Kirbyvision: New Jack Kirby Documentary Will Spotlight the Prolific Marvel, DC Creator

Legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby will be the focus of a new documentary titled Kirbyvision. Directed by Ricki Stern, the film explores Kirby’s life and career, which saw him have a hand in creating some of the most popular superhero characters in both the Marvel and DC universes. The documentary’s filmmakers are planning to work closely with Kirby’s estate, allowing them to draw upon “personal documents, home movies, and creative materials” to provide the most comprehensive picture possible. As of this writing, Kirbyvision does not have a release date, but the creative team is excited to work on the project.

“Jack was not only one of the great comic book artists of all time, but a true
visionary genius,” Stern said in a press release shared by Kirbyvision production company Submarine. “In this new feature length documentary, we actively campaign for the recognition he finally deserves as a leading artist and storyteller of the 20th Century.”

With a career spanning decades, Kirby is renowned for co-creating iconic figures such as the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, and the X-Men for Marvel. On the DC side of things, some of Kirby’s notable contributions include Darkseid and the New Gods. Much of Kirby’s work serves as the basis for various Marvel and DC movie and TV adaptations. For instance, Kirby’s style was a main source of inspiration for Thor: Ragnarok.

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Kirby, who passed away in 1994, was posthumously recognized as a Disney Legend during the 2017 D23 Expo, commemorating how his work influenced the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reflecting on the MCU’s success back in 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko were the reasons why the franchise was able to achieve its tremendous level of success.

In 2023, Kirby’s family and estate issued separate statements about the Disney+ documentary Stan Lee, criticizing it for downplaying Kirby’s involvement in creating some of Marvel’s most popular characters. It’s nice to see they will now get a chance to shine a spotlight on Kirby’s immeasurable contributions to the comics industry. Comic readers and filmmakers behind comic book adaptations are well aware of Kirby’s impressive body of work, but he arguably isn’t as recognizable a name to casual audiences. It sounds like Kirbyvision will be a great way for people to learn more about his accomplishments, while longtime fans celebrate an incredible career.

In particular, it will be exciting to see what’s in the personal materials the documentary filmmakers will have access to. The press release notes that many of these items have been “widely unseen by the public,” so Kirbyvision will be a must-see for anyone with even a fleeting interest in the man’s work. Hopefully the documentary is as memorable as its subject’s various creations.