Comic book legend Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was born in New York City in 1917. Kirby first entered into the comic industry by drawing newspaper comic strips and by lending his artistic talents to the Popeye cartoons. While working for Fox Feature Syndicate, Kirby met future collaborator and partner Joe Simon. In 1940, Kirby and Simon created Captain America for Timely Comics (predecessor to Marvel Comics). The immediate success of the comic prompted Simon to offer Kirby the art director position at Timely. Kirby and Simon remained a creative duo for over two decades, creating both superheroes and romance comics.

When Simon and Kirby parted ways after World War II, Kirby began his new partnership with Stan Lee at Marvel Comics. During this “Silver Age of Comics,” the two co-created the Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Iron Man, and The X-Men. While at Marvel, Kirby pushed the limits of the medium, and his techniques have been influential to comic book artists for decades. During the 1970s and 1980s, Kirby left Marvel to draw for DC Comics and to try his hand at film and animation. Kirby continued to draw until his death in 1994.