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!
Here’s something I wrote on my blog on Jack’s birthday five years ago. As much as he influenced my art and career choice — it;s this that matters most.
“But it wasn’t only an artistic influence that Kirby had on me — the stories that he wrote or plotted influenced the way I think — the way I see the world. I know my notions of justice and fair play — of tolerance — of standing up for what’s right — were all born in the pages of Fantastic Four, Captain America and Thor. The heroes in Kirby’s comics were heroes. Even when faced with impossible odds, they kept fighting — and that made an impression on me that stuck. From Jack Kirby’s work, I learned to look forward, to think beyond the boundaries of my small town upbringing — and not fear the new, the different or the unknown.”
I wasnt fortunate enough to know him. But I can say he was part of my life by way of his fantastic art. He was and still is my favorite artist and he goes a long way back into my childhood. I sure he was a wonderful gentlemen and I still buy his old comics whenever i can. Thank you Jack, thank u ou so much.