Monday 28 August 2017

Happy 100th Birthday Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby, who was born 100 years ago today, created or co-created so many amazing characters, including Captain America, the X-Men, Mr Miracle, the New Gods, Kamandi, OMAC, Hulk, Etrigan, and Iron Man (to name a few). But my favourites remain the Fantastic Four.


This image is from Fantastic Four #7 (1962), one of the first FF stories I ever read, and it's a perfect example of Kirby's storytelling genius. It's not just because of the intricacy of the design, or the depth of the image & the way it conveys the scale of this alien world, or the fact that it's such a brilliant concept for an advanced, alien version of a lift. It's the way the FF are descending in character! Sue is frightened, her arms are outstretched (her status as Marvel's maternal powerhouse had not yet been established), and yet she is still falling gracefully. Reed is calm, confident, & has complete faith in the science of the alien device. Johnny has thrown his whole body into the descent in a dramatic fashion and Ben is lumbering into it face first. So much is conveyed in just one image. One page tells you everything about these characters and their adventures.

This is just one example of why Jack Kirby was a true comics genius.