Today is February 6th, 2009 -- the 15th anniversary of the passing of Jack Kirby. Most people who know me well know how much I love his work, and how much respect I have for his accomplishments.
Unlike the other cartoonist-influences I've blogged about in the past (see here, and here), I don't think Jack Kirby needs much of a write-up or introduction. There's plenty of other great sources of information on Kirby and his art, so all I'll say here is that he was one of the greatest comic creators ever, and certainly the very best super-hero cartoonist of all time. His work was infused with compassion, innovation and heroism, and he left a legacy that will span the ages. Every cartoonist I admire also admires Kirby, and in the centuries to come they'll talk about him the way we talk about Giotto or Picasso. He was that good -- that's why they called him King.
14 comments:
Love your work!
Oh, man! Those cartoonist portraits you do, are so great, they have a very timeless appeal to me. Many good things are in there and I enjoy it a lot!
I met Jack Kirby when I was an art student back in the late 80s. A group of us went to FantasyFest '89 in Atlanta (a huge pop culture convention). We were checking out of the hotel and I was sitting in the lobby with my portfolio. An old man sitting next to me asked to see my work, so I showed it to him. He went through and critiqued every piece and offered tons of advice and direction. It was only after he was done and offered me an autographed drawing that I realized who he was. Needless to say, I just about passed out.
great portrait of the greatest comic artist !
great work, thanks for the notes below!
excellent pic michael. nice to see the love flying around the internet today for Jack. its hard to believe that its been 15 years.
Great portraits on all 3 of these, and very nice short essays, too. Going to get that Age of the Sentry comic soon, looks sweet.
Hey man I just wanted to let you know your work rocks! Those 2 tone pages looks great! Its good to see some ones else who loves the old school comics.
thanks, everyone :)
FryCookOnVenus: what a great story. I've heard how generous and friendly he was to fans before -- your story comfirms that.
Jeff: thanks, Jeff. Hope you like the comic too -- it was a treat to draw all those Kirby heroes, especially 1960's style.
Nice portray!
I LOVE this portrait! Beautiful stuff!!
Thanks, ladies! That's nice to hear from two such talented artists!
Hi, I moderate a blog called "The Kirby Project" which is dedicated to artwork inspired by the work of Jack Kirby. The project is similar in style to your Iron-Man blog and I would like, with your permission, to add this Kirby portrait to the project. I am willing to provide links to your blogs and any other links along with the posting. Let me know how you feel about this request.
http://thekirbyproject.blogspot.com/
This would make a great t-shirt! ;)
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