History Creator / JackKirby

* TakeThat: A famous one in ''ComicBook/NewGods'', where [[MeaningfulName Funky Flashman]], his angry take on Creator/StanLee, lives in a [[Creator/MarvelComics crumbling house]] with a sycophantic manservant based on Roy Thomas, and gets his meagre cash by rooting around in a container shaped like ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Jack's head.]]'' Oh, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and he wears a toupée.]][[note]]Seriously, this was a surprisingly big deal - the fact that Stan wore a toupée was an open secret till now, but Kirby was the first to actually say it out loud.[[/note]]

Ironically, his most satisfying work at this point was in animation and toys with designs for ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'' and creating the designs for Creator/{{Kenner}}'s famous ''Super Powers'' toy series where he ''finally'' got direct compensation working on the classic Creator/DCComics characters. In the Eighties he also became one of the first major creators to write creator-owned comics for the Direct Market, writing ''Silver Star'' and ''Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers''.

In the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, {{God}} looks like Jack Kirby. Or, [[RuleOfPerception did in one story]]. (Not to mention, he and Creator/StanLee also exist there as normal people who write comics based on the [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis 'actual' adventures of the superheroes]].)

Jack "[[RedBaron The King]]" Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) is, quite simply, one of the most important and influential artists and writers ''ever'' in American comics. This is the man who created or co-created ''dozens'' of classic characters for [[Creator/DCComics DC]] and [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]], and he is universally considered one of the masters of the medium, on a par with Creator/OsamuTezuka, Creator/WillEisner or Creator/{{Moebius}}.

!!Tropes:
* ArmyScout: He pulled this duty when he was a private in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII when an officer learned he was an artist. It was the only time he regretted his calling while trying to survive that dangerous posting.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: During his first Marvel period, one of the things that really rankled him was how he was treated like mere hired help when Creator/StanLee got all the plaudits for the Franchise/MarvelUniverse to the point where some reporters thought he ''drew'' the stories Kirby did. And unfortunately, this is ''still'' the case, since Jack didn't live to experience the profile boost given to Stan Lee by the modern movie adaptations of their work. According to Creator/MarkEvanier, (his biographer, who is also friends with Lee), the nadir was an article published by the ''New Yorker'' profiling Stan Lee that more or less [[WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons insulted Kirby for being scruffy and working]], and not appearing as approachable to reporters as Stan. Evanier notes that Lee didn't intend this and had no say in that article, but he also didn't do enough to correct the false impression and it more or less stoked Kirby's resentment.
* HappilyMarried: To Roz Kirby. Their relationship is mostly recreated in Scott Free and Big Barda, the protagonists of ''ComicBook/MisterMiracle''.

* SelfImposedChallenge: When he joined DC, he voluntarily took over ''Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen'', their worst performing title which was on the verge of being cancelled, and supposedly promised he'd make it a best-seller. What is definitely true is that he took it over because it was the ONLY book without a set team, [[NiceGuy and he didn't want to kick anyone else off of their books.]]

* ''Film/{{Argo}}'': played by actor Michael Park. Based on the real life story of Kirby drawing the storyboards for the sci-fi movie cover story used to smuggle 6 Americans out of Iran after the revolution. Though he didn't know about the true nature of the story as it wasn't declassified until 2007, 13 years after his death. [[note]]The movie Argo makes it appear that Kirby was actually doing art for the phony Argo film (that he, of course, didn't know was phony). In real life, his art was simply repurposed for that fake movie since it was already on hand. Kirby, in reality, created that artwork years prior for a never realized film adaptation of Roger Zelazny's 1967 novel ''Lord of Light.'' It was far more conveinent to aquire art for an aborted film project than take the time and expense to create it from scratch.[[/note]]

* ''Film/{{Argo}}'': played by actor Michael Park. Based on the real life story of Kirby drawing the storyboards for the sci-fi movie cover story used to smuggle 6 Americans out of Iran after the revolution. Though he didn't know about the true nature of the story as it wasn't declassified until 2007, 13 years after his death.

Kirby is also well known (alongside [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Siegel and Shuster]]) as the poster boy for the creators' rights movements of TheSeventies and TheEighties. An embodiment of how talented artists were treated by the companies which became multibillion dollar industries because of their creations, while leaving the original creators with pittance on the basis of dubious "work for hire" contract policies by which artists were paid for no more than the "page rate" for the comics that they drew. Consequently, despite their characters becoming iconic, Kirby and the other artists of his generation made absolutely no royalties of any kind and were denied any chance to share in the successes of their creations. Also, he was the center of the art controversy during the mid 1980s when Marvel's image was tarnished by their shameful claim that he and the other artists had no rights to their own original artwork. Public pressure eventually forced Marvel into coughing up a pension for his widow, and the Kirby estate attempted to regain Kirby's share of the copyright on his Marvel Comics characters, an effort which ended with a 2014 settlement (the terms were undisclosed).

*** The [[ComicBookAdaptation adaptation]] of Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey, which introduced...
*** Machine Man/X-51/Aaron Stack

* TechnologyPorn: James Cameron himself said that nobody drew machines better than Kirby.

* ''Film/{{Argo}}'': played by actor Michael Park. Based on the real life story of Kirby drawing the storyboards for the sci-fi movie cover story used to smuggle 6 Americans out of Iran after the revolution.

** ''ComicBook/{{Guardian}}

*** ComicBook/InvisibleWoman
*** ComicBook/HumanTorch

*** ComicBook/ProfessorX
*** ComicBook/JeanGrey
*** ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}
*** ComicBook/{{Iceman}}
*** ComicBook/{{Beast|Marvel Comics}}

*** ComicBook/{{Medusa}}
*** ComicBook/BlackBolt
*** ComicBook/{{Karnak}}

* HappilyMarried: To Roz Kirby.

* MixAndMatch: Kirby was fond of reimagining occult and magical concepts with technological and science-fiction flourishes. Dr. Doom's costume simultaneously has a medieval and modern motif (a Renaissance-hood, cape, gold clasps for both, a green surcoat, and a medieval belt covering over absolutely modern robotic armour) and according to Kirby was intended to make him look like the Grim Reaper. Magneto likewise has a pulp fiction leotard and cape number but has a helmet with a Dark Ages-style horn, that makes him look like a feudal baron straight from the feudal era (this was Pre-Claremont, where Magneto was still an obnoxious asshole). The Norse Gods are simultaneously SufficientlyAdvancedAlien and HighFantasy beings, Wakanda is likewise a traditional African community and a modern science-fiction utopia, and the Fourth World of Apokolips and New Genesis takes this to the zenith, with everything have a techno-occult motif.

After this came the famous early Marvel period, where the Lee-and-Kirby team built the Marvel Universe from the ground up. However, towards the end of the 70s, the increased prominence of natural showman Lee and unfavourable working conditions led Kirby to become disillusioned with the company and leave. After Kirby left Marvel, he went to Creator/DCComics and created "The Fourth World" series, ''ComicBook/NewGods'', ''The Forever People'' and ''Mister Miracle'' as well as insisting on taking over ''Superman's Pal, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen'' which didn't have an assigned art team so he wouldn't cause anyone to lose their job. In those titles, Kirby created a grand cosmic mythos [[WritingForTheTrade he planned to have reprinted into bound volumes for resale]]. Unfortunately, this idea was around 15 years ahead of its time and DC's publisher, Carmine Infantino, pulled the plug before Kirby could see the project through. ''ComicBook/NewGods'' was reportedly his favourite of his works, and is commonly regarded by Kirby fans and scholars as his greatest achievement.

*** ComicBook/{{Medusa}}
*** ComicBook/BlackBolt

* MixAndMatch: Kirby was fond of reimagining occult and magical concepts with technological and science-fiction flourishes. Dr. Doom's costume simultaneously has a medieval and modern costume (a Renaissance-hood, cape and clippings but with absolutely modern robotic armour) and according to Kirby was intended to make him look like the Grim Reaper. The Norse Gods are simultaneously SufficientlyAdvancedAlien and HighFantasy beings, Wakanda is likewise a traditional African community and a modern science-fiction utopia.

Jack "[[RedBaron The King]]" Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994, born Jacob Kurtzberg) is, quite simply, one of the most important and influential artists and writers ''ever'' in American comics. This is the man who created or co-created ''dozens'' of classic characters for [[Creator/DCComics DC]] and [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]], and he is universally considered one of the masters of the medium, on a par with Creator/OsamuTezuka, Creator/WillEisner or Creator/{{Moebius}}.

*** ComicBook/{{Medusa|Marvel Comics}}

Before working with Lee, he had a ridiculously creative partnership with Joe Simon, starting in the 1940s. Among other things, the two co-created ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and the ''entire genre'' of romance comics. He then spent much of the late 50s working on Atlas Comics' [[{{Kaiju}} monster stories]] with Creator/StanLee, co-creating characters who would eventually become Marvel mainstays, including [[Comicbook/IronMan Fin Fang Foom]] and [[Comicbook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy Groot.]]

After this came the famous early Marvel period, where the Lee-and-Kirby team built the Marvel Universe from the ground up. However, towards the end of the 70s, the increased prominence of natural showman Lee and unfavourable working conditions led Kirby to become disillusioned with the company and leave. After Kirby left Marvel, he went to Creator/DCComics and created "The Fourth World" series, ''ComicBook/NewGods'', ''The Forever People'' and ''Mister Miracle'' as well as insisting on taking over ''Superman's Pal, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen'' which didn't have an assigned art team so he wouldn't cause anyone to lose their job. In those titles, Kirby created a grand cosmic mythos [[WritingForTheTrade he planned to have reprinted into bound volumes for resale]]. Unfortunately, this idea was around 15 years ahead of its time and DC's publisher, Carmine Infantino, pulled the plug before Kirby could see the project through. ''Comicbook/NewGods'' was reportedly his favourite of his works, and is commonly regarded by Kirby fans and scholars as his greatest achievement.

Kirby remained with DC writing individual titles like ''[[ComicBook/{{Etrigan}} The Demon]]'', ''[[ComicBook/{{Kamandi}} Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth]]'' and ''ComicBook/{{OMAC}}'' and even returned to Marvel for a time to single-handedly write and draw ''Captain America'', ''Black Panther'' and new titles like ''Comicbook/TheEternals'' and ''Devil Dinosaur'', before his work rate ''finally'' started to slow down.

*** Comicbook/XMen
*** Comicbook/TheAvengers

* PenName: As was the case with many of the early comicbook men, "Jack Kirby" was a ''nom de plume''. He was born Jacob Kurtzberg.

* SplashPanel: Kirby was possibly the ''king'' of the splash page. Many of his stories start with a trademark one-two punch of a title page close-up splash to establish tension, followed by a double-page splash of something ''huge'' happening. The openings of Comicbook/NewGods or Comicbook/{{OMAC}} are probably the most well known. Chris Sims, provider of our page quote, dubbed it "Kirbyvision".
* TakeThat: A famous one in ''Comicbook/NewGods'', where [[MeaningfulName Funky Flashman]], his angry take on Creator/StanLee, lives in a [[Creator/MarvelComics crumbling house]] with a sycophantic manservant based on Roy Thomas, and gets his meagre cash by rooting around in a container shaped like ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Jack's head.]]'' Oh, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and he wears a toupée.]][[note]]Seriously, this was a surprisingly big deal - the fact that Stan wore a toupée was an open secret till now, but Kirby was the first to actually say it out loud.[[/note]]

-->--'''[[http://comicsalliance.com/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ Chris Sims]]'''

* DudeWheresMyRespect: During his first Marvel period, one of the things that really rankled him was how he was treated like mere hired help when Creator/StanLee got all the plaudits for the Franchise/MarvelUniverse to the point where some reporters thought he ''drew'' the stories Kirby did. And unfortunately, this is ''still'' the case, since Jack didn't live to experience the profile boost given to Stan Lee by the modern movie adaptations of their work. According to Creator/MarkEvanier his biographer (who is also friends with Lee), the nadir was an article published by New Yorker profiling Stan Lee that more or less [[WorkingClassPeopleAreMorons insulted Kirby]] for being scruffy and working and not as approachable to reporters like Lee. Evanier notes that Lee didn't intend this and had no say in that article but he also didn't do enough to correct the false impression and it more or less stoked Kirby's resentment.