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Home , Atlas Comics (1950s), Boy Commandos, Comet (DC Comics), Comic Book Artist, Howling Commandos, Jack Kirby

Magi Hossameldin Professor Thelma Bauer Digital Media Foundations- D304 8:00 - 11:20AM Class December, 18th 2018

Jack Kirby-The Real Unknown Hero ​

Often praised as the “King of Comics”, has influenced generations of artists and writers alike. Not only a talented , he was also a great storyteller, which is considered to be responsible for his success and longevity. Kirby’s influence can still be seen in any modern comics, and even on the big screen. Kirby is responsible for creating many iconic and beloved comic book characters.

Jack Kirby was as Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, on the of in . From and early childhood, Kirby aspired to be a storyteller, having being influenced by the stories his mother told him, and the stories in the newspaper comics and in the movie theaters. As a self-taught artist, he started drawing cartoons for the newspaper of the Boys Brotherhood Republic. By the age of 14, he was enrolled in , but dropped out the afternoon of his first day due to financial pressures.

He worked at various studios before starting his career as a super-hero comic book artist. Kirby didn’t begin his career in comics but in the animated cartoons, namely Popeye cartoons at the . He began working at Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate as a political, gag, and strip . Through work, he met , and formed a team. In 1940, they were hired by Company, which is known in the present as Comics. At the time, Timely line only had two star superheroes; The and the Sub-Mariner. Kirby and Simon helped create various characters for the company such as , Tuk the Cave-Boy, , the , Red , Pierce. But it was the creation of in 1941, the story about a super-soldier who began life as scrawny Steve Rogers who help the beat the Nazis in World II, which brought Kirby and Timely Comics success. Released at the height of WW II, the cover art displayed Captain America clad in American flag, punching Hitler on the . The highly successful first issue of Captain America sold out in days, and the second issue’s print run was set at over a million copies.

However, the success of Captain America also brought about of his partnership with Timely Comics. Kirby and Simon decided to part with Timely Studio since the studio weren’t willing to share the profits of Captain America despite their deal. Their reputation on the Captain America run earned them spots at Timely Comic’s rival , presently known as DC comics. Kirby and Simon signed a one year contract with DC that paid $250 per week as opposed to a measly $75 per week at Timely Comics. At DC comics, Kirby created , a group of four teenagers from around the world, specifically Allied Nations such as England, Netherlands, France and fighting Axis forces and Nazi spies. The comic was an instant hit, same as Captain America. Kirby and Simon also helped popularize pre-existing DC characters such as , Sandman and Martian . Their run at DC proved to be a success.

1943 saw Kirby and Simon serve in the armed forces. Kirby was drafted into the U.S. Army on June 7, 1943. Kirby served as an Infantryman. Upon learning that Kirby was a comic artist, he was given an extremely dangerous duty as a scout, who would go into hostile territories to draw maps and pictures. During the war, Kirby suffered from a severe case of frostbite on his . After the end of the war, Kirby was honorably discharged on July 20, 1945 and earned the Combat Infantry Badge and bronze battle star.

After the war, Kirby and Simon reunited and resumed their work at DC comics. However, they no longer had the freedom like they used to before the war. So, the pair decided to leave DC comics. After DC, and with the decline of superhero comic post-WWII, they created a whole new of comics, the “Romance” genre at Crestwood Publications. With a title like “” and a completely new genre, many believed it would be a failure. But with Kirby’s art and impeccable storytelling, they proved the naysayers wrong. It was another hit for Kirby and Simon, and strengthened their status as top class comic book artists/storytellers. With the success, they started their own company Mainline Comics, however it was short and brief. With the steep decline in the comic book industry, one of Mainline Comic’s distributor News went bankrupt essentially putting Mainline out of business. This sadly proved to be the end of the highly successful partnership of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Simon left the comics industry to work in advertising, and they parted in good terms.

Kirby worked as a freelance artist for various companies, namely DC in the 1950s. Kirby went back to Timely Comics, now known as in the late 50s under its new editor . Here, Kirby and Lee created Four, a superhero group to replicate the success of DC’s group of superhero . was released under Atlas’ new name in November of 1961. Fantastic Four as a team not only dealt with super villains but also with human emotions, feelings, relationships and life in NYC, and it proved to be a highly successful venture. Marvel, Kirby and Lee had found their formula for successful comics by focusing more on characterization and other adult related issues. One of the reasons for Marvel’s success was the new technique Kirby and Lee had developed, in which Lee would give Kirby a simple plot, Kirby would illustrate the whole story, and Lee would put dialogue at the end depending on the illustrations.

The 60s saw the rise in the comic book industry, and it was during that time that Kirby created many of most famous and iconic characters, and some of the greatest moments in comic book history. The Fantastic Four was followed by the Incredible , which at the time was a failure and was dropped just after a few issues. Of course, the Hulk has gone on to be a highly successful character for Marvel. Kirby followed it by introducing the character of and the Asgardians. While Spiderman and Ironman weren’t drawn by Kirby himself, he was responsible for the origins of the characters. Nick and The were inspired by Kirby’s own war experiences. He introduced the original by bringing together Marvel’s characters in a group. He also created the X-Men, a group of born with as an allegory to the Civil Rights Movement. He went on to create more characters for the X-Men. Kirby is not only known for creating beloved heroes but also iconic villains such as , , , and anti-heroes like , The , and many more characters that are still in demand to this day.

Kirby had a huge hand in shaping Marvel comics to what it is today. But due to the constant mistreatment by Marvel by not crediting his work most of the time led Kirby to quit and join DC comics. While Kirby managed to create popular characters such as , , Big Barda etc, they never reached the same height of success as he had with Marvel characters. After his contract with DC ended, Kirby went back to Marvel for a few years before quitting comic book industry to go back to his roots in . Jack Kirby retired in 1987, and passed away on February 6, 1944 in California.

In short, Jack Kirby has had a massive lasting impact in the comic book world and comic-related fields. His artwork and stories has influenced many generations of comic book readers, artists and aficionado. He has created some of the most beloved and iconic comic book characters and stories, majority of which are still ongoing. Comic book movies currently are considered to be a huge part of Hollywood, often touted as cash cows for major film studios, and films based on characters Kirby created/co-created have collectively earned more than $7.1 billion.

Work Cited

1. Acuna, Kristen; Erin Fuchs and Aly Weisman. “This Genius Helped Create The Avengers, X-Men, Captain America, Hink, And Thor.” Businessinsider.com. 7 Jun. 14. . < http://www.businessinsider.com/jack-kirby-family-marvel-copyright-case-2014-6> ​ 2. Cronin, Brian. “2014 Top 50 Comic Book Artists.” 23 Dec. 14. Web. Goodcomics.com. < http://www.goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/12/23/2014-top-50-comic -book-artists-3-1/2/> ​ 3. Evanier, Mark and Sherman, Steven, “Jack Kirby Biography”, Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center, 2013 http://kirbymuseum.org/biography/ ​ 4. Heller, Jason and Noel Murray. “A beginner’s guide tp the King of Comics, Jack Kirby.” Avclub.com. 29 Aug. 13. Web. < http://www.avclub.com/article/a-beginners-guide-to-the-king-of-comics-jack-kirby- 102227> 5. Hoppe, Rand. “Jack Kirby: Comics’ Greatest Storyteller.” Denofgeek.us. 8 Oct.15. Web. < http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/jack-kirby/248736/jack-kirby-comics-grea test-storyteller > 6. ‘’Jack Kirby’’, Comic Vine, 2018 https://comicvine.gamespot.com/jack-kirby/4040-5614/