They call him the king because Jack Kirby rules over the entire medium of superhero comics. It’s not that he was the boss, but because he was the best. You may even want to argue that if you’re not fond of his style, but you’ve got to admit that he had style bursting out in all directions. I think he was extraordinary, not only a creative wizard but a truly gifted illustrator who created unbelievably dynamic comic-book images that have burned themselves into my consciousness since I first started paying attention. In fact, if you look around at images that use a certain pop-cultural shorthand for comic books and superheroes, you see a whole lot of Kirby in those dots.
So I was giddy to come across this lengthy article on Kirby from Vice magazine. I haven’t had a chance to savor it yet, so I’m mostly writing this to file the link away for future reference and your enjoyment. Nevertheless, all hail the king!