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.
If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see that your life is your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?
There are two languages that I love: Farsi and Panjabi. Because the depth of Sufi thought in these two languages cannot be found in any other language.
I can't distract myself enough here, for sketches to a new opera are constantly buzzing around in my head, to the extent that I need all my strength to wrest myself from them.
I am a novelist. I traffic in subtleties, and my goal in writing a novel is to leave the reader not knowing what to think. A good novel shouldn't have a point.
The sound of the rain needs no translation. In music one doesn't make the end of the composition the point of the composition... Same way in dancing, you don't aim at one particular spot in the room... The whole point of dancing is the dance.
What I wanted to do was to get that sense of being in touch with this lost world while holding onto what draws readers and audiences there in the first place.
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