August 28, 1917: Jack Kirby was born on the Suffolk Street!

Today we talk about the King of comics.

YES, on this very day 1917, perhaps one of the most influential figure in the history of comics, the creator of Captain America, Fantastic Four, the original X-man, and Hulk, Jack Kirby was born on the Suffolk Street in Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Jacob Kurtzberg, better known to us by his penname Jack Kirby, started his career as a cartoonist at Fox Feature Syndicate, where he met Joe Simon. They became legendary partners in comic history. Kirby moved to Timely Comics (which later became the Marvel Comics), where he created the patriotic superhero Captain America. The first Captain America issues became million sellers almost instantly. The partners, however, moved to National Comics (the future DC Comics). In 1958 Kirby returned to Atlas Comics (a title Timely Comics took before becoming the Marvel) and in 1961 produced the well-known Fantastic Four series, landing Kirby on stardom. During this period he also created characters such as: the Hulk, Iron Man, the original X-man, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Magneto, Black Panther, and many more. Kirby's legacy leaves us comic lovers all in awe. Jack Kirby died on February 6th, 1994 at the age of 76 in his home and was buried at the Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, California. ☆

Jin Shin, EVHP Staff