Across the street, DC Comics offered Kirby more money, and what he wanted almost as much: complete creative control. Kirby was allowed to write, draw and even edit his own books, which was unheard of before and hasn’t been done since. At DC, Kirby revived the Newsboy Legion, created the characters of Kamandi and Etrigan, and, most importantly, The Fourth World Saga. Comprised of three titles that Kirby created and editedThe New Gods, Mr. Miracle, and The Forever People (which was as counterculture as it got)and began in the Kirby-written Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen series (and, indeed, the only time the book was ever readable). Kirby’s overwrought and Shakespearean dialogue could be difficult to digest, but in the case of the New Gods, it functioned as a perfect appendage to the art and the concepts Kirby explored.
While Kirby did leave DC to return to Marvel briefly only to again leave over money, you could tell that his heart wasn’t in it anyway. Regardless, his influence was great. George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal film was to largely feature the OMACs (another of Kirby’s creations), while Bruce Timm and Paul Dini made great use of the New Gods in Superman: The Animated Series. They modeled Dan Turpin after Kirby, and following the character’s death (not long after Kirby’s own), gave Turpin a funeral which featured animated versions of Kirby’s wife and kids and dedicated the episode to him.
Regardless of credit, Jack Kirby’s influence on the current Marvel and DC films cannot be understated. The Avengers are comprised mostly of Kirby created characters and features Thanos as its central villain. Thanos was not created directly by Kirby but influence undeniably shaped the character heavily. According to Jim Starlin, he wanted to create a cosmic villain, who ended up looking like Metron. Marvel editorial suggested a redesign that leaned heavily on DC’s Darkseid and the Thanos we know was created.
Darkseid had proven immensely popular among fans and critics; no one was surprised to hear that the DCEU was building up to his introduction. Kirby had again drawn on World War II to color-in the character’s creation. Darkseid’s desire for supreme domination, as well as his penchant for subjugation, torture and humiliation were a reference to Hitler’s treatment of the Jews and his war across Europe. Moreover, Darkseid’s search for the Anti-Life Equation was similar to Hitler’s desire to establish an entirely Aryan race. Both would see a selfsame world under the auspices of a single leader who controlled even the very thoughts of his people.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice featured a Mother Box and the Ultimate Editioni included a scene involving Steppenwolf, the primary antagonist of Justice League, Pt. 1, as a first wave before the arrival of Darkseid. There have been rumors that Justice League will measure fan interest in a potential New Gods film series that would adapt his masterpiece.
Justice League has been presented many times as a Biblical epic. Kirby himself championed this concept, writing his Fourth World Saga as an epic for our times. Unintentionally, the comic book medium became not only part of Americana, but our mythology as well. They reflect America in the times they were produced. For a culture too young to have created Thor or Zeus, we created Batman and Superman instead. Jack Kirby had a sense of this and broached comics with the desire to not only create something that lasts but in the style of oral tradition, something that could be formed and reformed again and again. Kirby was known for moving from project to project; he wanted to create a world, tell his story, and let another creative team continue from there. Unfortunately, due to DC’s ultimate unwillingness to increase his rate and provide medical insurance, along with his ongoing trouble with Marvel, Jack Kirby left comics to work in animation, which provided greater perks.
Kirby’s decades-spanning feud with and litigation against Marvel only ended when Kirby’s own family intervened, worried his vendetta was going to consume him, but the lawsuit would continue eventually anyway. There does even seem to still be sour grapes on Marvel’s part, however. This month, DC Comics is celebrating Kirby’s contributions by reprinting the King’s work and publishing new stories featuring his creations, including a Darkseid one-shot written by Kirby’s close friend and former assistant Mark Evanier. Several one-shots, miniseries, and ongoings are also publishing this month. In January, DC began the Kamandi Challenge, which has DC’s best writers and artists taking turns on the Kamandi title. Marvel, on the other hand, is offering variant covers and a few reprints for $1.
Kirby produced work that the entire world has come to love, yet not everyone knows the original source. It wasn’t just Stan Lee. Jack Kirby passed away with nowhere near the money Lee earned and certainly not the fame or recognition. There was a petition going around to get Kirby a Google Doodle to commemorate the King’s birthday. It’s a sad commentary that something as minor as that would be a victory for someone who profound work impacted so many, and yet that’s a commentary on the way the comic book industry often works. Finally, we should mention a song called Melt by Monster Magnet that features a sad but evocative line that epitomizes both the effect Jack Kirby’s work has had on the popular culture landscape and the too few people who know it was him. I was thinkin’ how the world should have cried on the day Jack Kirby died.
- Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 Justice League Release Date: 2017-11-17
