There's a short piece in this morning's Los Angeles Times about the general neglect of Jack Kirby, in both a credit and financial sense, in the current spate of Marvel Comics movies. I was interviewed for the article but do not endorse its view of Kirby's legal status, nor do I think its estimate of Stan Lee's compensation is an accurate summary. That's mostly a function of how few column inches the reporter was given. I don't think it's possible to summarize the situation in so little space. So not only is Jack not getting his due but the fact that he isn't getting his due isn't getting its due, either.
This will be discussed at greater length at the Jack Kirby Tribute Panel at this year's Comic-Con International. It takes place on Friday afternoon at 2 PM in my home away from home, Conference Room 8. We'll have some of Jack's friends and family members there, and we'll talk about the way the comic book industry treats its geniuses and such.
We'll also have a special appearance by the late, great Johnny Carson. As many of you are aware, Mr. Kirby once had a little altercation with the King of Late Night that resulted in a lawsuit. I showed the relevant Johnny Carson video a few years ago at a Kirby panel and have had numerous requests to show it again and to explain more about the incident. So it'll get another showing and we'll be joined by the lawyer who represented Jack in his legal action, Paul S. Levine. Paul will also tell you some very surprising (I suspect) things about some other disputes in which Jack was involved in the eighties.
I dunno which of the 7,000 panels I'm hosting this year will be the most entertaining but I can tell you which will be the most important. This one.