The Kirby Files – Remembering the King
July 10th, 2009Categories: John J. Joex, Kirby Files
By John J. Joex
Jack Kirby's biography by Mark Evanier
As a life long fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the influences on my interest in the genre are vast. From television, obviously Star Trek was the biggest influence along with the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits (and, I must admit, Land of the Giants). From movies, I have to point to such examples as the first five Planet of the Apes movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running, Them, the Japanese monster movies, and the Wizard of Oz (I was already a lifetime member by the time Star Wars hit the theaters). From books, I was a fan of the pioneers of the genre such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Jules Verne, and only got into authors such as Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov, and (my favorite) Ray Bradbury a little bit later. Then, another heavy influence came from my early love of comics, and more specifically those drawn and written by Jack Kirby.
Mr. Kirby, accurately dubbed the “King of Comics”, was the first comic book artist whose style I really paid attention to. Not that I didn’t notice the artwork in the comics, I just never paid much attention to the differentiation in styles between artists. However, I do remember noticing Kirby’s square-jawed, stone-faced characters along with the intricate technology and sprawling settings that filled the pages he drew. And while I didn’t pay too much attention to continuity at the time (this was the early seventies), I know that the comics I that I enjoyed the most included the Fantastic Four and Thor (my mom would buy us the bagged sets they sold in stores that often included reprints from the sixties classics). The cosmic, grandiose themes that permeated these titles out-shined the other comics I read and really appealed to my imagination.
Then I remember one year getting issue #16 of a title called Kamandi which set me on the path to becoming a comic fan and collector for the next twenty plus years. In retrospect, that issue was not particularly ground-breaking as far as comics go, but it really grabbed me. I remember reading it over and over again as it drew me into this post-apocalyptic world where animals had replaced humans as the rulers of the world. Next I found issues #18 at the newsstand and snatched it up, and before I knew it I was digging through musty boxes at the flea markets looking for the back issues (not too many comic shops around at that time). That set me on the road to following Kamandi and collecting the back issues that I missed. Which in turn lead me to start seeking out other Kirby creations from that period such as OMAC and The Demon, then the ultimately the Fourth World series which had preceded those titles.
The thing about Jack Kirby’s work was that imagination and creativity just exploded from the pages that he produced (at a pretty fast rate too of around fifteen per week). His mind seemed to know no bounds and he would come up with some of the wildest ideas, yet still manage to pull them off with some degree of credibility. Whether it was the war-time adventures of the Boy Commandos, the cosmic exploits of the Fantastic Four, the post-apocalyptic travels of Kamandi, or the near absurd exploits of Devil Dinosaur, Kirby delivered an experience to his readers. Of course his concepts missed the mark at times, i.e., the previously mentioned Devil Dinosaur, but even when he slipped off into the deep end, he still managed to draw his readers into the worlds he created, no matter how absurd.
His influence is immense as well. Whether working with long-time partners Joe Simon or Stan Lee or on his own, the books he drew have lived on. Characters that he created or helped create as far back as the 1940’s like Captain American and the Guardian still live on today. And he touched creatively almost all of the Marvel stock of characters from the 1960’s that have since gone on to become industry icons like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. And for years after his initial work on those characters, Marvel showed his work to up and coming artists and told them to follow his lead. Then, during his time at DC in the 1970’s, he created the Fourth World series which, while cut short during his time working on it, has since become an integral part in that company’s pantheon. While Jack Kirby did not create the comic book industry, his work helped move it in new directions and define the look of the medium for many years.
This ongoing column will look at Jack Kirby’s legacy as well as many of his creations. For those familiar with the “King”, sit back and enjoy the trip through memory lane (and hopefully I will pass along some new tidbits you did not know about from time to time). For those not as familiar with Kirby’s work, fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for a journey through pure imagination!
Next: The Essential Jack Kirby, a must-read list of compilations of his work
