The Once and Future King

Cultural literacy. Digital literacy. Media literacy. These days, there are lots of literacies to go around. One you don't hear so much about is comic book literacy.

With the surging popularity of comic books, movies based on comic book characters, and Japanese anime, it's incumbent upon parents to verse their children in, at the very least, the Marvel and DC universes. In every household, the curriculum should be "Know your presidents." "Know your math facts." "Know your superheroes." And you can't know your superheroes without knowing about Jack "King" Kirby.

Jack Kirby was the artist who gave us Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men. For many of us, his work was a cornerstone of our childhood. His work defined the psyche of a generation, continues to leave a double splash-page imprint.

So why is Jack Kirby on my mind? His impact has been incalculable... and he never got his due. As you likely know, Disney is acquiring Marvel. As The New York Times recently reported:

Heirs to the comic book artist Jack Kirby... last week sent 45 notices of copyright termination to Marvel and Disney, as well as Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and other companies that have been using the characters. The notices expressed an intent to regain copyrights to some of Mr. Kirby's creations as early as 2014...

Sure, as Jack Kirby churned out book after book, he got paid (per page). But considering the effect his creations have had, the value he added, he's worth billions.

Literacy means understanding and appreciating the cultural canon. Every child builds a wall of knowledge. Every fact, every figure, every snippet of trivia is a brick in the wall (Pink Floyd forgive me). I have a daughter. In my daughter's wall -- look close, near the base -- one brick reads "In Memoriam: Jack Kirby."