Jack Kirby

Born to Jewish-Austrian parents on New York’s Lower East Side, Jack Kirby (1917-1994) came of age at the birth of the American comic book industry. Horrified by the rise of Nazism, Kirby co-created the patriotic hero Captain America with Joe Simon in 1940. In 1958, Kirby began his collaboration with Stan Lee. They co-created the foundational text of the modern Marvel Universe – The Fantastic Four – and introduced new characters, including the Avengers, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, and the X-Men. Today, Kirby is regarded as one of the most important and influential creators in the history of American comics.