files/pictures/picture-35.jpgJoe Simon, who along with Jack Kirby created Captain America, has passed away, reports
Heat Vision . He was 98 years old.
Simon and Kirby debuted Captain America for Timely Comics in March 1941, which preceded the U.S.'s entry into World War II. Later they joined National Comics after a pay dispute at Timely. At National, the duo worked on Sandman, the Boy Commandoes, and the Newsboy Legion. National and Timely were the precursors to DC Comics and Marvel, respectively. For Fawcett Comics, they collaborated on the first issue of Captain Marvel, better known as Shazam.
Simon served in the Coast Guard during WWII and returned to comics following the war. With superheroes losing their popularity, he and Kirby worked on horror and romance titles. In 1960, he launched SICK, a challenger to MAD magazine. In 1966, he took the role of editorial director at Harvey Comics, helping them start their superhero line and giving him the chance to work with Kirby again. In 1974, Simon and Kirby collaborated for the last time on a six-issue arch of SANDMAN.
Simon was also a fighter for comic artist rights. He sued Marvel over the rights to Captain America and held the copyrights to many of his creations.
His birth name was Hymie Simon and was born in 1913 in Rochester, New York. In his 20s, he worked as a newspaper editorial cartoonist. In addition to comics, Simon worked in advertising from 1964-67 for Burstein, Phillips, and Newman.
