Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby was a prominent comic book artist and writer. He is credited with creating or co-creating many of the major comic book characters that still exist to this day, such as The Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

Born to Jewish Austrian parents, Kirby grew up in New York's Lower East Side. He was a largely self-taught artist and joined the Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate in 1936, drawing strips and single-panel advice cartoons. He later worked for comic book packager Eisner & Iger and publisher Fox Feature Syndicate. In 1940, Kirby and editor Joe Simon created Captain America for Timely Comics, which later became Marvel Comics. Kirby and Simon then moved to National Comics, one of the precursors of DC.

Kirby was drafted into the army in 1943 and served with the Third Army combat infantry. He returned to the U.S. in 1945 and resumed his partnership with Joe Simon. Kirby and Simon would end their association amicably in 1955 with the failure of their own publishing endeavor, Mainline Publications.

It was in the early 60s that Kirby's most famous partnership with Marvel editor and writer Stan Lee took off. Together, they created The Fantastic Four, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men and the Black Panther.

Kirby returned to DC in 1970. The publisher gave him full creative control as an editor, writer and artist on such titles as New Gods, The Forever People and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Kirby later returned to Marvel and worked for such independent publishers as Pacific Comics, Eclipse Comics and Topps Comics.

Kirby died of heart failure in 1994.

• August 28, 1917: Born

• 1936: Began work at the Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate

• 1939: Began work at Fleischer Studios

• 1940: Worked on Fox Syndicate Feature's The Blue Beetle

• 1941: Kirby and Joe Simon create and publish Captain America Comics #1 for Timely Comics

• 1942: Begins work at National Comics (DC Comics)

• 1961: Kirby and Stan Lee co-create The Fantastic Four and The Hulk at Marvel Comics

• 1962: Co-creates Doctor Doom

• 1963: Co-creates Thor, the The Avengers, X-Men and Iron Man

• 1966: Co-creates the Black Panther and the Silver Surfer

• 1970-1973: Fourth World series

• 1976: Creates The Eternals

• 1977: Creates Machine Man

• 1978: Creates Devil Dinosaur

• 1980: Joins Pacific Comics and creates Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers

• February 6, 1994: Dies

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