Jack Kirby (Jacob Kurtzberg) - the king of comics: biography, creativity

Jack Kirby is a popular American writer, artist. However, the mass reader, he is better known as a comic book editor . He created heroes are popular with 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 discovered early on 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, his style and manner of writing was greatly influenced by cartoonists, as well as well-known comic book authors of the 1940s. He enrolled in one of the most prestigious schools of art - the Pratt Institute, but very soon left from there, as he broke into views with the teachers. In 1936, Jack Kirby began working on newspaper comics, and three years later moved to an animation company, which largely determined the future direction of his work.

First successes

At the turn of the 1930s and 1940s, the real boom of comics began in the United States, and on this wave, he created a career. The artist came up with a whole series of illustrated stories, the most diverse in genre and theme: westerns, fantastic, humorous. In 1941, together with his co-author, he created one of the most popular superheroes - Captain America, which is still very popular with fans. After the first success, Jack Kirby stopped his activity for some time in connection with his retirement, but immediately after his return to his homeland began working with several publishers and magazines, until finally he stopped at Marvel.

Captain America

According to the illustrated story, this superhero was at first only an ordinary American teenager who had poor health. In order to become a soldier, he agrees to test himself an experimental serum, which turned him into a physically developed and almost invulnerable person. Captain America, a comic about which was originally created exclusively for patriotic reasons, was very popular during the Second World War. He is dressed in a color suit 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, but already in the 1960s he became famous again because his image was introduced into the Avengers team.

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 about which has become one of the most popular among the other creations of Kirby, is immune to disease. In addition, he became an excellent tactician and gained the ability of a real leader. He became a real expert in weapons and transport management, and due to his skills, he was repeatedly involved in carrying out secret assignments of the American government. For a long time he worked in the spy organization Sh.I.T. However, in ordinary life, the hero is engaged in drawing, applied arts, and entrepreneurial activities.

Working with S. Lee

1950-1960-ies were the most fruitful in the writer's work. Together with another well-known comic book writer (Lee), Kirby created a series of characters and stories that now represent the face of modern fiction: the Hulk, X people and others. In 1961, both came up with a story about a fantastic four - a team of superheroes. When writing this story, the creators went to a number of important innovations: they abandoned the traditional principle of preserving the secrets of the personality of the protagonist, added elements of conflict between the characters. Thus, they developed the concept of the existence of a superhero in the real world. All these features were related to the circumstances of the Cold War, the events of which incited the authors to write such stories.

Other stories

Jack Kirby - the king of comics - is also the author of a story about the people of X. This is a team of mutant people who have become the heroes of movies, cartoons and computer games. The first issue with their participation was published in 1963. The composition of the band was constantly changing, so by our time the universe of these regular superheroes has grown to such an extent that even the most sophisticated fans are unlikely to be able to understand it. In 1963, the author released a new series of stories about avengers. It was also a team of superheroes who fought with such villains, who could not overcome these characters alone. Its composition was also constantly changing, replenishing it with robots, mutants, or even former enemies of the Avengers. Currently, the comic series is so popular with fans that many stories have been transferred to the screen. Blockbusters, created on motives of these plots, nowadays collect huge cash gathering.

Hulk

Jack Kirby (writer) is also the author of a series of stories about this character, inside of which, according to the comics, there is a monster. The hero is in constant fear because of the fear that he will break free. This led to a change in his psyche and emotional state. Despite the fact that the authors made this character rather gloomy, they nevertheless endowed him with the ability to feel a 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 a crushing force, and in the daytime he became himself again. However, in subsequent cases, the ability for this kind of metamorphosis evolved under the influence of emotions. Some critics call the Hulk a dark component of the psyche of the protagonist. Despite his seclusion, this character was part of the team of avengers and defenders.

Work in DC

To work in this company the comic book editor passed in 1970. This was due to the fact that he was dissatisfied with the terms of cooperation with Marvel. In a new field, he created the so-called "Saga of the Fourth World." This story financially proved unsuccessful, although some of its heroes still remain part of this universe. This story differs from other creatures of the author in that it contains a very original art and an unusual concept that tries to connect all the characters in some fantastic, conditional reality. Some critics believe that this comic was ahead of its time, so it did not receive such recognition as the previous illustrated artist's stories.

Last years

Jacob Kurtzberg (this is the real name of the writer) for a while worked on television, creating artistic animation. He continued to work on new comics and created such series as OMAC, Kamandi and others. These stories along with the listed are also considered known and popular. Kirby is the recipient of numerous awards and titles. He is the author of the best short story, best novel, etc. He died in 1994 in California. Comics writer and now remain the basis for numerous screen versions.