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Avengers Vol 1 (start date 1964), issue #16 (published 1965)

Art by Jack Kirby

When he first began work as an artist, Jacob Kurtzberg tried a handful of different aliases – including Jack Curtiss, Curt Davis, and Lance Kirby – before settling on Jack Kirby. He liked how much the name reminded him of actor James Cagney.

Avengers Vol 1 (start date 1964), issue #16 (published 1965)

Art by Jack Kirby

When he first began work as an artist, Jacob Kurtzberg tried a handful of different aliases – including Jack Curtiss, Curt Davis, and Lance Kirby – before settling on Jack Kirby. He liked how much the name reminded him of actor James Cagney.

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Avengers Vol 1 (start date 1964), issue #12 (published 1965)

Art by Jack Kirby

“Jack was the single most influential figure in the turnaround in Marvel’s fortunes from the time he rejoined the company…It wasn’t merely that Jack conceived most of the characters that are being done, but…Jack’s point of view and philosophy of drawing became the governing philosophy of the entire publishing company and, beyond the publishing company, of the entire field…[Marvel took] Jack and use[d] him as a primer. They would get artists…and they taught them the ABCs, which amounted to learning Jack Kirby… Jack was like the Holy Scripture and they simply had to follow him without deviation. That’s what was told to me … It was how they taught everyone to reconcile all those opposing attitudes to one single master point of view.” – Gil Kane

Avengers Vol 1 (start date 1964), issue #12 (published 1965)

Art by Jack Kirby

“Jack was the single most influential figure in the turnaround in Marvel’s fortunes from the time he rejoined the company…It wasn’t merely that Jack conceived most of the characters that are being done, but…Jack’s point of view and philosophy of drawing became the governing philosophy of the entire publishing company and, beyond the publishing company, of the entire field…[Marvel took] Jack and use[d] him as a primer. They would get artists…and they taught them the ABCs, which amounted to learning Jack Kirby… Jack was like the Holy Scripture and they simply had to follow him without deviation. That’s what was told to me … It was how they taught everyone to reconcile all those opposing attitudes to one single master point of view.” – Gil Kane

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Avengers vol 1 (start date 1964), issue 4 (published 1964)

Art by Jack Kirby

The original Avengers discover Captain America alive, twenty years after being frozen in ice! This issue introduces Steve’s now core theme of being a Man Out Of Time, and adds him to the Avengers roster.

In 1961, Jack and Stan Lee created The Fantastic Four, a landmark series that became a hit and revolutionized the industry with its combination of comparative naturalism and Jack’s seemingly boundless cosmic imaginings. For almost a decade after, Jack provided what became known as Marvel’s house style, co-creating and designing many of Marvel’s most enduring characters and character teams – like the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, The X-Men, The Hulk, Black Panther, Silver Surfer, Antman, and Doctor Doom.  Jack would also give new-to-Marvel artists a unified look and visual vocabulary to use.