The King of Comic Books is finally getting the attention he rightfully deserves, Jack Kirby will be getting a brand-new documentary focusing on Kirby titled Kirbyvision. In this new documentary, it will focus on how he became a leading artist and storyteller in the 20th Century and his iconic legacy, at this time, there isn’t a release date.
Kirbyvision will also explore the life of Jack Kirby, from poverty during the Great Depression to frontline service in World War II, then his groundbreaking career that spanned various genres from superheroes to romance, war, westerns, science fiction, and horror. This new documentary has secured cooperation from the Estate of Jack Kirby as represented by the Rosalind Kirby Family Trust, with access to personal documents, home movies, and creative materials, much of which has been unseen by the public until now. Lisa Kirby, the daughter of Jack Kirby spoke to Variety about the new documentary and working with the team behind its creation.
We are thrilled to work with such a dedicated, passionate, and knowledgeable team of filmmakers, The legacy of Jack Kirby is in good hands, as Ricki, Dan, Josh, Ron, Mike, Chris, and their team share the same creative energy that helped my father create boundless universes of characters that continue to inspire us and shape our imaginations.
Lisa Kirby, Daughter of Jack Kirby
It is currently in development with acclaimed filmmaker Ricki Stern (“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” “UFOs: Investigating the Unknown”) set to direct. It also has Emmy-winning producers Dan Braun and Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment (“The Andy Warhol Diaries,” “Wild Wild Country”) will produce under their Submarine Deluxe banner alongside Mike Cecchini, Ron Fogelman, and Chris Longo. It will not be like Disney Plus’s documentary on Stan Lee, which was more of an Infomercial than a documentary. Jack Kirby’s son, Neal Kirby, and Kirby’s estate criticized it for downplaying Kirby’s involvement in creating some of Marvel’s most popular characters.
Now Available On TUBI: Kirby at War
Jack Kirby was born on August 28, 1917, on 147 Essex Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, born to Rose (Bernstein) and Benjamin Kurtzberg, who were Austrian-Jewish immigrants, his father earned a living as a Garment Factory Worker. Jack liked to draw and sought out places where he could learn more about art, where he would eventually become a self-taught artist. Years later, Kirby worked for places such as the Lincoln Newspaper Syndicate, illustrating single-panel advice cartoons, and Fleischer Studios, where he worked as an in-betweener on Popeye Cartoons. Jack ventured into the comic book industry working with companies such as Eisner & Iger, East Color Printing, Fox Feature Syndicate, and a collaboration with Fawcett Comics in Captain Marvel Adventures.
At Fox Feature Syndicate, he met the man who would eventually be his partner in creating one of the most iconic and patriotic heroes in Comic Book History over at Timely Comics, Captain America, and that man was Joe Simon. Over the years, Jack would become known for co-creating the most iconic superheroes and characters we have come to know in Marvel (Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Black Panther, Falcon) and DC (Newsboy Legion, New Gods, Mister Miracle, the Forever People, Etrigan the Demon, and Kamandi). He also was an advocate for Creators’ Rights, right up until his death on February 6, 1994. If you would like to learn more about Jack Kirby, be sure to check out the Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center and support the Hero Initiative and Kirby4Heroes, which Kirby4Heroes is run by Jack’s Granddaughter, Jillian Kirby.
Source: Variety
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