The fine journalist and human being Heidi MacDonald investigates a quote attributed to Jack Kirby: "Kid…Comics will break your heart." Apparently, some folks think its origin was in an encounter Jack had with artist James Romberger at a convention in New York in the 80's. Others wonder if he said it at all and also note others who supposedly said it, including Charles Schulz.
I kinda doubt Schulz said it. Every time I was with him, he seemed absolutely delighted with what drawing comic strips had done for his life but I have no hard evidence that he did or didn't say the line in some context. I can however solve the Kirby question real easily: Yeah, he said it. He said it many times and he said it long before he said it to James Romberger.
I heard him say it, though not directly to me. When I met Jack, I had no expectation of working in comics or working in comics as much as I eventually did. What he said to me was more in the nature of encouragement to keep thinking of comics as something to do for a while before moving on to other things. But I heard him say the line or variations of it to others — mostly kids who approached him at San Diego Cons. I can't give you any of their names because I think they all took his advice.
Well, some of them did. Around 1971, a young artist named Wendy Fletcher visited him and showed him her drawings. I don't think he said the "break your heart" line to her but he told her not to get into comics, urged her to pursue other illustration work and gallery showings (as he did to Romberger) and told her, "If I catch you working in comics, I'll spank you."
Wendy did later work in comics. After she married Richard Pini and became Wendy Pini, they created and she drew Elfquest and other wonderful things. Jack did not spank her. I think he may have congratulated her for doing such fine work and retaining ownership of it. There were many variations of his advice. He especially urged folks he thought were talented to not see drawing someone else's creations for DC or Marvel as a real career.
I should also point out that Jack's advice fluctuated. There were times he was happier in the field than he was at other times. When he did say things like that it came from a frustration not with the form of comics, which he loved, but with the working conditions, bad compensation and loss of control of one's work he encountered. He probably said it much less (if at all) in the last years of his life when he could see creators sometimes holding onto copyrights and making real good money in comics.
And I doubt he was ever as dour as the above drawing (by New Zealand cartoonist Dylan Horrocks) made him out to be. He usually said such things with a feisty, defiant manner. Jack was a pretty feisty, defiant guy.