Credit Where Credit Is Due

Today's Los Angeles Times has a short piece on the lack of both credit Jack Kirby gets and money his estate receives for movies featuring characters he co-created such as the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and the X-Men. For those unfamiliar with the issue, these (and more) are characters he co-created with Stan Lee. Theoretically, Stan wrote and Jack drew, but their working relationship was fairly complicated, and the responsibilities don't appear to break down quite so clearly. Since Stan is still alive, he's been able to pursue his own interests, but Kirby, who died about ten years ago, is represented by his estate and his heirs, who don't have quite the same pull. Mark Evanier, a long-time friend of Kirby and his family, points out that a news story as short as this one can't properly convey the full picture, and he's got quibbles with some of the Times's interpretations of the details.