Kirby: King of Comics | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Evanier
Creator: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Abrams
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $18.00
You Save: $22.00 (55%)
New (49) from $18.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 11543
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 12.4 x 9.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 081099447X
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5092
EAN: 9780810994478
ASIN: 081099447X
Publication Date: February 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new
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Product Description
Jack Kirby created or co-created some of comic books’ most popular characters including Captain America, The X-Men, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, Darkseid, and The New Gods. More significantly, he created much of the visual language for fantasy and adventure comics. There were comics before Kirby, but for the most part their page layout, graphics, and visual dynamic aped what was being done in syndicated newspaper strips. Almost everything that was different about comic books began in the forties on the drawing table of Jack Kirby. This is his story by one who knew him well—the authorized celebration of the one and only “King of Comics” and his groundbreaking work.
“I don’t think it’s any accident that . . . the entire Marvel universe and the entire DC universe are all pinned or rooted on Kirby’s concepts.” —Michael Chabon
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| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 King Kirby Lives!!!! July 16, 2008
Mark Evanier does a fantastic job paying tribute to the king of comic books.This would make an excellent coffee table book for any Kirby afficianado!The illustrations and uses of Kirby's sketches are also effective.
But the book does have a sad note.Evanier writes of the injustices suffered by Kirby and his widow.This man essentially,except for Spiderman,was responsible for creating Marvel's Silver Age.Yet Marvel begrudgingly paid Kirby's widow a MEAGER pension after his death in 1994.
The book is not only decorative but informative and with Kirby's work being so vast I look forward to a "sequel" by Mr.Evanier.Kudos!Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Captain America Comics 1
 This isn't a comprehensive biography of Jack Kirby, but it's an exceptionally well-done overview of his career July 14, 2008
Read this in an evening. Well-researched (the author was an assistant of Kirby's in the late '60s and early '70s), well-organized and well-illustrated. This isn't a comprehensive biography of Jack Kirby, but it's an exceptionally well-done overview of his career. Only complaint: I would have enjoyed seeing more examples of Kirby's non-comics projects, such as his production designs for the never-produced adaptation of "Lord of Light".
Must reading for comics fans! July 3, 2008
I highly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates Kirby art or has a passing interest in the history of comic books. The book's large format provides for great representations of Kirby's artwork and Evanier does a wonderful job of telling the King's story.
Was Jack really a victim? NO! He was not cheated. EVER! June 22, 2008
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
More has been said and written about Jack Kirby, the true King Of Comics, than any comic book artist I can think of. Perhaps only Will Eisner has more "ink".
I have every Jack Kirby Collector. I have everything about Kirby I could get my hands on.
This is a good book. But I think "Tales To Astonish", is a better book.
In fact "Tales To Astonish" is a great book.
Here is what I learned from Jack Kirby's life and this book and the book "Tales To Astonish". Kirby was a genius at art/comic book storytelling. He was awesome. He was not a victim.
After I read "Tales To Astonish" and I read that Martin Goodman, an accountant working for DC (At that time is was not called DC)and noticed HOW well Superman sold, then started his own company (that became Marvel). He started his own company selling comics. He could not even draw.
At any point in his life, Jack Kirby could have CHOSEN TO BE MORE than just a paid "worker". Kirby and his fans should not BLAME MArvel, Martin Goodwin, Stan Lee, or anyone, for hiring Jack, and for taking the risk (of being in the publishing business) and printing the comics Jack drew. They could have failed and Martin Goodman could have LOST ALL HIS money.
They think Jack was taken advantage of. He was not. All of Marvels checks "cashed".
They offered to pay him to make comics, he accepted. That was a fair deal for both of them.
Jack could have started HIS OWN comics, written his own books, drawn one extra page a week and that would be 50 pages a year-- ALL HIS OWN.
Jack at any time, could have OPENED HIS OWN COMPANY and been his own boss. AT ANY TIME. He never CHOSE it.
He never wrote books in his "free" time and published them. He should have. But for whatever reason, Jack was not 1/100 the business man, let's say Will Eisner was, and that is okay. Jack was an artist. Not a business man. And I say that with no ill intent.
Martin Goodman was a business man and not an artist. Was it his fault he hired Jack Kirby? Steve Ditco? His nephew (Stan Lee). Who should Martin have hired. Thanks to Martin Goodman, we have the Marvel universe. He paid Jack Kirby to create it. Do you see how that works? Without the business man the artist is washing dishes (or waiting tables).
Now, as it turns out in life, some people are great artists and some are great business people. Jack WAS NOT A BUSINESS MAN. But many of Jack's fans are angry (and so was I for years) in the way Marvel "treated" Jack. But now that I am older I think it was UP TO JACK to make his own destiny.
He had the talent. He lacked the business mind.
Most artist "lack" a business mind. It's the way God wired us all.
After I read "Tales to Astonish" I copied Martin Goodman's formula. I wrote several books on very popular subjects (late at night after my 12 hour work days). In less than 2 years those 2 books brought in about 300 thousands dollars..and changed my life.
I followed the Martic Goodman formula and it works!
This PROVES TO ME, that if Kirby (Who has more talent in on finger than I have in my entire body) had gone out and done what I had done, printed his OWN work and sold it, he would have made money. He never tried.
I have been a WAITER, (at restaurants) for most of my life. (17 years).
After I read "Tales to Astonish" I felt that Jack missed his oppurtunities. He had the chance, like Will Eisner did, do have his "OWN" thing. Even if her had to do it part time at night (till it got off the ground).
The business men at MArvel, did not cheat Jack. They HIRED HIM and paid him. It was up to Jack to take his talent and DO MORE WITH IT, than just work FOR OTHERS.
JAck was not a victim. He was not cheated.
He was a brilliant, hard working, artistic genius. Thank GOD SOME business man HIRED him and GOT HIS WORK out there. If not for MARVEL, there would be NO Jack Kirby as WE know him.
I wonder how many Jack Kirby's are waiting tables or selling car insurance because no one like MARTIN GOODMAN, hire them to draw.
God bless Jack. He was the man. But he was no victim. HE chose to do what he did. He was not "forced" or cheated, in anyway.
I never heard Jack say "The marvel paychecks did not cash!"
If you work for someone thay are not "cheating" you by hiring you. They are risking their money on your ideas or work. You an artist always have the option of risking YOUR OWN MONEY--on your projects.
Jack worked for other people--because he chose to.
I loved this book! Minor spoilers. June 15, 2008
Let me preface this review by saying the hard core Jack Kirby fan may not be that impressed with this book; if you have more than a handful of the Jack Kirby Collector issues, you may be familiar with most of the text and images that this book presents.
For the neophyte or moderate Kirby fan, this is really an outstanding book. The 2 page spread of pencils for "Street Code" that begins on page 28 is jaw dropping and worth the price of admission. There are a lot of scans of Kirby's original penciled pages; you can see where he erased and touched up lines and it provided me with more than a few "wow" moments as someone who draws and likes to study others' work.
The text of Kirby's history can be a bit depressing and it is presented in detail here:
- (un)steady work in the 40s and 50s that doesn't bring steady finances.
- Break through characters, art and comics with Marvel in the 60s that do not bring recognition to Kirby among the public at that time.
- Editors liking Kirby's page layouts, but bringing in other artists to change faces of prominent characters with before and after illustrative examples.
Finally in 1978, Kirby got some animation jobs with "young artists who'd grown up on his work and old-timers who valued the hell out of him." Combined with the popularity of comic book conventions and demand for artists' work (though Kirby had to hire lawyers to get pages back from Marvel) finally brought him some well deserved recognition and finances.
Have you read this far? I'll close by saying that this is an amazing book if you aren't already well immersed with Jack Kirby's history.
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