One of the most influential artists in modern history, Jack Kirby defined a good portion of the Marvel Comics characters we know today, co-creating “The Fantastic Four”, “Captain America,” “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “The X-Men” and many, many more. Although Kirby passed away in 1994, his estate has, unfortunately, found itself at odds with Marvel and both parties have, for some time, been involved in legal disputes over the the rights to many of Kirby’s Silver Age characters. Today, however, that appears to have all been settled! The following statement was just released from Marvel and the Kirby family:
“Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have amicably resolved their legal disputes, and are looking forward to advancing their shared goal of honoring Mr. Kirby’s significant role in Marvel’s history.”
As evidenced by the above panel from Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo’s 2008 run on “Fantastic Four” (wherein Kirby actually appears as God himself to the team), Kirby’s immense impact on the medium won’t soon be forgotten under any circumstance, but an amicable solution to these ongoing legal battles is great news for everyone and a nice reminder that Marvel Comics’ illustrious past deserves as much attention as its seemingly limitless future.
