Showing posts with label Joe Simon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Simon. Show all posts

Friday, July 22, 2011

Captain America and the Riddle of The Red Skull! - 1940!!!

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The day is upon us, kiddoes! "Captain America - the First Avenger" opens in multiplexes all across the country today! Here's hoping that they have made a fun picture that can dazzle the eye and tickle the mind, updating things where the passage of time has made necccessary, but not crapping all over the original work by artists and writers who have made the character what he is and what made him something that would inspire a film in the first place!

I will be there to see for myself tomorrow morning, but until then, from Timely Comics' "Captain America" issue #1 from 1940 - here's the first appearance of that rascally "Red Skull" as Joe Simon and Jack Kirby envisioned it all, 71 years ago!!

Enjoy!

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I'll be back tomorrow for a mid-afternoon posting to let you know either, just how awesome the film is, or just how securely you can put your money back in your pocketbooks.

There are creative folks out there making these movies nowadays. We've come a long way from old guys in suits, without a clue and with tight wallets making the dung heap, media cross-overs in the 1970's and 1980's! But there are still business and marketing school graduates who hold influence over the final product.

I have hope creative folks will out.

Talk to you soon.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Captain America Meets the Nazis Head On!

An epic story today, kiddoes! Captain America takes on supernatural Nazis and a magical chessboard in this whopping 16 pager from Timely Comics "Captain America" issue 1 from late 1940!!

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby jumped on this character like nobody's business and didn't hold back on nothin'!

I am just itchin' to check out the new movie that opens tomorrow. Word has it that there will be a special advance screening for attendees of this years San Diego Comi-Con today, but I won't be seeing it until Saturday. Until then...

Enjoy!


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Come back tomorrow as the tension keep building...and the first appearance of THE RED SKULL!

Talk to you soon.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Captain America & Bucky Against All Eneimies of Liberty!

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Continuing the full posting of ALL 4 stories in the first issue of "Captain America", Bucky and Cap fight agaisnt all enemies of liberty!!!!

Cover dated March 1941, Timely's first issue of Captain America would have hit the stands at the end of 1940. The war in Europe taking most of the countries attention, even though we hadn't officially entered the war yet, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby knew where our hearts were.

And Timely Comics obviously understood as well. As I said yesterday it was HIGHLY unusual for any character to star in his own book in the golden age until he had proven his mettel (i.e. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern...) but I guess Cap came with some pretty good credentials.

Enjoy!

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Talk to you soon!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

"Meet Captain America" - issue 1 - 1940

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No, no...I'm not dead or in jail...just taking a brief respite from every day blogging...but I'm back!

Before I get back into my "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Book Super Heroes" though, I thought I'd add to the buildup to the "Captain America" movie being released this Friday. I have high hopes for this one. They did a great job with "Thor" and "Green Lantern" was kind of hit or miss, but I hope they do this golden age great right.

Unlike the bulk of Golden Age comics, Captain America didn't debut in an anthology book, but rather came full-born from the head of Zeus in his own book. From the genius of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, "Captain America" #1 hit the stands in late 1940 at Timely Comics...and the old boy's still doing well.

Here's the story that started it all.

Enjoy!

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See ya tomorrow with more "Cap" from his debut issue!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Adventure Comics - "The Sandman and Sandy, the Golden Boy"!

Continuing my "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comic Book Super Heroes" look into the lineups of the great anthology comics, we move from "Action Comics" to "Adventure Comics" and it's first super hero star, Gardner Fox's "The Sandman"!

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The Sandman was created in 1939 and was one of the first in the big glut riding the new "Superman Craze". He made his official debut in Adventure Comics #40, but just weeks before a Sandman adventure had appeared as part of the big "New York's World's Fair 1939" comic, which also featured Superman and a bunch of DC?Nationals features from "Action Comics".

Being this early on in the super hero output (even beating The Batman by a few months), originally The Sandman was strongly modeled after the pulp heroes of the '30's and even The Green Hornet of radio, more than the colorfully suited-tight wearing guys that would soon hog the scene.

The Sandman was Wesley Dodds, bored wealthy playboy, who was originally wrongfully accused of a crime and was "sought by both the police and the underworld" just like "The Green Hornet" but he slowly became a more straight-forward crime-stopper and was even a charter member of "The Justice Society of America". Only his girlfriend Dian Belmont knew hsi dual identity and shared in his adventures as he donned a green double-breasted suit, a subdued purple cape and a gas mask. Armed with his gas gun which fired a gas that both put criminals to sleep, or sedated them enough to open their minds and give up information, he was a dark figure of the night and skurge of bad guys everywhere.

Here's Adventure Comics #67 and a very typical Sandman story of that era...

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By issue #69, the powers that be at DC/National decided the old suit and fedora look was too old-fashioned for the bustling days of colorfully garbed mystery men, and put forth a story in which Dian Belmont is killed (a horrible tradgedy for Dodds, to be sure) and the wealthy playby adopted as his ward, her nephew Sandy Hawkins.

Now following in the tradion begun by Batman's Robin, he gained a kid side-kick "Sandy, the Golden Boy" and squeezed himself and his ward into flashy purple & gold and red & gold suits! NOW they could flex their muscles!

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That's right, just a couple issues later, the dynamic team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby came on board the National payroll, and they took on The Sandman & Sandy as their first assignment!

Here's a little dash of the dash of Simon/Kirby Sandman from Adventure Comics #91! That my friend is some swash-buckling derring do!

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Zap! Bang! Kazowie!

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I'll be back for more "A 'Slight' History of Golden Age Comics Book Super Heroes" and more of the heroes of Adveenture Comics next Tuesday. Until then, I hope you keep coming back to see what else is in my head for "OTR Friday with Vic & Sade", "Unca Jeffy's Toy Box Saturday", "Sunday Funnies" now in glorious full color! and "Mad COMIC BOOK Monday".

Talk to you soon.

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