One of Kirby’s earliest jobs was working as an artist at Fleischer Studios (later acquired by Paramount) at the age of 17. Jack Kirby spent his early career working at Fleischer Studios on Popeye cartoons. This story deals with elements of Kirby's rough-and-tumble early years and was a favorite among Jack and his wife Roz, who kept the story's famous double-page spread framed on a wall in the couple's home. Kirby got even more personal about his upbringing with the semi-autobiographical short comic “Street Code” for the pulp magazine Argosy. He went on to create a variety of “ kid gang” characters, both heroes and villains, such as the Boy Commandos, the Newsboy Legion, and the Yancy Street Gang.

Witnessing fights amongst his peers and friends, and even getting involved in some brawls himself, Kirby’s time on the streets later seeped into many of his comics. Kirby grew up on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the turf of the notorious gangster Charles “Lucky” Luciano, also known as the father of modern organized crime in the United States. Jack Kirby’s childhood in the Lower East Side inspired many of his characters. Here are 11 facts about Kirby’s life, work, and career. Having worked for both Marvel and DC Comics, Kirby is perhaps best known for creating or co-creating now-iconic characters such as the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Thor, the New Gods, Iron Man, and the Hulk. Born Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, Jack “The King” Kirby is considered one of the most influential American comic book artists of all time.

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