Jack Kirby Way: New York City Honors the “King of Comics”

The New York City Council approved in December 2025 the renaming of the block of Essex Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets as “Jack Kirby Way.” A sign will be unveiled on Monday, May 11, 2026, after a temporary marker was placed last summer for the *Fantastic Four: First Steps* promotion. Sources list the unveiling as May 11, 2026; a few cite only May 11, with no reported opposition.

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Jacob Kurtzberg, born in 1917 to Jewish immigrants, grew up in a Lower East Side tenement on Delancey Street. As Jack Kirby he co-created Marvel’s flagship heroes—Captain America, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and Black Panther—and contributed work to DC. He produced over 20,000 pages of published art.

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Pop-culture historian Roy Schwartz led the lobbying that secured council approval, while Columbia curator Karen Green advocated for a decade. Marvel’s Dan Buckley called Kirby “a once-in-a-generation talent” and said “NYC sits at the heart of storytelling.” Andrew Aydin called writing Captain America “a dream… and a tremendous honor to add my voice to Kirby’s canon.”

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Kirby’s output exceeds 20,000 pages and includes Marvel’s core pantheon. His panels and designs underpin the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has generated over $30 billion worldwide. Naming a street after him adds New York City to a list of honorees—politicians, activists and artists—and links the area near Katz’s Deli and Russ and Daughters to the superhero settings.

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Most sources list the unveiling as May 11, 2026; a few cite only May 11 without a year. No organized opposition has been reported.

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• “He had a once-in-a-generation talent and ability to capture anything in his mind, from abstract cosmic deities and explosive super heroic battles to more relatable, yet powerful, character moments, and breathe life into them on every page,” — Dan Buckley, head of Marvel Comics and Franchise

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• “If you’ll notice the way the Thing talks and acts, you’ll find that the Thing is really Jack Kirby,” — Jack Kirby

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• “He co-created most of the Marvel pantheon and a good chunk of DC’s and he coined many of the art form’s visual idioms. Kirby is to comics what Shakespeare is to literature—the great master who’ll forever be its highest standard.” — Roy Schwartz, pop-culture historian

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• “Writing Captain America was a dream come true, but it was also a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous honor to add my voice to Kirby’s canon,” — Andrew Aydin, author

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The May 11 ceremony will install the sign, and the Smithsonian will continue expanding its Kirby collection, underscoring ongoing institutional recognition of his legacy.

Smithsonian Magazine