Jack Kirby: The True Creator of the Marvel Universe?
I used to think of Stan Lee as the creator of Marvel Comics. I admit it. I fell for the cheesy mustache and the “Excelsior!” schtick. Then one day I was looking at a bunch of DC comic books that artist Jack Kirby had created in the 1970s after he’d left Marvel, and I asked myself, why did Stan Lee stop writing comic books after 1970?
Once I saw it, it was pretty simple.
Jack Kirby created a bunch of stuff without Stan Lee.
Stan Lee didn’t create anything without Jack Kirby .
Okay, that’s not quite true. Stan Lee created a few Marvel characters without Jack Kirby, but he always had the help of other artists (like Steve Ditko).
Once Jack Kirby and the other 1960s artists left Marvel Comics, Stan Lee stopped writing/editing and became more of a figure head. Yeah, I know that’s an oversimplification of the situation, but this is a short blog post.
To be fair, I think Stan Lee as a writer/editor made Jack Kirby (and the other artists) better than they otherwise were on their own. Those Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four comic books were some of the BEST COMIC BOOKS EVER; maybe “The World’s Greatest Comic Book Magazine” at the top of every Fantastic Four cover was as close to the truth as hyperbole can get. The Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Spider-Man and Dr. Strange stories were also groundbreaking and awesome.
Here’s a 1983 interview with Marvel character creator Jack Kirby, who describes his experience working with Stan Lee and Marvel Comics. I know that just because Jack Kirby says something doesn’t necessarily make it true, but I think his version of his contribution to Marvel Comics makes more sense than what was often portrayed by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.
And to be honest, the only reason I put this blog post together was to post this interview. When I found this in a stack of old stuff, I thought “Holy crap!”
I’m glad that more people now seem to recognize how much Jack Kirby (and Steve Ditko) contributed in the creation of the Marvel universe now. The clues were always there, but corporate media brainwashing is strong.
Dysfunctional Literacy 
They didn’t call him King Jack for nothing…however Stan was a showman and promoted a universe which continues to expand to this day…just sayin’:)
Yeah, Stan Lee sometimes listed him in the credits panel as Jack “King” Kirby.
I don’t think Stan Lee ever credited him as Jack “Creator” Kirby, though.
Jack Kirby absolutely was a genius, and the Marvel universe would not exist without him. But the contributions of Stan Lee were also vital, as a scripter, as an editor, and as a PR genius. Marvel would not have succeeded without Kirby and Lee… and Steve Ditko, as well. All three of them were crucial to the company becoming a huge success.
Yes, I really wish Lee had been more accurate with the credits, and been clearer / more honest about the creative process in the myriad interviews he gave. I also with Lee would have attempted to get better conditions for Kirby at Marvel, gone to bat for him with Martin Goodman, and with Perfect Film after they bought Marvel at the end of the 1960s. And nowadays whenever I read any of those old stories where Lee as credited as “writer” I internally wince and find myself wishing he would have credited Kirby and Ditko for plotting those stories. But I can recognize Lee’s mistakes & failures without demonizing him.
I think I agree with everything you wrote.