Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Chris Claremont all at Marvel starting out. So recheck your comic history cos your knowledge is way off jack!
@@MGSBigBoss77 But he's right, he's not pointing all the important guys, but the essential early ones who created it all, and that would be, of course, Kirby, Simon, Ditko and Lee. The ones you've cited are from a second generation of fans of the first one.
Don't shut up though, that was rude and stupid.
Love to see a documentary about Jack give time and credit to his wife and her role.
Kirby was one of the very few artists who just got better and better; he never peaked and became one of those people whose work you start to avoid because it's gotten repetitive and boring. Look at "Captain Victory" and even that first issue of "Satan's Six": he was doing brilliant stuff right up to the end.
yeah man! that Satan's Six #1 is a thing of beauty
I always loved that exploding cigar given to the devil and it going off in his face, That for me just somehow screams 'KIRBY' to me. 😁
@@cha5 Absolutely :) Kirby was distinctly and unmistakably himself right up to the end.
Jack Kirby's 'raw dynamism' lifted comics from mere entertainment to a visceral experience we all delighted in. We "felt" these moments in time as portrayed by a man who knew instinctually "How" it should be presented. Hail to Jack KING Kirby!!!
Thank you for making this documentary on King Kirby.
I didn't make it, I just posted it. But 99 percent of the videos on my channel ARE made by me.
The King was way ahead of his time.
More people need to see this documentary.
Jack THE KING Kirby: The Godfather of the MCU
He also created the New Gods and Darkseid, so he's technically the Godfather of the DCEU as well.
@@menghao737 I love Kamandi
@@followthewhiterabbit2549 New Gods is probably my favorite, haven't read much Kamandi, but want to pick up the omnibus. Everything he did was brilliant.
Please don't insult the great Kirby by associating him with Feige's cheap kiddie entertainment that is MCU
I love re-watching this documentary, his artworks are timeless! And he was blessed with a wonderful wife...
Kirby really is the king of comics.
I got to talk to Jack Kirby twice in my life. When he had come back to marvel I was about 13 years old. I knew he lived in Thousand Oaks California so I called directory and asked the operator for Jack Kirby's phone number in Thousand Oaks. To my surprise she gave me the number. I called and sure enough he answered the phone. I was a stumbling fan boy kid and he took the time to talk to me with my stupid kid questions that he had probably answered a million times. So gracious and kind.
Then in 1980 I called him again to pick his brain about the pros and cons of working for a comic book company to count the cost to see if I wanted to do that for a career. Again, like before, he took the time to answer me. I can truly say he was one of the most kind genuine guy I ever met.
I met Stan Lee in the early 70s at a "stan lee lecture" at UNLV. He signed my copy of X-Men #1. Stan seemed like a robot who had a canned response to everything and tried too hard to be funny. He also seemed to need to be famous. Jack on the other hand was a real guy.
I enjoyed reading your comment.
nobody & I mean NOBODY could've ever came close to creating the vast world of characters that JK did
Everybody’s praising Kirby’s Marvel work, and that’s fine. But I think his Magnum Opus was the Fourth World.
NEW GODS!
true
Yes, that Fourth World stuff was mind-blowing. I would have really liked to see where he would have gone if he had been allowed to continue his run on 2001: A Space Odyssey. That was some amazing stuff, too.
It was
YES THE KINGS ABSOLUTE INCREDIBLE PINNACLE WAS THE NEW GODS!!!!!!!!!
Jack Kirby and Wally Wood are my favorite comic artists, and when Wally inked Jack, it was sublime.
Sky Masters !
Challengers of the Unknown!
His comics still live on..even in 2089 they will still be around
Or... 2099
In the olden days, the long long ago, it wasn't the stories that attracted me to the comics. It was Kirby's art. He was hugely influential to me. The Thelonius Monk of comics.
Funny comment, because the stories were created by Jack Kirby too.
Stan Lee just edited the dialogs in the comics and abusing of his position in Marvel he always put his name first before the true creators.
Example:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.
Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.
Stan Lee & John Romita.
Stan Lee & Bill Everett.
@@Gamer-lq4wl Oh I know but I just loved the artwork. It's what initially caught me.
Jack Kirby is a visionary while Stan Lee was just good at selling himself.
And writing most marvel first comics stan lee wasn't useless.
@@upon136 All off Stan's comics without Jack wouldn't sell at all because his writing is the same in every single one.
Stan lee and marvel practically owe their entire comic book line to jack kirby's absolute creative genius and yet all we here today is how "great" Stan lee is and how he created marvel... what a joke. Stan was a great editor and a good writer but jack kirby was a great artist and great story teller. He added soo much to what we know as comic book superhero genre that the man deserves his due. When I think of marvel I think of jack Kirby's art and storytelling ability.
Kirby invented a new graphic language for comics. That language is still being spoken by every artist in comics today (whether they know it or not). As for the "who did what" debate, Marvel Comics needed both men, just as the Beatles needed Lennon and McCartney. I don't try to separate them; I just enjoy what they gave us.
Xwing Class it's because Stan is still currently alive, it makes a big difference when you can actually talk to a creator. In a two decades or so after Stan passes he and Kirby will likely be remembered with similar reverence, mostly forgotten.
Gotta give Steve Ditko his dues too. They both built Marvel together.
@@kirbycontinuum5700 Well said...:)
@@kirbycontinuum5700 Yeah, classic Marvel was "Stan and Jack" not "Stan OR Jack".
jack kirby is marvel. stan lee less so. good doc with great access but it's weird not to mention he's a ww2 vet and consider how that affected him
The drawings attracted me to actually read the stories. In a sense it encourage me to read more and enjoy it.
First off, this is a terrific documentary on Jack Kirby.
I've read a lot of for and againsts about Stan Lee. Since Mr. Lee has gone to the great Marvel office in the sky, I doubt anyone will really know if he hogged all the credit for Kirby's work, or if it was the company, or both--or neither. What can't be disputed and what should never be disputed is how prolific and how creative Kirby really was. He had his own style visceral, distinctive, raw, and incredibly powerful. Others have tried to imitate him, but couldn't. Often imitated, never duplicated. When it came to creating characters that virtually exploded off the page, no one was better. As great as the modern artists are, Kirby still stands alone.
I only hope that I can be as inventive and prolific with my novels as he was with his art.
Roz Kirby is a wonderful woman :)
Wow....great documentary......I do often wonder how under compensated this guy was.....I hope his family is well off after all those years of his hard work .....he definitely left an impact on many, many, many lives.......RIP Jack!
Wow this really made me realize why I started collecting comics as a kid.
While I worked at Marvel I met my childhood gods...Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Michael Golden, etc.
But my biggest regret was not ever having met Jack King Kirby whom I considered on par with Stan Lee.
I alway knew Stan was the face and voice of Marvel but Jack was the silent talent.
What was it like working for Marvel and what did you do there?
Kirby Continuum
Nothing too exciting since I was working in the business side. I was the circulation manager and also worked with licensing.
Despite working there during a low point at Marvel (chapter 11 bankruptcy) the people working there were a joy. I had to hide my fanboyism in order to maintain my professionalism however after being there for a couple weeks, I realized we were all fan boys (and fan girls). My favorite job. I wish I'd have stayed.
At 31:26 he says "he did a very weird comic called 'Devil Dinosaur. . . ". That was one of my favorites! So was Machine Man! Thank you Jack Kirby!
IT SHOULD HAVE READ,,,DEVIL DINOSAUR AND MOON BOY,!!!!!!!!!!
Wow.... All those legend's talking about......The Legendary King ♔ Jack Kirby!! Even now at these bleak times, J.K. inspires me and gives me HOPE....🙏
Jack was a force to be reckoned with. Most of us were influenced by him in one way or another.
I'm 20 minutes in and this doc is so awesome. I could never find who did what with Simon & Kirby. Now I finally know. Those are Kirby drawings. I've been admiring them for years.
I've read that the 40s team was such a famous comic book name that they asked them to stockpile stories before going overseas to war. When the stockplile ran low, they would use other artists to mimic Kirby's style, one of these artist's was Gil Kane.
Also there's a fascinating story about Curt Swan drawing over Kirby's Superman faces, softening them up. This movie was too short.
Jack and Roz. What a story of love and support.
Jack and Roz remind me of my grandparents. He was a WWII Naval Officer, then an engineer for GE. She was a nurse, but as they aged, she did the driving. He was a deep thinker, but she ran the house and managed all the money. He had no idea how much money they had in the bank! The greatest generation, and they had all the great ideas that we enjoy residually today.
Jack Kirby has created or co created half of my favorite comic book characters including my favorite superhero and supervillain.
Jack Kirby - It Is Good to Be The King
That was a great documentary that I have enjoyed listening to.
Thank you SO much for making this available to us all for free!
Amazing!
This documentary is PERFECT!!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!
WAS LUCKY TO CARRY HIS ARTWORK TO MARVEL OR STAN LEE AS A WOODCHUCK THANKS FOR SHOWING BOY RANCH AND PVT. LANCE STRONG MY PERSONAL FAVORITE. HE ALWAYS GAVE A BIG THANK YOU.
The bizarre thing to me as a 53 year old, is that I wasn’t there at the beginning beginning, but those comics were only 10 years old when I was a 4th grader entering the hobby.When I look at 10 years ago now, that would be like the comics of 2009, which seems like a drop in the bucket. We had the original reprints, we knew all of the original stories. I could be wrong but it was all lee and Kirby, then it was all Thomas and buscema, and it just went on and on, and now it looks like it’s all over...
The MCU box office is at 22 billion right now. People exploiting this man's creations.
And already they have FUCKED UP his ETERNALS and it hasn't even been released yet!!!!!!! Same as the inhumans!!!!!!SHIT!!!!!
Exploiting? I believe that it could be described as skillfully running a very successful business in a capitalist economic system. Making a profit is a good thing; we're not communists. Heck, these days, even the communists are actually capitalists.
Bold of you to call Disney "people".
That was a beautiful watch. Thank you
You're welcome, nicbam14.
this was a pleasure to watch, the man truly was a King
What an excellent piece on a brilliant man!
A true legend and absolutely the best comic artist with his unique art action style. awesome video.
The King!
His Fourth World #NEWGODS omnibus's are STILL Light years ahead of Contemporary Science fiction.
Very nicely done. As a long time reader/collector, I appreciate the back stories of Jack and the perspective of comic history as well. Thank you for posting.
Jack Kirby is a very cool dude .His artwork was so cool from way back int day ,I remember one buy 2001 ;A Space Odyssey the movie adaption. from Marvel ,At the comic store .When the movie and adaption. were both old by the time bought it at the time ,But the artwork was so cool even if the adaption. And he infulanced a generation of comic book readers like me .Even though he was not doing work by that time ,But Jack Kirby is a Legend. too me ,And his drawing were the coolest thing ever to see in comics ,And a great documentary onJack Kirby .
This was such an enjoyable (and informative) presentation of Jack Kirby and his legacy. In the mid-1960s, I was about 7 or 8 yrs old when I first got introduced to comic books (specifically Marvel, DC, and Charlton). My favorite cartoonists were Kirby, John Buscema, and Johnny Romita Sr., respectively. Being an artist myself, whenever I get a chance to draw comic book characters, I realized early on my style was heavily influenced by these guys. As others have done, maybe it's time I create a comic book of my very own. It would be a great way to pay homage to the legends of comic books! :)
To me the ultimate Jack Kirby was Fantastic Four issues 57 to 64. The art in every page of those issues are the greatest of American comic. His art had a deluxe quality, like watching a Cadillac and riding it. It had a quality only a fantastically wealthy country like the United States can produce (and done so effortlessly). I'm a fan of his distorted perspective layout that's instantly recognizable, and exciting. I treasure those years when I enjoyed Jack Kirby comics in real time.
Thank you for this video. I always wanted to know more about Jack Kirby and boom, I finally come across this and clicked immediately. I love this docu.
I always come back and watch this documentary from time to time, it put a smile on my face hear all those wonderful artist talking about The King and also about his wife.
What a guy! I for one am very thankful for all he has done for comic books and through them .
After watching this awesome documentary, I need to process the profound reach of this incredible, humble visionary... the masterpieces that he cranked out in a small bunker studio in Long Island would end up on the comic book rack of a drug store in far-flung-middle-of-no-where Manitoba... it was Jack Kirby's artwork that gave my imagination a place to go. FF, Thor, Captain America, etc... he was a creative guiding force in my life. My love for comics wasn't looked upon favourably at the time ('68 thru 74) - I remember a teacher literally ripping a Marvel comic out of my hands - so it is sweet vindication that Marvel movies are now one of the biggest forces in the world... we have Jack to thank for that. (It's incredible that it took decades for filmmaking technology to catch up with the images in his brain.) I'm struggling to say what I want to say... the strokes he penciled on paper on that old wooden desk have reached and affected so many people all over the world!