I picked this up in my library stacks and started thumbing through it. Five minutes later two hours had gone by and I had relived a substantial portion of my childhood. Some of it brought me close to tears remembering how much Marvel Comics meant to me when I was a kid and above all, how much Jack Kirby's art meant - as for many, I am sure, Kirby was the first comic book artist I recognized by style and name. But just as moving was Mark Evanier's portrait of who Jack Kirby was and what he meant to those who knew him. Some of the reviews on this book seemed to miss the mark to me, complaining that the book wasn't what they expected. I didn't have preconceptions about what it should be and so it took me by the hand and heart on a journey along old paths. (Just as a parting aside, though I didn't agree with much of what Norbert J. Rozek had to say, I must sheepishly confess: Vince Colletta was always my favorite Kirby inker too - it's probably why my favorite Kirby comic was Thor).

Filled with phenomenal examples of Kirby's art, KIRBY: KING OF COMICS is a great primer to the work of one of comics' true legends. "Street Code," Kirby's look at childhood on the mean streets of NY, alone is worth the price of admission, but the book is filled any number of rarely published pieces, often from the original pencils. The text from Mark Evanier, a talented writer and longtime Kirby associate, proves to be a bit of a disappointment. Evanier does a fine job of encapsulating Kirby's life, focusing on the high and low points of Kirby's storied career, but the work is simply lacking in the depth that I have come to expect from current biographies. Simon and Kirby, the Marvel years, the creation of the "Fourth World" are looked at, but it's little more than a cursory glance. Less than half the book is text, and even with the oversize pages, (Great for the art repros!) it still feels skimpy on details. Maybe, at some point in the future a definitive bio will come out; until then fans will have to make due with this loving tribute.

I began collecting comics in the mid 90's and didn't start looking backwards to the masters until several years later. I had seen Kirby's work here and there and never really was that impressed with it, but years later I pick up this book and read it (for hours last night and all afternoon today :) and I couldn't put it down. I was really taken with the work and life of this (now I see it) comics "master." Into the first few pages I was hooked on the writing. It moves along at a quick pace and Evanier doesn't get bogged down with the extraneous stuff... he just keeps speeding forward, which complements the art tremendously. His writing is not overly sentimental and yet Evanier clearly admires Kirby and his work and it really shows through with the heart behind the writing. Many passages were really quite moving, and some very funny.

Here's an example of Evanier's words: "The head librarian turned to the man next to her, who happened to be Kirby, and asked him if he thought comics mirrored reality. Jack said, 'No, comics transcend reality.' The answer startled the librarian, and she said, 'If you were to mirror reality, then perhaps others could begin to understand it.' Jack popped a piece of cheddar into his mouth and fixed her with a stare he'd learned either on the streets of New York or on Omaha Beach during World War II. 'Madam,' he said, 'when you mirror reality, you see it all backward. When you start transcending it, that's when you have a real good shot at figuring out what's going on.' Then he went over to Roz and told her her he was ready to leave."

The art itself is grandly reproduced, often completely covering the page and at such a quality that one can see the tones and pencil smudges in the drawings. This quality of reproduction gave me whole new insight into the beauty and power of this man's work. In the end, I've been transformed into a fan and can't wait to get my hands on more of Kirby's work.

A beautifully researched, written and illustrated book. Rare images and insights into the life of this prolific and influential artist.

Mark Evanier does a fantastic job paying tribute to the king of comic books.This would make an excellent coffee table book for any Kirby afficianado!The illustrations and uses of Kirby's sketches are also effective.
But the book does have a sad note.Evanier writes of the injustices suffered by Kirby and his widow.This man essentially,except for Spiderman,was responsible for creating Marvel's Silver Age.Yet Marvel begrudgingly paid Kirby's widow a MEAGER pension after his death in 1994.
The book is not only decorative but informative and with Kirby's work being so vast I look forward to a "sequel" by Mr.Evanier.Kudos!Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Captain America Comics 1

Read this in an evening. Well-researched (the author was an assistant of Kirby's in the late '60s and early '70s), well-organized and well-illustrated. This isn't a comprehensive biography of Jack Kirby, but it's an exceptionally well-done overview of his career. Only complaint: I would have enjoyed seeing more examples of Kirby's non-comics projects, such as his production designs for the never-produced adaptation of "Lord of Light".

I highly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates Kirby art or has a passing interest in the history of comic books. The book's large format provides for great representations of Kirby's artwork and Evanier does a wonderful job of telling the King's story.

More has been said and written about Jack Kirby, the true King Of Comics, than any comic book artist I can think of. Perhaps only Will Eisner has more "ink".
I have every Jack Kirby Collector. I have everything about Kirby I could get my hands on.
This is a good book. But I think "Tales To Astonish", is a better book.
In fact "Tales To Astonish" is a great book.
Here is what I learned from Jack Kirby's life and this book and the book "Tales To Astonish". Kirby was a genius at art/comic book storytelling. He was awesome. He was not a victim.
After I read "Tales To Astonish" and I read that Martin Goodman, an accountant working for DC (At that time is was not called DC)and noticed HOW well Superman sold, then started his own company (that became Marvel). He started his own company selling comics. He could not even draw.
At any point in his life, Jack Kirby could have CHOSEN TO BE MORE than just a paid "worker". Kirby and his fans should not BLAME MArvel, Martin Goodwin, Stan Lee, or anyone, for hiring Jack, and for taking the risk (of being in the publishing business) and printing the comics Jack drew. They could have failed and Martin Goodman could have LOST ALL HIS money.

They think Jack was taken advantage of. He was not. All of Marvels checks "cashed".
They offered to pay him to make comics, he accepted. That was a fair deal for both of them.
Jack could have started HIS OWN comics, written his own books, drawn one extra page a week and that would be 50 pages a year-- ALL HIS OWN.
Jack at any time, could have OPENED HIS OWN COMPANY and been his own boss. AT ANY TIME. He never CHOSE it.
He never wrote books in his "free" time and published them. He should have. But for whatever reason, Jack was not 1/100 the business man, let's say Will Eisner was, and that is okay. Jack was an artist. Not a business man. And I say that with no ill intent.
Martin Goodman was a business man and not an artist. Was it his fault he hired Jack Kirby? Steve Ditco? His nephew (Stan Lee). Who should Martin have hired. Thanks to Martin Goodman, we have the Marvel universe. He paid Jack Kirby to create it. Do you see how that works? Without the business man the artist is washing dishes (or waiting tables).
Now, as it turns out in life, some people are great artists and some are great business people. Jack WAS NOT A BUSINESS MAN. But many of Jack's fans are angry (and so was I for years) in the way Marvel "treated" Jack. But now that I am older I think it was UP TO JACK to make his own destiny.
He had the talent. He lacked the business mind.
Most artist "lack" a business mind. It's the way God wired us all.
After I read "Tales to Astonish" I copied Martin Goodman's formula. I wrote several books on very popular subjects (late at night after my 12 hour work days). In less than 2 years those 2 books brought in about 300 thousands dollars..and changed my life.
I followed the Martic Goodman formula and it works!
This PROVES TO ME, that if Kirby (Who has more talent in on finger than I have in my entire body) had gone out and done what I had done, printed his OWN work and sold it, he would have made money. He never tried.
I have been a WAITER, (at restaurants) for most of my life. (17 years).
After I read "Tales to Astonish" I felt that Jack missed his oppurtunities. He had the chance, like Will Eisner did, do have his "OWN" thing. Even if her had to do it part time at night (till it got off the ground).
The business men at MArvel, did not cheat Jack. They HIRED HIM and paid him. It was up to Jack to take his talent and DO MORE WITH IT, than just work FOR OTHERS.
JAck was not a victim. He was not cheated.
He was a brilliant, hard working, artistic genius. Thank GOD SOME business man HIRED him and GOT HIS WORK out there. If not for MARVEL, there would be NO Jack Kirby as WE know him.
I wonder how many Jack Kirby's are waiting tables or selling car insurance because no one like MARTIN GOODMAN, hire them to draw.

God bless Jack. He was the man. But he was no victim. HE chose to do what he did. He was not "forced" or cheated, in anyway.
I never heard Jack say "The marvel paychecks did not cash!"
If you work for someone thay are not "cheating" you by hiring you. They are risking their money on your ideas or work. You an artist always have the option of risking YOUR OWN MONEY--on your projects.
Jack worked for other people--because he chose to.

Let me preface this review by saying the hard core Jack Kirby fan may not be that impressed with this book; if you have more than a handful of the Jack Kirby Collector issues, you may be familiar with most of the text and images that this book presents.

For the neophyte or moderate Kirby fan, this is really an outstanding book. The 2 page spread of pencils for "Street Code" that begins on page 28 is jaw dropping and worth the price of admission. There are a lot of scans of Kirby's original penciled pages; you can see where he erased and touched up lines and it provided me with more than a few "wow" moments as someone who draws and likes to study others' work.

The text of Kirby's history can be a bit depressing and it is presented in detail here:

- (un)steady work in the 40s and 50s that doesn't bring steady finances.

- Break through characters, art and comics with Marvel in the 60s that do not bring recognition to Kirby among the public at that time.

- Editors liking Kirby's page layouts, but bringing in other artists to change faces of prominent characters with before and after illustrative examples.

Finally in 1978, Kirby got some animation jobs with "young artists who'd grown up on his work and old-timers who valued the hell out of him." Combined with the popularity of comic book conventions and demand for artists' work (though Kirby had to hire lawyers to get pages back from Marvel) finally brought him some well deserved recognition and finances.

Have you read this far? I'll close by saying that this is an amazing book if you aren't already well immersed with Jack Kirby's history.

When I first started reading comics in the mid-1970s, Jack Kirby had just returned to Marvel from DC Comics. He returned to the character he had helped create, Captain America, with issue #193. I frankly could not understand the fuss. I gradually started putting together quite a back issue collection. Kirby had been the primary artist in the 1960s on two of my then favorite titles, Thor and the Fantastic Four. When I picked up Jack's first Silver Surfer trilogy from Fantastic Four #48 - 50, I was hooked. Ever since then, I've been a Kirby fanatic. For me, and other Kirby fans, we've been given a wonderful gift with Kirby: King of Comics, a brand new, full color hardcopy book written by comic scribe and fellow Kirby enthusiast, Mark Evanier. The 224-page book is filled with rare Kirby art, much of it unpublished or not seen in decades.

The book spans Kirby's entire career and I learned a lot more about the man than I had known previously. For example, I did not know that Kirby had worked on various syndicated newspaper strips prior to his career in comics. Using various aliases, Kirby did adventure strips like The Black Buccaneer and Cyclone Burke, and even the odd political cartoon. Working under the name Charles Nichols, Kirby even drew the Blue Beetle newspaper strip a year before coming to Timely and creating Captain America with partner Joe Simon.

An undercurrent to the book is Kirby's lifelong struggle for financial stability. Today, Jack would be set for life with about one-tenth of his accomplishments in comics. But in the forties, Jack and many others were at the mercy of often unscrupulous publishers who horded the profits to their own, leaving the creators shut out. It was a financial dispute with Timely publisher Martin Goodman that prompted Jack to leave Timely for DC. Kirby's early work at DC is often overlooked but with Simon he helped create the Boy Commandos and The Newsboy Legion, and they revamped Manhunter and the Sandman.

After World War II, Kirby would take work wherever he could find it and for whatever he could get. He was now married to wife Roz and would soon be starting a family. The book contains many rare Kirby covers and page art from publishers other than Marvel and DC. Jack worked for Hillman Periodicals, Headline Comics, Harvey Comics, and Charlton Comics to name a few. An example of how DC eventually fell so far behind Marvel was that Jack returned to DC in the 50s but his work was constantly edited and redrawn so it looked like all the rest of DC's banal, lifeless comics. This was the DC style than then Editor Mort Weisinger insisted upon.

Jack's rise to stardom back at Marvel (then Atlas Comics) did not come overnight. He labored on westerns, romance, monster, and sci-fi titles before he and Stan Lee would create the legendary Fantastic Four. Next would come the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, the Avengers, Sgt. Fury, and the X-Men. Evanier has managed to dig up some rarities, unpublished Kirby covers for Fantastic Four #20 and X-Men #10! There are also four simply incredible full pages sketches of The Inhumans that display Kirby's work at its finest. Despite all the successes, Jack was still upset that Stan was getting the lion's share of the credit. Stan never claimed to have been the sole creator of these characters, but if that's what people believed he didn't go out of his way to correct them. Evanier relates a story of Marvel's sale to a new company and nitwit lawyers who thought that Stan even drew the comics as well as write them. It was always an uphill battle for Kirby. Evanier covers the sorry situation when Marvel held thousands of pages of Kirby's art hostage. Under pressure from industry pros and magazines like The Comics Journal, Marvel finally gave Jack some 2,100 pages of art. A fraction of what he worked on but reportedly more than he expected. The art would provide a nest egg for he and his wife.

Kirby's influence and creations cannot be overstated. His work had a power and majesty and flair for the dramatic that many modern artists lack. Kirby's art had personality, no matter what you thought of his style. He virtually invented cosmic, epic storylines. Kirby: King of Comics is like taking a guided tour through a Kirby museum. There is so much beautiful art and so many wonderful stories to read about. Jack Kirby is truly worthy of being called "The King".

This book is the ultimate autobiography on Jack Kirby. In this volume we get more details on his struggles as an artist, especially those at Marvel. I still hold the opinion without Jack Kirby there would be no Marvel Comics. The universes that he built are still in use today and will be as long as there is a Marvel. Author Mark Evanier took what could have been a 1000 page book and condensed it to a sizable volume that clearly describes the history of Kirby. Long Live the King!

After reading some of the negative comments in a few of the reviews, even in the so-called "positive" reviews - I just had to add my 2-cents: THEY'RE WRONG! This is nothing short of GREAT.

I'm not just speaking as a Kirby Devotee (which I am), or even a comic collector (also true). My exposure to Jack Kirby's groundbreaking 60s work at Marvel inspired me to become an artist and graphic designer. He was kind enough to respond personally to me when I was 14 and sent him a sample of my own comic work. I was lucky enough to meet Jack and Roz personally many years later in the mid-70s and spend part of an afternoon with him one-on-one. So I'm speaking from a deep familiarity with his work and some personal experience, as well as my professional background.

First, let's dispel the notion that KIRBY: KING OF COMICS is a biography. It isn't. There is no place in the book that calls it a "biography". It also isn't an art book with too much copy. This is a compendium, a celebration of Kirby's life and accomplishments, an overview with additional depth, an inside look from the people who knew him, worked with him, lived with him and loved him, with an attempt at balance and historical perspective that is often lacking in other biographical works about Kirby.

It's true that much of this material has been covered before, both in the shorter biographical works that have appeared and in the very excellent "Jack Kirby Collector". However, Mr. Evanier has done an excellent job of both organizing the information in an exciting and dynamic way, and adding details and perspective not available to other writers. Just the fact that he has had access to Roz Kirby and the Kirby offspring adds insight not previously seen. Not only that, but the "voice" Mr. Evanier uses is more chatty, more casual, more like Jack than any other book about Jack I've read. Despite what some reviewers have said, this does not come off as an uninvolved objective journalist. It sounds to me like a guy talking about a very dear friend without over-inflating the facts.

As far as those who think there's too much negativity and blame-laying, all I can say is lighten up! There were plenty of things that got under Kirby's skin, and he could be quite vocal about them. But he didn't dwell on those things for long, and neither does the book. The fact is, some bad things happened, and Jack was treated unfairly in a lot of ways. All of that is covered here, along with Jack's opinion about the situation, and quotes from others involved. Unfortunately, Kirby could be a little naive when it came to the business side of things, and his kind nature was easy to take advantage of by some of the unscrupulous folks in publishing. However, that is not the main focus of "Kirby".

What is the main focus are his accomplishments, and the book makes it clear (if there was ever any doubt), that Jack Kirby did more to create the look, feel, language and dynamism of comic books as they exist today than any other single person.

As for the art, I'm here to tell you that you ain't seen nothing of Kirby unless you're one of the fortunate few who can afford to buy an original comic page. Even the reproduction in TJKC - which is excellent - can't compare. Each and every piece of art is reproduced in full color, even the black and white pages. That may not make sense to those of you unfamiliar with printing and graphic reproduction techniques. But seeing both the penciled and inked pages AS THEY ACTUALLY LOOK IN PERSON is totally different than looking at a black and white reproduction. You can see all the nuances of Kirby's pencil lines, his shading, the un-erased (and sometimes even the erased) images behind the inking. The power and dynamic these pages illustrate are unmatched by anything else I've seen about Kirby's work. And yes, there are still some things that have never been seen before.

My recommendation: keep an open mind, buy the book, and read it as if Mark Evanier was sitting in your living room, telling you all about the guy who did more for comic boooks as an art form than anyone else.

As much as I enjoyed the reprinted artwork, Evanier's proximity to Kirby and his estate made the book read more as hagiography than biography. Sure, in some respects I was pleasantly surprised...such as Evanier often giving the benefit of the doubt to Stan Lee (a well-beaten pinata of Kirby partisans) and actually acknowledging (albeit passingly) various quirks of Kirby's personality that may have contributed to the other problem I had with the book: it's steady drumbeat of prosecution and victimhood.

Although the negative aspects of a life should never be ignored, Evanier seemed to wallow in negativity by portraying Kirby as little more than a hapless victim tossed this way and that by clueless and/or vindictive know-nothings. Ironically, in an effort to make Kirby look good by blaming most of his setbacks on the ungrateful or uncomprehending nitwits around him (which apparently included everyone except his wife Roz), Evanier makes Kirby come off as an insecure, paranoid masochist. That's unfortunate, because the essense of Kirby I see in his artwork is full of joy, pride, and enthusiasm...and not the beaten-down wage slave of Evanier's depressing hard luck tale.

Personally, I would have loved to get more insights into the artwork itself, Kirby's working process, or any other "behind the scenes" glimpses into his marvelously creative mind, rather than the familiar litany of personal slights and corporate screw-overs allegedly inflicted upon the man. At one point, even the motivations of Kirby's various inkers were called into question in a quote by fellow inker (and Kirby pal) Mike Royer:

"I kept seeing other artists trying to make Kirby work
look like their work and impose their viewpoints..."

This quote sums up my irritation with the book. Royer, who should know better (at its core, the very act of inking another artist's pencils is "imposing" another viewpoint), instead characterizes the honest efforts of Kirby's fellow professionals in the worst possible light...as if they had some anti-Kirby agenda they were advancing. Worse yet, Evanier (for whatever reason) decided to include it. This is the spirit of persecution and finger pointing that characterizes so much of the book from Kirby's early career onward, and it's a damn shame Evanier chose to take the story of this man's interesting and influential life on such a low road.

I have no doubt matters between Kirby and his employers caused him and his family grief and aggravation...but at the same time, I don't think airing so much of that dirty laundry was the way to go, since it ultimately made everyone involved come across as petty and grasping...even Kirby himself.

Strangely, in the last chapter, Evanier characterizes Kirby's outlook during the final ten years of his life:

"The positive side won out, as it always had with Kirby."

Really, Mark? Now, Kirby may very well have "always" had a positive outlook, but it's a quality that rarely (if ever) surfaces in the preceding six chapters of "Somebody Done Him Wrong" songs....which is why I can only recommend this book on the strength of the artwork alone. For those who thrive on the "Big Company Screws Little Guy" narrative, this book (and Evanier's larger volume) is definitely for you...but for me? Eh...no thanks.

I ordered this book because Jack Kirby happens to be my favorite Marvel artist of all time. After having read the book I learned so much about the man and all of his difficulties in getting the recognition he so richly deserved. The book also has a rich visual feel to it. It is an oversized book filled with anecdotes, drawings and examples of an artist who seemed to have struggled so much and who has left us a beautiful legacy. A great buy, don't pass this one up.

If you love superhero's. Then this is essential for you to own. Even if your not familiar with Jacob Kurtzburg's(JACK KIRBY) work. This book will show you the evolution of a landmark artist. And his influence thats still felt today. When it comes to comics there are many names. But Siegel and Shuster,Simon and Kirby and Will Eisner,are among the most notable.
See why Kirby is KING.

Flipping through this book it's very clear how much Kirby meant to the visual style of Marvel Comics. The splash pages, innovative page layouts and costume design of the Marvel Pantheon owes itself, in great measure, to the genius of Kirby.

If you're on this page reading this review you probably already know that.

What you may not know, is what Kirby added in to the comic epics he illustrated. He was SOOOO much more than a "penciller." His sense of imagination and storytelling completely blurred the definitions of "writer & artist." With that fact in mind, I'll leave it to the readers of Mark Evanier's prose to decide whether or not he was rewarded properly for his co-creations.

Buy the book and don't just look at the pictures. The story behind the art is as fascinating as the art itself.


Critique--
It's too short!!
This book should have been split into three volumes:
1)Golden Age Kirby
2)60s Marvel Kirby
3) 70s DC, Marvel and beyond

The guy did so much excellent work. This book just scratches the surface.

An excellent book on Jack "King' Kirby's life. Despite it's size it was a quick read. Informative, funny, and sad to see the struggles that even a giant in the field had to contend with in order to pursue his dream.

fantastic book but more mr. evanier if youre listening: please do more with kirby's dark side. he's a genius, without question, but his genius would benefit with less hagiography and more humanity. otherwise spectacular. damn you evanier! you have foiled us again with your inspiration and attention to detail!

I enjoyed Mark Evanier's Kirby book. Truth to tell, it is neither an art book nor a biography. But Mark said as much elsewhere. Space restrictions forbade going into a discussion of Kirby's tools, how he composed the page, a comparison with his peers and those who influenced him and those he influenced, etc. Ditto for a thorough going-over of his family dynamics: the frequent financial crises that were alluded, the Kirby Treasury his son Neil published, the point that this son does not appear to be the spokesman or executor of the estate, etc. These family matters may not be significant in the whole, but I thought them to be intriguing points left uncovered.

One reviewer here at Amazon said that if you have been a fan of the King and read what has already been written about him, then this tome does not cover much that is new. That is true, but, nonetheless, it is a great package that brings much of his wonderful art and life story together.

Unfortunately, I do not care for the book's cover. The dustjacket is a pastiche of the worst of the POW and WHAM motifs that the mass media uses to stereotype comics and does not hint at Kirby's artistic mastery. It even fails as an homage to Kirby's collages. Was designer Chip Kidd unavailable?

I am optimistic that Mark's thorough Kirby biography will eventually see realization in some sort of media. ((Would it not be apropos if this in-depth treatment appeared in comic book or graphic novel format?)) However, it has been fourteen years since the King became one with the Source and this passage of time and the publication of a few books, including this one, might prove to be impediments to that happening.

So, remember that old adage: "Kirby says, Don't ask, buy!"

I was really moved by this book on a number of different levels. First off, the way Mark Evanier traces Kirby's career is an incredibly insightful look into the history of the medium, as well as a surprisingly in-depth look into the behind-the-scenes world of comics.

Secondly, Evanier obviously feels deeply indebted to Kirby and this book is his way to pay him back, and he does it in the most meaningful way possible -- he tells the unvarnished truth. This gives the reader a sense of the reality of what drove Kirby and made his art so appealing, and it made the story of Kirby's relationship with the people he worked with (including Evanier) all the more touching.

If only we could all be so lucky as to have a writer as gifted as Evanier to tell our story. All I can say is that when I finished reading this, Kirby's was not the only talent I was marveling at.

Glenn Phillips

In a nutshell, there is very little in this book which hasn't already been covered in one fashion or another in Two Morrows' "Jack Kirby Collector."

Certainly, Mark E's knowledge of all things Kirby is unbeatable and his insight in to the some of the more pivotal events in Jack's life gives us a rare glimpse of what the man was like on a personal level. However, most hardcore Kirby fans already have access to the above mentioned "Jack Kirby Collector" and I wondered if maybe that has kind of overstaturated the prospective audience for the book.

You have to wonder if the few people who buy this that aren't already Kirby fans will make it a profitable enough venture for Mark to *finally* complete the Kirby bio he's been working on for like the last century or so.

As for the included artwork, as I said, most of it has been published time and time and time again. The new stuff, on the other hand, is very nice to have. (Especially the Alex Ross fold out painting of a scene from New Gods #6.)

All in all, it was worth the $30.00 I paid.

First, I love the color and texture of the book pages-- they come closest to the soft, subdued hues of the old comics and really bring out the subtle details in the many Kirby original pencil drawings contained herein.

Secondly, I never realized how heroically (and against what seemingly insurmountable odds) Kirby fought to bring his visions to life. I complain about my own trials and tribulations, but Kirby truly never gave up. A photo of the scratched up little desk and chair upon which he gave birth to his greatest creations was really touching. Too bad he wasn't as outgoing and glib as Stan Lee, who lived to become a wealthy man off of their collaborations. Frankly, I like Kirby's work better today than I did when I was a kid, and the author of this book does a good job of putting the important events of Kirby's life in perspective so that we see it for what it was-- a great saga, like climbing to Asgard while battling monsters.

I just finished the book this morning. Wonderful. Plenty of illustrations and a complete history of Kirby's life. Lots of small stories that add up to a big life.

Mark Evanier is always fun to read.
I'm not finished with the book yet.
Highly Recommended for Marvel Comics fans.

If you are real real Kirby fan this book is a short but wonderful chronicle of the KINGS' work and life. I truly recommend this concise book of the man who made comics what they are today

Well written and full of great facts and of course Jacks Art.
I highly recommend this book.

Like his creation, the Silver Surfer, Jack Kirby was riding the crest of a pop culture wave decades before many realized it was going to break. This book is an excellent way to appreciate the magnitude of his contributions (and in the way he was underpaid and undervalued by the industry until the last ten years of his life, many were like literal "contributions").

Large format, or coffee table, books are sometimes more about the visuals than the text, but Kirby, King of Comics is one of the exceptions. Written with depth and detail by animation/comic/TV writer/uberblogger Mark Evanier, this lavish, 9x12 tome has as much substance as style.

It tells a life and career story that many of us can identify with, whether we read superhero comics or not. But the story of such an astonishing art and story talent could not be told without substantial illustrations that are its heart and soul, and this book never disappoints on either front.

Whether you're into comics or not, your breath will be taken away by the dynamism of every frame -- not to mention spectacular spreads like the one from "Street Code," in which a dozen or more stories are woven into an eye-popping two page scene.

Perhaps most touching and compelling is the constant struggle Kirby fought for recognition for his substantial role in creating iconic characters that made millionaires of others, balanced with his concern for his family's financial security and his devotion for his unfailingly supportive wife, Roz.

Fortunately the story, as Evanier weaves it, has a happy, somewhat bittersweet ending with a wonderful Fantastic Four excerpt in which The Thing (Kirby's alter ego) sums up a truly universal legacy.

Tiger Jean Loup, Greatful to Kirby for all the Story, March 17, 2008,
KING KIRBY
One of the greatest creative Artists and Minds of the 20th Century. Jack Kirby created the Mythology of our Age. From the mind of a simple Artist came the stories, the Heroes, that define an Age and span the entire globe. (Not to mention singlehandedly having generated BILLIONS of dollars in Industry.) This is a beautiful book full of knowledge only Mark Evanier, a man who worked for Kirby, could know. The Artwork prints in this book are amazing. Lets face it, NO ONE could Layout like the King. His People were filled with Power and Pathos, and its never mentioned that NO ONE could draw Machines, and Architecture like Kirby. To many of us Kirby is 'the' definitive artist. Greater then Picasso, Greater then JK Rowling Jack Kirby was the essence of a true American. Congratulations on a Great Book!!!

This is a nice package of fantastic artwork from Jack Kirby. It's a great coffe-table artbook, but suffers as a balanced critical overview of the amazing artist's life. Since much of Kirby's prolific work is already available to view from so many different sources, I had hoped that we would be getting a closer "comic book fan insider" view of Kirby's life, since the book is written by one of his confidants, celebrated writer Mark Evanier. Unfortunately, Evanier lets his long friendship with Kirby cloud his writing when he explores the controversy that has always surrounded whether it was Stan Lee or Jack Kirby who deserves the most credit for creating the Marvel Universe. Too often in the book, Evanier sides with Kirby and his wife Roz, by trying to advocate that it was pretty much Jack Kirby creating all the concepts, plot and character designs, while Stan Lee's contribution was merely adding his catchy dialouge to the scripts. For example, with regard to the creation of the Fantastic Four, Evanier basically argues that Kirby created the whole shebang and that Stan Lee stole the credit. Evanier dismisses Lee's contribution in just a few short sentences where he admits that there still exists Lee's original concept/plot outline that Lee says he gave to Jack. It would have been truly engrossing if Evanier had chosen to examine the controversy further, but you get the feeling that as a Kirby apologist he is reluctant to go there, which is why the book suffers. Evanier also only barely alludes to a mid 80's interview that Kirby gave to the Comics Journal where he emphatically argued that he was responsible for basically creating all the Marvel characters and that Stan didn't add anything creatively. All Evanier writes is the he believes that Jack believed what he was saying, but doesn't delve any further. Whatever side of the debate you reside on, for a writer with the life experiences and backround in the comic book industry that Evanier posesses, to not offer anything more than a slavish argument for how Jack Kirby was responsible for creating basically everything at Marvel, at the expense of his collaborators contributions (even Joe Simon gets a bit of the short shrift from Evanier with regard to the creation of Captain America) does a great disservice to these other men.

As a long time comic fan who belives that both Lee and Kirby deserve equal credit (try imagining Stan's role as Editor in Cheif and head writer at Marvel to the way that a movie director such as George Lucas operates), Evanier's writing just gets on my nerves because of the constant hype that he shovels into each paragraph trying to puff up Jack's legacy.

Mark Evanier has produced an informative, entertaining and attractive book on one of comic books most important pioneers. Jack Kirby's life and art is discussed and produced in all its glory. Evanier focuses on the man, his work and his struggles throughout his career. The original artwork is reproduced in a format that does it justice. For those who grew up on Kirby's work on the Fantastic Four, Thor or the New Gods or if this is an introduction to his overwhelming imagination, Evanier tells the story of a "regular guy" who transcended his humble beginnings in the Lower East Side. Kirby struggled with a life of creativity in a business that rarely rewarded their creators. Kirby, like Hitchcock or John Coltrane, was a unique artist whose life is fascinating.

This book is full of artwork and stories about one of the most influential artists in comic book history. Mark Evanier - who has had a valuable association with Kirby spanning decades - included tales and information that I had never even seen or heard before. There's a lot of original art within, also containing some things I've never seen - and this is after being a subscriber to the Jack Kirby Collector in the past. Beyond that, this book in general just looks great. Highly recommended.

If I didn't know this book was coming for years, if I had just found it, unaware, while browsing at a book store, I would have flipped. But I DID anticipate it, Blanche, I DID count the days. Thus, I agree with Rozek, the book is disappointing. THIS is what Evanier worked on for so long, even delaying its publication? Where is the detail one would expect from a long-time Kirby confidant? If you're a regular reader of the stupendous Kirby Collector magazine by John Morrow, there is little new here. I did find about 25 pieces of art I hadn't seen before (not counting original pages), but I expected more. From what I read before the book's release, Evanier had written 35 pages on one Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four story conference alone. It's nowhere in the book, unless it's so truncated it had no impact. (Is it being saved for a proposed extended fanboy edition?)
And yet, even with those complaints, this is the best book on Kirby out there and a wonderful primer for anyone curious about this legendary artist. I give it four stars because any book with this much Kirby art has to be a gem.

What a nice birthday present I received today!

Mark Evanier's book on the career of Jack Kirby arrived from Amazon.com yesterday, and I opened it when I got home after midnight!

The book is a beautiful coffee table book, with lots of great examples of printed, raw and published art in order from all periods of Jack's decades spanning career.

I can't tell you how impressed I am with this work.
The text is fair, balanced and easy to read.

The only error I spotted was a reference to the plot of FF #1, claiming that the quartett crash landed on the moon.... when they were aiming for the moon, but crashed back on Earth. That being said, I didn't spot any other errors.

I urge people to go out and buy a copy, or at least pressure your library to order a copy. This is an excellent book, lushly illustrated with photos, art, examples, and quotes. This will become the definitive biography of Jack Kirby!

You won't be disappointed!

Were a slightly more precise rating system available to me, I'd give this coffee-table Jack Kirby biography 3.5 stars instead of four, but I tend to err on the side of mercy when my favorite artist is involved, thus SO BE IT. And, while, no, I don't regret my purchase, I can't say that I wasn't mildly disappointed at what I perceive to be a lack of separation between this book and others of its ilk -- specifically Ronin Ro's much smaller ((and cheaper)) paperback biography, "Tales To Astonish." As this book was written by one-time Kirby assistant Mark Evanier, I really expected it to be THE Kirby biography -- the definitive, most detailed, most fanboy-obsessed account of the "King" and his Kreations there ever was or could be. As it stands, the text reads almost identically -- in depth, tone, breadth, detail, progression, etc. -- as "Tales To Astonish," except "Kirby: King Of Comics" mentions that Jack was losing sight in one eye during his career and once threatened to punch out the head of Marvelmania, and "Tales To Astonish" mentions that Jack got his friend's brains splattered on a drawing he was making in a foxhole and once threatened to punch out the guy from the towel service. I guess I just expected this book to take it one more level deeper than that -- one level of nerdiness beyond mere boilerplate. I mean, this is JACK KIRBY we're talking about here! Let's see some obsession! Let's have some nerdiness! Let's have some damn KRACKLE already! Furthermore, every book about comics I seem to have read in my life ((that wasn't written by Jules Feiffer, Scott McCloud, or Stan Lee)) seems to be written in the same generic non-voice that Jim Steranko used in his History Of Comics publications. I'd like to see a little less of the "I am a dry, objective reporter" tone used in these types of books, and a little more of the excitement about the subject matter one tends to find in the forewords of books like these. Moving on to the art, OBVIOUSLY it's great -- Kirby says "Don't Ask, Just Buy It!" -- but the overall design is nothing that makes me stop and just sort of ADORE the pages for countless minutes/hours, as is the case in the Kirby Fourth World Omnibus series ((from which it has obviously taken a few visual cues)). Exactly WHY i don't think this book is a full-on five-star visual treat like the Fourth World Omnibuses I cannot rightly say; I can only report on my findings. All in all, i was able to read this book from cover to cover -- with modest time spent adoring the art -- in about three or four hours. Nice, but not the life-affirming necessity I was hoping for.

P.S. Since I actually prefer Vince Coletta's inks on Kirby's pencils over Joe Sinnott's or Mike Royer's, please feel free to completely discount my opinion here and pelt me with rocks and garbage, as is the norm.

Kirby is THE legend in comics and an inspiration to many comic book professionals, myself included. Had it not been for the creations of Kirby and Lee my own creativity and imagination would certainly not be what it is today. Who better to tell the tale behind the man than the always witty Mark Evanier, who brings insight and wisdom to the history being presented here. The artwork showcased in this volume is crisp and clear, some of which you may not have seen before, at least not in a long while. If you are a fan of the Lee-Kirby creations like the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and the X-Men and want to get a behind the scenes look at King Kirby you can not go wrong with Kirby: King of Comics.

Brian Miller, author:Hi-Fi Color For Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results