Editing Jack Kirby (section)

==Career==
===Entry into comics (1936–1940)===
[[File:Captain America Comics-1 (March 1941 Timely Comics).jpg|thumb|right|''Captain America Comics'' #1 ([[cover-date]]d March 1941); cover art by Kirby and [[Joe Simon]]<!--credits per Jack Kirby Museum-->]]

Kirby joined the [[Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate]] in 1936, working there on newspaper comic strips and on single-panel advice cartoons such as ''Your Health Comes First!!!'' (under the [[pseudonym]] '''Jack Curtiss'''). He remained until late 1939, when he began working for the theatrical animation company [[Fleischer Studios]] as an [[Inbetweening|inbetweener]] (an artist who fills in the action between major-movement frames) on ''[[Popeye the Sailor (animated cartoons)|Popeye]]'' cartoons at the same time in 1935. He left the studio before the Fleischer strike in 1937.<ref name="Cartoon Research">[https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-his-own-words-jack-kirby-at-fleischers/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930114826/http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/in-his-own-words-jack-kirby-at-fleischers/|date=September 30, 2019}} at Cartoon Research.com.</ref> "I went from Lincoln to Fleischer," he recalled. "From Fleischer I had to get out in a hurry because I couldn't take that kind of thing," describing it as "a factory in a sense, like my father's factory. They were manufacturing pictures."<ref name="cj">Interview, ''The Comics Journal'' #134, reprinted in George 2002, p.&nbsp;24</ref>

Around that time, the American comic book industry was booming. Kirby began writing and drawing for the [[comic book packager]] [[Eisner & Iger]], one of a handful of firms creating comics on demand for publishers. Through that company, Kirby did what he remembered as his first comic book work, for ''Wild Boy Magazine''.<ref>Interview, ''The Nostalgia Journal'' #30, November 1976, reprinted in George 2002, p. 3</ref> This included such strips as the science fiction adventure "The Diary of Dr. Hayward" (under the pseudonym '''Curt Davis'''), the [[Western comics|Western]] crimefighter feature "Wilton of the West" (as '''Fred Sande'''), the [[swashbuckler]] adventure "The Count of Monte Cristo" (again as Jack Curtiss), and the humor features "Abdul Jones" (as '''Ted Grey''') and "Socko the Seadog" (as '''Teddy'''), all variously for ''[[Jumbo Comics]]'' and other Eisner-Iger clients.<ref name=gcdjack>[https://www.comics.org/credit/name/Jack%20Kirby/sort/chrono/ Jack Kirby] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413130500/https://www.comics.org/credit/name/Jack%2520Kirby/sort/chrono/ |date=April 13, 2019 }} at the Grand Comics Database.</ref> He first used the surname Kirby as the pseudonymous '''Lance Kirby''' in two "Lone Rider" Western stories in [[Eastern Color Printing]]'s ''[[Famous Funnies]]'' #63–64 (Oct.–Nov. 1939).<ref name=gcdjack /> He ultimately settled on the pen name Jack Kirby because it reminded him of actor [[James Cagney]]. However, he took offense to those who suggested he changed his name in order to hide his [[Jews|Jewish]] heritage.{{sfn|Jones|2004|page=197}}

===Partnership with Joe Simon===
Kirby moved on to comic-book publisher and newspaper syndicator [[Fox Feature Syndicate]], earning a then-reasonable $15-a-week salary. During this time, Kirby met and began collaborating with cartoonist and Fox editor [[Joe Simon]], who in addition to his staff work continued to freelance. Simon recalled in 1988, "I loved Jack's work and the first time I saw it I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He asked if we could do some freelance work together. I was delighted and I took him over to my little office. We worked from the second issue of [[Blue Bolt]] through... about 25 years."<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/25simon.html |title=More Than Your Average Joe – Excerpts from Joe Simon's panels at the 1998 San Diego Comic-Con International |journal=The Jack Kirby Collector |number=25 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |date=August 1999 |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130191556/http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/25simon.html |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |url-status=live |url-access=<!--WP:URLACCESS--> }}</ref>

After leaving Fox and collaborating on the premiere issue of [[Fawcett Comics]]' ''[[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] Adventures'' ([March] 1941),<ref>{{Cite web|title=GCD :: Issue :: 64 Pages of New Captain Marvel Adventures #[1]|url=https://www.comics.org/issue/1178/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612113220/https://www.comics.org/issue/1178/|archive-date=June 12, 2018|access-date=February 5, 2022|website=[[comics.org]]}}</ref> the first solo title for the previously introduced superhero, and for which Kirby was told to mimic creator [[C.C. Beck]]'s drawing style,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/4162|title=In the Beginning, Chapter 10, Captain Marvel and Others|first=Harry|last=Mendryk|date=November 19, 2011|access-date=May 29, 2018|archive-date=May 29, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180529232146/http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/4162|url-status=live}}</ref> the duo were hired on staff at [[pulp magazine]] publisher [[Martin Goodman (publisher)|Martin Goodman]]'s [[Timely Comics]] (later to become Marvel Comics). There Simon and Kirby created the patriotic superhero [[Captain America]] in late 1940.<ref>{{cite book|last1=DeFalco|first1=Tom|title=Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History|last2=Sanderson|first2=Peter|last3=Brevoort|first3=Tom|last4=Manning|first4=Matthew|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0756641238|editor-last=Gilbert|editor-first=Laura|location=London, United Kingdom|page=18|language=en|chapter=1940s|quote=Simon and Kirby decided to create another hero who was their response to totalitarian tyranny abroad.|author-link=Tom DeFalco|author-link2=Peter Sanderson|author-link3=Tom Brevoort|author-link4=Matthew Manning}}</ref> Simon, who became the company's editor, with Kirby as art director, said he negotiated with Goodman to give the duo 25 percent of the profits from the feature.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=25}} The first issue of ''Captain America Comics'', released in early 1941,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.toonopedia.com/capamer.htm|title= Captain America|first= Don|last= Markstein|year= 2010|publisher= [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]|access-date= April 9, 2012|quote= Captain America was the first successful character published by the company that would become Marvel Comics to debut in his own comic. ''Captain America Comics'' #1 was dated March, 1941.}}</ref> sold out in days, and the second issue's print run was set at over a million copies. The title's success established the team as a notable creative force in the industry.{{sfn|Jones|2004|page=200}} After the first issue was published, Simon asked Kirby to join the Timely staff as the company's art director.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=21}}

With the success of the Captain America character, Simon said he felt that Goodman was not paying the pair the promised percentage of profits, and so sought work for the two of them at [[National Comics Publications]] (later renamed [[DC Comics]]).{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=25}} Kirby and Simon negotiated a deal that would pay them a combined $500 a week, as opposed to the $75 and $85 they respectively earned at Timely.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=25-26}} The pair feared Goodman would not pay them if he found they were moving to National, but many people knew of their plan, including Timely editorial assistant [[Stan Lee]]. When Goodman eventually discovered it, he told Simon and Kirby to leave after finishing work on ''Captain America Comics'' #10.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=27}} Kirby was bitterly convinced it was specifically Lee who betrayed them, ignoring Simon's willingness to give him the benefit of the doubt.{{sfn|Van Lente|Dunlavey|2012|page=49}}

Kirby and Simon spent their first weeks at National trying to devise new characters while the company sought how best to utilize the pair.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=28}} After a few failed editor-assigned ghosting assignments, National's [[Jack Liebowitz]] told them to "just do what you want". The pair then revamped the [[Sandman (Wesley Dodds)|Sandman]] feature in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' and created the superhero [[Manhunter (comics)|Manhunter]].{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=30}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=Daniel|title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|last2=Cowsill|first2=Allan|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9|editor-last=Hannah|editor-first=Dolan|location=London, United Kingdom|page=41|chapter=1940s|quote=Hot properties Joe Simon and Jack Kirby joined DC ... [and] after taking over the Sandman and Sandy, the Golden Boy feature in ''Adventure Comics'' #72, the writer and artist team turned their attentions to Manhunter with issue #73.|author-link=Daniel Wallace (author)}}</ref> In July 1942 they began the ''[[Boy Commandos]]'' feature. The ongoing "kid gang" series of the same name, launched later that same year, was the creative team's first National feature to graduate into its own title.<ref>Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 41 "The inaugural issue of ''Boy Commandos'' represented Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's first original title since they started at DC (though the characters had debuted earlier that year in ''Detective Comics'' #64.)"</ref> It sold over a million copies a month, becoming National's third best-selling title.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=32}} They scored a hit with the homefront kid-gang team, the [[Newsboy Legion]], featuring in ''[[Star-Spangled Comics]]''.<ref>Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 41 "Joe Simon and Jack Kirby took their talents to a second title with ''Star-Spangled Comics'', tackling both the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion in issue #7."</ref> In 2010, DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed that "Like [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]], the creative team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby was a mark of quality and a proven track record."<ref>{{cite book|author-link= Paul Levitz|last=Levitz|first= Paul|chapter= The Golden Age 1938–1956|title= 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking|publisher= [[Taschen]]|year=2010|location= Cologne, Germany|isbn= 978-3-83651-981-6|page= 131}}</ref>

====World War II (1943–1945)====
[[File:Jack Kirby.jpg|thumb|180px|Kirby in the U.S. Army during World War II]]

With World War II underway, Liebowitz expected that Simon and Kirby would be [[Conscription in the United States|drafted]], so he asked the artists to create an inventory of material to be published in their absence. The pair hired writers, inkers, letterers, and colorists in order to create a year's worth of material.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=32}} Kirby was drafted into the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] on June 7, 1943.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=33}} After basic training at [[Camp Stewart]], near Savannah, Georgia, he was assigned to Company F of the [[11th Infantry Regiment (United States)|11th Infantry Regiment]]. He landed on [[Omaha Beach]] in [[Normandy]] on August 23, 1944, {{frac|2|1|2}} months after [[D-Day]],{{sfn|Evanier|2008|page=67}} although Kirby's reminiscences would place his arrival just 10 days after.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=33}} Kirby recalled that a lieutenant, learning that comics artist Kirby was in his command, made him a scout who would advance into towns and draw [[reconnaissance]] maps and pictures, an extremely dangerous duty.{{sfn|Ro|2004|pages=35}}

====Postwar career (1946–1955)====
[[File:Young Romance Issue 1.jpg|thumb|''Young Romance'' #1 (Oct. 1947); cover art by Kirby and [[Joe Simon|Simon]]]]

After the war, Simon arranged work for Kirby and himself at [[Harvey Comics]],{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=45}} where, through the early 1950s, the duo created such titles as the kid-gang adventure ''Boy Explorers Comics'', the kid-gang [[Western comics|Western]] ''[[Boys' Ranch]]'', the superhero comic ''Stuntman'', and, in vogue with the fad for [[3D film|3-D movies]], ''[[Captain 3-D]]''. Simon and Kirby additionally freelanced for [[Hillman Periodicals]] (the [[crime-fiction]] comic ''Real Clue Crime'') and for [[Crestwood Publications]] (''[[Justice Traps the Guilty]]'').<ref name=gcdjack />

The team had its greatest success in the postwar period by creating [[romance comics]]. Simon, inspired by [[Macfadden Publications]]' romantic-confession magazine ''True Story'', transplanted the idea to comic books and with Kirby created a first-issue mock-up of ''[[Young Romance]]''.<ref name="joesimon123-125">Simon, Joe, with Jim Simon. ''The Comic Book Makers'' (Crestwood/II, 1990) {{ISBN|978-1-887591-35-5}}; reissued (Vanguard Productions, 2003) {{ISBN|978-1-887591-35-5}}, pp. 123–125</ref> Showing it to Crestwood general manager Maurice Rosenfeld, Simon asked for 50% of the comic's profits. Crestwood publishers Teddy Epstein and Mike Bleier agreed,<ref name="joesimon123-125" /> stipulating that the creators would take no money up front.{{sfn|Evanier|2008|page=72}} ''Young Romance'' #1 (cover-date Oct. 1947) "became Jack and Joe's biggest hit in years".{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=46}} The first title sold a staggering 92% of its print run, inspiring Crestwood to increase the print run by the third issue to triple the initial number of copies.<ref name="Real Love">{{cite book|last= Howell|first= Richard|author-link= Richard Howell (comics)|chapter= Introduction|title = Real Love: The Best of the Simon and Kirby Love Comics, 1940s–1950s|publisher= Eclipse Books|year= 1988|location=Forestville, California|isbn = 978-0-91303-563-4}}</ref> Initially published bimonthly, ''Young Romance'' quickly became a monthly title and produced the spin-off ''[[Young Love (comics)|Young Love]]''—together the two titles sold two million copies per month, according to Simon<ref>Simon, p. 125</ref>—later joined by ''Young Brides'' and ''In Love'', the latter "featuring full-length romance stories".<ref name="Real Love" /> ''Young Romance'' spawned dozens of imitators from publishers such as Timely, [[Fawcett Comics|Fawcett]], [[Quality Comics|Quality]], and [[Fox Feature Syndicate]]. Despite the glut, the Simon and Kirby romance titles continued to sell millions of copies a month.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=46}}

Bitter that [[Timely Comics]]' 1950s iteration, [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]], had relaunched Captain America in a new series in 1954, Kirby and Simon created ''[[Fighting American]]''. Simon recalled, "We thought we'd show them how to do Captain America".{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=52}} While the comic book initially portrayed the protagonist as an [[Anti-communism|anti-Communist]] dramatic hero, Simon and Kirby turned the series into a superhero satire with the second issue, in the aftermath of the [[Army-McCarthy hearings]] and the public backlash against the Red-baiting U.S. Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]].{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=54}}

===After Simon (1956–1957)===
At the urging of a Crestwood salesman, Kirby and Simon launched their own comics company, [[Mainline Publications]],{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=54}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Beerbohm |first=Robert Lee |title=The Mainline Story |journal=The Jack Kirby Collector |issue=25 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |date=August 1999 |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |url=http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/25mainline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526101151/http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/25mainline.html |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref> securing a distribution deal with Leader News<ref>{{cite book|last=Theakston|first=Greg|author-link= Greg Theakston|title=The Complete Jack Kirby|year=1997|publisher=Pure Imagination Publishing, Inc.|isbn=1-56685-006-1|page=29}}</ref> in late 1953 or early 1954, subletting space from their friend [[Al Harvey]]'s [[Harvey Publications]] at 1860 Broadway.<ref name=autobio1990p151>{{cite book|author-link=Joe Simon|last1=Simon|first1=Joe|last2=with Simon|first2=Jim | title=The Comic Book Makers|publisher=Crestwood/II Publications|year= 1990|page= 151|isbn=978-1-887591-35-5}} Reissued (Vanguard Productions, 2003) {{ISBN|978-1-887591-35-5}}. Page numbers refer to 1990 edition.</ref> Mainline, which existed from 1954 to 1955, published four titles: the Western ''Bullseye: Western Scout''; the [[war comics|war comic]] ''Foxhole'' because [[EC Comics]] and [[Atlas Comics (1950s)|Atlas Comics]] were having success with war comics, but promoting theirs as being written and drawn by actual veterans; ''In Love'' because their earlier [[romance comic]] ''[[Young Love (comic)|Young Love]]'' was still being widely imitated; and the [[crime comic]] ''Police Trap'', which claimed to be based on genuine accounts by law-enforcement officials.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/publisher/2515/ Mainline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112074533/http://www.comics.org/publisher/2515/ |date=November 12, 2010 }} at the Grand Comics Database.</ref> After the duo rearranged and republished artwork from an old Crestwood story in ''In Love'', Crestwood refused to pay the team,{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=55}} who sought an audit of Crestwood's finances. Upon review, the pair's attorneys stated the company owed them $130,000 for work done over the past seven years. Crestwood paid them $10,000 in addition to their recent delayed payments. The partnership between Kirby and Simon had become strained.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=56}} Simon left the industry for a career in advertising, while Kirby continued to freelance. "He wanted to do other things and I stuck with comics," Kirby recalled in 1971. "It was fine. There was no reason to continue the partnership and we parted friends."<ref>{{cite news|title='I Created an Army of Characters, and Now My Connection with Them Is Lost|publisher=interview, The Great Electric Bird radio show, [[WNUR-FM]], [[Northwestern University]]|location= Evanston, Illinois| date= May 14, 1971}} Transcribed in ''[[The Comics Journal|The Nostalgia Journal]]'' (27) August 1976. Reprinted in George 2002, p. 16</ref>

At this point in the mid-1950s, Kirby made a temporary return to the former [[Timely Comics]], now known as Atlas Comics, the direct predecessor of [[Marvel Comics]]. Inker [[Frank Giacoia]] had approached editor-in-chief Stan Lee for work and suggested he could "get Kirby back here to pencil some stuff.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=60}} While freelancing for National Comics Publications, the future [[DC Comics]], Kirby drew 20 stories for Atlas from 1956 to 1957: Beginning with the five-page "Mine Field" in ''Battleground'' #14 (Nov. 1956), Kirby penciled and in some cases inked (with his wife, [[Jack Kirby#Personal life|Roz]]) and wrote stories of the [[Western comics|Western]] hero [[Black Rider (comics)|Black Rider]], the [[Fu Manchu]]-like [[Yellow Claw (comics)|Yellow Claw]], and more.<ref name=gcdjack /><ref>Kirby's 1956–57 Atlas work appeared in nine issues, plus three more published later after being held in inventory, per {{cite web|url=http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/1086 |title=Another Pre-Implosion Atlas Kirby |publisher=Jack Kirby Museum |date=November 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709112725/http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/1086 |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |url-status=live }} In roughly chronological order: ''Battleground'' #14 (Nov. 1956; 5 pp.), ''Astonishing'' #56 (Dec. 1956; 4 pp.), ''Strange Tales of the Unusual'' #7 (Dec. 1956; 4 pp.), ''Quick-Trigger Western'' #16 (Feb. 1957; 5 pp.), ''[[Yellow Claw (comics)|Yellow Claw]]'' #2–4 (Dec. 1956 – April 1957; 19 pp. each), ''Black Rider Rides Again'' #1, a.k.a. ''Black Rider'' vol. 2, #1 (Sept. 1957; 19 pp.), and ''Two Gun Western'' #12 (Sept. 1957; 5 pp.), plus the inventoried ''[[Gunsmoke Western]]'' #47 (July 1958; 4 pp.) and #51 (March 1959; 5 pp. plus cover) and ''[[Kid Colt Outlaw]]'' #86 (Sept. 1959; 5 pp.)</ref> But in 1957, distribution troubles caused the "Atlas implosion" that resulted in several series being dropped and no new material being assigned for many months. The next year Kirby returned to the nascent Marvel.

For DC around that time, Kirby co-created with writers Dick and Dave Wood the non-superpowered adventuring quartet the [[Challengers of the Unknown]] in ''[[Showcase (comics)|Showcase]]'' #6 (Feb. 1957),<ref>[[Alexander C. Irvine|Irvine, Alex]] "1950s" in Dolan, p. 84: "Kirby's first solo project was a test run of a non-super hero adventure team called Challengers of the Unknown. Appearing for the first time in ''Showcase'' #6, the team would make a few more ''Showcase'' appearances before springing into their own title in May 1958."</ref> while contributing to such anthologies as ''[[House of Mystery]]''.<ref name=gcdjack /> During 30 months freelancing for DC, Kirby drew slightly more than 600 pages, which included 11 six-page [[Green Arrow]] stories in ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' and ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' that in a rarity, Kirby inked himself.<ref>{{cite book|last= Evanier|first= Mark|author-link= Mark Evanier|chapter= Introduction|title= The Green Arrow|publisher= DC Comics|year= 2001|location= New York, New York|quote= All were inked by Jack with the aid of his dear spouse, Rosalind. She would trace his pencil work with a static pen line; he would then take a brush, put in all the shadows and bold areas and, where necessary, heavy-up the lines she'd laid down. (Jack hated inking and only did it because he needed the money. After departing DC this time, he almost never inked his own work again.)}}</ref> Kirby recast the archer as a science-fiction hero, moving him away from his Batman-formula roots, but, in the process, alienating Green Arrow co-creator [[Mort Weisinger]].{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=61}}

He began drawing ''[[Sky Masters of the Space Force]],'' a newspaper comic strip, written by the Wood brothers and initially inked by the unrelated [[Wally Wood]].<ref>Evanier 2008, pp. 103–106 "The artwork was exquisite, in no small part because Dave Wood had the idea to hire Wally Wood (no relation) to handle the inking."</ref> Kirby left National Comics Publications due largely to a contractual dispute in which editor [[Jack Schiff]], who had been involved in getting Kirby and the Wood brothers the ''Sky Masters'' contract, claimed he was due royalties from Kirby's share of the strip's profits. Schiff successfully sued Kirby.{{sfn|Evanier|2008|page=109}} Some DC editors had criticized him over art details, such as not drawing "the shoelaces on a cavalryman's boots" and showing a Native American "mounting his horse from the wrong side."{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=91}}

===Marvel Comics in the Silver Age (1958–1970)===
Several months later, after his split with DC, Kirby began freelancing regularly for Atlas despite harboring negative sentiments about Stan Lee (the cousin of Timely publisher Martin Goodman's wife), whom Kirby had always found annoying on top of his aforementioned betrayal he suspected in the 1940s. Because of the poor page rates, Kirby would spend 12 to 14 hours daily at his drawing table at home, producing four to five pages of artwork a day.{{sfn|Jones|2004|page=282}} His first published work at Atlas was the cover of and the seven-page story "I Discovered the Secret of the Flying Saucers" in ''[[Strange Worlds (Atlas Comics)|Strange Worlds]]'' #1 (Dec. 1958). Initially with [[Christopher Rule]] as his regular inker, and later [[Dick Ayers]], Kirby drew across all genres, from romance comics to war comics to crime comics to Western comics, but made his mark primarily with a series of supernatural-fantasy and science fiction stories featuring giant, [[drive-in movie]]-style monsters with names like [[Groot]], the Thing from Planet X;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/groottta.htm|title= Groot|first= Jeff|last= Christiansen|date= March 10, 2011|publisher= Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131113231254/http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/groottta.htm|archive-date= November 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Grottu, King of the Insects;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/grottu.htm|title= Grottu|first= Jeff|last= Christiansen|date= January 17, 2007|publisher= Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131113221123/http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/grottu.htm|archive-date= November 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Fin Fang Foom]] for the company's many anthology series, such as ''[[Amazing Adventures]],'' ''[[Strange Tales]],'' ''[[Tales to Astonish]],'' ''[[Tales of Suspense]],'' and ''[[World of Fantasy]].''<ref name=gcdjack /> His bizarre designs of powerful, unearthly creatures proved a hit with readers. Additionally, he freelanced for [[Archie Comics]] around this time, reuniting briefly with Joe Simon to help develop the series ''[[The Fly (Archie Comics)|The Fly]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/fly.htm |title=The Fly |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2009 |publisher=[[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527024407/https://www.webcitation.org/6RoNatZp3?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/fly.htm |archive-date=May 27, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[The Shield (Archie Comics)|The Double Life of Private Strong]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/shield2.htm |title=The Shield |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2007 |publisher=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412002105/http://www.toonopedia.com/shield2.htm |archive-date=April 12, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, Kirby drew some issues of ''[[Classics Illustrated]]''.<ref name=gcdjack />

At Marvel Kirby hit his stride once again in superhero comics, beginning with ''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|The Fantastic Four]]'' #1 (Nov. 1961),<ref name=gcdjack /><ref>[[Tom DeFalco|DeFalco, Tom]] "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 84: "It did not take long for editor Stan Lee to realize that ''The Fantastic Four'' was a hit ... the flurry of fan letters all pointed to the FF's explosive popularity."</ref> which some have observed, shares many elements of Kirby's ''Challengers of the Unknown''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Challengers of the Unknown = Fantastic Four |url=http://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/challengers.html |website=The Great American Novel |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511142107/https://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/challengers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The landmark series became a hit that revolutionized the industry with its comparative [[Naturalism (arts)|naturalism]] and, eventually, a cosmic purview informed by Kirby's seemingly boundless imagination{{mdash}}one well-matched with the consciousness-expanding [[youth culture]] of the 1960s.<ref name="century">{{Cite book|last= Krensky|first= Stephen|title= Comic Book Century: The History of American Comic Books|publisher= [[Lerner Publishing Group|Twenty-First Century Books]]|year= 2007|location= Minneapolis, Minnesota|page= 59|isbn= 978-0-8225-6654-0|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=n23M0Bn0JmwC&q=%22fantastic+four%22&pg=PA58|quote= Readers ... liked seeing Reed and Sue bicker, Johnny annoying everyone, and Ben being grumpy. ... Kirby's vivid illustrations created a whole new style for Marvel, where the imaginative art matched the colorful, loose style of the time.|access-date= November 12, 2020|archive-date= February 4, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210204065610/https://books.google.com/books?id=n23M0Bn0JmwC&q=%22fantastic+four%22&pg=PA58|url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=iowahistoricalreview>{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/iowa-historical-review/article/id/1636/download/pdf/|title='Truth, Justice and the American Way: The Intersection of American Youth Culture and Superhero Narratives|first=Sebastian T. |last=Mercier| journal=Iowa Historical Review|publisher=[[University of Iowa]] |pages=37–38| volume= 1|issue= 2|date=2008|doi=10.17077/2373-1842.1010|quote = The liberalization of American culture allowed superhero comic books to challenge the assumptions behind 1950s censorship. ... Marvel was able to position themselves as a publishing maverick. Several of their new superheroes, including the Fantastic Four and the Amazing Spider-Man were able to reflect real-world sensibilities and problems. Other heroes such as the Invincible Iron Man and the Silver Surfer examined the political landscape of the 1960s. The close bonds shared with youth culture meant that superheroes had reasserted themselves into the American national consciousness.|doi-access=|url-access=subscription}}</ref> For almost a decade, Kirby provided Marvel's house style, creating many of the Marvel characters and designing their visual motifs. At the editor-in-chief's request, he often provided new-to-Marvel artists "breakdown" layouts, over which they would pencil in order to become acquainted with the Marvel look. As artist [[Gil Kane]] described:

{{blockquote|text=Jack was the single most influential figure in the turnaround in Marvel's fortunes from the time he rejoined the company ... It wasn't merely that Jack conceived most of the characters that are being done, but ... Jack's point of view and philosophy of drawing became the governing philosophy of the entire publishing company and, beyond the publishing company, of the entire field ... [Marvel took] Jack and use[d] him as a primer. They would get artists ... and they taught them the ABCs, which amounted to learning Jack Kirby ... Jack was like the Holy Scripture and they simply had to follow him without deviation. That's what was told to me ... It was how they taught everyone to reconcile all those opposing attitudes to one single master point of view.<ref>Gil Kane, speaking at a forum on July 6, 1985, at the Dallas Fantasy Fair. As quoted in George 2002, p. 109</ref>}}

Highlights of Kirby's tenure also include the [[Hulk]], [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]], the [[X-Men]] and [[Magneto (Marvel Comics)|Magneto]], [[Doctor Doom]], [[Uatu|Uatu the Watcher]], [[Ego the Living Planet]], the [[Inhumans]]<ref>{{cite web | first= Brian|last= Cronin|url= https://www.cbr.com/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-261/|title= A Year of Cool Comics – Day 261|website= [[Comic Book Resources]]|date= September 18, 2010|access-date= December 13, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101123190418/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/18/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-261/|archive-date=November 23, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DeFalco111">DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 111: "The Inhumans, a lost race that diverged from humankind 25,000 years ago and became genetically enhanced."</ref> and their hidden city of Attilan, and the [[Black Panther (comics)|Black Panther]]<ref>{{cite web |first= Brian|last= Cronin|url= https://www.cbr.com/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-262/ |title= A Year of Cool Comics – Day 262|website= Comic Book Resources|date= September 19, 2010| access-date= December 13, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110708181411/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/09/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-262/|archive-date=July 8, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter |title='Black Panther' Co-Creator Jack Kirby Would've Adored Film Phenomenon, Family Says |date=February 15, 2018 |first=Ryan |last=Parker |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/black-panther-jack-kirby-wouldve-adored-film-says-family-1084730 |access-date=June 10, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612135941/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/black-panther-jack-kirby-wouldve-adored-film-says-family-1084730 |url-status=live }}</ref> (comics' first black superhero) and his [[Afrofuturism|Afrofuturist]] nation, [[Wakanda]].<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 117: Stan Lee wanted to do his part by creating the first black super hero. Lee discussed his ideas with Jack Kirby and the result was seen in ''Fantastic Four'' #52.</ref> Kirby initially was assigned to pencil the first [[Spider-Man]] story, but when he showed Lee the first six pages, Lee recalled, "I ''hated'' the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly—it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic".<ref name="Theakston">{{Cite book|last=Theakston|first=Greg|title=The Steve Ditko Reader|publisher=Pure Imagination|location=Brooklyn, New York|year=2002|isbn=1-56685-011-8}}</ref>{{rp|12}} Lee then turned to [[Steve Ditko]] to draw the story that would appear in ''[[Amazing Fantasy]]'' #15, for which Kirby nonetheless penciled the cover.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2 = Manning|first2 = Matthew K.|chapter= 1960s|title = Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging|publisher= [[Dorling Kindersley]]|year= 2012|location= London, United Kingdom|page = 15|isbn = 978-0756692360|quote= Kirby had the honor of being the first ever penciler to take a swing at drawing Spider-Man. Though his illustrations for the pages of ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 were eventually redrawn by Steve Ditko after Stan Lee decided that Kirby's Spidey wasn't quite youthful enough, the King nevertheless contributed the issue's historic cover.}}</ref> Lee and Kirby gathered several of their newly created characters together into the team title ''[[The Avengers (comic book)|The Avengers]]''<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 94: "Filled with some wonderful visual action, ''The Avengers'' #1 has a very simple story: the Norse god Loki tricked the Hulk into going on a rampage ... The heroes eventually learned about Loki's involvement and united with the Hulk to form the Avengers."</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/28/captain-america-x-men-iron-man-the-avengers-jack-kirby-king-of-comics |access-date=June 10, 2018 |title=Captain America, X-Men, Iron Man, the Avengers ... Jack Kirby, king of comics |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Graeme |last=Virtue |date=August 28, 2017 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145211/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/28/captain-america-x-men-iron-man-the-avengers-jack-kirby-king-of-comics |url-status=live }}</ref> and brought back old characters from the 1940s such as the [[Namor|Sub-Mariner]]<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 86: "Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reintroduced one of Marvel's most popular Golden Age heroes – Namor, the Sub-Mariner."</ref> and Captain America.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 99: "'Captain America lives again!' announced the cover of ''The Avengers'' #4 ... Cap was back."</ref> In later years, Lee and Kirby disputed over who deserved credit for such creations as ''The Fantastic Four''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Batchelor |first1=Bob |title=Stan Lee : The Man Behind Marvel |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=978-1-4422-7781-6 |page=73|year=2017 }}</ref>
[[Image:Fantasticfour72.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' #72 (March 1968). Cover art by Kirby and [[Joe Sinnott]], illustrating [[Kirby Krackle]]]]
The story frequently cited as Lee and Kirby's finest achievement<ref>{{Cite book|last= Hatfield| first= Charles|chapter= The Galactus Trilogy: An Appreciation|title= The Collected Jack Kirby Collector ''Volume 1''|page= 211|year= 2004| publisher= TwoMorrows|isbn= 978-1893905009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last = Thomas|first = Roy|author-link = Roy Thomas|author2=Sanderson, Peter |title = The Marvel Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the World of Marvel|publisher= [[Running Press]]|year= 2007|location= Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page = 93|isbn = 978-0762428441|quote= Then came the issues of all issues, the instant legend, the trilogy of ''Fantastic Four'' (#48-50) that excited readers immediately christened 'the Galactus Trilogy', a designation still widely recognized four decades later.}}</ref> is "[[The Galactus Trilogy]]" in ''Fantastic Four'' #48–50 (March–May 1966), chronicling the arrival of [[Galactus]], a cosmic giant who wanted to devour the planet, and his herald, the [[Silver Surfer]].<ref>{{cite web |first= Brian|last= Cronin|url=https://www.cbr.com/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-50/ | title= A Year of Cool Comics – Day 50|website= Comic Book Resources|date= February 19, 2010|access-date= December 13, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100504111741/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/02/19/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-50/|archive-date=May 4, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 115: "Stan Lee may have started the creative discussion that culminated in Galactus, but the inclusion of the Silver Surfer in ''Fantastic Four'' #48 was pure Jack Kirby. Kirby realized that a being like Galactus required an equally impressive herald."</ref> ''Fantastic Four'' #48 was chosen as #24 in the 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time poll of Marvel's readers in 2001. Editor [[Robert Greenberger]] wrote in his introduction to the story that "As the fourth year of the ''Fantastic Four'' came to a close, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby seemed to be only warming up. In retrospect, it was perhaps the most fertile period of any monthly title during the Marvel Age."<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Greenberger |editor-first=Robert|title = 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time|publisher = Marvel Comics|date = December 2001|page = 26|title-link=100 Greatest Marvels of All Time}}</ref> Comics historian [[Les Daniels]] noted that "[t]he mystical and metaphysical elements that took over the saga were perfectly suited to the tastes of young readers in the 1960s", and Lee soon discovered that the story was a favorite on college campuses.<ref>{{cite book|last = Daniels|first = Les|author-link = Les Daniels|title = Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics|publisher = [[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]]|year = 1991|location= New York, New York|page = 128|isbn = 978-0-81093-821-2}}</ref> Kirby continued to expand the medium's boundaries, devising photo-collage covers and interiors, developing new drawing techniques such as the method for depicting energy fields now known as "[[Kirby Krackle]]", and other experiments.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Foley |first=Shane |url=http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/33krackle.html |title=Kracklin' Kirby: Tracing the advent of Kirby Krackle |journal=The Jack Kirby Collector |issue=33 |date=November 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130183009/http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/33krackle.html |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1968 and 1969, Joe Simon was involved in litigation with Marvel Comics over the ownership of Captain America, initiated by Marvel after Simon registered the copyright renewal for Captain America in his own name. According to Simon, Kirby agreed to support the company in the litigation and, as part of a deal Kirby made with publisher Martin Goodman, signed over to Marvel any rights he might have had to the character.<ref>Simon, p. 205</ref>

At the same time, Kirby grew increasingly dissatisfied with working at Marvel, for reasons Kirby biographer Mark Evanier has suggested include resentment over Lee's media prominence, a lack of full creative control, anger over breaches of perceived promises by publisher Martin Goodman, and frustration over Marvel's failure to credit him specifically for his story plotting and for his character creations and co-creations.{{sfn|Evanier|2008|pages=126–163}} He began to both write and draw some secondary features for Marvel, such as "The Inhumans" in [[Amazing Adventures#1970 series|''Amazing Adventures'' volume two]],<ref>Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 146: "As Marvel was expanding its line of comics, the company decided to introduce two new 'split' books ... ''Amazing Adventures'' and ''Astonishing Tales''. ''Amazing Adventures'' contained a series about the genetically enhanced Inhumans and a series about intelligence agent the Black Widow."</ref> as well as horror stories for the anthology title ''[[Chamber of Darkness]],'' and received full credit for doing so; but in 1970, Kirby was presented with a contract that included unfavorable terms such as a prohibition against legal retaliation. When Kirby objected, the management refused to negotiate any contract changes, bluntly dismissing his contribution to Marvel's success since they considered Lee solely responsible.{{sfn|Evanier|2008|page=163}} Kirby, although he was earning $35,000 a year freelancing for the company<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/02/archives/shazam-here-comes-captain-relevant-here-comes-captain-relevant.html?scp=27|title=Shazam! Here Comes Captain Relevant|first=Saul|last=Braun|newspaper=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|date=May 2, 1971|access-date=January 18, 2012|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612114833/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/02/archives/shazam-here-comes-captain-relevant-here-comes-captain-relevant.html?scp=27|url-status=live}}</ref> (adjusted for inflation it was the equivalent of over $271,000 in 2024),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ |title=Inflation Calculator Determines Change in Dollar and Rates over Time |access-date=August 14, 2024 |archive-date=July 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723111922/https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> then left Marvel in 1970 for rival DC Comics, under editorial director [[Carmine Infantino]].{{sfn|Van Lente|Dunlavey|2012|page=115}}

===DC Comics and the Fourth World saga (1971–1975)===
[[File:New Gods 1971 1.jpg|right|thumb|''[[The New Gods]]'' #1 (March 1971)<!--officially "The New Gods", with the definite article, in postal indicia--> Cover art by Kirby and [[Don Heck]].<!--credits per GCD-->]]

Kirby spent nearly two years negotiating a deal to move to DC Comics,{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=139}} where in late 1970 he signed a three-year contract with an option for two additional years.{{sfn|Ro|2004|page=143}} He produced a series of interlinked titles under the blanket [[sobriquet]] "[[Fourth World (comics)|The Fourth World]]", which included a trilogy of new titles—''[[New Gods]],'' ''[[Mister Miracle]],'' and ''[[The Forever People]]''—as well as the extant ''[[Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen]].''<ref name=gcdjack />{{sfn|Van Lente|Dunlavey|2012|page=115}}<ref>McAvennie, Michael "1970s" in Dolan, p. 145 "As the writer, artist, and editor of the Fourth World family of interlocking titles, each of which possessed its own distinct tone and theme, Jack Kirby cemented his legacy as a pioneer of grand-scale storytelling."</ref> Kirby picked the latter book because the series was without a stable creative team and he did not want to cost anyone a job.<ref>Evanier, Mark. "Afterword." ''Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus;'' Volume 1, New York: DC Comics, 2007.</ref><ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 141 "Since no ongoing creative team had been slated to ''Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen'', "King of Comics" Jack Kirby made the title his DC launch point, and the writer/artist's indelible energy and ideas permeated every panel and word balloon of the comic."</ref>

The three books Kirby originated dealt with aspects of mythology he had previously touched upon in ''Thor''. ''The New Gods'' would establish this new mythos, while in ''The Forever People'' Kirby would attempt to mythologize the lives of the young people he observed around him. The third book, ''Mister Miracle'' was more of a personal myth. The title character was an escape artist, which Mark Evanier suggests Kirby channeled his feelings of constraint into. Mister Miracle's wife was based in character on Kirby's wife Roz, and he even caricatured Stan Lee within the pages of the book as [[Funky Flashman]], a depiction Lee found hurtful while Kirby tried to downplay the insult when confronted about it by Lee's protege, [[Roy Thomas]], who was similarly insulted with Flashman's sidekick, Houseroy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Raphael |first1=Jordan |last2=Spurgeon |first2=Tom |title=Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book |date=2004 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1-61374-292-1 |page=218}}</ref>{{sfn|Evanier|2008|pages=172–177}}

The central villain of the Fourth World series, [[Darkseid]], and some of the Fourth World concepts, appeared in ''Jimmy Olsen'' before the launch of the other Fourth World books, giving the new titles greater exposure to potential buyers. The Superman figures and Jimmy Olsen faces drawn by Kirby were redrawn by [[Al Plastino]], and later by [[Murphy Anderson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsfromme.com/2003/08/22/jack-kirbys-superman/|title=Jack Kirby's Superman|first=Mark|last=Evanier|date=August 22, 2003|publisher=POV Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308170721/http://www.povonline.com/notes/Notes082203.htm|archive-date=March 8, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=April 22, 2012|quote=Plastino drew new Superman figures and Olsen heads in roughly the same poses and positions, and these were pasted into the artwork.}}</ref><ref name="DAK2"/> Les Daniels observed in 1995 that "Kirby's mix of slang and myth, science fiction and the Bible, made for a heady brew, but the scope of his vision has endured."<ref>{{cite book|last = Daniels|first = Les|author-link = Les Daniels|chapter= The Fourth World: New Gods on Newsprint|title = DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes|publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company|Bulfinch Press]]|year = 1995|location= New York, New York|page = 165|isbn = 0821220764}}</ref> In 2007, comics writer [[Grant Morrison]] commented that "Kirby's dramas were staged across Jungian vistas of raw symbol and storm ... The Fourth World saga crackles with the voltage of Jack Kirby's boundless imagination let loose onto paper."<ref>{{cite book|last= Morrison|first= Grant|chapter= Introduction|title= Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume One|publisher= DC Comics|year= 2007|location= New York, New York|pages= [https://archive.org/details/jackkirbysfourth0001kirb/page/7 7–8]|isbn= 978-1401213442|chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/jackkirbysfourth0001kirb/page/7}}</ref>

In addition to his artistic efforts, Kirby proposed a variety of new formats for comics such as planning to collect his published Fourth World stories into square-bound books, a format that would later be called the [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]], which would eventually become standard practice in the industry. However, Infantino and company were not receptive and Kirby's proposals only went as far as producing the one-shot black-and-white magazines ''Spirit World'' and ''In the Days of the Mob'' in 1971.<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 147: "Believing that new formats were necessary for the comics medium to continue evolving, Kirby oversaw the production of what was labeled his 'Speak-Out Series' of magazines: ''Spirit World'' and ''In the Days of the Mob'' ... Sadly, these unique magazines never found their desired audience."</ref>

Kirby later produced other DC series including ''[[OMAC (Buddy Blank)|OMAC]]'',<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 161 "In ''OMAC's'' first issue, editor/writer/artist Jack Kirby warned readers of "The World That's Coming!", a future world containing wild concepts that are almost frighteningly real today."</ref> ''[[Kamandi]]'',<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 153 "Kirby had already introduced a similar concept and characters in ''Alarming Tales'' #1 (1957) ... Coupling the premise with his unpublished "Kamandi of the Caves" newspaper strip, Kirby's Last Boy on Earth roamed a world that had been ravaged by the "Great Disaster" and taken over by talking animals."</ref> ''[[Etrigan the Demon|The Demon]]'',<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 152 "While his "Fourth World" opus was winding down, Jack Kirby was busy conjuring his next creation, which emerged not from the furthest reaches of the galaxy but from the deepest pits of Hell. Etrigan was hardly the usual Kirby protagonist."</ref> and ''[[Kobra (DC comics)|Kobra]]''<ref>{{cite journal| last= Kelly|first= Rob|date= August 2009|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|title= Kobra|journal= [[Back Issue!]]| issue= 35|page= 63|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|quote = Maybe that's because Kobra was the creation of the legendary Jack 'King' Kirby, who wrote and penciled the first issue's story, 'Fangs of the Kobra!'}}</ref> as well as working on such extant features as "[[Losers (comics)|The Losers]]" in ''[[Our Fighting Forces]]''.<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 161 "Jack Kirby also took on a group of established DC characters that had nothing to lose. The result was a year-long run of ''Our Fighting Forces'' tales that were action-packed, personal, and among the most beloved of World War II comics ever produced."</ref> Together with former partner Joe Simon for one last time, he worked on a new incarnation of the [[Sandman (DC Comics)|Sandman]].<ref name="gcdjack" /><ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 158 "The legendary tandem of writer Joe Simon and artist/editor Jack Kirby reunited for a one-shot starring the Sandman ... Despite the issue's popularity, it would be Simon and Kirby's last collaboration."</ref> Kirby produced three issues of the ''[[1st Issue Special]]'' anthology series and created [[Atlas (DC Comics)|Atlas the Great]],<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 162: "Debuting with Atlas the Great, writer and artist Jack Kirby didn't shrug at the chance to put his spin on the well-known hero."</ref> a new [[Manhunter (comics)|Manhunter]],<ref>McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 164: "Though ''1st Issue Special'' was primarily DC's forum to introduce new characters and storylines, editor Jack Kirby used the series as an opportunity to revamp the Manhunter, whom he and writer Joe Simon had made famous in the 1940s."</ref> and the [[Dingbats of Danger Street]].<ref>{{cite journal|last= Abramowitz|first= Jack|title= ''1st Issue Special'' It Was No ''Showcase'' (But It Was Never Meant To Be)|journal= Back Issue!|issue= 71|pages= 40–47|publisher= TwoMorrows Publishing|date= April 2014|location= Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref>

Kirby's production assistant of the time, [[Mark Evanier]], recounted that DC's policies of the era were not in sync with Kirby's creative impulses. Also Evanier said that he was often forced to work on characters and projects which he did not like.<ref name="DAK2">{{cite news | author = Kraft, David Anthony | author2 = Slifer, Roger | author-link = David Anthony Kraft | author-link2 = Roger Slifer | date = April 1983 | title = Mark Evanier | work = [[Comics Interview]] | issue = 2 | pages = 23–34 | publisher = [[Fictioneer Books]]}}</ref> Meanwhile, some artists at DC did not want Kirby there, as he threatened their positions in the company; they also had bad blood from previous competition with Marvel and legal problems with him. Since he was working from California, they were able to undermine his work through redesigns in the New York office.<ref>Ro 2004, chapters 12–13</ref>

===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>

===Film and animation (1979–1980)===
Still dissatisfied with Marvel's treatment of him,<ref>"Ploog & Kirby Quit Marvel over Contract Dispute", ''The Comics Journal'' #44, January 1979, p. 11.</ref> and with an offer of employment from [[Hanna-Barbera]], a job located in nearby Hollywood,<ref>Evanier, ''King of Comics'', p. 189: "In 1978, an idea found him. It was an offer from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon studio in Hollywood."</ref> Kirby left Marvel to work in animation. In that field for [[Ruby-Spears Productions]] he did designs for ''[[Turbo Teen]]'', ''[[Thundarr the Barbarian]]'' and other animated series for television.<ref name="DAK2"/> In addition to a superior pay to his comics work, Kirby enjoyed excellent relations with the staff, especially with the younger artists who typically credited him as their inspiration.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Evanier |title=Kirby |pages=189–191}}</ref> He worked on ''[[The New Fantastic Four]]'' animated series, reuniting him with scriptwriter Stan Lee and they kept their relations sufficiently cordial on a professional level.<ref>{{cite journal|last= Fischer|first= Stuart|title= The Fantastic Four and Other Things: A Television History|journal= Back Issue!|issue= 74|page= 30|publisher= TwoMorrows Publishing|date= August 2014|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|quote= Stan Lee was a consultant to this series, and Jack Kirby played a very important part in this show as an animator and helped design the show.}}</ref> He illustrated an adaptation of the [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] movie ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' for ''[[Walt Disney's Treasury of Classic Tales]]'' syndicated comic strip in 1979–80.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lambiek.net/artists/k/kirby.htm |title=Jack Kirby |date=March 6, 2009 |publisher=[[Lambiek|Lambiek Comiclopedia]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327061419/http://www.lambiek.net/artists/k/kirby.htm |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1979, Kirby drew concept art for film producer Barry Geller's script treatment adapting [[Roger Zelazny]]'s science fiction novel, ''[[Lord of Light]]'', for which Geller had purchased the rights. In collaboration, Geller commissioned Kirby to draw set designs that would be used as architectural renderings for a Colorado [[theme park]] to be called Science Fiction Land; Geller announced his plans at a November press conference attended by Kirby, former American football star [[Rosey Grier]], writer [[Ray Bradbury]], and others. While the film did not come to fruition, Kirby's drawings were used for the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]'s "[[Canadian Caper]]", in which some members of the [[Embassy of the United States, Tehran|U.S. embassy in Tehran]], Iran, who had avoided capture in the [[Iran hostage crisis]], were able to escape the country posing as members of a movie location-scouting crew.<ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Joshuah Bearman |last=Bearman |first=Joshuah |url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/feat_cia.html |title=How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran |volume=15 |newspaper=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |issue=5 |date=April 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823200833/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/feat_cia.html |archive-date=August 23, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Final years (1981–1994)===
[[File:Bombast1.jpg|thumb|right|Topps Comics' ''Bombast'' #1 (April 1993). Cover art by Kirby.<!--pencils & inks, per GCD-->]]

In the early 1980s, Kirby and [[Pacific Comics]], a new, non-newsstand comic-book publisher, made one of the industry's earliest deals for [[creator-owned]] series, resulting in ''[[Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers]]'',<ref>{{cite journal|last= Catron|first= Michael|author-link= Michael Catron|title= Kirby's Newest: ''Captain Victory''|journal= [[Amazing Heroes]]|issue= 2|page= 14|publisher= Fantagraphics Books|date= July 1981}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last = Morrow|first = John|chapter = The Captain Victory Connection|title = The Collected Jack Kirby Collector ''Volume 1''|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|year = 2004|location = Raleigh, North Carolina|page = 105|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KI-et-e206EC&pg=PA105|isbn = 978-1893905009|access-date = July 19, 2016|archive-date = February 7, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170207094146/https://books.google.com/books?id=KI-et-e206EC&pg=PA105|url-status = live}}</ref> and the six-issue miniseries ''[[Silver Star (comics)|Silver Star]]'' (later collected in hardcover format in 2007).<ref>{{cite web|author-link=Erik Larsen|last=Larsen|first=Erik|url= https://www.cbr.com/issue-73/|title=One Fan's Opinion: Issue #73|website=Comic Book Resources|date=February 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113110640/http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=15495|archive-date=January 13, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kean|first= Benjamin Ong Pang|url=http://classic.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Image/KIrbyverse.html |title=SDCC '07: Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson on Image's Kirby Plans|work=[[Newsarama]]|date= July 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090329225033/http://classic.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/Image/KIrbyverse.html |archive-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kean|first= Benjamin Ong Pang|url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=111059|title=The Current Image: Erik Larsen on Jack Kirby's Silver Star|work=Newsarama|date= May 2, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090329012943/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=111059 |archive-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref> This, together with similar actions by other [[independent comics]] publishers as [[Eclipse Comics]] (where Kirby co-created the character [[Destroyer Duck]] in a benefit comic-book series published to help [[Steve Gerber]] fight a legal case against Marvel),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/destroyd.htm |title=Destroyer Duck |first=Don |last=Markstein |year=2006 |publisher=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913135335/http://www.toonopedia.com/destroyd.htm |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |url-status=live |quote=[T]he centerpiece of the issue was Gerber's own Destroyer Duck ... himself. The artist who worked with Gerber was the legendary Jack Kirby, who, as co-creator of The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, X-Men and many other cornerstones of Marvel's success, had issues of his own with the company. }}</ref> helped establish a precedent to end the monopoly of the work-for-hire system, wherein comics creators, even freelancers, had owned no rights to characters they created.<ref>George 2002, p. 73</ref>

In 1983 Richard Kyle commissioned Kirby to create a 10-page autobiographical strip, "[[Street Code]]", which became one of the last works published in Kirby's lifetime. It was published in 1990, in the second issue of Kyle's revival of ''[[Argosy (magazine)|Argosy]]''.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Morrow |editor1-first=John |title=Collected Jack Kirby Collector |date=February 19, 2004 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=1893905004 |page=129}}</ref> Kirby continued to do periodic work for DC Comics during the 1980s, including a brief revival of his "Fourth World" saga in the 1984 and 1985 ''[[Super Powers Collection|Super Powers]]'' miniseries<ref>Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 208: "In association with the toy company Kenner, DC released a line of toys called Super Powers ... DC soon debuted a five-issue ''Super Powers'' miniseries plotted by comic book legend Jack 'King' Kirby, scripted by Joey Cavalieri, and with pencils by Adrian Gonzales."</ref> and the 1985 graphic novel ''The Hunger Dogs''. DC executives [[Jenette Kahn]] and [[Paul Levitz]] had Kirby re-design the Fourth World characters for the ''Super Powers'' toyline as a way of entitling him to royalties for several of his DC creations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/comic-book-legends-revealed-454/|title=Comic Book Legends Revealed #454|last=Cronin|first=Brian|date=January 17, 2014|website=Comic Book Resources|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409104134/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/01/17/comic-book-legends-revealed-454/2/|archive-date=April 9, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1985, Kirby and [[Gil Kane]] helped to create the concept and designs for the [[Ruby-Spears]] animated television series ''[[The Centurions (TV series)|The Centurions]]''. A comic-book series based on the show was published by DC and a toy line produced by [[Kenner Products|Kenner]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/power-xtreme-everything-you-didnt-know-about-centurions |title=Power Xtreme! Everything you didn't know about Centurions |date=December 4, 2019 |website=[[Syfy Wire]] |access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref>

In the twilight of his life, Kirby spent a great deal of time sparring with Marvel executives over the ownership rights of his original page boards. At Marvel, many of these pages owned by the company (due to outdated and legally dubious copyright claims) were given away as promotional gifts to Marvel clients or simply stolen from company warehouses.{{sfn|Van Lente|Dunlavey|2012|page=157}} After the passage of the [[Copyright Act of 1976]], which greatly expanded artist copyright capabilities, comics publishers began to return original art to creators, but in Marvel's case only if they signed a release reaffirming Marvel's ownership of the copyright. In 1985, Marvel issued a release that demanded Kirby affirm that his art was created for hire, allowing Marvel to retain copyright in perpetuity, in addition to demanding that Kirby forego all future royalties. Marvel offered him 88 pages of his art (less than 1% of his total output) if he signed the agreement, but reserved the right to reclaim the art if Kirby violated the deal.{{sfn|Van Lente|Dunlavey|2012|pages=157–160}} After Kirby publicly slammed Marvel, calling the company thugs and claiming they were arbitrarily holding his creations, Marvel finally returned (after two years of deliberations) approximately 1,900<ref name=tcjkirbygoliath>{{cite journal | title = Kirby and Goliath: The Fight for Jack Kirby's Marvel Artwork | first=Michael | last= Dean |url=http://www.tcj.com/kirby-and-goliath-the-fight-for-jack-kirbys-marvel-artwork/ | journal = The Comics Journal| date= December 29, 2002 | access-date = October 31, 2013 | archive-date= July 31, 2013 | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130731000800/http://www.tcj.com/kirby-and-goliath-the-fight-for-jack-kirbys-marvel-artwork/}}</ref> or 2,100 pages of the estimated 10,000 to 13,000 Kirby drew for the company.<ref name=glengold>{{Cite journal|url=http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/19stolen.html|first=Glen|last= Gold|title=The Stolen Art|journal= The Jack Kirby Collector|issue =19|date=April 1998|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101223233337/http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/19stolen.html| archive-date= December 23, 2010|access-date=January 12, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tcj116p15>{{cite journal|title= Marvel Returns Art to Kirby, Adams|journal= The Comics Journal|issue= 116|page= 15|publisher= Fantagraphics Books|date= July 1987|location= Seattle, Washington}}</ref>

For the producer [[Charles Band]], Jack Kirby made concept art for the films ''Doctor Mortalis'' and ''Mindmaster'', which were later released as ''[[Doctor Mordrid]]'' (1992) and [[Mandroid (film)|''Mandroid'']] (1993), respectively.<ref>{{Google books|f3Vig8A-GJsC|Collected Jack Kirby Collector|page=113|keywords=Mordrid+Mortalis+Jack+Kirby|text=|plainurl=}}</ref> ''Doctor Mordrid'' began as a planned adaptation of the Marvel Comics character [[Doctor Strange|Dr. Strange]], but Band's option expired.<ref name="Living Myth">{{cite web|last=Pauls|first=J. B.|title=The Rewind: ''Doctor Mordrid''|url=http://livingmythmagazine.com/blog/2014/04/21/rewind-doctor-mordrid/|work=Living Myth Magazine |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140717061204/http://livingmythmagazine.com/blog/2014/04/21/rewind-doctor-mordrid/|archive-date= July 17, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Fischer|first=Dennis|title=Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895–1998|date=2011|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|isbn=978-0-78648-505-5|page=88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7msrAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Doctor+Mordrid%22|access-date=November 12, 2020|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204001334/https://books.google.com/books?id=7msrAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Doctor+Mordrid%22|url-status=live}}</ref>

For [[Topps Comics]], founded in 1993, Kirby retained ownership of characters used in multiple series of what the company dubbed "[[Kirbyverse|The Kirbyverse]]".{{sfn|Evanier|2008|page=207}} These titles were derived mainly from designs and concepts Kirby had kept in his files, some intended initially for the by-then-defunct Pacific Comics, and then licensed to Topps for what became the "[[Secret City Saga|Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga]]" mythos.<ref>{{cite book|last = Jon B.|first = Cooke|chapter= Twilight at Topps|title = The Collected Jack Kirby Collector ''Volume 5''|publisher = TwoMorrows Publishing|year = 2006|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|pages = 149–153|isbn = 978-1-893905-57-3}}</ref> ''Phantom Force'' was the last comic book Kirby worked on before his death. The story was co-written by Kirby with Michael Thibodeaux and Richard French, based on an eight-page pitch for an unused [[Bruce Lee]] comic in 1978.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eHM3vW6ogDsC&q=Jack+Kirby+Phantom+Force+Bruce+Lee&pg=PA171|title= The Collected Jack Kirby Collector, Volume 3|publisher= TwoMorrows Publishing|location= Raleigh, North Carolina|first= John|last= Morrow|isbn= 978-1-89390-502-3|year= 2004|access-date= November 12, 2020|archive-date= February 6, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210206112025/https://books.google.com/books?id=eHM3vW6ogDsC&q=Jack+Kirby+Phantom+Force+Bruce+Lee&pg=PA171|url-status= live}}</ref> Issues #1 and 2 were published by [[Image Comics]] with various Image artists inking over Kirby's pencils. Issue #0 and issues #3–8 were published by Genesis West, with Kirby providing pencils for issues #0 and 4. Thibodeaux provided the art for the remaining issues of the series after Kirby died.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jack Kirby checklist. |date=2008 |publisher=TwoMorrows Pub. |location=Raleigh, N.C. |isbn=978-1605490052 |pages=57–8 |edition= Gold}}</ref>