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Busiek and Ross Team For Kirby: Genesis

Kirby: GenesisHaving already thrilled fans with the release of teaser images for the upcoming Kirby: Genesis comic book line, Dynamite Entertainment is now proud to announce that “the friend” who is joining Alex Ross will be none other than best-selling and multiple Eisner and Harvey award-winning writer Kurt Busiek!  Writer Kurt Busiek will be re-teaming with Alex Ross for their first full collaboration since 1993’s Marvels.  With Kirby: Genesis, Busiek and Ross are primed to expand on the vision of the legendary Jack Kirby with the same dynamic and unique perspective on superheroes that made Marvelssuch an original and successful story, allowing a new generation of comic book readers to become acquainted with the genius that is Jack Kirby!

About the chance to work with Alex Ross and the Kirby characters Kurt Busiek exclaimed, “If you look up ‘dream come true’ in the dictionary, it’s defined as ‘Working with Alex Ross on a big, epic project featuring dozens of Kirby characters.’  In my dictionary, at least.

“Jack Kirby was the premier creative force in American comics history.  And to have the chance to work with his creations in their purest form — some who’ve been seen before and some who haven’t, from the Ninth Men to Galaxy Green to Tiger 21 to Silver Star — and to build a new world and a grand story with them is the kind of opportunity and challenge I couldn’t possibly turn down.  When we started talking about this, there was just so much stuff, so many great ideas, that I was confused as to where we could possibly start. But then Alex described one image — a single moment — and that was all it took to make me say, ‘Got it. I see the whole story now. Man, this is going to be fun.’

“And it is. Stand back. We’re gonna need the room.”

“One thing that Kurt and I have always shared is our love for Jack Kirby’s comics and legacy,” adds Alex Ross.  “The Kirby: Genesis project is a way to repay the impact this one man’s creativity has had in shaping our lives.  I’m excited to be plotting this adventure with Kurt as well as to be contributing to some of the interior art.  This epic will be an ambitious assembly of every Kirby design we can lay our hands on.”

And other creators expressed their enthusiasm with:

“Jack had the ability to imbue everything he drew with drama and excitement.  He was a master at costume design and at depicting action scenes in such a way that each seemed totally fresh and compelling.  His every illustration had power, drama and originality.  Jack was to comics what Hitchcock was to movies.  Excelsior!” – Stan Lee

“Seventy years ago Jack Kirby raised a torch for all comic book creators to follow.  He showed us how to turn a crude, news-print product into an art form.  He told us in the late sixties we would see Comics Art in museums, and we chuckled.” – John Romita

“Jack Kirby was the best at what he did.  His storytelling was groundbreaking. His voice was in everything he did.  The power.  The composition.  What made Kirby so exciting to me was his imagination.  Not only the number of characters, but their design (Black Bolt for me still stands out as the coolest look ever).  The places he took us — The Negative Zone, Wakanda, Attilan, Asgard – the list goes on and on.  He transported the reader into a brand new universe of fun and adventure and I loved the ride.” – Jeph Loeb

“Jack Kirby was American comics’ first great mad inventor, and his legacy remains a strange cabinet of wonders to be treasured.” – Warren Ellis

“Jack Kirby distinguished himself from his peers as the most influential voice in comics along with Stan Lee.  It is my honor to be able to expand upon Jack Kirby’s ideas with such high caliber creators as Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross!” – Nick Barrucci

Jack Kirby was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kirby entered the comics industry in the 1930s.  In 1941, Kirby and writer Joe Simon created the highly successful superhero character Captain America for Timely Comics. During the 1940s, Kirby would create a number of comics for various publishers, often teamed with Simon.

After serving in World War II, Kirby returned to comics and worked in a variety of genres. He contributed to a number of publishers, including Archie Comics and DC Comics, but ultimately found himself at Timely’s 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics, later to be known as Marvel Comics. In the 1960s, Kirby co-created many of Marvel Comics’ major characters including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Hulk along with writer-editor Stan Lee.

Jack Kirby eventually made his way over to DC Comics, and there he created his Fourth World saga, which spanned several comics titles. The characters in this Fourth World saga have proven to be timeless and are still a significant part of the DC Universe. Kirby returned to Marvel briefly in the mid-to-late 1970s, then ventured into television animation and independent comics. In his later years, Kirby received great recognition for his career accomplishments, and is regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic-book medium.

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