Biography
A comic book artist who began working during the Golden Age of comic books and continued into the 1990s, Jack Kirby (1917-1994) created or co-created hundreds of characters, including many of today's best known superheroes.
Well-regarded by his peers and fans as "King" Kirby, he began working at Marvel Comics (then Timely Comics) in 1940 with frequent collaborator Joe Simon. Along with writer/editor Stan Lee, Kirby is credited with Marvel's increased success in the early 1960s with the creation of a strong group of superheroes and the development of a distinct style for Marvel's characters.
Some of Kirby's creations include:
Ant-Man (Tales to Astonish #27, January 1962)
The Avengers (The Avengers #1, September 1963)
Black Panther (The Fantastic Four #52, July 1966)
Captain America (Captain America Comics #1, March 1941)
Challengers of the Unknown (Showcase #6, February 1957)
Darkseid (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134, November 1970)
The Fantastic Four (The Fantastic Four #1, November 1961)
Galactus (The Fantastic Four #48, March 1966)
The Hulk (The Incredible Hulk #1, May 1962)
Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #39, March 1963)
Silver Surfer (The Fantastic Four #48, March 1966)
Thor (Journey into Mystery #83, August 1962)
The Vision (Marvel Mystery Comics #13, November 1940)
The X-Men (The X-Men #1, September 1963)
Illustrations by Jack Kirby
Additional Resources
- Stripper’s Guide
- “Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning,” by Jesse Kowalski
- “A Complete History of American Comic Books,” by Shirrel Rhoades
Bibliography
Evanier, Mark. Kirby: King of Comics. New York: Abrams, 2007.
Kirby, Jack. Challengers of the Unknown Omnibus. London: Titan, 2012.
Kirby, Jack. Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus. New York: DC Comics, 2007.
Kirby, Jack. Jack Kirby, Pencils and Inks: Artisan Edition. San Diego, CA: IDW Publishing, 2016.
Kirby, Jack. King-Size Kirby. New York: Marvel Worldwide Inc, 2015.
