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Kirby: King of Comics


Summary: The biography of Jacob Kurtzberg, aka Jack Kirby, aka the King of Comics.  From his lowly beginnings as a newspaper hawker to drawing comic book heroes, we see the man doing what he is good at doing: creating.  Creating stories, creating fantasy, creating characters, creating never before seen artistic illustrations, and creating comic book lore.  Yet, he did not necessarily do it out of love for his profession, but out of love for his family.  That love of family entails a man's responsibility of taking care of his loved ones, so Jack did.  Yes, he enjoyed what he did and he was good at it, but if Jack could have found a better way to earn money, he would have leaped at the chance.  During his time, the profession of comic book artist paid very little and received even smaller recognition.  Throughout his career, Jack craved respect, but seldom got it; however, this did not deter Jack from continuing to fight for it, no matter who the publisher was, or the format.  Jack fought for respect for everyday of his life.

Reference: Mark Evanier (2017).  Kirby: King of Comics. AbramsComicArts. New York.

Why I Picked It Up: The very title itself, King of Comics, says it all.  I had always known about Kirby and had admired his work, but I never really knew his biography.  The library where I work has books about Will Eisner, Stan Lee, and comic history, so I felt that including the biography about Kirby would be a nice addition.

Why I Finished It: The more I read, the more I wanted to know. Reading of his plight made me grow in appreciation and admiration of the man.  I say "man", but his character and professionalism throughout his struggles made him more.  I would dare say, it made him a hero - a hero for the common Joe. With each page, I rooted for Kirby, hoping that eventually someone would recognize Jack for what he did and who he was. For those of us who are mired in work that provides minuscule acknowledgement, how could we not want to see one of us prevail.  I was happy that in the end that Jack finally did.  It may not have come from his former bosses or publishers, but it came from the very people he had in mind when he created his work: the fans.

Recommendation: Any comic book fan who wants to know the history of the medium and the history of the people who contributed to the history should read this biography. I would add any Kirby fan, as well, although I can't imagine one who wouldn't already own this book.  Sit back on the living room sofa and enjoy the story of Kirby: King of Comics.

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