Jack Kirby at War

Almost everyone who spent time with Jack Kirby ended up hearing his World War 2 stories. In this excerpt from Greg Theakston and Tony DiSpoto's marathon video interview, Kirby describes some of the horrors he experienced.

[@alanmorton3672]

"1000 went in. Only 5 of us came out." One of those five created the Marvel Universe, Romance Comics and the Fourth World (and much more!) Just imagine what was lost with those other 995. Jack's incredible imagery makes a compelling record.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

So true. Thank you.

[@gmosphere]

You have one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th Century giving an account of one of the most harrowing scenes of his life.

[@kentallard8852]

It sounds like he was still affected by it all and wanted to try to really get it out, but words weren't enough. Putting it all down in ink like Will Eisners later works could have been a cathartic reassuring experience for him. Notice how he emphasizes again and again it coming towards you, like a truck, like being caught in traffic, and there being no way out - one of his iconic poses that he used again and again was characters racing towards the viewer

[@jeffnettleton3858]

+Bryan Johnston Yeah, though he always hated Sgt Fury, because it was so unrealistic. He was prouder of The Losers (though he hated the name), and there are some personal moments in it. To my knowledge, though, he never did something as autobiographical as the "Streetwise" story he did, about his childhood in Hell's Kitchen. The Losers, though features some great work and you could tell by how he positioned characters and some of the elements he emphasized that he had been in real war, not just in the Army.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

@@jeffnettleton3858 The Losers stories are incredible. As is "Street Code" if only we'd had more that weren't couched in science fiction. Kirby was a scout... Kirby presented a FF story with the "Big G" who had... a scout.

[@Boy1dr1938]

I could listen to Jack's words of wisdom for hours.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Indeed.

[@misan69goon]

Frickin horrific. You can see the pain in his face, despite the nervous laughter in the background. Jesus....

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Yeah. he was working through it every day of his life.

[@misan69goon]

So sad. War… thank you for replying. God bless any and all that went through that.

[@davidmoses6434]

harrowing. amazing, at the end, where he says, "you see a lot of these nice designs, as an artist" when talking about an absolutely traumatizing image of men cut in half by a shell. that seems to be what Jack did - he took the horror of the world and created something beautiful from it

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Yeah. From the means streets of the ghetto to the hell of WW2, and then the love of Roz and the post-war, suburban "American Dream." He experienced so much, and through his work, we are the beneficiaries.

[@BRforever]

Jack was the King and the Man. His war experiences are intense and he definitely channeled in it his comics.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Ghetto, wartime, and the suburban post-war "American dream" - he shared so much with us.

[@dandevrell]

I started a conversation on the Kirby Facebook group about if PTSD effected Kirby’s work. Someone linked this video. Thank Christ for this interview. He never wrote about his war experiences, so this is simply amazing

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

The story goes that if you socialized with Jack, you'd hear his war stories. He was a storyteller by profession! Other WW2 vets would mostly keep it to themselves.

[@stevenlennon12]

I love Jack Kirby

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Same.

[@epochink]

I used to love following Jack around after hours at the old SDCC, just listening to him declaim on life, war, comics and phillosophy.

[@jorge_cloonez4984]

epochink Did you ever talk with him?

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

I remember hanging around his room/table at a NYC Phil Seuling show enjoying just listening to him talk. I went to a show in Miami to se him and Neal Adams... but then Stan Lee showed up ad sucked all the oxygen out of the room. - Rand

[@RobertBeerbohm]

This interview clip is brand new to me as of today. Jack's recounting of WW2 experiences are riveting. His world view changes then. Must see by everyone!

[@RicheUK]

It's a great pleasure to finally see and hear the man that was a big, big part of the childhood. Thanks Jack

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

He was a great man.

[@mpgchgo]

This is great. How perfect for Veterans Day in the USA. Thank you!

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

You're welcome. It's an honor to share it.

[@misterX1964]

Very brutal, intense and honest. Thank for sharing this rare glimpse!

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

You're welcome. It's wonderful that Greg and Tony captured it, and we are able to keep it available

[@mattjohns-mv8cl]

A true American Hero! God Bless you, Jack.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

One of the best!

[@manhogbear1086]

priceless! thanks for sharing publicly!

[@75YBA]

Hero

[@75YBA]

Kirby fans don’t tolerate fascism. Anywhere, any time. We’ll fight back.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Yes!

[@Luvimor]

Somebody has to make a theatrical movie of his life in war. How it effected and later inspired his works.

[@Blackburn-Arts]

I'd watch it

[@JR-ju3kj]

For a long time now, I have felt that both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby should have movies made about their lives. A movie could be made just out of Jack Kirby's experiences in combat in World War II.

[@hbcreates8355]

@@JR-ju3kj would be neat films Though I highly doubt their estates would allow movies to be made on them

[@jaspermcminnis5538]

Let's say, this movie is not only focused on Lee and Kirby, but Martin Goodman the founder of Timely (Marvel) comics. And Steve Ditko the co-creator of Spider-Man. It might be over-ambitious. The movie would be a good 3 or 3 and a half hours long. Enough to cover the 70 plus years of Marveldom. If not, the movie covers the first 30 or 40 years of Marvel, then the sequel covers the rest. It could start out at the moment they picked up their craft. Or it starts at the founding of Timely (Marvel).

[@75YBA]

He WAS Captain America.

[@williamjosephdunn5879]

There should've been a CGI Jack Kirby in the background of the first Captain America movie.

[@lonewolfgamingplus379]

Or young man who is named Kirby saved by Cap from a Hydra soldier, where Steve holds out his hand and pick him up and ask his name, which he says in a New York accent "Private Kirby, Captain" But at least we got Cap's first issue.

[@cha5]

I always felt that Cap's co-creator Joe Simon should have had a cameo in that first Cap movie. Joe got to see it before he died and went out of his way to praise the Cap movie and IMHO he should have at least gotten a cameo in it like Stan did.

[@fatherted79]

Thanks for uploading. I really appreciate it.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

You're welcome!

[@epochink]

Whoah...powerful reminiscences from a master.

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

Indeed.

[@75YBA]

MAKE MINE KIRBY FOREVER!

[@badbot3029]

jack kirby says the f word

[@LarryBonson]

He is human

[@JCBPARISPARIS]

Thanks for sharing. I didn't understand all because my english is not so good and the automatic english caption are so bad but it is very interesting.Hope one day some one will put some good english captions.

[@sexyhobo2698]

Fascinating.

[@RandomAccessDreams]

That's right, Mike!

[@jamesromberger210]

I know it sounds cool to say that Kirby was from "Hell's Kitchen", but he wasn't---he was from the Lower East Side.

[@lonewolfgamingplus379]

Another parallel to Daredevil and Spider-man, there's Jack's traits in every marvel hero in existence.

[@joeofmacabre07]

@@lonewolfgamingplus379 especially like the Thing (Ben Grimm)

[@JackKirbyMuseum]

You are correct, my friend! A Suffolk Street boy! - Rand

[@tvcasualty1276]

Kirby>Michelangelo

[@rolandkatsuragi]

Kirby would really upset by the growing disconnect from fiction to reality as so much popular media continues to normalize war after the World Trade Center attacks.

[@sunsunday9903]

Battle of Fort DRIANT near Metz in France. #fortdriant #5thinfantrydivision ♦️

[@willkaiser5412]

That is a very dark man

[@JulianPope]

haunting

[@7vicodin]

Wow!

[@ShotDownInFlames2]

Wow

[@Progressivesates]

It Off

[@CuteLesbo69]

I wish I could have met him.

[@WiqedWhiteGorilla]

Wow