One of the co-creators behind the Fantastic Four is getting a special honor fit for Marvel’s First Family. Fantastic Four #1 by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby was released in 1961. Along with co-creating the Fantastic Four, Jack “King” Kirby is also known for helping to create some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, including Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and the Hulk. Beyond designing art and creating stories that would inspire and entertain for decades, Jack Kirby also pulled from his own life as a New Yorker as inspiration for the fictional world that would become the Marvel Universe.
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What better way to honor the works of Jack Kirby than to name a New York City street after him? On July 9th, Marvel officially commemorated Delancey Street (at the corner of Delancey and Essex Street) in New York City as Yancy Street/Jack Kirby Way. The signage sports the Fantastic Four logo with the team’s signature white and blue colors. The commemorative sign celebrates the inspiration that Delancey and the neighborhood gave Jack Kirby, born Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917. Born just a block away on Essex Street, Kirby drew from his Lower East Side upbringing in his comics — especially in the life of Ben Grimm, who grew up on “Yancy Street.”
On hand for the moment were members of the Kirby family. Granddaughter Jillian Kirby noted that so much of the Fantastic Four drew from the Kirby family’s own history: “Grandpa Jack saw himself in the Thing, Ben Grimm being named after our great-grandfather… [The Fantastic Four] is so grounded in the Kirby family. Sue Storm [was also] named after our aunt Sue.”
Jillian Kirby also reflected on the impact that the Boys’ Brotherhood Republic, now the Boys & Girls Republic, had on Jack Kirby. Not only did the organization help keep him off the streets, but he also edited the organization’s newspaper and contributed cartoons.
After the sign was unveiled, granddaughter Tracy Kirby noted, “This would be a great honor for [Jack]… he was a New Yorker to the end.”
“The Fantastic Four are the heart and soul of Marvel, so this commemoration is a truly special moment for us to honor what Jack accomplished here in the city – a meaningful reminder of Jack’s background here in New York, his unparalleled creative vision, and the groundbreaking role this street and city plays in Marvel and our history,” a Marvel spokesperson told ComicBook.
What do you think about Marvel’s tribute to Jack Kirby? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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