#Kirby100: Before and After Kirby

Today marks the centennial of Jack Kirby, the King of Comics. It's difficult to explain to anyone just how much Kirby influenced comics — as Neil Gaiman once said, his impact is so big now that we just take it for granted. To help with that, Art Lyon posted these wonderful comparisons to show...

Before and After Kirby
by Duy (and Art Lyon)

Here's punching before Kirby, and how Kirby revolutionized it:

Computers:

Spaceships:

Art clarifies that this doesn't necessarily mean Kirby's way is better:

It took me a long time to appreciate Kirby.
The one on the left *is* lovely. I'm not saying "worse -> better", just that Kirby's is thinking-outside-the-box lovely.

But the impact is undeniable. Before Kirby, there was a set of rules, emphasizing clarity over power. After Kirby, clarity isn't sacrificed, but power, the unorthodox, and scope were given the attention they needed.

And to close that off, here's two covers featuring a Man-Ape stealing three books from a library. One was drawn in 1956, before Jack Kirby revolutionized comics. The other was drawn in 1973, after the Marvel/Kirby revolution. Can you spot the difference?

Happy birthday, Jack. Long live the King.

(And thanks, Art.)