Welcome to Ink & Imagination, brought to you by Those Two Geeks.

In the first half of our two-part special on creator rights, we explore how Jack Kirby, the artist who helped dream up the Fantastic Four, Thor, the X-Men, and countless others, reshaped the DNA of modern comics while fighting for the credit and ownership he was too often denied.

We’ll revisit the legendary Fantastic Four #48–49, where a simple note became one of the most profound stories ever told in comics, and follow Kirby through the heartbreak and triumph of a lifetime spent creating worlds he didn’t own.

This is the story of the man who built universes and the system that tried to keep his name out of them.

Music by Nicholas Panek from Pixabay

Ink & Imagination 007: Creator Rights Part One: Jack Kirby, The King of Comics

March 26, 2008, the launch of Graphic Policy. Born out of an interest in doing some more creative writing than what was allowed at work, the site began as a look at comic books, especially of those with political themes. Most importantly, the site was founded on three ideas:

    Transparency – the site would disclose all conflicting relationships, and most importantly disclose when materials were provided to the site for free from publishers, studios, etc., so that you the readers could make an informed decision.
    Open – the site is open to anyone to contribute. We want to provide a safe place for people to add their voice to the comics community and a platform to do so.
    Progressive – this site prides itself on being progressive. Both when it comes to inclusion of individuals (see #2), but also ideas, not just here but in the industry as a whole. We don’t tolerate harassment, bigotry, shaming, or bullying of any sort, as we feel the safer individuals feel to express their ideas, and the greater the diversity of those doing so, the better the industry is.

The site has morphed over the years from its “political roots,” to generally covering the comic industry with previews, reviews, interviews, and general convention coverage. It then morphed again digging into industry demographics, and becoming the leader for that information. In August 2011, the website went to the airwaves to launch Graphic Policy Radio which has aired ever since and then a second podcast Those Two Geeks among numerous other specialty podcasts. The site has evolved into what you see today to cover not just comics, but also movies, television, games, fashion, and technology, while keeping its “geek” roots.

Ink & Imagination 007: Creator Rights Part One: Jack Kirby, The King of Comics

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