Joe Simon

In 1954, industry legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby founded Mainline Publications to publish their own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—Bullseye, Foxhole, Police Trap, and In Love—looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions by Mort Meskin and others. After the company’s dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertising, and Kirby taking unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with Challengers of the Unknown and the early Marvel Universe. With loving art restoration by Chris Fama, and an historical overview by John Morrow to put it all into perspective, the Best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline Comics presents some of the final, and finest, work Joe and Jack ever produced!

Modern-day masters pay homage to the legends that created the Marvel Universe in this deluxe collection of Tribute tales -- each featuring classic stories reinvented, page by page, by the best of today's talents Working from the original scripts of some of the most important comic books ever printed, a veritable who's who of the industry's finest illustrators choose how best to honor what came before -- whether by adhering to the layout and panel structure of the originals, or doing things completely differently in their own unique style. You likely know these timeless tales of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk...but you have never seen them like this COLLECTING: Giant-Size X-Men: A Tribute to Wein & Cockrum (2020) 1, Captain America Anniversary Tribute (2021) 1, Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute (2021) 1, Hulk 60th Anniversary Tribute (2022) 1, Thor 60th Anniversary Tribute (2022) 1

The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents the origin stories, seminal tales, and characters of the Marvel Universe to explore Marvel's transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy.A Penguin Classics Marvel Collection EditionIt is impossible to imagine American popular culture without Marvel Comics. For decades, Marvel has published groundbreaking visual narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels: as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness; as meditations on the fluid nature of identity; and as high-water marks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning, to name a few.Drawing upon multiple comic book series, this collection includes Captain America's very first appearances from 1941 alongside key examples of his first solo stories of the 1960s, in which Steve Rogers, the newly resurrected hero of World War II, searches to find his place in a new and unfamiliar world. As the contents reveal, the transformations of this American icon thus mark parallel transformations in the nation itself.A foreword by Gene Luen Yang and scholarly introductions and apparatus by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of Captain America and classic Marvel comics.The Penguin Classics black spine paperback features full-colour art throughout.

The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents the origin stories, seminal tales, and characters of the Marvel Universe to explore Marvel's transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy.A Penguin Classics Marvel Collection EditionIt is impossible to imagine American popular culture without Marvel Comics. For decades, Marvel has published groundbreaking visual narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels: as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness; as meditations on the fluid nature of identity; and as high-water marks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning, to name a few.Drawing upon multiple comic book series, this collection includes Captain America's very first appearances from 1941 alongside key examples of his first solo stories of the 1960s, in which Steve Rogers, the newly resurrected hero of World War II, searches to find his place in a new and unfamiliar world. As the contents reveal, the transformations of this American icon thus mark parallel transformations in the nation itself.A foreword by Gene Luen Yang and scholarly introductions and apparatus by Ben Saunders offer further insight into the enduring significance of Captain America and classic Marvel comics.The Deluxe Hardcover edition features gold foil stamping, gold top stain edges, special endpapers with artwork spotlighting series villains, and full-colour art throughout.

Steve Rogers might have been the prototypical 98-pound weakling, but that wasn't going to stop him from serving his country. Transformed by the Super-Soldier Serum into America's #1 fighting man, Steve became a symbol of patriotism, hope and perseverance on the eve of the nation's entrance into World War II. Never before and never since has comics seen a hero as timely as - Captain America Now, you can experience the original Golden Age adventures of the Sentinel of Liberty from his 1941 inaugural appearance You'll meet Bucky Barnes and the Red Skull for the first time, behold Simon & Kirby's trend-setting brand of storytelling, and even read Stan Lee's very first comic book tale Captain America Comics (1941) 1-12

The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your window - from the moment Captain America charged into battle in World War II, to the present day Marvel's characters face relevant and real-life issues alongside their extraordinary adventures - from grappling with alcoholism, to participating in politics, to celebrating diversity and everything in between These powerful stories from Marvel's 80-year history feature iconic heroes tackling heavy-hitting subjects, including drug abuse, teen suicide, HIV, terrorism, school shootings and more. COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) 97, HOWARD THE DUCK (1976) 8, IRON MAN (1968) 128, NEW MUTANTS (1983) 45, ALPHA FLIGHT (1983) 106, UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 303, INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) 420, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) 36, CAPTAIN AMERICA (2002) 1, ASTONISHING X-MEN (2004) 51, MS. MARVEL (2015) 13, CHAMPIONS (2016) 24; & MATERIAL FROM CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS 2 AND AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) 583

The names Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are synony­mous with comic books, and their partnership ush­ered in the Golden Age of comics starting in the 1940s. Together they created memorable characters such as Captain America and Sandman, invented romance com­ics, and raised the standard for the genres of western, crime, and horror comic books. Over the course of three decades they wrote and illustrated several hundred comics, many of which are reproduced in this oversized volume covering all aspects of their amazing career. Selected and with an introduction by Mark Evanier, the foremost authority on the work of Simon and Kirby, and an afterword by Jim Simon, son of Joe Simon, the book includes artwork photographed from the original art in Joe Simon’s private archive and showcases the seminal work of Simon and Kirby and their artistry as it has never been seen before.

At every point, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby raised the bar.When they came to comics, Superman had been around for about a year, and the medium was still in its infancy. They took the action and made it explode, breaking out of the panels and sprinting across the page. They showed what comics could do, experimenting with layout and design, creating the first full-page panels and double page spreads.Their first million-seller was a superhero (Captain America), and their next was military adventure that outsold Superman (DC's Boy Commandos). These two guys from Rochester and Brooklyn broke all the rules when they created the first romance comics, and they blazed trails in every genre: horror, science fiction, crime etc ...Their work in the legendary title Black Magic was acclaimed by readers. It was held up on national television by the Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, where experts claimed Black Magic contributed to the corruption of American youth! Also included here are the Simon and Kirby stories from the experimental terror title Strange World of Your Dreams.

The creators of "Captain America" produced some of the most thrilling science fiction. Spanning more than 20 years, this volume features the first stories Joe Simon and Jack Kirby ever produced together ("The Blue Bolt Adventures") as well as "Race for the Moon", featuring pencils by Kirby and inked artwork by comic book legends Reed Crandall, Angelo Torres, and Al Williamson.

In the late 1940s, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby creators of Captain America set the comics world on fire with the creation of a new genre that resulted in some of the best-selling American comic books of all time: the romance comics. The stories they created were exciting, innovative, and beautifully drawn, and remain a high point in both artists careers, even as Kirby went on to become the unrivaled King of Comics and co-creator (along with Stan Lee) of many of the most iconic characters in American history. These two towering titans of the field produced stories for titles such as Young Romance, Young Love, and Western Love for over twelve years until the genre ran out of steam in 1959, and Jack Kirby moved on to a little-known outfit called Marvel Comics.The Romance Comics of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby brings this wonderful work back to light by reprinting 21 stories in full-color, from 13 years of Simon and Kirby s romance comics: 200 pages of never-before reprinted material painstakingly restored over a five-year period by award-winning artist and animator Michel Gagne (Flight, Star Wars: Clone Wars).

"Gripping from the first page... If you love comic books, history, or just love a story of a real self-made man, you must read this book." - Shadowlocked"A true visionary, Simon's book is laced with never-before-seen photos and illustrations, and told in his own words. If you're at all curious about the history of comics and one of its earliest visionaries, My Life in Comics is a must-read." - IGN"... a lovely memoir, often funny, sometimes thought-provoking, and never ostentatious. It’s a true pleasure to read." - Graphic Novel Reporter"... essential reading for any fan of comic book history and storytelling." - ComicBook.com--In his own words, this is the life of Joe Simon, one of the most important figures in comics history, and half of the famous creative team Simon and Kirby. Joe Simon co-created Captain America, and was the first editor in chief of Marvel Comics (where he hired Stan Lee for his first job in comics). Simon began his prolific career in the Great Depression, and this book recounts his journey to New York City, his first comic book work, his meeting with Jack Kirby, and the role comics played in wartime America. He remembers the near-death of the comics, and the scramble to survive. And he reveals what it was like to bring comics out of their infancy, as they became an American art form.

Beginning with Blue Bolt in June 1940, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby set the standard for costumed heroes. Their creation Captain America remains one of the most famous heroes in comic book history, and their work for Timely and DC Comics raised the bar.This large format hardcover collects the duo’s most exciting characters: Fighting American, their cold-war take on the patriotic hero, The Fly, with origins in an unknown Spider-Man prototype, Lancelot Strong, the man with the double life, and the Hollywood swashbuckler known as Stuntman. This is the only edition authorized by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby, gathered from the official Simon and Kirby archives.

This is a collection of complete comic book stories from the legendary team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, covering every genre in which they made their mark. From the very beginning in the late 1930s, Simon and Kirby produced the finest stories around, creating dramatic new super heroes ("Captain America", "Blue Bolt", "Fighting American", and "The Fly"), western action ("Boy's Ranch"), gruesome horror ("Black Magic"), explosive detective fiction ("Justice Traps the Guilty"), and the very first romance comics ("Young Romance"). They were the dream team. This is the only edition authorised by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby; each story is hand-picked by Joe Simon himself.

In this book, original Captain America creator, Joe Simon tells the compelling, definitive history of the creators who gave us Superman, Captain America, Archie, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man and more. Meet the crime comics editor who would himself be accused of a gruesome murder; the horror artist who was periodically released from a mental hospital in order to meet his publishing dead-lines; the famous Senator Estes Kefauver, whose sub-committee investigated comic books as a cause of juvenile delinquency; and dozens of other fascinating personalities. Will Eisner said, "The Comic Book Makers is like a school reunion, lavish with anecdotes that fill in the gap of threadbare memory. The Comic Book Makers is avery valuable work by a member of one of the most important teams in comic book history. Joe Simon deserves applause."