<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Joe Simon, with Jack Kirby, created one of the most enduring American heroes in 1940 with the first issue of Captain America Comics under the recently-minted Timely Comics banner—the company would one day become Marvel Comics. On the cover of that first issue, Captain America appeared punching Adolf Hitler months ahead of America’s entry into World War II, and sparked a controversy that led to pro-German protests on the streets in front of the Timely offices.

Comics were in their infancy, and the superhero concept had only recently burst onto the scene with the first appearance of Superman in 1938. Simon proved to be a brilliant editor, writer, penciller, inker, or businessman, depending on the demands of the individual project.

Born in 1915, he began his career as a sports illustrator for the Syracuse Journal newspaper, then relocated to New York City. He met Kirby at Fox Comics, and before joining Timely, Simon contributed stories (working solo and with Kirby) to Funnies, Inc., Centaur, Novelty, and Fox Publications, with work appearing in Crash Comics, Blue Bolt, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel Adventures, and more. Simon was the first editor in chief for Timely, working for pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman, and brought a teenage Stan Lee to the staff. Simon and Kirby contributed stories to other Timely titles: the Vision in Marvel Mystery Comics, Marvel Boy in Daring Mysteries, and the Red Raven in Red Raven Comics. They also contributed spot illustrations to Goodman’s ongoing science fiction pulps.

After a dispute with Goodman, in 1942 Simon & Kirby moved to National Comics, publishers of Superman and Batman, where they illustrated adventures of the Sandman and the Manhunter for Adventure Comics, the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion for Star Spangled Comics, the Boy Commandos for Detective Comics and Boy Commandos, and contributed material to World’s Finest Comics and All Star Comics.

Both Simon and Kirby were drafted in 1943, and Simon served with the Coast Guard. In the years that followed World War II, he served as an editor for Archie, Harvey, Fox, Crestwood, and Mainline Publications—their own company. They commissioned and created stories in just about every genre, including westerns (Boys Ranch and Bullseye), detective fiction (Headline Comics, Police Trap), military adventures (Foxhole), horror (Black Magic), science fiction (Race for the Moon), and super heroes (The Fly, Fighting American). With the Mainline titles Young Romance and Young Love, they became pioneers of romance comics, and Simon created the humorous Sick Magazine.

In the 1960s Simon moved to advertising, and produced political and educational comics. He continued to create concepts for DC in the ‘60s and ‘70s, including cult-favorites like Prez, The Green Team, and Brother Power: The Geek. In 2002 he released his autobiography, The Comic-Book Makers, and in September 2003 he reached an agreement with Marvel, settling a dispute over ownership of Captain America. Since that time Simon and Kirby have been credited as the character’s creator in every issue of the ongoing series.