We all know that Guillermo del Toro is a huge fan of horror. But the director of Hellboy has his equally deep geek roots in comics culture, as he reminded his Twitter followers Thursday when he issued a spontaneous tribute to a comics legend.
Artist and writer Jack Kirby, who died in 1994, remains one of the most influential creators in comics history. Kirby—the creator or co-creator of countless Marvel superheroes like Captain America, Black Panther, and most of the Avengers and X-Men—was a towering, award-winning figure who worked on both Marvel and DC characters for decades, wrote many of his characters’ most seminal arcs, and delivered unforgettable artwork still idolized to this day.
But Kirby was perhaps best known for the truly larger-than-life feel of his superheroes and monsters—as del Toro eloquently noted in a series of tweets.
JACK KIRBY (3 tweets) Part 1: Jack Kirby, American. Zeus. Two-fisted titan of epic imagination and boundless power. pic.twitter.com/NVhLTeeovw
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 12, 2015
Part 2: No one- ever- drew monsters like Kirby. Regardless of size, his creations had drama and style. Kirby Power. pic.twitter.com/CiIcfN9uqU
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 12, 2015
Part 3 (I lied, more Tweets): Kirby co created most of Marvel's Cosmology.Gave birth to KAMANDI, DEMON and NEW GODS! pic.twitter.com/gBHYheNk93
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 12, 2015
Part 4 (just words): No one drew heroes like Kirby. No one drew villains like Kirby. No one did Splash pages like Kirby. No one.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 12, 2015
Jacob Kurtzberg cannot fit between brackets (1917 – 1994, or in 140 characters. A Giant once walked the earth. All hail the King!
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) November 12, 2015
While Kirby is no longer with us, his vision lives on in the pages of today’s comics—and in the hearts of fans like del Toro.
Illustration via fumettologica/Tumblr