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Jim Simon (writer)

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Jim Simon
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Comics writer, comics historian
Known forThe Comic Book Makers
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, editor, and comic book historian. He is known for his work documenting the early comic book industry and for contributing to publications related to comics history. He has worked with Marvel Comics, Titan Books, Abrams ComicArts, and other publishers.[1]

Early life and education

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Simon 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][3] He is the son of comic book creator Joe Simon and worked in his father's studio. While working in the studio, he learned production tasks including applying white-out, cold type setting, and paste-up work. He eventually reviewed scripts and pitches, gaining experience in editing and scriptwriting.[4]

Work on comics history

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Simon wrote The Comic Book Makers with Joe Simon, a nonfiction book documenting the early history of the American comic book industry.[5] The book has been cited in peer-reviewed academic studies[6][7][8] and referenced in widely read historical studies of comics, including Gerard Jones's Men of Tomorrow and David Hajdu's The Ten-Cent Plague.[9][10][11]

In The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio published by Abrams ComicArts, he wrote about the studio's operations and creative output.[4] He also wrote for The Simon and Kirby Superheroes published by Titan Books, documenting the duo's work during the 1940s and 1950s.[12]

In collaboration with Steven Brower, Simon wrote Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True: The Pulp Art of Comic Book Artists. The book examines the pulp magazine work of early comic book artists.[13]

Comic book creations

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Simon has created and scripted original, creator-owned comic book characters,[14] including ShieldMaster, which debuted in Comic Book Marketplace in 1998,[15] and later appeared in Strange, Futura, and Étranges Aventures, published by Organic Comix. Another creator-owned character, Spyder-Fly, also appeared in Strange and Étranges Aventures.

In 2011, a hardcover French edition of his graphic novel ShieldMaster: L'envol du Phoenix[16] was published by Organic Comix/Carabas, distributed by Hachette, followed in 2016 by an English-language edition titled ShieldMaster: The Phoenix Project, released by FutureRetro Entertainment.[17] In 2020, Organic Comix published a French edition of his Les mystères de Camp Hero.

A limited-edition print run of the ShieldMaster series was released in 2024, featuring contributions from Tom Morgan and Bob Layton, with an introduction by Alan Moore. That same year, Simon created and wrote two additional titles, KillShott and In Pursuit of Dead-Bolt, which were also published.[1]

Editorial and other writing

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Simon wrote the introduction, The Classic Wild West Action Team, for The Kid Cowboys of Boys' Ranch published by Marvel Comics.[18] During the 1970s, he contributed editorial and written content to humor magazines including Crazy Magazine published by Marvel Comics, Sick, National Crumb, and Something Else, serving as editor for several of these publications.[19]

Simon is the author of the The Monster Channel, a children's horror novel published by Avon Books as part of its Spinetinglers series.[20] He also contributed to the development and writing of the science fiction concept Jove: U.N. Born, which was expanded into a film treatment.[21]

In the 1970s, Simon authored two parody books, published by Belmont Tower Books, satirizing popular media franchises such as King Kong, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman, with one of the titles included in the Miller Collection of Wit and Humor at the Brown University Library.[22]

Simon provided creative input on comic book titles including Brother Power the Geek, Prez, The Outsiders, and The Sandman which were developed and produced at Joe Simon's studio and published by DC Comics.[23]

He is also the author of two limited-edition literary works, The Far Away and Crane's Neck.[24]

Media appearances and public speaking

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Simon was interviewed in the ABC television documentary Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years.[25] He has participated as a panelist at comic-related events, including Big Apple Comic Con[26][27] and New York Comic Con,[28] where he discussed comic book history. In 2016, he wrote an article for the official Comic-Con International Souvenir Book, published for San Diego Comic-Con International.[29]

Selected works

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Books on comics

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  • The Comic Book Makers. Crestwood/II; Vanguard Productions, (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-1887591331.
  • The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio. Abrams ComicArts. ISBN 978-1419711602.
  • Astounding, Mysterious, Weird & True: The Pulp Art of Comic Book Artists. SB Studio Books. ISBN 978-1087867502.
  • Simon and Kirby: Superheroes. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1848563650.

Novels

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  • The Monster Channel. Avon Books. (2nd ed). ISBN 978-0962685842.
  • The Far Away. Crestwood/II. ISBN 978-0962685835.

Graphic novels

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  • ShieldMaster: The Phoenix Project. FutureRetro Entertainment. ISBN 978-0962685811.
  • ShieldMaster: L'envol du phoenix. Carabas. ISBN 978-2351006351.

Further reading

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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.
  • "Interview with Jim Simon." WNYC Radio, 1991.

References

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  1. ^ a b "SPOTLIGHT ON JIM SIMON". First Comics News. 2025-04-18. Retrieved 2025-04-26. Jim Simon's work bridges the gap between the Golden Age of comics and contemporary storytelling. Through his independent creations, collaborations with major publishers, and historical writings, he has enriched the comic book industry and preserved its legacy for future generations.
  2. ^ Jones, Sherrill (2004). "Brookmarks". The Brook. 5 (1): 23.
  3. ^ "Who's Who bio". bailsprojects.com. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  4. ^ a b "The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio". PRINT Magazine. 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  5. ^ Wolk, Douglas (21 June 2004). "Comics Reprints Find Lots of Eager Buyers". Publishers Weekly.
  6. ^ ""The whole furshlugginer operation" : the Jewish comic book industry, 1933-1954". MSU Libraries Digital Collections.
  7. ^ Denson, Shane; Meyer, Christina; Stein, Daniel (2025-03-22). "Transnational Perspectives on Graphic Narratives: Comics at the Crossroads". dokumen.pub. p. 47.
  8. ^ "John McShane comic collection – The Comic Book Makers". Archives Hub. University of Dundee Archive Services. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  9. ^ Jones, Gerard (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. Basic Books. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-0465036561.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Carlson, Johanna Draper (2010-10-26). "The Simon & Kirby Superheroes". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2025-07-14. Jim Simon provides important historical background on the stories in this volume.
  13. ^ 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...
  14. ^ Langshaw, Mark (26 April 2010). "ShieldMaster". Digital Spy. Jim Simon knows a thing or two about superheroes… DS caught up with the creator to discuss his latest project ShieldMaster.
  15. ^ "Look Back with Humor". Comic Book Marketplace. No. 62. Gemstone Publishing. August 1998. p. 40.
  16. ^ Simon, Jim; Depelley, Jean (2020). L'envol du phoenix !. Shieldmaster (2e éd ed.). Lyon: Organic comix. ISBN 979-10-92098-18-1.
  17. ^ "Shieldmaster : The Phoenix Project | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Wells, John (2013). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960–1964. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-60549-045-8.
  20. ^ The monster channel | WorldCat.org. OCLC 36136382.
  21. ^ Simon and Kirby: Science Fiction. Titan Books. 2013. p. 348. ISBN 9781848569614.
  22. ^ "The King Kong Joke Book – Miller Collection, Brown University". WorldCat. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  23. ^ "Spotlight". In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Simon contributed story and character concepts to titles such as "Brother Power the Geek," "Prez," "The Outsiders," and "The Sandman," developed at his father's studio and published by DC Comics.
  24. ^ "The far away | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  25. ^ ""Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years" Coming to ABC January 19, 2016". Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  26. ^ "Convention Recap: Big Apple Comic Con". Scoop. Retrieved 2025-04-14. Jim Simon gave a discussion... and discussed the social impact of their groundbreaking work in comic books.
  27. ^ "Interview with Jim Simon." Big Apple Comic Con Program Guide, March 11, 2017.
  28. ^ 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
  29. ^ Simon, Jim (2016). Sassaman, Gary (ed.). Comic-Con International Souvenir Book 2016. San Diego: Comic-Con International.
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