Jack Kirby filled his comics with a lot of futuristic, wacky and often brilliant ideas, but was he a conspiracy theorist? Kenn Thomas — a noted conspiracy theorist himself — seems to think so.

Hey, Kirby crafted the story “The Face on Mars” nearly 20 years before the mysterious rocky feature was even discovered. What more proof do you need?

When Steamshovel Press editor Kenn Thomas speaks on “JFK to UFO” at RetroCon, his prefatory remarks will concern “Jack Kirby, Conspiracy Theorist”. Thomas looks at the famous comic book artist’s interest in parapolitics as well as the possibilities that Kirby had back channel sources within the world of covert intelligence. Richard Hoagland speculated that the secret space program gave Kirby information leading to the artist’s 1958 comic book story, “The Face On Mars”–an anomaly that did not become part of the conspiracy lexicon until the Viking probe’s Cydonia photographs of 1976.

Thomas examines the history of this as well as Kirby’s prescient forecasts of American involvement in World War II and Vietnam; the use of conspiracy themes in his 1970s comics; and his documented involvement with a CIA rescue operation during the 1980 Iranian crisis.

Who needs Tony Stark: Futurist when you have Jack Kirby?

Although this is the first I’ve heard of the Kirby Conspiracy — where have I been? — Neatorama says it’s made the rounds in certain circles since Hoagland floated the theory a few years back.

Sure, you scoff now. But remember this when the Great Disaster strikes, and you’re running around in denim cut-offs, fighting robot gangsters, tiger pirates and giant grasshoppers: You should’ve listened to Jack Kirby.

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