San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

Red Skull cosplay at Comic-Con!

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

More female cosplay using the stripes as a girdle.

San Diego Comic-Con Cosplay 2012

Captain America & Wonder Woman! Two great tastes that go together! :)

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

More Cap cosplay! I liked how some of the female ones were using the mid stripes with a girdle. Very clever.

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

More pics from Comic-Con. Here is a more casual form of cosplay with the Soska Twins from Canada giving us some Cap and Spider-man. I didn't know who they were before I took these photos since I was enjoying the slightly goth look mashed up with a Cap costume but it sounds like these ladies, Jen and Sylvia Soska, are horror actresses and producers.

SDCC 2012: Remembering Joe Simon & Jerry Robinson Panel

One of the first panels I saw at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego was the Remembering Joe Simon and Jerry Robinson panel. Both creators not only lived long lives but contributed greatly to the comics industry. I usually don't go beyond anything Captain America-related here but I got a chance to meet Jerry two years ago and he was incredibly nice, as were most of the Golden Age creators. Bob Kane took the credit publicly for Batman but, behind the scenes, it was Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger, Shelly Moldoff, and others who made the character the icon it is today.

Joe Simon was just as prolific and, fortunately, was able to publicly put his name on his creations with Jack Kirby. Most hardcore fans know the impact Simon had even though there are still some non-fans and knuckleheads out there still thinking Stan Lee created Cap. But if you need a refresher course on Simon's impact, I recommend reading his auto biography, "Joe Simon: My Life in Comics", which was published by Titan Books about 6 months before his death.

Moderating the panel was writer Mark Evanier. Really, any panel Evanier moderates at Comic-Con and Wonder Con is a must for fans of Golden age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age comics or any fan of comics history.

On the panel was Steve Saffel (above) who worked with Simon at Titan Books. Saffel helped Simon on his autobiography, I believe, as well as being instrumental in getting many of Simon & Kirby's non-Marvel and DC works back into print. I wanted to meet Saffel two years ago at the Titan booth because of his work with the Comic Geek Speak group on their Golden Age Spotlight on Captain America but he wasn't at his booth when I stopped by. I did pick up an early copy of their first Simon & Kirby Super-Heroes collection, which contains the only thing I have signed by Simon.

Saffel did say he saw Simon up until the night before he passed and that he use to bring him some of the Captain America merchandise that was coming out for the movie. The touching part for me was that he mentioned that one of those small toy Cap shields was put into Simon's coffin before the burial.

I'm not sure who this is since the guest line up changed a little from the program guide but this gentleman use to live near Simon.

Switching back to Robinson, his son Jim appeared on the panel.

Not really having a connection to Simon, producer Michael Uslan (above) and writer Paul Dini (below) talked about Robinson.

Creator Batton Lash (below) was also on the panel.

The final panelist was Anthony Tollin.

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

More cosplay from the San Diego Con. This guy actually lives in San Diego and is in the Navy.

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Cosplay

Yes, I've been neglecting this blog. I've been concentrating on my artwork this year while diversions like this blog were tucked away for half a year. But, time to activate it again with some recent San Diego Comic-Con goodies like this cosplay for American Dream.

2011 Justice Jet

Item: Captain America First Avenger Justice Jet
Year: 2011
Company: Hasbro

Comments: It took me awhile to find this one in the stores. Another tie-in with the other FIRST AVENGER movie toys. This is the Justice Jet and comes with a Cap figure as shown.

1999 Legends of the Fridge Cap Magnet

Item: Legends of the Fridge Captain America Magnet
Year: 1999
Company: Polar Magnetics Inc.

Comments: From the late 1990s, a Cap magnet using Ron Garney artwork. You can't really see it here but the magnet is raised up for a 3-D effect.

2011 Marvel Super Stars Magazine

Item: Marvel Super Stars Magazine #4
Year: 2011
Company: Marvel

Comments: July 2011, just in time for the FIRST AVENGER push, saw this magazine featuring Cap. The art looks a little like the stuff from a digest version of Marvel's kid-friendly comics, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES.

2011 The Courageous Captain America Little Golden Book

Item: The Courageous Captain America Little Golden Book
Year: 2011
Company: Golden Books/Random House

Comments: Little Golden Books was a favorite when I was a wee child so it is rather nice to see this and other Captain America-themed children's books this year. This book is small in format and not with a lot of pages but looks to be different than the other Courageous Cap Kids books.

2011 First Avenger Movie Magazine

Item: Captain America: The First Avenger Official Movie Special
Year: 2011
Company: Marvel Comics/Disney

Comments: Newsstand magazine for the FIRST AVENGER movie including puzzles, movie photos, and comics. A nice little package.

2011 Courageous Cap Coloring Book

Item: The Courageous Captain America Coloring Book
Year: 2011
Company: Dalmatian Press, LLC

Comments: Yet another Cap coloring book by Dalmatian. I'll need to check this with the other one to see if the interiors are the same but just with a different cover (I suspect so).

Comics Legend Joe Simon Passes Away

Sad news in the comics world as comics legend and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon has passed away on December 14th, 2011 at the age of 98. This on the heels of the passing of another Golden Age giant, Jerry Robinson, and of Uruguayan artist Eduardo Barreto.

If you want to know the impact of Simon's life on the comic book industry, I strongly recommend reading his auto biography, Joe Simon: My Life in Comics. He was Marvel Comics's first editor. He and Jack Kirby created Captain America and Bucky. He moved on to DC Comics where he revamped The Sandman and created the Boy Commandos, the Newsboy Legion, and the Guardian. Later, he and Kirby created Romance comics and the Captain America knock off/parody of McCarthism hero Fighting American. Other lesser known works were Prez and Brother Power the Geek for DC, The Fly for Archie Comics, and much more. Oh, and while he was an editor for Timely/Marvel, he hired this kid that was the owner's nephew. Stanley Lieber. What ever happened to that kid?

Fans were fortunate enough to see Simon recently at the New York Comic-Con. He had not made many west coast convention appearances of late but I myself was lucky enough to see him at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1998 where he received an award.

I've been a huge Captain America fan for years and with my interest in the character growing deeper over the years, so has my knowledge about its creators and the history. The Golden Age creators that I've met over the years were always a different breed. Not only did they break into comics when it was a new industry, but most of them dreamed of being a comic STRIP artist like Caniff or writing that Great American Novel (Stan Lee). Most didn't think this comic book thing would amount to much and certainly never give them the accolades they would receive at conventions. Hence, most of the creators I met during the 1990s were so very humble if not a little dumbfounded by what all these little funny books turned into. There was very little ego with these guys. Sadly, many of the Golden Age greats that I thankfully saw in the 1990s are no longer with us and, with the passing of Simon and Jerry Robinson, we just lost two HUGE links to the beginning of modern comic books.

I really thought Joe would make 100. Just last week, with the passing of Robinson, I was discussing with a friend about the not-so-secret to a long life that both seem to possess: keeping busy! And 98 is a long life and Joe used it well. While I'm sad, we should also celebrate his life. He contributed a lot to the industry and his greatest creation, Captain America, is riding high with a major motion picture (which he saw and apparently liked) and the comics are some of the best. Not bad for a character that just turned 70.

Rest well, Joe.
You earned it.

 (Above: Mark Evanier gives Joe his Inkpot Award at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1998. Although, is this an Inkpot or another legacy award? Looking at the award this past summer, an Inkpot is shaped just like that.)

Joe Simon's greatest creation came early with the debut of Captain America above.

The sketch that started it all. Even before Jack Kirby co-created the character, Joe drew out the design.

Inspired by seeing a red cherry on top of an ice cream sundae, Simon created the arch villain, the Red Skull. Above, we see his demise in that very first issue but he would return again and again.

 McCarthyism's answer to Captain America, the Fighting American! He quickly became a parody though.

One of my favorite Simon and Kirby creations: The Fly from Archie Comics. I use to see these old back issues and liked the restrained look for a super hero comic (the later issues after S&K left). That and Fly Girl looked pretty hot to this teen. Only years later did I find out that the Fly was another S&K creation and I picked up the first two issues back in 2007.

Joe Simon covered his life in comics the first time with the book The Comic Book Makers but, this year, he gave a far more in depth autobiography with Joe Simon: My Life in Comics, which I immediately read this past summer. Perfect timing, Joe, and a wrap to your long productive life. But that was Joe Simon, folks. Perfect timing. When comics first started, he was there. When we needed a patriotic hero, he was one of the first to deliver one. When a stand needed to be taken against Hitler before December 7th, 1941, he was there with Captain America Comics #1. And Romance Comics. And industry contracts. Impeccable timing, Joe. And a great legacy.

You did good, Joe. you did good.