A Week Of Jack Kirby: The Comics Industry Joins MTV Geek To Celebrate ‘The King’ On His 96th Birthday!
“I met Jack Kirby in person only once. I shook his hand around 1993, at San Diego Comic-Con at the height of the original ‘Image comics’ craze. Kirby was standing at a booth, featuring prints of his art. Kirby was just standing around chatting. Remarkably, there were no lines, no tables… I took the moment to stop and pay respects. He was kind, and when he heard me say I was an artist working in comics for Marvel, he patted me on the back and gave a general comment to my generation “I love the work you guys are doing.” he said.
I discovered during Morrisoncon last year that both Jim Lee and I were late admirers of Kirby’s work. This struck me, as I see Jim as something of a modern day Kirby now, as his style and work have had a profound affect on mainstream comics and I believe will define this era of modern comics for decades to come. Kirby did that as well, but like Jim, my immature observations of his work, hyper stylized anatomy and reality, shortcuts and quick lines were at odds with the more realistic art of Neal Adams, Gil Kane, Ross Andru and John Buscema that my tastes gravitated towards. It wasn’t until I started understanding the depth of creative genius and sheer outpouring of innovation and design that Kirby gave the world of comics that I began to see Kirby’s work through a perspective shared by Steve Rude and Alex Ross.
I recently read an article by Kirby’s son Neal, about what it was like growing up with the man as a father. As a father of two boys myself, I was keen to hear his experience. To understand how humble and simply Kirby lived, working from an old wooden kitchen chair well into his senior years when surely he could have afforded better, and drawing his master works from a basement studio, as I do myself (well, not necessarily masterworks, I mean the basement studio part!) shines a light on what Kirby’s entire generation gave all of us. Knowing he was a good father, a thoughtful, humble and kind man, makes his artwork and creations even more wonderful to me. I can’t imagine a world without his characters, and when you tick them off, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four.. it never ceases to affect me how resonant and important the man’s work has been. All from a wooden kitchen chair in a cellar in Long Island.
As Jack Kirby would have been 96 this Wednesday, I only wish I could tell him once again, shake his hand once again, and let him know that his artistic shoulder’s are gigantic like Galactus’ and we all stand on them somewhere, to do what my generation of comic artists do today. He is a legend and well deserving. Happy Birthday, Jack!”
-Darick Robertson, co-creator of The Boys, Transmetropolitan, HAPPY! and Ballistic”
