Jack Kirby is a popular American writer, artist. However, he is better known to the general reader as a comic book editor . The characters created by him are popular among modern youth, the stories of many of them were filmed in the form of cartoons and movies.
Youth
Jack Kirby was born in 1917 in New York. He came from a family of Austrian immigrants. He lived in difficult conditions in a very troubled city. The boy early discovered his ability to draw and after a while began to try himself as an illustrator in one of the teenage newspapers. By his own admission, caricaturists as well as well-known comic book authors of the 1940s greatly influenced his style and manner of writing. He entered one of the most prestigious schools of art - the Pratt Institute, but very soon left there, because he diverged in views with teachers. In 1936, Jack Kirby began working on newspaper comics, and three years later he moved to an animation company, which largely determined the future direction of his work.
First successes
At the turn of the 1930s and 1940s, a real comic book boom began in the United States, and on this wave he created a career for himself. The artist came up with a number of illustrated stories, the most diverse in genre and theme: westerns, fantastic, humorous. In 1941, he and his co-author created one of the most popular superheroes - Captain America, who is still very popular among fans. After the first success, Jack Kirby for some time suspended his activities in connection with his departure to the army, but immediately after returning to his homeland he began to work with several publishing houses and magazines, until he finally settled on Marvel.
Captain America
According to an illustrated story, this superhero at first was just a simple American teenager who was in poor health. In order to become a soldier, he agrees to test an experimental serum on himself, which turned him into a physically developed and almost invulnerable person. Captain America, a comic strip about which was originally created solely from patriotic considerations, was very popular during the Second World War. He is dressed in a suit of the color of the American flag and is fighting on the side of government forces. At the end of the war, this hero quickly lost his popularity, however, already in the 1960s he again became known due to the fact that his image was introduced into the team of the avengers.
Features
This character differs from other superheroes in that his abilities are not the result of a mutation, but the result of a scientific experiment. In addition, his qualities are the hypertrophied abilities of ordinary people. He is strong, hardy, moves fast, he has a lightning reaction. Captain America, a comic strip about which has become one of Kirby’s most popular creations, is immune to disease. In addition, he became an excellent tactician and gained the ability of a true leader. He became a true expert on weapons and transport management, and thanks to his skills he was repeatedly involved in carrying out secret missions of the American government. For a long time he worked in the spy organization Shch.I.T. However, in ordinary life, the hero is engaged in drawing, applied arts, entrepreneurial activity.
Work with S. Lee
The 1950s and 1960s were the most fruitful in the writer's work. Together with another famous comic book author (Lee), Kirby created a series of characters and stories that currently represent the face of modern science fiction: the Hulk, X people and others. In 1961, both came up with a story about the fantastic four - a team of superheroes. When writing this story, the creators made a number of important innovations: they abandoned the traditional principle of maintaining the secret of the personality of the main character, added elements of conflict between the characters. Thus, they developed the concept of a superhero in the real world. All these features were associated with the circumstances of the Cold War, the events of which incited the authors to compose stories of this kind.
Other stories
Jack Kirby, the king of comics, is also the author of a story about X people. This is a team of mutant people who became heroes of movies, cartoons and computer games. The first issue with their participation was released in 1963. The composition of the group was constantly changing, so that by our time the universe of these next superheroes has grown so much that even the most sophisticated fans are unlikely to be able to figure it out. In 1963, the author released a new series of stories about the avengers. It was also a team of superheroes who fought with such villains, who could not be defeated by these characters alone. Its composition also constantly changed, replenished with robots, mutants, and even former enemies of the avengers. Currently, the comic book series is so popular among fans that many stories have been transferred to the screen. Blockbusters, created based on these stories, today collect huge box office.
Hulk
Jack Kirby (writer) is also the author of a series of stories about this character, inside which, according to comics, is a monster. The hero is in constant fear due to fear that he will break out. This led to a change in his psyche and emotional state. Despite the fact that the authors made this character rather gloomy, they nonetheless endowed him with the ability to feel deep and strong love. According to the plot, the character received a huge share of radiation from the bomb, saving the teenager, which led to the fact that at night he turned into a real giant with crushing power, and during the day he became himself again. However, in subsequent versions, the ability to this kind of metamorphosis developed in him under the influence of emotions. Some critics call the Hulk the dark component of the psyche of the protagonist. Despite his isolation, this character was part of the avengers and defenders.
Work in DC
The comic book editor joined the company in 1970. This was due to the fact that he was dissatisfied with the terms of cooperation with Marvel. In the new field, he created the so-called "Saga of the fourth world." This story was financially unsuccessful, although some of its heroes still remain part of this universe. This story differs from other works of the author in that it contains a very original art and an unusual concept that tries to unite all the characters in some fantastic, conditional reality. Some critics believe that this comic book was ahead of its time, and therefore did not receive such recognition as the previous illustrated stories of the artist.
Last years
Jacob Kurtzberg (such is the real name of the writer) worked for some time on television, creating artistic animation. He continued to work on new comics and created series like OMAC, Kamandi and others. These stories, along with those listed, are also considered famous and are popular. Kirby is the owner of numerous awards and titles. He is the author of the best short story, best novel, etc. He passed away in 1994 in California. Comic writer and currently remain the basis for numerous film adaptations.