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Draft:Jim Simon (writer)

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  • Comment: Sample:
    In 2016, Simon was invited to speak at San Diego Comic-Con International, one of the most prominent conventions in the comic book industry. Although he was unable to attend, his essay titled My Father in the Light was published in the official Comic-Con International 2016 Souvenir Book.[reference] The piece offers a personal reflection on the role of comic books in shaping imagination, storytelling, and creative expression. Simon has also appeared as a panelist at Big Apple Comic Con[reference] and New York Comic Con,[reference][reference] contributing to discussions on comic book history.
    Like other, similar material in this draft, this strikes me as mere trivia. If Simon is a writer, then what have people whose opinions matter written in reliable sources about Simon's writing?
    Yes, there are hints of opinions here and there. For example, "Will Eisner called [The Comic Book Makers] 'a very valuable work'" -- but it turns out that he did so in a mere blurb, and blurbs are pretty worthless. How about actual reviews of his books. Hoary (talk) 22:57, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: The "background" section is rather name dropping, interacting with several industry professionals doesn't confer any notability neither does being interviewed. Theroadislong (talk) 07:43, 16 April 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: You have rather a lot of primary sources, and articles should be based on what reliable independent sources say. Theroadislong (talk) 22:30, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
  • Comment: commercial links to purchase books should be removed and Wikipedia cannot be used as a reference. Theroadislong (talk) 07:39, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
Jim Simon
Born
New York
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Writer, comics creator, comics historian
Known forAppeared in Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years
Notable workThe Comic Book Makers
The Art of the Simon & Kirby Studio
Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True: The Pulp Art of Comic Book Artists

Jim Simon is an American writer whose work focuses on comic book history and storytelling. He has created comic book characters and stories, and has contributed to the field as an editor and publisher.[1]

Background

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Simon has worked with publishers including Marvel Comics, Abrams ComicArts, and Titan Publishing on comics-related projects.

He earned a bachelor's degree in literature from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and studied copywriting at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.[2]

Simon is the son of comic book artist Joe Simon, best known as the co-creator of Captain America. His uncle, Jack Oleck, was also a writer in the comics field. While Simon was introduced to the industry through his family, he went on to establish his own career as a writer and editor.[3]

In addition to his books and comics work, Simon’s writing and interviews have appeared in publications such as The Intelligent Collector[4] and Alter Ego.[5] His work has been cited in various books and articles on comic book history.[6][7]

Books

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Simon co-authored The Comic Book Makers, about the the Golden Age of the comic book industry.[8][9] The book presents recollections and anecdotes about prominent figures from the era, such as Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Will Eisner.

Simon collaborated on The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio, published by Abrams ComicArts. The book explores the artwork, operations and working situations of the Simon and Kirby studio in the late 1940s and early 1950s.[10]

Simon contributed to Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True: The Pulp Art of Comic Book Artists, a book that examines the contributions of early comic book artists to pulp magazines.

In The Simon and Kirby Superheroes, a 2010 anthology published by Titan Books that highlights the superhero creations of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby from the golden age to the early years of the silver age, Simon wrote essays providing historical context and insights into the team's creative collaboration.[11] In the essay, "The 1940s: War and Peace," he looked at their work during the 1940s, focusing on their storytelling and artistic approaches in the context of World War II. In another essay, "The 1950s: Fighting Americans," he explored their contributions and the evolution of their work during that decade.

Reception

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The Comic Book Makers received attention from comics historians for its perspective on the early comic book industry. The comics fan site SpiderFan.org called the book "a valuable and well-written view from the inside of this fascinating era in comic history."[12]

In Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, author Gerard Jones cited The Comic Book Makers while discussing the development of early superhero comics.[13] David Hajdu cited The Comic Book Makers in The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America in the context of the social and political controversies surrounding comics in the 1950s.[14]

The influence of The Comic Book Makers extended to literature as well. The New York Times referred to the story behind The Comic Book Makers as "a tale worthy of its own comic," calling it "one of many inspirations for Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay."[15] The AV Club reported that Chabon cited The Comic Book Makers as a key source for the novel, including the iconic pre-war image of Captain America punching Adolf Hitler.[16]

The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio was praised for its archival presentation of the studio’s creative output, with one review describing it as "like entering the offices of Simon and Kirby and rifling through their files."[17]

The Simon and Kirby Superheroes was recognized for offering "important historical background on the stories" featured in the volume.[18]

Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True was noted for providing "an efficient and studious overview of the history, artists, and characters that thrived in those bygone days."[19]

Comic books

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Simon created and wrote original comic book characters and stories, including ShieldMaster and Spyder-Fly.[20] ShieldMaster first appeared in Comic Book Marketplace in 1998[21], and later in Strange, Futura, and Étranges Aventures[22], published by Organic Comix.[23] Spyder-Fly also featured in Strange and Étranges Aventures.[24] In 2011, Organic Comix published the graphic novel ShieldMaster: L'envol du phoenix, with an English edition released in 2015 by FutureRetro.[25] In 2024, Simon co-founded Simon Studios with his son, releasing ShieldMaster: Blast to the Past, which featured contributions from Tom Morgan and Bob Layton, and included an introduction by Alan Moore.[26] In early 2025, Simon released the comic books KillShott and In Pursuit of Dead-Bolt, both of which he created and wrote.[27][28]

Other works

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Simon wrote The Classic Wild West Action Team for The Kid Cowboys of Boys' Ranch, a hardcover edition published by Marvel Comics in 1991.[29][30] He contributed scripts to Marvel Comics Crazy Magazine[31] and wrote for the satirical magazine Sick, National Crumb[32][33], and Something Else. He wrote The King Kong Joke Book,[34] published by Leisure Books, and The Bionic Joke Book,[35] published by Belmont Tower; both are centered on pop culture themes, with the former included in the Miller Collection of Wit and Humor.[36]

Simon was editor of Sick[37] during 1976 and 1977, National Crumb (1975)[38] and Something Else (1971).[39]

Writing under a pseudonym, Simon authored the middle-grade novel The Monster Channel, published by Avon Books in 1997 as part of the Spinetinglers series; foreign rights were sold in 1998.[40] A revised edition was released in 2018 under his real name.[41] Simon also wrote the novel The Far Away.[42]

Simon assisted in the development and writing of the science fiction concept Jove: U.N. Born, which was also developed as a film treatment.[43][44][45]

He contributed story, character and conceptual input for various comic book titles such as Brother Power the Geek, Prez, The Outsiders, and The Sandman that were developed at the studio and published by DC Comics.[46][47]

Media appearances

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Simon appeared in the 2016 ABC documentary Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years.[48] He was interviewed by David Garland on WNYC radio, where he discussed The Comic Book Makers, including his reasons for writing the book, its subject matter, and its significance in documenting the history of the comic book industry.[49] In 2016, Simon was invited to speak at San Diego Comic-Con International. Simon has also appeared as a panelist at Big Apple Comic Con[50] and New York Comic Con[51][52], contributing to discussions on comic book history.

Bibliography

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Books on comics

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  • The Comic Book Makers. Crestwood/II Publications. 1990. ISBN 978-0962685804 (with Joe Simon).
  • The Comic Book Makers. 2nd ed. Vanguard Productions. 2003. ISBN 978-1887591331 (with Joe Simon).
  • The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio. Harry N. Abrams. 2014. ISBN 978-1419711602 (with Mark Evanier).
  • Amazing, Mysterious, Weird & True: The Pulp Work of Comic Book Artists. SB Studio Books. 2020. ISBN 978-1087867502 (with Steven Brower).

Essays on comics

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  • "The 1940s: War and Peace." Simon and Kirby Superheroes. Titan Books. 2010. ISBN 978-1848563650
  • "The 1950s: Fighting Americans." Simon and Kirby Superheroes. Titan Books. 2010. ISBN 978-1848563650

Articles and interviews on comics

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  • "I Remember Weird Mysteries." Alter Ego. May 2004.
  • "Jim Simon Looks Back." The Intelligent Collector. Winter 2013.
  • "A Q&A With Jim Simon." Captain America Anniversary Magazine. June. 2016.
  • "My Father in the Light." Comic-Con International 2016 Souvenir Book, 2016.
  • "Interview with Jim Simon." WNYC Radio, 1991.
  • "Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years." ABC Television. 2016.
  • “The Legacy of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby." Panelist. Big Apple Comic Con. March 11, 2017.

Other creative works

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  • "Jove: U.N. Born." Assistant writer; also developed as a film treatment. [43][45]

References

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  1. ^ "SPOTLIGHT ON JIM SIMON". First Comics News. 2025-04-18. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
  2. ^ "GCD :: Creator :: Jim Simon". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
  3. ^ "The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio". PRINT. January 21, 2015. Retrieved 2025-04-03. After a while I started doing the brushing. Same with the white outs, though that took more skill and came a bit later. Eventually I was setting cold type and doing paste ups. But my favorite was reading scripts and pitches and discussing them with my father. He showed me his editing techniques and I started to write scripts...
  4. ^ Cantu, Hector (Winter 2012). "Jim Simon Looks Back". The Intelligent Collector. 6 (18): 92–94.
  5. ^ Simon, Jim (May 2004). "I Remember Weird Mysteries". Alter Ego. Vol. 3, no. 36. Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows. pp. 14–16.
  6. ^ Ronin, Ro (2004). Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution (1st ed.). Bloomsbury USA. pp. 295–296. ISBN 978-1582343457.
  7. ^ "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Acknowledgments". www.toonopedia.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
  8. ^ "Introductory Resources - Comics and Graphic Novels - Resources". University of Southern California Libraries.
  9. ^ "Joe Simon: My Life in Comics". Comics Worth Reading. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2025-04-04. The Comic Book Makers was written with his son Jim Simon in 1990 (and updated in 2003). It was mostly an overview of comics' Golden Age, with spotlights on many of the era's best creators, woven into highlights and anecdotes about Simon's life and career.
  10. ^ "The Results of True Collaboration: 'The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio' » PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  11. ^ "The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio". PRINT. 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2025-04-03. Jim Simon: The Jack Kirby I remember was a quiet man. Short and unassuming, quiet maybe introverted to an extent. Aside from his family his life seemed all about making comics. I felt Joe and Jack had a special respect for each, as they were not only work and business associates but also friends.
  12. ^ "The Comic Book Makers [in Comics & Books > Book of the Month Club] @ SpiderFan.org". spiderfan.org. Retrieved 2025-04-24. ...a valuable and well-written view from the inside of this fascinating era in comic history.
  13. ^ Jones, Gerard (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. Basic Books. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-0465036561.
  14. ^ Hajdu, David (2008). The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 412. ISBN 978-0374187675.
  15. ^ Gustines, George Gene (2008-04-16). "A Creator of Captain America, Fighting On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-07. It's a tale worthy of its own comic (and one of many inspirations for Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"): On the frontier of a new industry, writers and artists creating scores of characters, but publishers profiting from them.
  16. ^ Heller, Jason (2011-07-11). "Joe Simon". AV Club. Retrieved 2025-04-03. In 1990, he and his son Jim Simon wrote The Comic Book Makers, an anecdotal account of the industry's infancy that Michael Chabon cited as a source for his novel The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay. (Chabon also borrowed many elements of Simon's career for his fictionalized version of comic books' early days—most notably Simon and Kirby's iconic, pre-Pearl Harbor image of Captain America punching out Hitler.)
  17. ^ Estes, Jeremy (10 December 2014). "The Results of True Collaboration: 'The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio'". PopMatters. Retrieved 2025-04-07. Reading this book is like entering the offices of Simon and Kirby and rifling through their files…
  18. ^ Carlson, KC (2010-10-26). "The Simon & Kirby Superheroes". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2025-03-27. Jim Simon also provides important historical background on the stories in this volume...
  19. ^ Wiacek, Win (12 September 2013). "Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True Volume 1: The Pulp Art of Comic Book Artists". Now Read This! Graphic Novel Reviews and Recommendations. Retrieved 2025-04-05. This superb gallery begins with 'Diamonds and Rust' by Simon; an efficient and studious overview of the history, artists and characters that thrived in those bygone days...
  20. ^ "GCD :: Story Search Results". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  21. ^ "Look Back with Humor". Comic Book Marketplace. No. 62. Gemstone Publishing. August 1998. p. 40.
  22. ^ "SHIELDMASTER CHECKLIST – FIRST COMICS NEWS". 2023-06-09. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  23. ^ "Jim Simon ('ShieldMaster')". Digital Spy. 2010-04-26. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  24. ^ "Spyder-Fly". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  25. ^ "Jim Simon | Author | LibraryThing". LibraryThing. Retrieved 2025-04-03. ShieldMaster: The Phoenix Project introduces four teenage protagonists who find mysterious alien shields from another dimension that grant them power while drawing them, and Earth, into an interdimensional war.
  26. ^ Corley, Shaun (2023-10-05). "Classic Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Heroes Return in Legacy Project with Alan Moore". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  27. ^ "KillShott (Simon Comics, 2025 series) #1". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  28. ^ "In Pursuit of Dead-Bolt (Simon Comics, 2025 series) #1". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  29. ^ "GCD :: Issue :: Boys' Ranch". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
  30. ^ Simon, Joe; Kirby, Jack (January 1992). The Kid Cowboys of Boys' Ranch (1st ed.). Marvel Comics (published 1992). pp. 4–5. ISBN 0-87135-859-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  31. ^ "comics.org". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
  32. ^ "The National Crumb • USA | MADtrash.com-". madtrash.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  33. ^ "The national crumb | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  34. ^ "The King Kong joke book | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  35. ^ "The bionic joke book | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  36. ^ "The Miller Collection of Wit and Humor : the gift of Bernard, Saul, and George Miller | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  37. ^ "GCD :: matching your query for 'Jim Simon' in editing". my.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  38. ^ https://my.comics.org/editor/name/Jim%20Simon/sort/alpha/?publisher=Mayfair+Publications
  39. ^ "Something Else (Maverick Publications, 1971 series) #1". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-05-19.
  40. ^ "怪物频道 | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  41. ^ "Browse Editions for The Monster Channel | The StoryGraph". app.thestorygraph.com. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  42. ^ "The Far Away | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  43. ^ a b Sragow, Michael (1992-08-13). "Man and Superman". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  44. ^ "The Simon and Kirby Library (Titan, 2010 series) #[nn] - Science Fiction". www.comics.org. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  45. ^ a b Simon and Kirby: Science Fiction. Titan Books. 2013. p. 348. ISBN 9781848569614.
  46. ^ Taylor, Stan (14 February 2025). "Looking For The Awesome – 20. Bullpen? Bullshit!!". The Kirby Effect | The Journal of the Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center. Retrieved 2025-04-16. Jim Simon...in a personal communication explained: Fans should keep in mind that Prez, and Power reflected the times—the hippie and youth movement. It's hard to relate to today but at the time he (Joe) was having a ball with the concepts...I also wrote some of these stories and that could also have been a problem!
  47. ^ Corley, Shaun (2023-03-06). ""A Double-Edged Sword": Jesse Simon talks ShieldMaster and the Simon Family Legacy". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2025-04-14. Jim, son of Joe Simon (co-creator of Captain America, Red Skull, and many others) had worked on other titles like Prez, Brother Power...
  48. ^ Wiebe, Sheldon. "ABC Celebrates Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years! – EclipseMagazine". Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  49. ^ David Garland (host), Jim Simon (guest) (1991-09-26). "Interview with Jim Simon". Evening Music. WNYC. Recording is currently queued for digitization as part of a grant project by the New York Public Radio Archive.
  50. ^ "Convention Recap: Big Apple Comic Con". Scoop. Retrieved 2025-04-14. Jim Simon the son of Joe Simon, gave a discussion of his famous father's teamwork with Jack Kirby and the creation of their most famous character, Captain America on the 100th anniversary of his father's long-time partner Jack Kirby's birthday and discussed the social impact of their groundbreaking work in comic books.
  51. ^ "Titan at New York Comic Con". Titan Books Blog (Archived). Titan Books. 2010-10-07. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2025-03-30. We'll be showcasing our new Simon & Kirby Superheroes book, and attendees will have the chance to meet Jim Simon...
  52. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2014). "NYCC 2014: All the Friday Panels". The Beat. Retrieved 2025-03-30. Abrams ComicArts Preview Panel: For 65 years Abrams has been the country's premiere art book publisher. It's been five years since the launch of Abrams ComicArts in 2009, and the tradition of excellence continues with bestselling, award-winning original graphic novels and coffee table books. Join the ComicArts team and their Authors as they discuss current titles, and reveal exciting details about the upcoming Spring 2015 list and forthcoming projects. Includes a slide show, surprise announcements, Special Guests and giveaways. Carol Burrell, Cece Bell, Chad Beckerman, Charles Kochman, Dan Mishkin, Frank Cammuso, JP Ahonen, Jerzy Drozd, Jim Simon
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