”Jack Kirby” (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor who co-created many of Marvel Comics’ most iconic superheroes.
Early Life and Work
Kirby was born in New York City in 1917. In the 1930s and 1940s, he created comic strips under pseudonyms before teaming up with writer-editor Joe Simon at Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel. Simon and Kirby created Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional superhero created by Marvel C... More in 1941.
Work with Marvel
In the 1960s, Kirby collaborated with writer-editor Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More at Marvel Comics. Together they created characters including the Fantastic Four, ThorThor Odinson is a fictional superhero from Marvel Comics and... More, HulkHulk is a fictional superhero created by Marvel Comics. He f... More, Iron ManIron Man is a fictional superhero created by Marvel Comics. ... More, the X-Men, and others. Kirby’s artwork was key in giving Marvel heroes their signature looks and establishing the dynamic Marvel style.
As either artist or writer, Kirby had a hand in inventing concepts like the Silver Surfer, Uatu the Watcher, Ego the Living Planet, and more. His artwork was known for its boundless energy and cosmic imagination.
At Marvel Comics, Jack Kirby co-created popular superheroes including:
- Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, The Thing) with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
- HulkHulk is a fictional superhero created by Marvel Comics. He f... More with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
- ThorThor Odinson is a fictional superhero from Marvel Comics and... More with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
- Iron ManIron Man is a fictional superhero created by Marvel Comics. ... More with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
- X-Men with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
- Silver Surfer
- Galactus
- Black PantherBlack Panther is a superhero from Marvel Comics who was crea... More with Stan Lee''Stan Lee'' (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922 ... More
Work with DC Comics
Kirby moved to DC Comics in the early 1970s, where he created his Fourth World saga involving the New Gods characters. He later returned to Marvel briefly before retiring in the 1990s. Kirby was inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
Kirby’s artistic talent, creativity, and grand vision for characters and stories established him as one of the most influential and important comic book creators of all time. His work at Marvel in the 1960s laid the foundation for its success as a company.
