Jack's 99th Birthday!
Posted by Jeremy Kirby on
My grandfather would have been 99 years old on August 28th 2016 and there is not a day that goes by that I do not miss him. People ask all the time what my grandfather was like. He was passionate about his friends and family. His imagination was out of this world. I loved going over to my grandparent's house as a child because my grandfather would make up these amazing stories that we would play for hours. If you have any memories of Jack that you would like to share, please feel free to leave them in the comments. We'll revisit these memories every year on Jack's birthday. Thank you all for being a part of the Kirby family!
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The day I didn’t meet Jack! Years ago, I would frequent a comic shop called Comic Relief in Berkeley, CA. I was really digging the old pre-hero Marvel; Strange Tales, Tales of Suspense, etc. at the time. I was about 20 maybe? I showed up the day Jack was there, meeting folks. I was so stoked. I surfed through CR’s stash and went up to their register with a handful of pre-hero books. Folks were lined up down the center of the store. It was a dream come true; “I Dream of Doom” “Monster at my Window” and Jack sitting right there! I couldn’t wait to meet him and maybe sign a book. Could it be true? Oh shit, their credit card machine was not working properly (it was relatively new tech). They told me I could go around the corner to the ATM. I did. It didn’t work either. Someone there said a freeze, in the mid-west, had everything on the fritz. What now? I went back into the store and bought a galactic spaceship poster, all I had was a 5-spot in my pocket. I was so distraught I bailed. Yes, I bailed. Epic fail. That was the day I did not meet Jack. Wish I had, I tell ya.
Jack Kirby is one of my favorite comicbook creators. he has influenced hundreds of creators and will continue to influence even more creators in the future.
thank you jack kirby for sharing your incredible imagination with us!
It’s a shame I never met Mr Kirby because, as a comic book reader before I started school, Jack’s stories have been part of my life. I won’t list my favorite Kirby comics because that would take all day. I enjoy his work from all decades and feel enlightened whenever I pull out an old Kirby back issue and dive right in!