10 People Who Changed The Comic Book Industry Forever

1. Jack Kirby

Look, you don't get called the King of Comics for nothing.

Jack Kirby is the man responsible for the superhero genre being what it is today. He was the single most important figure at Marvel during the bullpen boom, creating the Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, the X-Men, Black Panther, The Avengers and of course, Captain America (alongside Joe Simon).

When he left for DC in the early seventies, he ended up reinventing the company's universe, creating a 'Fourth World' that revolved around the Lords of New Genesis and Apokolips. Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Orion and Darkseid were all created by the writer/artist in a period which saw him unleash his full potential, adding further creations in Kamandi and Etrigan to his resume later down the line.

Kirby pretty much wrote the book on superhero sci-fi, made Marvel what it was in the sixties and set the course for modern comic book-dom in the process. There are few creators, if any, who could possibly claim to have influenced the medium more than he in the last century, and with most of the world's most famous heroes having first emanated from the WWII veteran's fingertips, the contest was over a long time ago.

Jack Kirby is the King of Comics. Of that, there is no doubt.

Who do you think influenced the comic book industry the most? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!