Comic Book Legend’s Lost Works Becoming Videogames

Treasure can take many forms, and in this case it’s in the undiscovered works of Jack Kirby.

Jack Kirby may have passed away in 1994, but just like Biggie and Tupac his work will continue to live on. Kirby is a comic book industry legend, having co-created many popular characters from the Marvel Comics universe including the Fantastic Four and the Hulk. Today, undiscovered original creations of Kirby’s that were hidden away in an animation studio are planned for revival.

Though the rights to ownership of many Kirby properties are currently under dispute, these never before seen works are said to be the clear property of the animation company Kirby worked for in the 1970s when he was taking a break from comic books. When work at the studio was slow, Kirby would sketch out his own concepts, to the tune of around 600 storyboards.

Animation studio founders Joe Ruby and Ken Spears brought Kirby’s works to children’s entertainment producers Sid and Marty Krofft, and both groups plan to bring the unseen material to every form they possibly can including movies, television shows, video games, and even comic books believe it or not. As written in a New York Times article on the discovery, some of the characters amongst Kirby’s hidden creations include: “‘Roxie’s Raiders,’ an Indiana Jones-style serial about a female adventurer and her allies; ‘Golden Shield,’ about an ancient Mayan hero seeking to save earth in the apocalyptic year 2012; and ‘The Gargoids,’ about scientists who gain superpowers after being infected by an alien virus.”

Marty Krofft sees this material as a “20-year business.” Ariel Z. Emanuel, the executive representing the material to Hollywood and the rest of the world, likens the unearthing of Kirby’s concepts to finding treasure. “It’s like a boat sank at the bottom of the ocean, and all of a sudden you’ve uncovered it,” he said. For fans of comic books at least, he seems to be correct. How well Kirby’s works will translate into a current day videogame or television show remains to be seen, but the discovery and potential is certainly exciting.

Source: New York Times

Image via New York Times