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Draft:The Comic Book Makers

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    • The Comic Book Makers
    The Comic Book Makers, 2nd Ed.
    AuthorJoe Simon and Jim Simon
    LanguageEnglish
    Genre
    • Memoir
    • Nonfiction
    PublisherCrestwood/II Publications (1990 Edition)
    Vanguard Productions (2003 Edition)
    Publication placeUnited States
    Pages209 (first edition)
    ISBN978-0962685804
    OCLC90083473

    The Comic Book Makers is a memoir and history of comic books written by Joe Simon and Jim Simon.[1][2] In this work, Joe Simon, a comic book pioneer, provides a personal account of the industry's early years. The book details his career as an artist, writer, editor, and publisher, offering insights into the comic book business from the Golden Age through the Silver Age.[3]

    Publication history

    [edit]

    The Comic Book Makers was first published in 1990 by Crestwood/II Publications.[4] Vanguard Productions released a new edition in 2003.[5]

    Overview and themes

    [edit]

    The book is structured into multiple sections chronicling Joe Simon's career from his early work in the comic book industry in the late 1930s. It examines his collaborations with notable figures, particularly Jack Kirby, and his role in the creation of characters such as Captain America.

    Simon discusses the development of comic book characters, the dynamics between artists and publishers, and the challenges faced by creators during the industry's formative years, including issues related to copyright and fair compensation. The memoir also depicts the evolution of the comic book industry, highlighting its successes, challenges, changes in public perception, and the impact of censorship.[6][7]

    Critical reception

    [edit]

    The Comic Book Makers has been praised for its insightful and personal perspective on early comic book history.[8]

    Steven Ringgenberg, writing for The Comics Journal, described it as "one of the liveliest, most insightful, best-written accounts of the early days of the comics," highlighting its anecdotes and profiles of key industry figures, including DC Comics publisher Jack Donenfeld, Timely Comics publisher Martin Goodman, and Marvel writer/editor Stan Lee.[9]

    Will Eisner referred to The Comic Book Makers as "like a school reunion, lavish with anecdotes that fill in the gaps of threadbare memory," and considered it "a very valuable work by a member of one of the most important teams in comic book history."[10] SpiderFan.org praised the book as "a valuable and well-written view from the inside of this fascinating era in comic history," while noting that it does not aim to be a comprehensive history.[11] Charles Hatfield remarked that "Simon’s memoirs give much richer versions, lovingly detailed, crystal-clear, and surprising."[12]

    Legacy

    [edit]

    The Comic Book Makers is regarded as a significant resource for historians, comic book enthusiasts, and researchers studying the origins of the comic book medium. It is frequently cited for preserving the experiences of early comic book creators.[13][14][15][16] The book has been referenced in various works on comic book history and culture. Michael Chabon referenced The Comic Book Makers in the Author's Note of his Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000), which explores the Golden Age of comic books.[17][18][19][20]

    References

    [edit]
    1. ^ "The Comic Book Makers | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
    2. ^ "WhosWho". www.bailsprojects.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
    3. ^ Carlson, KC (2011-07-08). "Joe Simon: My Life in Comics". Comics Worth Reading. 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. It was first written at a time when, sadly, Joe Simon wasn't yet known to many outside the comic book field, so that book was specifically designed and targeted for the comic book fan.
    4. ^ Simon, Joe; Simon, Jim (1990). The Comic Book Makers. New York, NY: Crestwood/II Publications. ISBN 978-0-9626858-0-4.
    5. ^ Simon, Joe; Simon, Jim (2003). The Comic Book Makers (2nd ed.). New York: Vanguard Productions. ISBN 978-1-887591-34-8.
    6. ^ Mably, Timothy (18 April 2022). "Captain America: Bucky's Nickname is Secretly Based On A Real Hero". Screen Rant. In a book chronicling the history of comics books titled The Comic Book Makers by Jim and Joe Simon, the latter revealed that Bucky's name was inspired by one of his friends from high school. Simon said, "The boy companion was simply named Bucky, after my friend Bucky Pierson, a star on our high school basketball team." It's fitting that Steve Rogers' best friend would take a note from creator Joe Simon's actual friend. The sentimental backstory embodies the best part of Captain America, who is a humanitarian-centric superhero. Additionally, "Bucky" isn't particularly common today, which gives it a special charm, as the name evokes the era.
    7. ^ Mercier, Sebastian (2008). "The Whole Furshlugginer Operation": The Jewish Comic Book Industry, 1933 - 1954. MSU Libraries Digital Repository (Thesis). doi:10.25335/1e52-3k35. Professional legitimacy was difficult to come by for many comic book writers. In a later interview Stan Lee stated, "I'd be embarrassed to tell people. They'd say, 'What do you do?' I'd say, 'I'm a writer," and I'd try to get away before they asked me what I wrote." In the foreword of his memoir, Jim Simon recalled the embarrassment he sometimes encountered over his father Joe's job occupation: "In school, the teacher asked the class what their dads did for a living. When it came time for his turn, the kid said, "Publishing." That seemed to impress the teacher. "Comic books," KC called out. The teacher's eyebrows arched.
    8. ^ "TwoMorrows Publishing - Mainline Comics - Kirby Collector Twentyfifth Issue". twomorrows.com. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
    9. ^ Ringgenberg, Steven (2011-12-16). "Joseph Henry Simon: October 11, 1913 - December 14, 2011". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
    10. ^ The Comic Book Makers (2nd ed.). Vanguard Productions. 2003. pp. Jacket. ISBN 9781887591355. Will Eisner said, "The Comic Book Makers is like a school reunion, lavish with anecdotes that fill in the gap of threadbare memory. The Comic Book Makers is avery valuable work by a member of one of the most important teams in comic book history. Joe Simon deserves applause."
    11. ^ "The Comic Book Makers in Comics & Books > Book of the Month Club". SpiderFan.Org. January 2010. ...a valuable and well-written view from the inside of this fascinating era in comic history.
    12. ^ Hatfield, Charles. "RIP Joe Simon (1913-2011)". Kirby Studies.
    13. ^ Mendryk, Harry (2017-10-17). "Simon and Kirby Cover Art for Early Harvey Comics". Simon and Kirby. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
    14. ^ Mendryk, Harry (2017-10-11). "Joe Simon Cover Art for Harvey's Pocket-Size Comics". Simon and Kirby. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
    15. ^ "Comic Book Creator Joe Simon".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    16. ^ ""The whole furshlugginer operation" : the Jewish comic book industry, 1933-1954". MSU Libraries Digital Collections.
    17. ^ Heller, Jason (July 19, 2011). "Joe Simon". AV Club. In 1990, he [Joe Simon] 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.)
    18. ^ Chabon, Michael (2000). The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (1st ed.). Picador USA. p. 658. ISBN 0312282990.
    19. ^ 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.
    20. ^ Ronin, Ro (2004). Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution (1st ed.). Bloomsbury USA. pp. 295–296. ISBN 978-1582345666.

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