Do You Know The King?

No, not the new guy across the pond.  Not the rock and roll guy either.  I'm talking the King.

Jack "The King" Kirby.  Co-creator of many of the characters that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe juggernaut that has turned comic books from a hobby I used to get mocked for indulging in to a multi-billion dollar empire that has altered the movie going landscape.  He's at least partly responsible for characters like Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Fantastic Four and more.

In an article over at CNN.com, I learned that Kirby actually had a similar experience to mine in his youth as a fan of fantasy fiction, hiding his love of the genre from his peers to avoid being bullied over it.  It's nice to know I'm in good company and I'm sure Kirby would be proud to know that his work has since gone so mainstream that it's now cool to be a comic book geek.

 

The one and only.

 

Here's a link to the article.  It's about a five minute read and while it only skims the surface of Kirby's life and career, it is still a fascinating snapshot of the life of a man that is only well known to hardcore comic book fans and little known by the millions of people who flock to movies based on his creative genius.

So take a few minutes to get to know the King.  The next Marvel movie you take in will have a little more meaning for you if you do.