COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: JACK KIRBY covers accumulated in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

Today's gallery celebrates the King: JACK KIRBY! By any account, Jack "King" Kirby was one of the most important and influential creators in the history of American comic books, and many (me included) would say Kirby was THE single most impactful figure in the field. Kirby is best known for his artwork--his dynamic characters just about jumped off the page, and jumped off swingin'--but he was a storyteller, first and foremost. As the creator or co-creator of Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Thor, the Avengers, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, Darkseid, and dozens and dozens of others, Kirby's effect on comics, superheroes, and pop culture has been enormous. Kirby's career spans decades; even if we limited our spotlight solely to what he did in the 1960s to make Marvel Comics into MARVEL COMICS!!, that body of work would provide sufficient grounds to name him King. But his reign began long before that, and continued thereafter. King Kirby. In the words of a former (complicated) Kirby collaborator: 'Nuff said.

But with that said, our gallery here is limited to Kirby covers on books I grabbed in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. It doesn't include any of his 1940s or '50s work with Joe Simon, and I don't recall whether or not I ever picked up any of his '80s work on his own Captain Victory And The Galactic Rangers. It does include my two favorite Kirby classic series: Marvel's Fantastic Four in the '60s, and the Fourth World material (New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle, plus Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) Kirby crafted for DC in the early '70s. 

(And yeah, I know clueless suits at DC insisted on replacing Kirby's depictions of Superman with what they felt were more on-brand renditions by other artists. It was kinda like getting the Beatles to record a song, and then dubbing in someone else's voice. Silly DC suits. Make mine Kirby!)

As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s, '70s, and '80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selections include books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.

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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.