Alex Ross, Kurt Busiek to team up on “Kirby: Genesis” for Dynamite

Art by Jack Herbert and Alex Ross from "Kirby: Genesis."

DALLAS — On the same night that the late artist Jack Kirby was honored by the ComicsPRO comic-book retailer trade organization, Dynamite Entertainment publisher Nick Barrucci announced new details on the upcoming “Kirby: Genesis” series from Dynamite Entertainment.

Kirby, co-creator of characters including Captain America, Thor, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, was given the Memorial ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Award for those who have passed away and left an indelible mark on the profession of comic-book specialty retailing.

Bob Chapman of Graphitti Designs accepted the Memorial Award on behalf of the Kirby family and spoke of Kirby’s dedication to the growing direct market in the 1980s, when he created the characters of Silver Star and Captain Victory at publisher Pacific Comics.

Those two characters, plus more, will return in “Kirby: Genesis,” by the “Marvels” creative team of writer Kurt Busiek and painter Alex Ross, joined by artist Jack Herbert.

“The best part about this is not only are Kurt and Alex co-plotting it; not only is Kurt writing it; not only is Alex doing thumbnails and helping to draw it; he’ll also be painting interiors on the book,” Barrucci said at the meeting.

Barrucci described the teaming of Ross and Busiek as their most substantial collaboration since the Eisner Award-winning “Marvels” in 1993.

In “Kirby: Genesis,” the Pioneer 10 space probe carried a message to the stars. Now an answer’s on the way — but not one that was expected. When it arrives, the lives of three ordinary people — and the entire world — will be changed forever.

New, previously unseen Jack Kirby creations will debut in this series, which will kick off with a 32-page $1 issue in May.