Kirby, king of comics
New book details artist's influential career
Norris Burroughs, contributing writer
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: Book Reviews
As comic books become increasingly more popular among film studios as subjects for movies, it is worthwhile to go to the source of this phenomenon. A new book by Mark Evanier has just appeared, called Jack Kirby: King of Comics, written about and featuring the artwork of one Jack Kirby. The title is not an idle claim. Mr. Kirby began his career in the late 1930's. Along with artist/writer, Joe Simon, Kirby created Captain America, the ultimate patriotic super-hero. The team of Simon and Kirby went on to create several genres in comics, including the romance comic.
But it was in 1961 that Kirby changed the face of comics with writer Stan Lee, by introducing the Fantastic Four to the world. The series featured a quartet of elemental super beings with human problems. They were essentially a family that fought among themselves. Prior to the debut of the Fantastic Four, comic book storytelling had been episodic. Stories lacked continuity and characterization was minimal. The Fantastic Four's adventures happened in real time, with events unfolding as the character's personalities developed. The Four dealt with problems and issues that the reader could identify with.
Over the years, Kirby and Lee introduced several enduring characters including the Hulk, the X-Men and Thor, exploring concepts that ranged from prejudice and alienation to notions about godhood and the duality of the soul. Kirby and Lee developed a method of working wherein the artist would essentially plot and draw the stories and Lee would only later add dialog and captions.
Kirby's style was explosive and positively cinematic. He designed his panels in such a way that the figures appeared to leap out of the page at you. His storytelling techniques always advanced the plot, racing along at breakneck speed. His themes were mythic and monumental, and as the sixties progressed, his characters explored the outer regions of the cosmos, introducing such outer worldly concepts such as Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Galactus was as close to being a god as a conventional comic book antagonist could be, and the Silver Surfer was his noble, sacrificial, Christ-like herald.
But it was in 1961 that Kirby changed the face of comics with writer Stan Lee, by introducing the Fantastic Four to the world. The series featured a quartet of elemental super beings with human problems. They were essentially a family that fought among themselves. Prior to the debut of the Fantastic Four, comic book storytelling had been episodic. Stories lacked continuity and characterization was minimal. The Fantastic Four's adventures happened in real time, with events unfolding as the character's personalities developed. The Four dealt with problems and issues that the reader could identify with.
Over the years, Kirby and Lee introduced several enduring characters including the Hulk, the X-Men and Thor, exploring concepts that ranged from prejudice and alienation to notions about godhood and the duality of the soul. Kirby and Lee developed a method of working wherein the artist would essentially plot and draw the stories and Lee would only later add dialog and captions.
Kirby's style was explosive and positively cinematic. He designed his panels in such a way that the figures appeared to leap out of the page at you. His storytelling techniques always advanced the plot, racing along at breakneck speed. His themes were mythic and monumental, and as the sixties progressed, his characters explored the outer regions of the cosmos, introducing such outer worldly concepts such as Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Galactus was as close to being a god as a conventional comic book antagonist could be, and the Silver Surfer was his noble, sacrificial, Christ-like herald.
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