Jack Kirby

Hoping to break out of a sales slump at Marvel in the early 1960s, veteran comic creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hit on the idea of doing a super-team. Kirby, who thought super heroes were due for a revival after 15 years of being pushed aside by romance, horror, and war comics, saw it as smart business. Lee just once wanted to “do the type of story I myself would enjoy reading.” The Fantastic Four forever changed their careers, their lives, and the comic book industry. Some of the most iconic moments in Marvel history are here, starting with Reed Richards, his girlfriend Sue Storm, his best friend Ben Grimm, and her little brother Johnny Storm crash landing their rocket after it has been hit by cosmic rays and discovering they have been transformed into Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Thing, and the Human Torch in issue No. 1. They were emotionally complex characters, who weren’t always sure whether their powers were a benefit or burden. Stories were set in New York City, not some fictional stand-in, and Marvel heroes regularly crossed over into each other’s books. The art was dynamic and the writing conversational and engaging. Lee and Kirby were like the Lennon and McCartney of comic books. Where the talents of one ended and the other began was not always clear, but together one plus one equaled three. Collected here are the first 20 issues reproduced from the most pristine, pedigreed original comics, which were cracked open and photographed in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Featured alongside the comics are an in-depth essay by acclaimed Marvel writer Mark Waid and original art, photographs, and other rarities. Welcome true believers to the Marvel Age of Comics. © 2026 MARVEL

When Marvel publisher Martin Goodman asked Stan Lee to deliver another new team book for his line of comics, he had no idea he’d be getting something like The X-Men. In fact, nobody could have imagined the extraordinary phenomenon the X-Men would eventually grow into?not Goodman, not Lee, not even the forward-thinking futurist Jack Kirby. What they started out as was a charming, ragtag team of misfits, devised by Lee and Kirby to be mutants?youngsters born with “X-tra” powers thrust upon them not by accidentally crossing paths with cosmic rays or a nuclear blast, but by the fate of birth?led by a no-nonsense professor who trained them to become heroes that could protect the world from menaces, mutant and otherwise. The first years of storytelling laid the foundation for much of what has put the X-Men at the crossroads of comics and popular culture: Hounded by a public that fears and misunderstands them, mutantkind find themselves at the heart of their own civil rights struggle; Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Beast, and Iceman found safety amongst themselves despite the challenges that set them apart from others in society; and Professor Xavier lined up against his ideological foe, Magneto, who had assembled a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to take the fight for their self-preservation directly to humankind. Along the way, Lee and Kirby?who were on fire taking comics into the Marvel Age?introduced a menagerie of villains and supporting characters that would become mainstays of Marvel and its lore: the super-powered siblings Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch; the formidable Blob; the unstoppable Juggernaut; the jungle dweller from the Savage Land, Ka-Zar; the demigod from the stars, the Stranger; and Bolivar Trask and his army of mutant-hunting Sentinels. And as Lee and Kirby gave way to new talents so they could move on to new corners of the Marvel Universe, Atlas era art veteran Werner Roth teamed with writing newcomer and future X-Men legend Roy Thomas to begin their long run on the title. This edition features the first 21 stories of our favorite oddball super heroes from 1963 to 1966. The most pristine, pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has been photographed as printed more than half a century ago, then digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing?as if hot off of a world-class 1960s printing press. In addition to these seminal tales are an in-depth essay by X-Men writer Fabian Nicieza as well as original art, photographs, and memorabilia from the early years of X. © 2026 MARVEL

By early 1963 the foundations of the Marvel Universe had been laid. Following the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 came the amazing (Spider-Man), the astonishing (Ant-Man), the strange (Doctor, that is), the incredible (Hulk), the invincible (Iron Man) and the mighty (Thor). Still, Marvel editor in chief Stan Lee realized something was missing. “I was writing these characters and I thought it would fun to put them together in a team,” he recalled. So Lee and artist Jack Kirby assembled Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk to create the Avengers.Right away it was clear this team was different. If the Fantastic Four were family, then the Avengers were the co-workers you didn’t choose. Not everyone got along—the Hulk fought with everyone—but working together they could defeat the baddest of Marvel’s bad guys, like Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Masters of Evil, and Immortus. The lineup was ever changing: The Hulk departed, Captain America joined, and Ant-Man grew up to become Giant-Man. Then, remarkably, villains Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch became heroes—and Avengers—and the group’s founding members shockingly departed, leaving Captain America to lead the newly-minted heroes.Relive the classic early adventures of Avengers Nos. 1–20 now available as a compact trade edition. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Accompanying the stories are an in-depth history by the Eisner Award-winning writer Kurt Busiek that’s illustrated with original art, little-seen photographs, and rare documents. This mighty collection about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is worthy of Tony Stark’s library—or yours.

Before the Justice League, before the Multiverse there was the Fourth World. Born from the mind of Jack Kirby, this cosmic saga pits the New Gods of New Genesis against the dark forces of Apokolips in a battle that spans galaxies and destinies. Witness the rise of Mister Miracle, Orion, and Darkseid in the mythic war that reshaped the DC Universe.DC Finest: Fourth World When the Old Gods Die collects the foundational chapters of Jack Kirby s legendary Fourth World saga, including Mister Miracle #1 4, The Forever People #1 5, The New Gods #1 4, Superman s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 141, and Superman s Girl Friend Lois Lane #115. These stories introduce readers to a bold new mythology of cosmic deities, super-science, and eternal conflict. From the escape artistry of Mister Miracle to the tyrannical rule of Darkseid, this volume captures the explosive imagination and revolutionary storytelling that defined Kirby s DC era. Collects Superman s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133-139, #141, The New Gods #1-4, Mister Miracle #1-4, The Forever People #1-5, Superman s Girl Friend Lois Lane #111, #115, and pages from #114.

Two decades of Black Panther stories in one action-packed volume!Return to Wakanda for more tales of the Black Panther — beginning with T’Challa setting off on far-out adventures that could only be conceived by his legendary co-creator, Jack Kirby! The King of Comics sets the King of Wakanda on an epic quest to discover the startling secret of King Solomon’s Frog that sees him encounter alien races, battle eternal samurai warriors and more! Then brace yourself for an epic battle between the Black Panther, the Avengers and Ulysses Klaw! T’Challa returns to the American South to root out the evil Soul Strangler’s cult! And things get personal as the Panther’s search for his long-lost mother leads him on a brutal hunt like no other set against the violence of South African apartheid. Back in Wakanda, the winged menace called Solomon Prey swears vengeance on the king! Plus: The Panther prowls in a series of rarely seen tales!COLLECTING: Black Panther (1977) #1-15, Marvel Two-in-One (1974) #40-41, Marvel Team-Up (1972) #87, Marvel Premiere #51-53, Defenders (1972) #84-86, Iron Man Annual (1970) #5, Black Panther (1988) #1-4, Black Panther: Panther''s Prey (1991) #1-4; material from Marvel Team-Up (1972) #100; Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #13-37, #148; What The--?! (1988) #9; Solo Avengers (1987) #19; Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) #1; Marvel Fanfare (1982) #60; Fantastic Four Unlimited (1993) #1Written by Jack Kirby, Ed Hannigan, Peter B. Gillis, Don Mcgregor & MorePenciled by Jack Kirby, Jerry Bingham, Denys Cowan, Dwayne Turner & More

Legendary Marvel master Jack Kirby concludes his exciting 1970s Captain America run! Jack Kirby concludes his 1970s Captain America tenure with stories that only the King of Comics could create! It begins when the Falcon goes missing in an other-dimensional asylum - that''s run by the inmates! The tale of the Night People and Agron the Unburied One is a tense sci-fi horror thriller. Then comes ''The Swine,'' a storyline packed with iconic moments like the debut of Arnim Zola, the return of the Red Skull and Nazi X - the android with Hitler''s brain! Also featuring two Annual exploits with the Black Star and Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! In Kirby''s stead, Marvel legend Roy Thomas re-present''s Cap''s origin and puts him face-to-face with a twisted, twelve-foot version of himself, the Ameridroid. Collecting: Captaina America (1968) #201-221 & Annual (1971) #3-4

The second Marvel character to spring from the legendary creative collaboration of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the early 1960s was a far cry from the Fantastic Four’s recognizable family dynamics and globe-trotting super heroics. The Hulk was a Monster! The alter ego of puny human scientist Bruce Banner unleashed when an experimental bomb douses the hapless scientist in Gamma radiation, and thereupon unleashed every time the mild-mannered Banner lost his temper, the Hulk exploded from comics stands into an unsuspecting world…and he hasn’t stopped since. Unquestionably one of the strangest, strongest, and most evocative archetypes to come from Marvel Comics, the Hulk defies all explanation. At times at war with other superheroes, villains, the United States military, humanity, and even his alter-ego Bruce Banner himself, he stands as an avatar of unbridled fury, primal instincts, the destructive potential of the atomic bomb and humanity’s hubris all at once. A modern Prometheus, imbued by atomic fire, who will never stop raging, never stop smashing. Now, TASCHEN brings you the Hulk as you’ve never seen him before, in an XXL-size volume worthy of his name. Collecting The Incredible Hulk Nos. 1–6, along with his appearances in Tales to Astonish. All issues have been photographed using TASCHEN’s sterling reproduction methods, resembling the way these comics first looked when initially published, while also being digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing. An introduction by pop-culture and comic scholar Douglas Wolk, meticulously researched and adorned with rarely seen original art, photos, and paraphernalia showcasing the Hulk’s lasting impact on global culture, rounds out this massive package to honor of the biggest, meanest, and greenest superheroes of all time.

Assembling the definitive Marvel Age Avengers anthology By early 1963 the foundations of the Marvel Universe had been laid. Following the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 came the amazing (Spider-Man), the astonishing (Ant-Man), the strange (Doctor, that is), the incredible (Hulk), the invincible (Iron Man) and the mighty (Thor). Still, Marvel editor in chief Stan Lee realized something was missing. “I was writing these characters and I thought it would fun to put them together in a team,” he recalled. So Lee and artist Jack Kirby assembled Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor, and the Hulk to create the Avengers. Right away it was clear this team was different. If the Fantastic Four were family, then the Avengers were the co-workers you didn’t choose. Not everyone got along—the Hulk fought with everyone—but working together they could defeat the baddest of Marvel’s bad guys, like Loki, Kang the Conqueror, the Masters of Evil, and Immortus. The lineup was ever changing: The Hulk departed, Captain America joined, and Ant-Man grew up to become Giant-Man. Then, remarkably, villains Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch became heroes—and Avengers—and the group’s founding members shockingly departed, leaving Captain America to lead the newly minted heroes. Relive the classic early adventures of Avengers Nos. 1–20 now available as a compact trade edition. TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were produced at the time of publication. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has then been digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing—as if hot off a world-class 1960s printing press. Accompanying the stories are an original foreword by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and an in-depth history by the Eisner Award-winning writer Kurt Busiek that’s illustrated with original art, little-seen photographs, and rare documents. This mighty collection about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is worthy of Tony Stark’s library—or yours. © 2024 MARVEL

Imagine a race of immortal beings possessed with seemingly limitless superhuman abilities. Once worshipped as gods, this fantastic group left Earth to explore the stars after warring with the Greek, Roman and Norse pantheons for supremacy over humankind. They are the Eternals, and they are just one part of a cosmic mythology. Their opposites - the Deviants - also secretly populate Earth, while the towering cosmic entities that created both - the Celestials - are fated to arrive and judge our planet. This is but the beginning of an epic cosmology of gods and men that sprang forth from the limitless imagination of Jack "King" Kirby, the co-creator of Captain America, the X-Men, the Avengers and more. Now, Kirby's ETERNALS epic is collected, complete, in this single volume. COLLECTING: THE ETERNALS (1976) 1-19 & ANNUAL (1977) 1

In 1984, legendary writer/artist Jack Kirby co-wrote and illustrated tales of the Justice League of America in the miniseries SUPER POWERS. Now, for the first time, DC collects all three SUPER POWERS miniseries in a single hardcover, with stories co-written by Kirby cover art by Kirby, and six stories featuring the powerful art of the King of Comics. These tales pit the JLA -- including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and more against the forces of Darkseid, lord of Apokolips. These stories are the only time in his long career that Kirby would draw the Justice League, elevating these stories to legendary status. Collects SUPER POWERS Vol. 1 #1-5, SUPER POWERS Vol. 2 #1-6 and SUPER POWERS Vol. 3 #1-4, originally published from 1984-1986.

The names Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are synonymous with comic books and together their partnership (which began in the 1940s) ushered in the Golden Age of comics and greatly influenced everything that followed. The Simon and Kirby Studio created such memorable characters as Captain America and the Sandman and were the first to publish in comic books the genres of western, crime, horror and romance (later appropriated by Roy Lichtenstein for his pop art paintings). Over the course of three decades together they wrote and illustrated several hundred comics, many of which have never been reprinted since they were first published in the 1940s and '50s. This oversized volume of 386 pages will be organised by genre and cover all aspects of their amazing career, with commentary by Mark Evanier, the foremost authority on the work of Simon and Kirby. All of the images have been photographed from the original art in Joe Simon's private archive, showcasing the seminal work of Simon and Kirby and their artistry as it has never been before.