Jack Kirbys influence on comics culture is undeniable. Its not an understatement to say that he is responsible for much, if not all, of the comics language we read when we look at superhero comics.Even now, 30 years after he passed, we still fawn over his creations, whether its when his characters hit the big screen (as with Fantastic Four) or when a new story with his characters are stocked in comic book shops (as with Ram V and Evan Cagles brilliant New Gods comic). But a new documentary announced this week seeks to place him alongside titans of art and pop culture from the 20th century.Ricki Stern, the Emmy-nominated director of documentaries like Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work and Reversing Roe will direct Kirbyvision. Jack was not only one of the great comic book artists of all time, but a true visionary genius, Stern said in a statement. In this new feature length documentary, we actively campaign for the recognition he finally deserves as a leading artist and storyteller of the 20th Century.The film has backing from Dan Braun and Josh Braun from Submarine Entertainment, producers of two of the nominees for Best Documentary at the Oscars, and more importantly, has the support of the Kirby Estate behind it, lending prestige and authority to the production. It also, in the interest of full disclosure, has Den of Geek Chief Creative Officer Chris Longo and former Den of Geek Editor-in-Chief Mike Cecchini onboard producing.If Im able to editorialize a bit, its about time. When you think about the titans of the comics industry, even if you include writers, its hard to think of anyone whose impact inside comics matches Kirby, and its impossible to come up with a name that matches him outside comics.Kirby was so creative that the comics page literally could not contain it. He wrote and drew the most popular books in the medium at a time when the art form was at its peak, the kind of work that fine art scholars went back and studied for years. The mixed media pages in his Fourth World books are staggering hypnotic and disturbing, and clearly the product of someone who sees a whole different world when he looks at a blank sheet of Bristol board.At the same time, theres more to Kirby than just his contributions to the art world. The best biographies are always about something other than the subject. Kirbys story is about a man with boundless creativity who defined an artistic medium, but its also the story of Americas shift to a global power and the development of the middle class. Kirby was born dirt poor and drew his way out of poverty. He was so passionate about the ideals of his country that he co-created the avatar of what it could be at its best, and then lived that at both ends of his career, first as a scout in Europe in World War II, sneaking behind enemy lines and drawing recon maps; and later lending old concept art to the CIA to get Americans out of Iran during the hostage crisis. He created a whole mythology that reflected the best American ideals standing up for people who need help, stories that were explicitly anti-fascist and anti-war in a medium that was cheap and easy to share with the world, projecting those values to kids around the world.At a time when we are retreating from our responsibilities and violating those ideals, a story like this is critical to show us the way back.