JACK KIRBY

Real Name: Jack Kirby (legally changed from his birth name, Jacob Kurtzberg)

Identity/Class: Human/Icon, supreme being

Occupation: Illustrator, writer, and small-time actor

Group Membership: Marvel Comics

Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers), the Distinguished Competition, Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Girl/Sue Richards, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), the Howling Commandos (Dum-Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, Gabe Jones, Eric Koenig, Dino Manelli, Pinky Pinkerton, Reb Ralston), Stan Lee, the Marvel Bullpen, Nan (see comments), Joe Simon

Enemies: Dr. Doom (Victor von Doom), Impossible Man, Lefty Larkin and other gangsters

Known Relatives: Rosalind (wife), Susan (daughter), Neal (son), Lisa (daughter), Barbara (daughter), Jeremy (grandson)

Aliases: Jack Curtiss, Curt Davis, Lance Kirby, Ted Grey, The King

Base of Operations: Mobile, including New York City

Born: August 28, 1917

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#10 (January, 1963)

Powers/Abilities: Kirby possessed an imagination and artistic ability that bordered on a superhuman level (See Comments).

Height: 5'2" (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Gray; formerly brown

History:
(Captain America's Bicentennial Battles#1) - During the Great Depression, young Jacob was selling newspapers on the streets when he encountered a time-displaced Captain America (Steve Rogers). When gangsters grabbed one of his newspapers and didn't want to pay him, Cap came to his rescue and saved Jacob from getting shot. One of the thugs, Lefty Larkin, got caught by the police, and Jacob promised to draw Lefty's ugly face into comics when he became a big artist.

(Captain America & the Invaders: Bahamas Triangle#1) - Jack Kirby encountered Captain America during one of his earliest missions and returned his triangular shield to him when Cap accidentally dropped it. Jack told Cap to hold on to his shield because he was sure the country would soon need him before heading back to the drawing board.

(Captain America VI#19 (fb)) - During World War II, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon worked on Captain America Comics and sometimes received death threats from members of American Nazi supporters.

(Captain America I#311 (fb) - BTS) - Kirby was the original artist of Captain America and used to be able to pencil an entire issue in five working days.

(Fantastic Four I#10) - While developing the latest issue of their Fantastic Four comic (during which they discussed a new character: "False Face"), Jack and Stan Lee were stunned to be visited by Dr. Doom. Both Jack and Stan were repulsed when Doom removed his mask and showed them his scarred face. Then Doom forced them to summon Mr. Fantastic to their offices--after capturing the FF's leader, Doom later used an alien Ovoid technique to exchange bodies with him.

(Captain America: The Legend - Scenes we never saw) - After Captain America finished defeating some thugs, Jacob Kurtzberg rushed out of his studio to praise the recently-revived hero. Kurtzberg yelled for his partner [Joe] Simon to come meet Cap, but the skeptical Simon stayed indoors.

(Fantastic Four Annual I#3/1) - As Gabe Jones rushed to tell Nick Fury of two party-crashers at the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm, Fury argued that no uninvited guests were to be allowed. Gabe and Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan escorted Stan Lee and his "partner-in-party-crashing," Jack Kirby, off the wedding premises. The two vowed to get even once they returned to the Bullpen and began writing the next issue, then they would show them!

(Marvels I#3) - During Galactus' attack on Earth, Jack Kirby was in a car with friends listening to the news on the radio. (see comments)

(Sub-Mariner I#19) - Jack Kirby witnessed the Sub-Mariner wash up on the beach while he was there with many other members of the Marvel bullpen.

(Iron Man I#85) - Jack, along with Stan Lee and several other Marvel staffers, encountered Iron Man (Tony Stark) after the hero's armor was critically damaged during a battle with the Freak. One of the bystanders gave his portable radio to Iron Man, who then used it to recharge his armor--all the bystanders marveled at the roller skates equipped in his armor.

(X-Men I#98) - Along with Stan Lee, Jack was present when Scott Summers and Jean Grey of the X-Men publicly embraced and kissed each other--Jack commented on how things had changed since "their day." This touching, happy, and heart-stirring moment was then disrupted by an attack from the murderous, mutant-hunting Sentinels!

(Fantastic Four I#176) - Jack visited the Marvel offices and met with Stan Lee, George Perez and Roy Thomas, who were complaining that the Fantastic Four were unreachable, leaving them without a story to publish that month. Kirby suggested that Thomas and Perez make up their own stories, but Stan dismissed the idea outright. Suddenly, the Impossible Man appeared--wowed by all the comics he saw on their walls, the mischievous extraterrestrial asked them to make a comic book about him. Kirby enthusiastically began to sketch, saying, "Sure-- hold that pose, kid! I'll make you an Eternal-- no, I'll put you in '2001'--!" But then Stan observed that he and Kirby had already done a story about the Impossible Man, one which readers disliked because he looked too silly.

   Being called silly made the Impossible Man irate, and Kirby quickly fled the room with the others. On his way down the hall, Kirby was stopped by John Verpoorten, who wanted to tell him how much he loved his art on '2001', but was interrupted when the Impossible Man fired an optic blast at them (mimicking the X-Men's Cyclops, see comments). Ultimately, the Fantastic Four calmed the Impossible Man down, and Lee promised to give him his own comic...although he had no intention of making good on that promise.

(Fantastic Four III#27) - At the Marvel offices, Stan and Jack warned Chris Claremont, Salvador Larroca and Art Thibert not to screw with the primal forces of the Marvel Universe.

(Fantastic Four I#511) - After journeying to the afterlife via the "Necrophone", the Fantastic Four were offered the opportunity to meet God; they found themselves faced with Jack Kirby himself, who took a phone call from an unseen "collaborator" (clearly Stan Lee). Kirby set the Fantastic Four on their way back to Earth, but first removed the scar Dr. Doom had given to Mr. Fantastic, and turned Ben Grimm back into the Thing in order to condense his sub-plot. As a parting gift, he gave them a sketch of themselves several years older, with the caption: "To Be Continued."

(Fantastic Four I#584) - After Ben Grimm drank a concoction created by the Future Foundation that would revert him back to human form once a year, he took the opportunity and had dinner with Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Johnny Storm.

(Fantastic Four IV#16/2 / FF II#16/2) - Jack Kirby and Stan Lee were among the many guests at a party held at the Watcher's citadel by the Fantastic Four and Future Foundation.

(X-Force VI#9) - Jack Kirby was seen enjoying a drink in Krakoa's Green Lagoon while Magneto, Xavier and Gentle looked on.

Comments: Created by Benjamin and Rose Kurtzberg (his dad and mom!)

In Marvels I#3, Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott had a cameo, but according to artist Alex Ross in Marvels Annotated#3 (July, 2019), he was asked to obscure his likeness. Marvels I#3 was published only weeks before Kirby passed away.

Following his death (February 6, 1994), Kirby also appeared as "The King," a godlike being in Alan Moore's Supreme: The Return#6.

Regarding his height: I could find only one source that mentioned him being only 5'2"--when they met "God," the FF were all stunned by how common He looked, and the Invisible Woman even said, "Reed, why am I taller than the Almighty?"--Ron Fredricks

Kirby's cover for Fantastic Four I#176-- depicting the Impossible Man mimicking the abilities of various Marvel super-heroes-- inspired Perez to do the same in the actual story.

There are many hidden references to Kirby throughout Marvel titles. A few which come to mind include the "Stan and Jack's" ice cream in Avengers '99 Annual, and Kieron Dwyer's insertion of Simon and Kirby into nearly every issue of Captain America during his run (sometimes disguised as foreign letters!).

The faux 1963 version of Marvel Age magazine seen in Marvel Age Annual#2 included an editorial by Jack Kirby written in the style of Stan's Soapbox.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were supposed to have made another appearance together in a Marvel comic, but the story was changed, according to Madison Carter:

The Jack Kirby Collector [#13]...had an article on a horror story Jack drew for Marvel (see Andreas Flec) involving two sorcerers [that was originally slated for Chamber of Darkness#4]. At the end, he drew the sorcerers to reveal themselves to be Kirby and Stan Lee. However, without his assistance, Marvel redrew the last panel to have the sorcerers vanish without revealing themselves.

The credits for the story according to the GCD:

The Monster [title]
( Sequence 1, 7 pages )
Credits: Jack Kirby (Script), Jack Kirby (Pencils), John Verpoorten (Inks), Artie Simek (Letters).
Reprinted: In Giant-Size Chillers#3 (August, 1975)

Jack Kirby had at least a few non-canonical Marvel appearance:

(Fantastic Four Annual I#5/2) - One day at the Marvel offices, Jack and Stan were overrun with enthusiastic fans of Marvel Comics, who were demanding to see their favorite super-heroes. Instead, Jack and Stan led them to a room full of several super-villains, recuperating from their misdeeds.

   But the mob of Marvel fans gave the villains a hard time and overwhelmed them. Indignant at Kirby and Lee for the injuries they had suffered, Juggernaut and the Melter tracked them down and put them in the hospital. While they were on their hospital beds in full body casts, Stan declared that he would have Jack's art materials sent there so they could continue their work, even as the Mole Man tunneled in through the floor...

The story reads more like something out of Not Brand Ecch, so I wouldn't include it as part of Earth-616 continuity.
--Ron Fredricks

(Patsy and Hedy#88 [June, 1963]) - Jack arrived in Centerville, scouting for a local girl to use as his model for the next cover of the comic book Love Romances. He befriended Nan, while Nan's friends Patsy Walker and Hedy, in hopes of making the cover, mistakenly befriended another man, believing him to be Kirby. Jack chose Nan to be his cover girl since she was the only person in town who had been nice to him.

This would have to be non-canon because the events seen in Patsy Walker comics are meant to be a comic book written by Earth-616 Patsy's mother.
(This) Millie the Model#107 features a guest-appearance by Jack Kirby. Is Millie's series canon?--John McDonagh

Although the character in the Millie the Model story was a comic book artist, he didn't physically resemble Kirby, so I wouldn't include it.--Ron Fredricks

Kirby appeared as Jacob Kurtzberg, in Captain America: The Legend -- it was one of the four "Secret Files" style specials that came out just before Heroes Reborn. Kirby is in the 'Lost Pages' story, which takes place not long after Avengers I#4 (perhaps between that issue and Sentinel of Liberty#5-6). It is, to the best of my knowledge, the only time Kirby appeared in a Marvel story under his birth name.

And though it's not Marvel...Superman: The Animated Series had a take on "Terrible" Turpin [that was supposed to be a nod to Jack Kirby]...as well as the occasionally-proffered theory that Oberon in Mister Miracle was supposed to be Jack's mouthpiece. Kirby may also have an unnamed cameo in Silver Surfer I#15, as a cigar-smoking TV viewer startled by the Human Torch's inadvertent flight through his apartment.--Omar

Mike Sangregorio found two more non-Marvel Kirby appearances:

A character named Kirby King appears in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode The King, he was inspired by Kirby from the TMNT comics.
--Quiof Thrul

And other non-Marvel references can be found in Kurt Buisek's Astro City series: The First Family have their headquarters located on Mount Kirby, and a nearby town is named "Kurtzburg".--Ron Fredricks

Jack also makes an appearance in the alternate reality of Earth-1228 seen in What If I#11, wherein he, Stan Lee, Flo Steinberg and Sol Brodsky gain the powers of the Fantastic Four. In that reality, they became the Thing, Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, and the Human Torch, respectively, when they received a box in the mail that released mutating Cosmic Rays. The package was from "The S People," who turned out to be the Skrulls, who had planned to use similar boxes to turn humanity into mindless zombies. But this Fantastic Four kept their own minds and defeated the Skrulls, natch. Presumably Jack had comparable powers to that of the real Thing, including superhuman strength and durability.
  Jacob Cundiff pointed out that this reality (or a similar one) appeared in Paradise X: Heralds#3 (February, 2002) as one of the Earths where a Watcher was exposed.

But the character Jack Kirby may have actually had superhuman powers himself, as hinted at in the Powers/Abilities section. Not unlike Stan Lee (the comic character), Jack may be a representation, or avatar, for the Marvel Universe, which is also known as the abstract entity Eternity, seeing as how Jack had so much influence and impact on the creation/formation of the Marvel Universe. If this is the case, then Jack Kirby IS the Marvel Universe and possesses any and all powers contained therein.
And now we know--as of Fantastic Four III#511--that Kirby was in fact the supreme being of the Marvel Universe. --Prime Ed-ternal

As a testament to his creative power, the Appendix has a list of entries for Jack Kirby creations.

There are a number of websites dedicated to the work and life of Jack Kirby. Here are a few noteworthy examples:

  • Appendix contributor MD Carter's The Monsters of Jack Kirby.
  • The aforementioned Jack Kirby Collector also has a website.
  • Comic book professional and former assistant to Jack, Mark Evanier, has several pages dedicated to Mr. Kirby over at his website POV. Thanks for the images, Mark!

In Green Lantern (vol. 6) #12 (June 2022), the Source has taken the form of Jack Kirby.
--Quiof Thrul

Long Live The King, baby!

For further information on the real Jack Kirby, see HERE.--Ron Fredricks

A few missed appearances added by Markus Raymond and Ron Fredricks. New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.

Profile by Kyle Sims, Madison Carter, Omar Karindu, Prime Eternal, Snood and Stunner

Profile updated/edited by Kyle Sims

CLARIFICATIONS:
Jack Kirby should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Main Image - Jack Kirby, circa 1991
Fantastic Four I#176, p11, pan1 (headshot - Jack Kirby)
Captain America's Bicentennial Battles#1, p20, pan5 (young Jacob Kurtzberg)
Captain America: The Legend, p42, pan2 (Kurtzberg calls down from studio window)
Fantastic Four Annual I#3, p23, pan6 (Jack Kirby [left] and Stan Lee walk away from Richards/Storm wedding)
X-Men I#98, p3 pan2 (Jack Kirby; Stan Lee [background])
Fantastic Four I#511, p17, pan3 (Jack Kirby as "God")
Fantastic Four I#511, p17, pan6 ("God" finishes his phone call with his collaborator; Ben Grimm, Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman [background])

Appearances:
Millie the Model Comics#107 (March, 1962)
Fantastic Four I#10 (January, 1963) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Patsy and Hedy#88 (June, 1963)
Fantastic Four Annual I#3 (1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
Fantastic Four Annual I#5/2 (1967) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks)
Sub-Mariner I#19 (November, 1969) - Roy Thomas (writer), Marie Severin (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man I#85 (April, 1976) - Len Wein & Roger Slifer (writers), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Marie Severin (inks), Len Wein (editor)
X-Men I#98 (April, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Captain America's Bicentennial Battles#1 (June, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils/editor), Herb Trimpe, John Romita and Barry Windsor-Smith (inks)
Fantastic Four I#176 (November, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), George Perez (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
What If? I#11 (October, 1978) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils/editor), Mike Royer, Bill Wray, Scott Shaw & Dave Stevens (inks)
Captain America I#311 (November, 1985) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary (pencils), Dennis Janke (inks), Mike Carlin (editor)
Marvels I#3 (March, 1994) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Alex Ross (artist), Marc McLaurin (editor)
Captain America: The Legend - Scenes we never saw (September, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Dan Jurgens (pencils), Jerry Ordway (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four III#27 (March, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Paradise X: Heralds#3 (February 2002) - Jim Krueger & Alex Ross (writers), Steve Pugh (artist)
Fantastic Four I#511 (May, 2004) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks)
Fantastic Four I#584 (December, 2010) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Steve Epting (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Captain America VI#19 (December, 2012) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Steve Epting (artist), Tom Brevoort with Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Fantastic Four IV#16/2 (March, 2014) - Lee Allred & Karl Kesel (writers), Joe Quinones (pencils), Mike Allred (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
FF II#16/2 (March, 2014) - Lee Allred & Karl Kesel (writers), Joe Quinones (pencils), Mike Allred (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Captain America & the Invaders: Bahamas Triangle (September, 2019) - Roy Thomas (writer), Jerry Odway (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
X-Force VI#9 (March, 2020) - Benjamin Percy (writer), Joshua Cassara (pencils/inks), Jordan D. White, Chris Robinson (editors)

First posted: 11/03/2003
Last updated: 11/09/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

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