How Jack Kirby Became "The King" of Marvel & the Best Comic Book Artist Ever
When talking about Marvel or comic books in general, it's impossible not to mention Jack Kirby. Few creatives have shaped an entire medium to the same degree he did. Known as "The King," Kirby was more than a prolific artist; he was a true visionary who redefined the impact superheroes could have on pop culture.
Kirby grew up devouring pulp fiction, mythology, and science fiction in New York City. Born into a working-class family, he became determined to escape his gritty urban neighborhood from a young age. He taught himself how to draw by tracing the graphic art in his favorite books. After being rejected by the Educational Alliance for reportedly "drawing too fast with charcoal", he found a home for his art, drawing cartoons for the Boys Brotherhood Republic (a youth organization) newspaper.
Kirby spent a week at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, but he immediately knew it wasn't his place.
"I wasn't the kind of student that Pratt was looking for," Kirby said in a 1990 interview with The Comics Journal. "They wanted people who would work on something forever. I didn't want to work on any project forever. I intended to get things done."
He made his foray into comics with Eisner & Iger, a comic book packager. A few years later, he co-created Captain America for Timely Comics (later Marvel). The comic was a huge success, selling out in days. He spent some time at National (later DC Comics) before being drafted to fight in WWII, his time as a soldier informing his later work.
Kirby’s true rise to greatness came in the 1960s at Marvel Comics, where his partnership with Stan Lee helped launch what is now known as the Marvel Universe. Together, they completely changed the comic medium by creating characters that broke the mold of traditional superheroes. The Fantastic Four bickered like a real family, the X-Men were all struggling outsiders, the Hulk was a tragic figure driven by rage, and Thor borrowed from ancient legend.
Lee provided the dialogue, but Kirby brought the worlds to life with his iconic art style. He essentially invented the look of modern superhero action. His famous "Kirby Krackle"—clusters of black dots representing cosmic energy or explosions—became an artistic convention.
Despite his enormous contributions, Kirby spent much of his life fighting for credit and ownership. His pay rates as an artist after WWII were so low, he would spend 12 to 14 hours a day drawing. For years, his role creating for Marvel was downplayed while Lee's was amplified. However, history seems to have corrected this imbalance. Over time, artists, writers, and filmmakers came to acknowledge that the Marvel universe wouldn't be what it is without him. Today, Kirby's name is as celebrated as Lee's in the comic world and pop culture in general.
Jack Kirby's nickname as "The King" of Marvel isn't hyperbole; it's the acknowledgement he deserves. His work blended raw emotion with artistic innovation. His work had an everlasting impression on the genre and continues to influence and inspire graphic artists to this day.
