Joe Simon

Click here to see Joe Simon gesturing at a wall poster of many of his characters

After Joe Simon created Captain America at his legendary Simon and Kirby Studios, Simon became the first Editor-in-Chief of the company now called Marvel. Simon also created Fighting American and Boys' Ranch among a host of cartoon characters that have been treasured by generations of avid and loyal fans worldwide.

As Marvel Comics noted in their recent best-selling hardcover book of the authors' 1950 masterpiece, Fighting American, "Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are quite possibly the most successful collaborators in the history of comics...Their influence on the comics field is still powerfully felt today."

The New York Times Book Review acclaimed Simon and Kirby as "AWESOME CREATIVE FORCES." Their works have been republished in many upscale publications.

Joe Simon invented the prototype of the original Spider-Man, the Romance Comics genre, the original Fly, Stuntman, Black Magic, and The Shield, to name a few. He founded SICK Magazine, provided publications and art for the U.S. Olympic Committee and other national associations. As director of Research and Development for Harvey Comics, he helped develop Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Baby Huey, and other favorites of children and parents.

Jack Kirby's creations are legendary. His legion of fans is universal--As are the characters of Simon and Kirby; They are timeless.

The characters of Simon and Kirby live on. This is a collection of their favorites.

Joe Simon started his art career in the newspaper field. In the mid-1930s, he came to New York and stumbled into the then new publishing venture called comic books. A shabby, amateurish industry of lackluster talents, it was far removed from today's multi-million dollar phenomenon which is now regarded by cultists and educators as a true American art form.

In 1939, Simon moved to comics, free-lancing for Funnies, Inc one of the first comics packaging shops. Funnies was run by a former World War One Colonel, Lloyd Jacquet. While free-lancing for Funnies Inc, Simon produced art and stories for Centaur, Novelty, and Fox Publications.

After creating Captain America, which was published by Timely (Marvel), Simon went on to DC Comics where he created the popular Newsboy Legion, Sandman, Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. He created Stuntman, Boy Explorers, and Boys' Ranch for Harvey Publications, The Fly for Archie Comics, and Fighting American, Bulls Eye, and the entire romance genre for Prize Publications. Besides editing for Timely, Fox, Harvey, and Crestwood, Simon was publisher of Mainline Publications and Sick Magazine.

In the 1960s, Joe Simon moved to advertising. He produced many political, commercial, and educational comics. In the 1970s, he created comics for DC and Marvel while continuing his work in advertising. DC and Marvel have continued to license and reprint his work. Marvel has reprinted hard-cover deluxe editions of his collected work in the books Fighting American, Boy's Ranch, and the two-volume Captain America: The Early Years.

He has been interviewed in many publications, including The Chicago Tribune, as well as having been interviewed on television and radio, and he has spoken at various universities. His art has been auctioned at Christies. In 1990, Joe Simon, with his son, Jim Simon, wrote The Comic Book Makers, an autobiographical history of the comics.

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