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Remembering My Time With Jack Kirby, By Lords Of Light Producer Barry Geller

Published Tue, 29 Aug 2017 17:30:29 -0500

Barry Gellar was the screenplay writer and producer who tried to get the Lords Of Light adaptation made as a movie using Jack Kirby's designs, with plans for a science education theme park to follow. It failed, but that screenplay and those designs were then used by the CIA as subterfuge to try and free US diplomate in Iran, later inspiring the movie Argo. The designs recently saw light courtesy of Heavy Metal Magzine. Barry writes for Bleeding Cool, on the occasion of Jack Kirby's 100th birthday,

In all of the times I visited Jack, he took our creative meetings in his Chair, which was always right next to his Table. There were other times, where he reminisced about life on this planet, or life on other planets. One time I remember his being miffed at NASA for sending out the Voyager spaceship which had Earth's location, history, and language. 'Now they know where to find us' Jack would complain, but with good humor, although he was deadly serious. For these few meetings he would move his chair away from the Table, especially if I'd brought Reading materials, books on India, or the like, and we'd gather around a nearby end-table, trying on opinions and perceptions back and forth. Whenever I came back to their house to see the completed Drawing, Roz would lead me into Jack's studio and there he would be, sitting in his Chair, looking up at me with a kind of "cat who ate the canary" smile in his eyes and on his face, a Cheshire smile indeed. On the Drawing Table would be the latest Lord of Light creation, completely drawn and inked, usually looking exactly as we discussed — plus an additional universe thrown in. A religious sound of silence usually greeted the unveiling of the Drawings, either from bankers, artists, actors, FX people, or architects like Soleri. The Presence of Jack Kirby, on his Chair at his Table, always watched on. And he is still there today.

What was Jack Kirby's perception of Life….?

Jack Kirby was an interesting but very influential teacher. I'd operated so much on a pure perception level about people like him, it's taken me years to interpret my own consciousness — as much as parts of me had wanted to repress & forget.

It wasn't a "Master – Pupil," it wasn't "Film Business," etc. But what it was had more relationship to Exuberance of Life, to having a Seer talking to you directly face to face, and being able to receive and direct, and Respond; taking and receiving and bringing his views to a new dimension. How does one describe a perfectly communicated and understood conversation? This "level" of awareness only emerges between us after being inspired by our great chess match of ideas. Keenly and sharply played. The end of which I knew, from the gleam in Jack's eye, he was ready to draw.

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