Brian Dreger wrote to ask…
When you worked for Jack Kirby, it seems like you knew that he was this great artist (in terms of the legacy of comic books). But when you (and Steve Sherman) showed up to work on a day-to-day basis, and maybe you saw that he was creating some brand new character…was that really stunning? I guess what I'm asking is, did you realize that you were seeing something being created from scratch by someone important? Was it amazing? Or was it just, "Well, this is who I work for, this is what he does."
You have said that you had something to do with the colors of Miracle Man's costume. So at the time, was it thrilling that you might have been contributing to the next Captain America? I'm just curious because, I can't imagine being around a genius you know is a genius, and yet see him as just a nice, talented guy…and then go about your day-to-day job. It seems like it would be a constant "Pinch me, I'm dreaming" moment!
This is worded kind of stupid, but maybe you see my curiosity here.
The following is worded kind of stupid, Brian, but maybe you'll find my answer here. I met Jack Kirby when I was about seventeen years and four months old. He asked us (Steve and me) to become his assistants when I was just shy of eighteen. During that period — and I think this is true of most humans when they hit that age, everything in my life was changing…and when your life changes, you have a lot of "Pinch me, I'm dreaming" moments, especially if you recognize that dreaming can include the occasional nightmare.
I was well aware of what a unique, special ability it was to be around someone as gifted as Jack Kirby and if I hadn't been, I would have known because so many people told me so. In 1970, Steve and I took a trip back to New York where we visited the DC Comics offices, the Marvel Comics offices, the MAD magazine offices, Steve Ditko in his studio and a few other places before attending our first comic book convention. I met a staggering number of the people whose work I'd known and loved in comic books and with only a few exceptions (DC editorial folks), every one told us what a genius Jack was, how he'd created more wonderment than anyone else ever in comics, how fortunate we were to be around him, etc.
So I knew. And as I've gotten older and learned more about…well, about everything in the world, I'd like to think…my admiration for Jack has only grown. So I guess my answer to your question is that, yes, I knew I was around a man of great brilliance and accomplishment and with hindsight, that appreciation has only intensified.
Regarding "Miracle Man" — you're talking about Mister Miracle, actually — one of the many clashes Jack had with the DC staff was with the coloring folks who really weren't that fond of him or his work. The feeling was mutual. They fought him on every aspect of coloring on every character.
The only time he got his way was when he insisted on dumping the color scheme they came up with for Mister Miracle. I wrote about what Steve and I did back here.
No, neither of us thought we were contributing to the next Captain America or anything like that. We just thought we were being useful to Jack. We both would have done anything to please that wonderful man.
