Whatif11C

Jack Kirby would have been 92 years old today.
Bully has a 24 hour tribute, with hourly posting. Spurge has a visual tribute. We’ll link to the epic Merry Marvel Marching Society recording, which, although it does spotlight other Marvel personnel, also includes the King’s voice and personality as it was heard.

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11 COMMENTS

  1. I wish he was still alive so he could have people make a massive fuss over him like they do with Stan Lee. Not knocking Stan, but, c’mon. Enough Stan already.

    And I wish he was still alive because I wish he was just still alive, with his family and wife. I think he was done creating, I think he did more than enough. He deserved more years of relaxation, and more riches and credit. He deserved a ton of mega-movie cameos if he so desired. He deserved to be the main guest of honor at one of the monster SDCC’s of recent years.

    But that’s why they call ’em wishes.

    Long Live the King.

  2. I was 15 when I went to my first Convention in the late ’80’s. The attendance wasn’t very large, so any fan could spend as much time as they wanted with any of the creators. I didn’t know much about Jack Kirby (I was 15 and had only begun with comics a couple of years before), but I had heard his name and had a small understanding that he was “important”.

    So I decided that even as ignorant as I was, then I should take the opportunity to meet him. I approached him slowly and awkwardly, but that only lasted a few moments. He immediately greeted me warmly and genuinely. I confessed that I did not know much of him, but it didn’t seem to matter to him in the slightest. I spent a few minutes talking with him and then excused myself. But even though our meeting was short, I was quite impressed with who he was as a person.

    Even if he had never done anything important in comics, then based on that encounter, he seems to me a man well worth remembering.

  3. My birthday today, too! I can’t express how pleased I was, a few years ago, to find that I shared the King’s birth date! He was always one of my favorite artists, anyway, growing up. Now, each year when this day rolls around, it gives me a great sense of pride to feel that I can share something (if not, unfortunately, great artistic talent!) with the all-time King of Comics!

  4. Happy 92nd B-day, Jack!

    Apropos to the article below this, here’s a quote from Mark Evanier’ remembrance of The King in the 2004 SDCC Souvenier Book:

    Jack was one the first professionals to attend and support the con. He was one of the first— most likely, the first— to predict what it would become. In 1971, when everyone thought it was an astounding success just to have 600 comic fans come together, Jack said, “This is the future, and not just of comics but of all media. Movie studios are going to come to this convention every year to see what’s new.”

    I wonder what he would’ve thought of the additional 124,400+ fans that attended SDCC in each of the last 3 years, and of the continuing brouhaha that the Con ‘isn’t about Comics anymore’…

  5. I’m going to tagalong and echo what Evan Dorkin said. I like the idea of Kirby living long enough to afford to retire from drawing comics and just relax with his grandkids.

    Also; gah, what a handsome fellah.

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