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.

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.

"Captain America" in Mexico

A funky little find and perhaps a lesson on copyrighted characters in other countries: FANTÁSTICO #18 from 1956 by Editora Sol. This is a reprint of FIGHTING AMERICAN, the Simon & Kirby Captain America & Bucky spoof, but in Mexico they just used the real name. I guess they weren't fooling anyone, even back then. Still, maybe they knew they could use the Cap name south of the border and get away with it.

Above: Splash page from FANTÁSTICO #18 from 1956. In Mexico, Captain America is spelled Capitán América.

Above: Splash page from FANTÁSTICO #18 from 1956. Despite the "S" on Speedboy's chest (as seen on the cover), the cover refers to him as Bucky. The stories, however, still refer to him as Speedboy.

Joe Simon: My Life in Comics

One of my summer readings, Joe Simon's new autobiography comes out just in time for the FIRST AVENGER movie, Cap's 70th B-Day, and the celebration of all things Cap. Great timing!

And Simon's timing is perfect as we discover reading about his first hand experiences in the comic industry. From the creation of Captain America right before American's entry into WWII, to Romance Comics, to parodying McCarthyism with FIGHTING AMERICAN. Simon was also ahead of the curve with contracts and copyrights which served him well despite some battles over creations like Captain America.

This book is a great companion piece to his other biographical book THE COMIC BOOK MAKERS. However, this book fills in the cracks with more personal stories about Simon's family and his dealings with other industry folk. He's goes deeper here than the previous book but in a straight forward easy-to-read style with humor. This isn't a great literary novel but the man is pushing 100 and I hope we can all be that driven, witty, and sharp at that age.

Want to find out the secret origin of Bucky? It is in here! Want to know the secret of his longevity? Here too (hint: keep busy working). Want to read about the early days of comic book making with different companies and how he and Jack Kirby hustled to get work done? Here too. In all, if you are a fan of comic book history and a big enough Cap fan to want to dig deeper, feel lucky that we still have Joe Simon around to shed some light into this historic time. We've lost so many golden age greats in the last 20 years that we should be thankful that Simon is still around and telling stories.

And thanks to Titan Books for putting this and other Simon & Kirby collections together too. Editor Steve Saffel at Titan is a big Golden Age Cap fan and my only Simon autographed item for this long time fan is the signed Neil Gaiman/Joe Simon S&K collection that came out in 2010. Great stuff! Highly recommended for Cap Fans!