Jack Kirby - King Of Comics

Following on from the thread I created as a tribute to Steve Ditko, it's logical now to stand legs apart with clenched fists and scream HAIL JACK KIRBY - KING OF COMICS!!!

 

Kirby was brilliant, no doubt! He could frame an action scene like no one else. The Kirby Krackle is one of the greatest comic are conventions ever created.

 

Kirby's work was a huge part of my childhood. I couldn't wait to get the each issue of The Mighty Thor...

 

Hate to be one of those guys, but I'm pretty sure this is a John Buscema drawing. Obviously heavily inspired by Kirby, though.

 

I've often read people ragging on Vinnie Colletta's inks, I loved his work on Thor!

 

If only they could have used this Galactus in the Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer movie.

 

Dang, you may be right about that. This one was probably inked by Joe Sinnott who did an amazing job bringing Kirby's "flavor" to other artists work.

 

Colletta's style worked great for Thor. His thin lines added a bit of elegance to the majestic Thor, Odin and the gang. There are times where his background inking is a little thin and he chose not to ink a lot of the detail Kirby had drawn. Colletta was known for fast turn-around times and was given inking duties on comics that only had a few days to meet deadline.

 

I always hated Jack Kirby's stuff. He'd write for Captain America some when I was a big fan and when he did it was: "sigh, beat down".

I hated his artwork. Heavily outlined with square jawed, blocky depictions of the characters. Obviously a man of talents from a different age, but I could never relate to it.

 

Of course, the problem was that Colletta also worked quickly and took shortcuts on assignments that were not behind schedule (such as Kirby's books... Kirby was never late). Most notoriously, he sometimes even erased background figures or details rather than bother to ink them. Colletta once reportedly told Kirby "Hey, with what we're getting paid, I just crank out the pages as quickly as possible, and you should too." Kirby was a guy who took great pride in his work and gave 100% on everything he did, no matter how trivial. He found Colletta's attitude offensive, and it led to him having Colletta removed from the New Gods inking assignments.

 

Fascinating to think this was published in December 1963. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee get topical. It's one of the things that made Marvel ahead of it's time, addressing issues that other comics wouldn't touch. Racism, bigotry, drugs.. it seemed that nothing was off limits.

 

Ditto any Kirby, any Marvel title for that matter.

 

LOVE Kirby!

I always felt his best work for Marvel was on Thor and the FF. I liked the earlier New Gods, but the loosening up that began towards the end of his time at Marvel continued apace and I became less of a fan. Some of his pre-Marvel work is outstanding too. See if you can fins his pencils for Surf Hunter, for example. Looks like a completely different artist to the guy who pencilled and wrote those late period DCs and the Captain Americas when he returned to Marvel in the seventies

 

Scott Free what a great name ...
aka Mister Miracle (DC).

 

Kirby. Never really cared for his drawings, especially how he depicted Thor. Now when Jae Lee drew Thor, not to even mention the Sub-Mariner, that's how they should have been drawn!

 

Maybe that would have been just too much crammed into one film. They could have easily brought Galactus into a further episode, however it all sort of fell apart and they came back with re-boot FF movie which was complete waste of screen time.

 

Lee and Kirby were both depression era New York Jewish kids - this isn't too shocking. If you really want some "whoa, that's political ahead of it's time" adventure, check out some of the earliest Superman stories that Siegel and Schuster did in the late 30s...

 

Awesome gif.
Thx !!!

 

Didn't like his art as a kid. His shorthand anatomy looked realy bad compared to the likes of John Byrne and Buscema, but as an adult I see and appreciate greatly his genius. "Gentleman" Gene Colan's art had a similar effect on me as a kid, but now I would kill for an original piece of his art.

 

Time can put a perspective on thing s.

 

Oh yea! I love onions and green peppers now too

 

Now I know why I rated Buscema, I was rating the same guy twice.

 

The thing about Kirby was that his style was ever- evolving. If you check out samples from each decade, from the 50's forward, there's an unquestionable arc to his work. I say arc because I think he hit a peak, and like most other comic artists, declined as he got older. For example, after his run at DC he returned to Marvel and Captain America. This work made me sad as a fan because I thought it was hideous!