Do we have a special celebration in store for you today at the Splintering!  Today we are remembering Jack Kirby on his birthday, August 28.  There have been so many influential artists in the field of comic books, but only one of those artists was known as “The King”, and that is who we are here to celebrate.  Normally we showcase 10 covers to honor the selected artist we are remembering, but today you’ll be treated to twice that amount, as we just couldn’t settle on which of these iconic covers to exclude. 

Jack Kirby was born as Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, in the big apple itself, New York City, NY.  Although Kirby was enrolled at the Pratt Institute at age 14, he only lasted a week. He was essentially a self-taught artist, one who would go on to become the most prolific illustrator in the history of comic books.

Jack Kirby worked on any genre of comic book imaginable – Super Hero, Western, Romance, Horror, Science Fiction, you name it.  If there was a comic book, Kirby could draw it. It wasn’t just his ability that impressed and astounded fellow creators and fans alike, it was his level of output. Where as most artists at the time would work on a page a day, Kirby would work on a page and a half a day. That means while he was working on an ongoing monthly title, he could also be concurrently be working on an ongoing bi-monthly title. 

The number of characters Jack Kirby created or co-created is just too great to list, but to just give you a brief glimpse, it would include: Captain America, The Fantastic Four, the New Gods, Inhumans, Silver Surfer, Darkseid, Galactus, Black Panther, and the X-Men, to name a few. 

The bottom line is this – even if you never picked up a comic book in your life, you’ve most likely seen his creations somewhere, be it on TV, in the movies, in the toy aisle, or even on a postage stamp. The creations of Jack Kirby have provided the world with countless hours of enjoyment. Today, of all days, is the day we sit back and remember and appreciate the man – the King – that gave us so many wonderful works!

“There are people that I didn’t like, but I saw them suffer and it changed me.  I promised myself that I would never tell a lie, never hurt another human being, and I would try to make the world as positive as I could.” – Jack Kirby

Thanks for reading!

Please consider following The Splintering on social media or bookmarking the site for more independent entertainment news, views, and commentary!

---

The Splintering’s TeePublic store has items for all budgets, great and small! If you like what we do & want to help keep our site 100% free of paid ads, go here!