Today would have been Jack Kirby's 98th birthday. Aside from being the major creator of the Marvel Universe, and an important DC Comics creator, Jack was a mentor and role model to an uncountable number of comic book professionals. He was completely unpretentious. He didn't rate people by their social standing, fame, or money. He was just as happy talking to a stranger as he was to a corporate executive. I never heard him brag. I never heard him put down a fellow artist. He was one of a kind.
Here's Jack at the San Diego Con in 1980 next to a drawing he did of his creation, the Thing. And notice he's smoking a pipe, too!
Here's Jack at the San Diego Con in 1980 next to a drawing he did of his creation, the Thing. And notice he's smoking a pipe, too!