Ninety six years ago on this date Jacob Kurtzberg (1917 - 1994) was born. Life may harry me and life may hurry me but I will always find time to celebrate the birth of the man who became Jack Kirby; the man who became a King! The King of COMICS!!! Anyway, this...

So, today I will be celebrating Jack Kirby's 96th birthday by reading a Jack Kirby comic. Hardly an unusual occurrence there. Unusually though, I will also be donating $9.60 to The Kirby Family endorsed charity The Hero Initiative. It is a worthwhile and fine charity which aids members of the comic community who are in need. Howard Victor Chaykin is on the Disbursement Committe, and that's just one awesome thing about The Hero Iniative.

So, on this day, Jack Kirby's birthday, I will send them something in remembrance and celebration of Jack Kirby. You may wish to do so also. You may not wish to do so. I'm just throwing that out there. I'm not expecting anyone to do anything because I'm not asking anyone to do anything. I thank Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter for bringing this notion to my attention.

I do hope, however, that you take this day to particularly relish the medium to which Jack Kirby contributed so very, very much. The medium of - COMICS!!!

And now, at the risk of transforming from The Count Arthur Strong of bloggers to The Greg Land of bloggers, may I humbly present a visual (and typically sedate, low key and altogether dignified) tribute to Jack Kirby? Well, I'm going to:

(All images repurposed from SILVER STAR (2007, £25.99,VERY GOOD!) published by Image Comics. Except for photographs which I swooped in and stole like a magnificently amoral bird of prey.)

Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby!

Happy Birthday to The King of COMICS!!!

(Unprofessional Behaviour Continuation Notice: Circumstances once more dictate that I shall be unable to post for a short while. After that I shall endeavour to regain some semblance of regularity and aim for more diverse content. I'm talking about my posts not, you know, something else there. I know, sorry. Until then; be well and be happy!)

Celebrate your Dad, come on! (Let's Celebrate!). Smooth segues be damned on this, The Day of The Father; didjya know that Jack Kirby was also a Father? Like all Fathers Jack Kirby knew of "The Task" but only Jack Kirby dared speak of it. The final, greatest "task" of any Father; when he must remove the bomb from his child's head while waving him or her off into "The Future", remaining behind to be blown up in their stead. Wait, maybe it was a metaphor! Or maybe I just wanted to post some Jack Kirby covers because, hey, today I get celebrated (COME ON!!!) so bit busy, yeah? Maybe more substantial content later? J_Smitty did some reviews one post down and they're good eating! Yammer, yammer; look, here's some 1970s Jack Kirby magic...

Sure, every Dad'll tell you how he dreams of the day his spawn will leave home so he can actually watch, oh, that three and a half hour David Lynch film with the rabbit sitcom in it all in one go, or just get so drunk he pukes so hard he turns inside out in his own home. But it's all a bluff facade; they all know deep inside that when it happens it'll be like being kicked in the heart by a Shire horse. Jack Kirby knew that and Jack Kirby drew that. Empty Nest Syndrome but with robots and shouting and stuff. Because Jack Kirby was complex. Jack Kirby was The King:

Of course we all know he won't ring unless he needs money.

And now in a futile attempt to satiate your cavernous need for content here be the covers and splash pages to the short-lived, but EXCELLENT!, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY series published by Marvel Comics. A company for whom Jack Kirby famously did some "work for hire"!!! The series was written and drawn by the ceaselessly astounding Mr. Jack Kirby and inked by his finest facilitator Mr. Mike Royer. If you find these issues in a back-issue box pick 'em up because, due to some Rights business, it's unlikely to be reprinted anytime soon. Advice that is, you know, like your Dad gives you. But more fun. Anyway, this...