Overheard a guy at the shop say McFarlane is a better artist than Kirby

I was flipping through some Dollar Bin books last weekend and this dude in a Deadpool hoodie tells his friend that Todd McFarlane is a better artist than Jack Kirby. I mean, I get liking the 90s style and all the web lines and pouches, but saying he's better than the guy who drew the whole Marvel universe into existence? Kirby basically invented the visual language of comics. McFarlane did some cool Spider-Man poses. Not the same thing. Am I the only one who thinks people sleep on how much Kirby changed the game?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthewsullivan1mo ago

Man, that's a rough one to overhear. You have my sympathy for having to stand there and bite your tongue. People really do forget that Kirby basically drew the blueprint for every superhero comic that came after him. McFarlane is a talented guy with a great style for his time, but comparing him to the guy who co-created the Fantastic Four and the New Gods is just wild. It feels like a lot of fans only know the 90s stuff and never bother to look back at the real foundations of the medium.

wadebailey1mo ago

Wait, you seriously had me rethinking this. I used to be all about the 90s artists like McFarlane, but you're right, Kirby literally built the whole house while everyone else just painted the walls.