How can you honor the King of Comics on his 98th birthday? There are plenty of ways to pay tribute to Jack Kirby.
NewsJack Kirby's 98th birthday is on August 28th. He's long gone, but his influence is felt every day.
Without Jack Kirby, there would be no Marvel as you know it, as he had a hand in most of their most famous characters. For DC Comics he created an entire stable of cosmic heroes and villains that they continue to utilize four decades later. Jack Kirby's body of work is nothing short of staggering, and he produced thousands of pages over a career that spanned five decades. Characters he created or co-created are the pillars of the comic book publishing industry, and have brought in billions of dollars in box-office and licensing for the companies that own the properties that came from his remarkable mind.
In short, if there were no Jack Kirby, many of the things we love and write about on Den of Geek and countless other websites would be drastically different, if they were to exist at all. His influence on comics (and, increasingly, blockbuster movies) is almost impossible to overstate.
Jack Kirby would have turned 98 years old this week. Spend some time with one of your favorite works of his. Discover a new one. Donate to one of the causes that do good work in his name.
Here are a few that we think are pretty cool...
Kirby 4 Heroes, The Hero Initiative, and #WakeUpAndDraw
Jillian Kirby, Jack Kirby's granddaughter, wants to raise $20,000 for The Hero Initiative in Jack's name on his birthday this year. The Hero Initiative, in case you aren't already familiar with them, raises money to help comic book creators in need. You can donate right here, and type Kirby4Heroes under "special instructions" so they can keep track of the donation for their goal!
Here's Jillian Kirby explaining this year's goals...
And then there's #WakeUpAndDraw, where comic artists spend the day creating art that will then be auctioned off to benefit The Hero Initiative. A highlight of this year's #WakeUpAndDraw is Phil Hester and his quest for 98 drawings in honor of Kirby's 98th birthday, and those will also be used to raise funds for Kirby4Heroes. Follow him on Twitter to see what's up. He did 97 last year, which was pretty amazing.
Follow the #WakeUpAndDraw hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to see what everyone comes up with on August 28th.
The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center
Maybe you've visited the Kirby Museum's website, or spent some time at their booth at NYCC, SDCC, or MoCCA Fest, but they've got more to offer. The Kirby Museum is currently engaged in an ongoing fundraising effort to open a brick-and-mortar location near Jack's birthplace on New York City's Lower East Side. In November of 2014, they opened their first temporary "pop-up" location in the neighborhood, which drew capacity crowds every day during its week-long run. You can learn more about their Brick and Mortar campaign here.
Like any non-profit, memberships help sustain the general cost of operations. You can become a member here.
If you want to wear your love for the King while helping out the cause, they have a number of stylish t-shirt designs. We recommend the exceptionally cool (and really popular at conventions) Galactic Head. Any purchases made through the Museum's web store on August 28th will see 50% of the proceeds donated to The Hero Initiative via Kirby4Heroes.
Disclosure: I am a Kirby Museum trustee, and have been a member and volunteer for several years before that.
What Else?
There are some neat events taking place on both coasts of the US in honor of Jack's birthday. If you're anywhere near California, you should check out Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby which is the largest exhibition of Jack Kirby original art assembled in the US. Believe me, it's tough to put something like this on. We have lots more details on Comic Book Apocalypse right here.
If you're in New York, the Shmaltz Brewery in Clifton Park is hosting a Jack Kirby birthday party, complete with the launch of King Kirby Ale. Guests include Steve Niles, Andy Lanning, Ron Marz, Lee Moder, Paul Harding, Tom Raney, Joe Staton, Mark McKenna, Steve Orlando, and many more. There will be a silent auction to benefit The Hero Initiative via the Kirby4Heroes campaign. More details can be found here.
Most importantly, take some time to enjoy some of Jack Kirby's incredible work. I'll probably kick back with the Captain America solo story from Tales of Suspense #59 (see the above panel), which first opened my eyes to just how dynamic a fight scene could look on a page, or with OMAC, a comic that still feels years ahead of its time 40 years after its initial publication.
Or better yet, create something of your own. That's probably what Jack would have wanted you to do, anyway.
Long live the King.
