How Jack Kirby Made His Mark on Marvel

Imaginary Worlds

Eric Molinsky

Arts, Science Fiction, Fiction, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The production design of the film Fantastic Four: First Steps is an homage to the early ‘60s comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. While Kirby is best known for his bold, fist-popping drawing style, he was also a great storyteller who redefined what comic books could be. He was appreciated by hardcore fans at the time, but he never got the same media attention as Stan Lee and wasn't compensated for the fortunes his characters made. I talk with Kirby experts Charles Hatfield, Mark Evanier, Randolph Hoppe, and Arlen Schumer about where we can see Jack Kirby's influence on comics like The Fantastic Four, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America and Black Panther. And I explore Kirby's childhood at the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, where every day was “clobberin’ time,”and he first learned how to use a garbage can lid as a shield. This week’s episode is sponsored by ButcherBox, Hims and ShipStation. ButcherBox is offering our listeners $20 off their first box and free protein for a year. Go to ButcherBox.com/imaginary to get this limited time offer and free shipping always. Start your free online visit today at Hims.com/IMAGINARY Go to shipstation.com and use the code IMAGINARY to sign up for a free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Imaginary Worlds, a show about how we create them and why we suspend our
0:04.8	disbelief. I'm Eric Malinsky.
0:07.4	Please welcome the Fantastic Four.
0:10.3	Fantastic Four First Steps comes out on July 25th.
0:15.6	Herbie, how's that sauce looking?
0:19.3	Okay.
0:21.0	That's fantastic.
0:22.9	And it has been a long time coming.
0:26.3	The movie rights to the Fantastic Four used to be owned by 20th century Fox.
0:30.4	When Disney absorbed 20th Century Fox, Marvel was finally able to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU.
0:40.0	But the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been very uneven for the past few years. They squandered a lot of goodwill among the fans, including me.
0:49.4	So the studio is betting on the Fantastic Four. They're going to move them front and center in the next phase of the MCU.
0:57.0	I am cautiously optimistic about this new film for one big reason.
1:01.0	They're introducing the Fantastic Four in an alternate universe where it's basically the 1960s, except with more advanced technology.
1:09.0	Why the 60s? The Fantastic Four has a special place in the
1:14.8	history of Marvel Comics. The comic book launched in 1961, before Spider-Man, the Avengers, or
1:22.0	the X-Men. They're known as Marvel's first family. And when I was a kid, I loved Fantastic Four Comics.
1:30.9	I remember in the 1970s going to Newbury Comics in Boston
1:34.3	and picking up original issues by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby from the 60s.
1:40.4	Back then, they were considered cheap old comics.
1:44.8	If I only had the foresay to keep them, they would be worth so much right now.
1:49.6	I looked it up on eBay.
	...

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