Jack Kirby Trends As Comics Artists Defend His Art Style

By Aaron Perine - October 16, 2021 10:57 am EDT

Jack Kirby is trending, but probably not for the greatest reasons. Multiple comics artists and other creators have leaped to the defense of the legend after a small number of fans said that Kirby's art was "bad." While this claim is basically false, that didn't stop social media from getting all riled up about it. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn voiced his love for the artist's work, as did many others. One could look at this entire dustup as a cousin to the discourse surrounding the upcoming Eternals film. When the suits for the characters were first introduced, a lot of fans decried the choice to not directly adapt the Kirby designs. As the trailer premiered earlier this year, that same cycle revved up again as The Eternals' spaceship was revealed as a black monolith-like structure rather than the more intricate design that the comics legend rendered on the page. All of these debates will never really stop. (If you go back through art criticism and history, adaptations are hotly argued throughout time.) Check out some of the best posts about Kirby down below:

Jack Kirby is trending because a bunch of people are defending his art from people who supposedly said he sucked, even though it took me twelve minutes to scroll down to find anyone who said remotely that, but, whatever, Jack Kirby trending is a win in any case. pic.twitter.com/mdPbARNGPG
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 16, 2021

Recently, Comicbook.com had the chance to speak with What If series director Bryan Andrews about bringing the Kirby Krackle to the Disney+ series.

"I just wanted to do it forever," Andrews explained. "And then I've always been bummed that they haven't done Kirby Krackle on the live-action movies, so I was like, 'We're doing it here, guys,' and everyone was like, "Yay!" I think, now that we've done it and it looks amazing, I'm hoping that whatever weird thing that the visual effects people have been avoiding it for [is over] — I don't know why they would. Come on guys. Bring it, bring it! So we'll see. Maybe it's a new era of visual effects."

Do you love Kirby's art? Let us know down in the comments!

This is really it

On the whole Jack Kirby thing, I really wish more people recognised that even if an art style isn't for them, they can also appreciate the skill and craft that went into it.

The Internet has ruined such discourse, because everything has to be definitively The Best, or The Worst
— John Spooky Name Cullen (@nellucnhoj) October 16, 2021

Let's not go that far

Preach.

If you're gonna slag off Jack Kirby, I'm not saying I will fight you ... but there's a pretty good chance I will fight you. https://t.co/Ss6Gwtmnw6
— Ron Marz (@ronmarz) October 16, 2021

A true original

If you can't see the beauty of Jack Kirby, we can't be friends. Kirby created the language of superhero comics you're still copying. https://t.co/r9LHZq6xzd
— Jamal Igle, Baltimore Comic-Con Booth 3206 (@JAMALIGLE) October 16, 2021

A lot of this going on

Jack Kirby’s art is a lot of things, but bad is not one of them pic.twitter.com/cfbIsiqPC7
— BЯINGBΛСКCЯΛВCØЯЕ2⎊21 (@EmoScottPilgrim) October 16, 2021

Nothing's changed

The thing about Jack Kirby criticism is you get to just stand there, completely unshook, knowing they'll either see the light or live on with a piece missing inside them, in their own time. Nothing's changed about that for 60 years
— Ian MacEwan (@ianmacewan) October 16, 2021

A lot of people want that

Very glad my circles don't overlap with whatever dorks think Jack Kirby's stellar work "sucks." But this shit is cool as hell and any MCU movie that translated this aesthetic to film would instantly be the best one. https://t.co/U8t7v0NUxR
— Lincoln Michel (@TheLincoln) October 16, 2021

Liefeld checks in

Jack Kirby’s The Eternals arrived when I was 7 and I remember buying every issue throughout its run. Brilliant concepts, powerful, dynamic art. Instantly memorable new characters and world’s. pic.twitter.com/VxUdvv9Olq
— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) October 16, 2021

Some great examples

I hate to be that guy, But if you're saying that Jack Kirby's art is "Gibberish", you really don't get just how powerful, psychedelic, and groundbreaking he and his art is pic.twitter.com/sX0Ng7Yd4E
— James Bingo (@JamesBingo2) October 16, 2021