Today marks the 99th birthday of comic book virtuoso Jack Kirby (1917-1994), creator of the Fourth World saga and co-creator of many popular and influential superhero titles, including Captain America and The Fantastic Four.  Here are a couple of videos showing that his real life experiences were just as extraordinary as the characters and events he depicted on the page.

First, here’s a clip from an interview where Kirby details a chilling account of his involvement as a soldier in World War II: 

Finally, here is a clip from the 1987 documentary The Masters of Comic Book Art featuring Kirby discussing his approach to storytelling (with an introduction by Harlan Ellison):