Comics creator Joe Simon, an icon of the Golden Age and the co-creator of characters like the Sandman, the Fly, and, most memorably, Captain America, has passed away at age 98. The news broke after Simon's son posted an announcement on Facebook. During much of his career, Simon worked along with fellow comics superstar Jack Kirby; the collaboration gave the comics world some of its most famous faces during its decades-long run. In addition to their massive contributions to the superhero genre, Simon and Kirby also helped to revolutionize horror and romance comics, expanding the medium's genre potential and helping shape the comics industry we recognize today.
Joe Simon's career in comics was supplemented, even into his later years, by frequent convention appearances and involvement in studies and discussions of the comic book medium. Simon's reaction to Captain America's "death" back in 2007 is indicative of both his creative talent and his keen assessment of the real-world/comics relationship: "It's a hell of a time for him to go. We really need him now."
Joe Simon's words regarding his team-up with Kirby are similarly illuminatory:
"What happened is that it depended on the times. There were a lot of times when artists were unemployed in this business, and we had to make our own jobs by creating something off the beaten track, a new type of hero or something entirely different like Young Romance. We were the guys that were up to the task."
Condolences go out to Simon's family and colleagues. I was with Cap all through Civil War and I'm happy that the feature film was so successful in Simon's lifetime.
[The Beat]
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