Editing Jack Kirby (section)

===Return to Marvel (1976–1978)===
At the [[comic book convention]] Marvelcon '75, in 1975, Stan Lee used a Fantastic Four panel discussion to announce that Kirby was returning to Marvel after having left in 1970 to work for DC Comics. Lee wrote in his monthly column, "Stan Lee's Soapbox", "I mentioned that I had a special announcement to make. As I started telling about Jack's return, to a totally incredulous audience, everyone's head started to snap around as Kirby himself came waltzin' down the aisle to join us on the rostrum! You can imagine how it felt clownin' around with the co-creator of most of Marvel's greatest strips once more."<ref>[[Bullpen Bulletins]]: "The King is Back! 'Nuff Said!", in Marvel Comics cover-dated October 1975, including ''Fantastic Four'' #163</ref>

Back at Marvel, Kirby both wrote and drew the monthly ''Captain America'' series<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 175: "After an absence of half a decade, Jack Kirby returned to Marvel Comics as writer, penciller, and editor of the series he and Joe Simon created back in 1941."</ref> as well as the ''Captain America's Bicentennial Battles'' [[One-shot (comics)|one-shot]] in the oversized [[Marvel Treasury Edition|treasury format]].<ref>{{cite journal|last = Powers|first = Tom|title = Kirby Celebrating America's 200th Birthday: ''Captain America's Bicentennial Battles''|journal = Back Issue!|issue = 61|pages = 46–49 |publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|date = December 2012|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> He created the series ''[[Eternals (comics)|The Eternals]]'',<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 175: "Jack Kirby's most important creation for Marvel during his return in the 1970s was his epic series ''The Eternals''"</ref> which featured a race of inscrutable alien giants, the [[Celestial (comics)|Celestials]], whose behind-the-scenes intervention in primordial humanity would eventually become a core element of [[Marvel Universe]] continuity. He produced an adaptation and expansion of the film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (comics)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'',<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 180: "Marvel published its adaptation of director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke's classic science fiction film ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' as an oversize ''Marvel Treasury Special''."</ref> as well as an abortive attempt to do the same for the classic television series ''[[The Prisoner in other media#Marvel Comics|The Prisoner]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hatfield |first=Charles |url=http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/11prisoner.html |title=Once Upon A Time: Kirby's Prisoner |journal=The Jack Kirby Collector |issue=11 |date=July 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114034446/http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/11prisoner.html |archive-date=November 14, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> He wrote and drew ''Black Panther'' and drew numerous covers across the line.<ref name=gcdjack />

Kirby's other Marvel creations in this period include [[Machine Man]]<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 185: "In [''2001: A Space Odyssey''] issue #8, cover dated July 1977, [Jack] Kirby introduced a robot whom he originally dubbed 'Mister Machine.' Marvel's ''2001'' series eventually came to an end but Kirby's robot protagonist went on to star in his own comic book series as Machine Man."</ref> and [[Devil Dinosaur]].<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 185: "Jack Kirby's final major creation for Marvel Comics was perhaps his most unusual hero: an intelligent dinosaur resembling a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''."</ref> Kirby's final comics collaboration with Stan Lee, ''The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience'', was published in 1978 as part of the [[Marvel Fireside Books]] series and is considered Marvel's first [[graphic novel]].<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 187: "[In 1978], Simon & Schuster's Fireside Books published a paperback book titled ''The Silver Surfer'' by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby ... This book was later recognized as Marvel's first true graphic novel."</ref>