Over the weekend, a brand new documentary starring Stan Lee began streaming on Disney+ after debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival, drawing a fiery response from the family of Jack Kirby.
Entitled merely “Stan Lee,” the movie was directed by David Gelb and options the Man in a voiceover telling the story of his creation of the Marvel Universe.
Except, as we all know he DIDN’T create the Marvel Universe. He co-created it with Steve Ditko, Bill Everett, Don Heck, and, most significantly, Jack Kirby – one thing the documentary skimmed over because it used Lee’s personal phrases to inform the story. And sadly, Lee wasn’t recognized for being notably humble or truthful at occasions. Indeed, a overview in Rolling Stone labeled the doc an “infomercial”
The documentary led Kirby’s son, Neal, to fireplace again in a passionate assertion posted on twitter by Jack Kirby’s grand-daughter, Jillian. Loaded with classical references, the assertion chastises the filmmakers and Lee for underplaying Jack Kirby’s foundational involvement in creating Iron Man, Thor, the Fantastic Four, The Hulk and dozens of different characters who anchor the billion greenback MCU – as much as and together with Groot!
My father Neal Kirby (Jack Kirby’s son) has requested me to publish this written assertion in response to the Stan Lee documentary launched yesterday on Disney+. pic.twitter.com/V4be2xyEJg
— Jillian Kirby (Granddaughter of Jack Kirby) (@Kirby4Heroes) June 17, 2023
“If you were to look at a list and timeline of Marvel’s characters in 1962-1966, the period in which the vast majority of Marvel’s major characters were created during Lee’s tenure, you’ll see Lee’s name as a co-creator on every character, with the exception of the Silver Surfer, solely created by my father,” Neal Kirby wrote. “Are we to assume only had a hand in creating every Marvel character? Are we to assume that it was never the other co-creator that walked into Lee’s office and said “Stan, I have a great idea for a character!” According to Lee it was all the time his thought. Lee spends a good period of time speaking about how and why he created the Fantastic Four, with just one fleeting reference to my father. Indeed most comics historians acknowledge that my father primarily based the Fantastic Four on a 1957 comedian he created for DC, “Challengers of the Unknown,” even naming Ben Grimm (The Thing) after his father Benjamin, and Sue Storm after my older sister Susan.”
Neal Kirby notes that the documentary gave extra airtime to the Lee-Ditko battle, with Stan stating of Spider-Man, “it was my idea, therefore I created the character.” The youthful Kirby’s rebuttal is devastating: “In 1501, the Opera del Duomo commission a 26-year-old Michelangelo to sculpt the statue of David for Cathedral of Florence – their idea, their money. The statue is called Michelangelo’s David – his genius, his vision, his creativity.”
Stan vs Jack (and the remainder of the world) is an issue that can by no means actually go away. Kirby died in 1994, lengthy earlier than his creations have been family names. Stan, who died in 2018, had 24 years to cement his model of the story in a keen media, whereas forging a seventh profession as a cameo actor. It’s left to these of us who knew and admired Jack Kirby to assist his family in preserving his identify and contribution alive.
I’m not going to enter all the backwards and forwards of who did what right here, however earlier than working at Marvel Jack Kirby created or co-created Captain America, the Newsboy Legion, romance comics, Challengers of the Unknown and dozens extra. At Marvel he created or co-created Silver Surfer, Galactus, Doctor Doom, Black Panther, the Inhumans, and so forth and so forth. After leaving Marvel he created Darkseid, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, the New Gods, and so forth. Returning to Marvel, he created the Eternals and Devil Dinosaur.
Later in his profession, Stan created a bunch of Silver Surfer graphic novels with Kirby, Moebius and Keith Pollard. You’ll recall the Silver Surfer was solely created by Jack Kirby. After leaving Marvel, Stan pacted with many many many firms, however in all probability the most well-known character he created was Striperella, an unique dancer superhero whose animated adventures lasted on Spike for 13 episodes in 2003, with Pamela Anderson voicing the primary character.
While it’s exhausting to do a face to face comparability, this tweet from cartoonist Scott Gray presents an attention-grabbing take:
I believe an attention-grabbing litmus take a look at is Stan Lee’s Strange Tales run in the 60s: identical forged as the Fantastic Four, made at the identical time, however with Dick Ayers drawing as an alternative of Jack Kirby. Few memorable characters or tales created.
I believe an attention-grabbing litmus take a look at is Stan Lee’s Strange Tales run in the 60s: identical forged as the Fantastic Four, made at the identical time, however with Dick Ayers drawing as an alternative of Jack Kirby. Few memorable characters or tales created. pic.twitter.com/2KaWJ7WPbe
— Scott Gray (@Scott1Gray) June 18, 2023
In some methods it’s unfair to match a author and an artist – an artist is usually a full cartoonist and a author can’t. But it’s straightforward to match Kirby’s work earlier than throughout and after Stan with Stan’s work earlier than throughout and after Kirby, and it’s fairly clear who was the IP powerhouse.
To be trustworthy, it’s additionally unfair to Stan’s very actual legacy to repeat the ugly lie that he created the Marvel Universe. I’m not right here to say Stan Lee was the worst one that ever lived, or that he didn’t have an irreplaceable function in the creation of the Marvel Universe. But he had the final phrase for twenty-four years, and it behooves those that worth the fact and unstinting creativity to cease parroting the “Stan the Auteur” line.
Jack knew all that, although. In 1986 he advised interviewer Mark Borax:
Kirby then tells Borax, “We did yesterday. But it resolves nothing. I can’t understand why there’s a struggle over who did what, cause Stan and I know. Nobody else knows. If Stan would only come out of his hiding place and tell the world everything would go great. It isn’t obscure. He knows it, and I know it. There won’t be a resolution. People don’t change. They can’t change. Sometimes it’s too late. You just go on being what you are. Human beings go on being human beings. I can predict everything that Stan will do. I know I can’t change Stan. He says his piece, and I say mine. I could shake hands with Stan till doomsday and it would resolve nothing, the dance goes on.”
Jack Kirby trended on Twitter on Father’s Day one thing Jillian reported with pleasure. There have been additionally many supportive tweets, just some right here. Jeet Heer:
As I wrote earlier, it’s dismaying that Disney has determined to double down on Stan Lee’s demonstrably legendary model of Marvel comics historical past. The more true tales of the artists who truly created Marvel, amply documented by many researchers, is much extra attention-grabbing.
As I wrote earlier, it is dismaying that Disney has determined to double down on Stan Lee’s demonstrably legendary model of Marvel comics historical past. The more true tales of the artists who truly created Marvel, amply documented by many researchers, is much extra attention-grabbing. https://t.co/X6ehdLkIQl
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) June 18, 2023
And director Guillermo del Toro, definitely somebody who has felt Kirby’s affect:
Jack Kirby: One of the Gods in my Olympus. For any doubt relating to his World-building, take a look at his DC books. Demon / Jason Blood, New Gods Mythos or Kamandi- or his lisergic 2001. NO ONE beats his splash pages! A nimble, erudite, highly effective storyteller and a real mensch.
Jack Kirby: One of the Gods in my Olympus. For any doubt relating to his World-building, take a look at his DC books. Demon / Jason Blood, New Gods Mythos or Kamandi- or his lisergic 2001. NO ONE beats his splash pages! A nimble, erudite, highly effective storyteller and a real mensch. https://t.co/Np95yTUGYI
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) June 18, 2023
It’s insane that there isn’t a large statue of Kirby at Avengers Campus in California Adventure. He ought to looming over it like the Celestials who gave life to the Marvel Universe. https://t.co/M9GHyMeDIf
— Jordan Blum (@BlumJordan) June 18, 2023
Finally Jordan Blum, co-creator of the Modok cartoon on Hulu (sure, that existed) wrote:
It’s insane that there isn’t a large statue of Kirby at Avengers Campus in California Adventure. He ought to looming over it like the Celestials who gave life to the Marvel Universe.
This is completely true, however you’ll recall that the Kirby family and Disney have been locked in an extended authorized dispute – whereas it was settled amicably, Disney could also be sluggish to raise the work of somebody who fought his entire life for inventive freedom and wasn’t afraid to be vocal about it.
That stated they need to recover from it. Make Jack a Disney Legend! Put up that statue. Put up TWO statues. Stan and Jack are united ceaselessly of their work and have to be remembered….collectively.
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