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| Kirby: King of Comics | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Evanier
Creator: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Abrams
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $16.25
You Save: $23.75 (59%)
New (50) Used (11) from $16.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 14397
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 12.4 x 9.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 081099447X
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5092
EAN: 9780810994478
ASIN: 081099447X
Publication Date: February 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 This goes in my permanent collection March 5, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Kirby is THE legend in comics and an inspiration to many comic book professionals, myself included. Had it not been for the creations of Kirby and Lee my own creativity and imagination would certainly not be what it is today. Who better to tell the tale behind the man than the always witty Mark Evanier, who brings insight and wisdom to the history being presented here. The artwork showcased in this volume is crisp and clear, some of which you may not have seen before, at least not in a long while. If you are a fan of the Lee-Kirby creations like the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and the X-Men and want to get a behind the scenes look at King Kirby you can not go wrong with Kirby: King of Comics.
Brian Miller, author:Hi-Fi Color For Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results
Grand and disappointing too March 7, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
If I didn't know this book was coming for years, if I had just found it, unaware, while browsing at a book store, I would have flipped. But I DID anticipate it, Blanche, I DID count the days. Thus, I agree with Rozek, the book is disappointing. THIS is what Evanier worked on for so long, even delaying its publication? Where is the detail one would expect from a long-time Kirby confidant? If you're a regular reader of the stupendous Kirby Collector magazine by John Morrow, there is little new here. I did find about 25 pieces of art I hadn't seen before (not counting original pages), but I expected more. From what I read before the book's release, Evanier had written 35 pages on one Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four story conference alone. It's nowhere in the book, unless it's so truncated it had no impact. (Is it being saved for a proposed extended fanboy edition?)
And yet, even with those complaints, this is the best book on Kirby out there and a wonderful primer for anyone curious about this legendary artist. I give it four stars because any book with this much Kirby art has to be a gem.
 Kirby given his due March 10, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mark Evanier has produced an informative, entertaining and attractive book on one of comic books most important pioneers. Jack Kirby's life and art is discussed and produced in all its glory. Evanier focuses on the man, his work and his struggles throughout his career. The original artwork is reproduced in a format that does it justice. For those who grew up on Kirby's work on the Fantastic Four, Thor or the New Gods or if this is an introduction to his overwhelming imagination, Evanier tells the story of a "regular guy" who transcended his humble beginnings in the Lower East Side. Kirby struggled with a life of creativity in a business that rarely rewarded their creators. Kirby, like Hitchcock or John Coltrane, was a unique artist whose life is fascinating.
Ignore naysayers - this is the best of the King May 28, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
After reading some of the negative comments in a few of the reviews, even in the so-called "positive" reviews - I just had to add my 2-cents: THEY'RE WRONG! This is nothing short of GREAT.
I'm not just speaking as a Kirby Devotee (which I am), or even a comic collector (also true). My exposure to Jack Kirby's groundbreaking 60s work at Marvel inspired me to become an artist and graphic designer. He was kind enough to respond personally to me when I was 14 and sent him a sample of my own comic work. I was lucky enough to meet Jack and Roz personally many years later in the mid-70s and spend part of an afternoon with him one-on-one. So I'm speaking from a deep familiarity with his work and some personal experience, as well as my professional background.
First, let's dispel the notion that KIRBY: KING OF COMICS is a biography. It isn't. There is no place in the book that calls it a "biography". It also isn't an art book with too much copy. This is a compendium, a celebration of Kirby's life and accomplishments, an overview with additional depth, an inside look from the people who knew him, worked with him, lived with him and loved him, with an attempt at balance and historical perspective that is often lacking in other biographical works about Kirby.
It's true that much of this material has been covered before, both in the shorter biographical works that have appeared and in the very excellent "Jack Kirby Collector". However, Mr. Evanier has done an excellent job of both organizing the information in an exciting and dynamic way, and adding details and perspective not available to other writers. Just the fact that he has had access to Roz Kirby and the Kirby offspring adds insight not previously seen. Not only that, but the "voice" Mr. Evanier uses is more chatty, more casual, more like Jack than any other book about Jack I've read. Despite what some reviewers have said, this does not come off as an uninvolved objective journalist. It sounds to me like a guy talking about a very dear friend without over-inflating the facts.
As far as those who think there's too much negativity and blame-laying, all I can say is lighten up! There were plenty of things that got under Kirby's skin, and he could be quite vocal about them. But he didn't dwell on those things for long, and neither does the book. The fact is, some bad things happened, and Jack was treated unfairly in a lot of ways. All of that is covered here, along with Jack's opinion about the situation, and quotes from others involved. Unfortunately, Kirby could be a little naive when it came to the business side of things, and his kind nature was easy to take advantage of by some of the unscrupulous folks in publishing. However, that is not the main focus of "Kirby".
What is the main focus are his accomplishments, and the book makes it clear (if there was ever any doubt), that Jack Kirby did more to create the look, feel, language and dynamism of comic books as they exist today than any other single person.
As for the art, I'm here to tell you that you ain't seen nothing of Kirby unless you're one of the fortunate few who can afford to buy an original comic page. Even the reproduction in TJKC - which is excellent - can't compare. Each and every piece of art is reproduced in full color, even the black and white pages. That may not make sense to those of you unfamiliar with printing and graphic reproduction techniques. But seeing both the penciled and inked pages AS THEY ACTUALLY LOOK IN PERSON is totally different than looking at a black and white reproduction. You can see all the nuances of Kirby's pencil lines, his shading, the un-erased (and sometimes even the erased) images behind the inking. The power and dynamic these pages illustrate are unmatched by anything else I've seen about Kirby's work. And yes, there are still some things that have never been seen before.
My recommendation: keep an open mind, buy the book, and read it as if Mark Evanier was sitting in your living room, telling you all about the guy who did more for comic boooks as an art form than anyone else.
 Nothing really new, but still nice to have. April 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
In a nutshell, there is very little in this book which hasn't already been covered in one fashion or another in Two Morrows' "Jack Kirby Collector."
Certainly, Mark E's knowledge of all things Kirby is unbeatable and his insight in to the some of the more pivotal events in Jack's life gives us a rare glimpse of what the man was like on a personal level. However, most hardcore Kirby fans already have access to the above mentioned "Jack Kirby Collector" and I wondered if maybe that has kind of overstaturated the prospective audience for the book.
You have to wonder if the few people who buy this that aren't already Kirby fans will make it a profitable enough venture for Mark to *finally* complete the Kirby bio he's been working on for like the last century or so.
As for the included artwork, as I said, most of it has been published time and time and time again. The new stuff, on the other hand, is very nice to have. (Especially the Alex Ross fold out painting of a scene from New Gods #6.)
All in all, it was worth the $30.00 I paid.
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