D23 is going on this weekend. This is an annual convention that the Disney company runs for fans of All Things Disney and there are enough of them to stuff the Anaheim Convention Center to overflowing. The name, in case you're wondering, works like this: "D" for Disney, "23" for the year Walt founded the company in 1923.
I've never been to one of these. Every year, someone associated with the event calls a month or two prior and asks if I'm available to host a panel or two down there. I say yes. They say, "Great! We'll get back to you" and then, as I've come to expect, no one gets back to me…which is fine because I didn't expect them to. Were I not so busy at the moment prepping for Comic-Con (getting work done, writing premises for Quick Draw!, finishing my Harley Quinn cosplay costume, etc.), I might have accepted an invite to go as an audience member just to see this.
As mentioned, the Disney organization has named Jack Kirby a "Disney Legend." See here to read why I am pleased with this and not offended because, you know, Jack really didn't do any significant work for Disney. Since I met the King of the Comics in 1969, it has nagged at me so much that this wonderful man — wonderful as a creative talent, wonderful as a human being — was not properly recognized for his contribution. Most people knew he was a great artist but not nearly enough knew that it was rarely a matter of him drawing up someone else's ideas. Mostly, he drew his own or elaborated and expanded wildly on what he was given. I'm not sure Jack was even capable of just drawing what someone else thought of without adding in a whole lot of Kirby.
He did not live to see proper recognition for his work but we pretty much have it now. It may take time to propagate throughout the community but as you'll see in the video below, the folks who own the Marvel properties now speak of Jack as a creator or a co-creator. In fact, in some of what they've issued, it feels like they're making a special effort to say it as a way of flushing out old misconceptions. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. It's like someone came and removed a little, unnecessary weight on my brain that's been sitting up there for decades. (I feel the same way when I now see Bill Finger's role in Batman being acknowledged. It's a smaller weight because I barely knew Mr. Finger and don't feel the same personal debt to him…but it's nice to have that one gone, too.)
This is video taken from the audience of the video shown at D23 about Jack. Some fans of his are upset because a few of the images of the characters are drawings not by Jack. That would be wrong if he was only being celebrated as an artist but he's more than that. He is, as he always was, a creator or co-creator. That contribution is reflected in a John Buscema drawing of the Silver Surfer. There's Kirby in any image someone draws of the Silver Surfer.
After the video, there's a lovely, perfectly-executed speech by Jack's son Neal, who was classy enough to offer the family's condolences to Stan Lee's family for the recent loss of Joan Lee. Stan was present to accept his own Disney Legend proclamation, which pleases me because of my belief that when one loses a loved one, one should get on with one's life and not be overcome by grief. His speech was a little shaky and is being faulted by some for some factual confusion…but come on. The guy is 94 and he just lost his life partner of 69 years. If ever there was a time to overlook getting his dates wrong, this is it.