![]() ![]() When the unreleased 1985 Captain America movie was announced, Cannon Studios released a poster with it. Ironically, Kirby’s most iconic character is the one that is most often erroneously credited to others. Various characters were created in rapid succession, with Super-American and General Glory being two notable examples. After the creation of Captain America, the idea of World War II-centered characters and comics caught on quickly. They inspired hope in soldiers and Americans who were concerned about the possibility of the war coming to America. Comics were cheap, widely available, and entertaining. Since comic books were hugely popular at the time, Captain America effectively spread pro-war propaganda. Regardless, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon went through with publishing the first issue of Captain America with the iconic cover of Captain America punching Hitler in the face. At this time only a little more than 52% of Americans wanted to join the fighting in Europe. When the first issue of Captain America came out, the United States was on the verge of joining World War II. The prejudice he faced as a Jewish immigrant growing up and the anger he felt towards the injustices committed in Europe were poured into Captain America. In an interview with Leonard Pitts Jr, Kirby asserted that he used Captain America as a way to fight the battles that he could not. Inspired by his childhood in the Lower East Side, Kirby created Captain America with his own experiences in mind. Created in 1941 with Kirby’s long-time friend and fellow comic book artist, Joe Simon, Steve Rogers was one of the first explicitly political superheroes. Jack Kirby’s first big hit was Captain America. ![]() “ While sometimes other writers may have done dialogue for his stories, he wrote the stories with the pictures,” said Mark Badger, a comic artist who is well-known for his work on Gargoyle, Abstract Kirby, and Martian Manhunter, when I interviewed him about Jack Kirby over e-mail. Even though his artistic skills alone make him a cornerstone of the comic community, he has also gone above and beyond in his writing. He never stopped working, creating hundreds of characters and always finding a new project to work on the second an old one was finished. Kirby’s comics are widely known for his incorporation of politics and real-world events, and his influence on future comic artists. Just like his nickname Jack “The King” Kirby suggests, he is the King of Comics. Born in the Lower East Side on August 28th, 1917, Kirby dedicated forty-two years of his life to the comic industry. The greatest comic artist of all time may be highly debatable, but I believe that the answer is obvious - Jack Kirby. The Library Exhibit Gallery is open during Library open hours.Here is Jack Kirby’s childhood apartment on 147 Essex Street in Manhattan, where he first developed his unique art style. Requests for accommodation services (e.g., sign language interpreters or transcribers) must be made at least five (5) business days in advance. "Jack Kirby 100" is sponsored by the Oviatt Library, English Department Alumni Association, English Department, College of Humanities, initiative, and Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center ( ). 28 (Kirby's 100th birthday) from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., in the Oviatt's Jack & Florence Ferman Presentation Room. To launch the show, Hatfield will host a panel with comics creators Mark Badger and Tony Puryear on Monday, Aug. The exhibit will run in the Oviatt's Music & Media wing, August 25-October 1. The show reveals Kirby's versatility as well as the popular dreams and concerns of WWII and Cold War-era America. Curated by CSUN English Professor and Kirby scholar Charles Hatfield, "Jack Kirby 100" shows Kirby's influence across many genres, including superheroes (for example, Captain America, the Avengers, and the X-Men), romance, crime, science fiction, westerns, war, and horror. CSUN celebrated his legacy in 2015 with an Art Galleries exhibition, Comic Book Apocalypse, and continues this term with this new exhibit, timed for the 100th anniversary of his birth. Jacob Kurtzberg, 1917-1994), a legendary figure in comics, is one of the most beloved and imitated artists in American popular culture. "Jack Kirby 100," an exhibit of comic books and prints at the Oviatt Library, commemorates the centenary of the famed artist known for co-creating the Marvel Universe. ![]()
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