Superman is going to live forever. They'll be reading Superman in the next century when you and I are gone. I felt, in that respect, I was doing the same thing. I wanted to be known. I wasn't going to sell a comic that was going to die quickly.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the desire for artistic legacy and immortality through one's work.
Jack Kirby expresses his ambition to create lasting art similar to Superman, emphasizing the aspiration for recognition and the belief that his creations should have enduring significance. He acknowledges that while his work may eventually be forgotten, he strives to create something that will resonate long after he is gone, thus aspiring to leave a lasting impact in the world of comics and storytelling.
In practice
In a speech about creativity, one might reference this quote to inspire artists to think about the lasting impact of their work.
I taught myself how to draw, and I soon found out it was what I really wanted to do. I didn't think I was going to create any great masterpieces like Rembrandt or Gauguin. I thought comics was a common form of art, and strictly American in my estimation, because America was the home of the common man - and show me the common man that can't do a comic. So comics is an American form of art that anyone can do with a pencil and paper.
Kid ... Comics will break your heart.
It's not in the draftsmanship, it's in the man. Like I say, a tool is dead. A brush is a dead object. It's in the man. If you want to do it, you do it.
I've never done anything half-heartedly; it's a disservice to me and the audience if I do it half-heartedly.
If you think a man draws the type of hands that you want to draw, steal ‘em. Take those hands.
Autobiography should be more stringent. It should adhere more to the standards of journalism - assuming that journalism has the truth. The memoir gives you more scope, is more poetic, and allows you to play around with your own life.
... The 'cleverness' syndrome has taken the place of melody. It's like everyone has come down with this terrible disease in jazz....you are always expected to do your own material, which is a strange thing to do if you're a poor composer but a great player.
A farmer, a hunter, a soldier, a reporter, even a philosopher, may be daunted; but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by pure love. Who can predict his comings and goings? His business calls him out at all hours, even when doctors sleep.
While photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, it is the hardest in which to develop an idiosyncratic personal vision.
Theatre is fake... The knife is not real, the blood is not real, and the emotions are not real. Performance is just the opposite: the knife is real, the blood is real, and the emotions are real.
The reason dance has held such an ageless magic for the world is that it has been the symbol of the performance of living.
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