[Anniversary] Honoring Jack Kirby and 50 years of the New Gods

Throughout the history of the comic book industry there have been an overwhelming amount of characters that have risen and fallen in comics—beings of unbelievable power that become entirely different people and have even been swapped out in favor of new, fresh faces.

Alongside these new-age titans of the 20th and 21st century are the people who brought them into the world—individuals that have left a mark on history for their achievements as writers, artists, colorists, inkers, letterers, editors and publishers. Yet no one has come close to the impact that Jack Kirby left upon comics.

Heralded as the ‘King’ of comic books, Jack spun new worlds into being with imagination and art. From the depths of his mind and collaborations with the likes of Joe Simon, Stan Lee and other talent came heroes and teams whose names echo down through the ages—Captain America, Iron Man, the X-Men, Thor and the Avengers just to name a few.

Yet so many outside the fandoms are quick to forget that Jack did not just play in the sandbox that is Marvel Comics. He also dared to walk the line and bat for the other side as well. In 1970 Jack Kirby left Marvel to work at rival company DC Comics. From 1971 to 1975 characters who still hold prominence in the halls of DC history were created by this one-man wonder: OMAC, Kamandi the Last Boy, Etrigan the Demon and the villainous Kobra.

But the most prominent of his creations during his time at DC is a group of individuals whose names and likenesses are still beloved by fans of his work to this day, beings of unbelievable cosmic power who have remained firm foundation stones in the mythology of DC Comics and will no doubt continue to be so for generations to come. I am speaking of course of the New Gods.

[Anniversary] Honoring Jack Kirby and 50 years of the New Gods TheCulturedNerd.org, March 2021