Without Joe Simon and Jack Kirby there would be no comics. That isn’t an opinion that’s a statement of fact. The Simon and Kirby collaborations changed forever the face of comic books and it was on their shoulders that the modern comic industry was built. Want proof?
The two created Captain America.
Any questions?
Here to show off some of the best work the two men created is “The Best Of Simon & Kirby” a coffee table sized book celebrating the incredible work of these two pioneers. What’s great about this book is that it works for both people who worship Simon & Kirby (as I do) or those who have no idea who they are. The editors aren’t really interested in the history of the two men but rather the history of their artistic endeavors. You could almost call The Best Of Simon And Kirby a trade paperback in that it holds several full issues of Simon & Kirby books as well as a small introduction to the various genres the worked in.
The works of Simon and Kirby are broken down into sections like “The Heroes” or “Way Out Science Fiction” to name only two. At the start of each section is an introduction that tells how the characters in these various genres were created as well as bits of historical trivia. From there it’s all comic books as anywhere from three to six full issues are presented in this gorgeous giant sized full color format. Altogether there are eight sections and 27 different issues in this book, which isn’t bad for forty bucks.
What also makes the book so special is that it really transports you back to a time when comic books were a different beast. These days there’s so much done to try and make comics more “realistic” that we forget how great it was when they weren’t. There’s something basic about the Simon & Kirby stories that we’re lacking in the books coming out now. Don’t get me wrong, none of these stories are simplistic or “just for kids” but they have a detachment to them. Simon & Kirby were trying to help us escape the pain in our lives not relate to it.
As far as execution I have never seen a book on comic books that is as well done as The Best Of Simon & Kirby. So much attention is paid to the finest details you can tell that the people behind the book had a certain reverence for their targets. Simple things like the cover art for the dust jacket is different than the front of the book, how painstakingly careful the original art is blown up to this bigger format so we can see just how intricate Kirby’s work really was. The colors are bright and vibrant and what little amount of straight text there is in the book is really interesting. Being a longtime disciple of the Church Of Kirby & Simon this book is like a new Bible for me.
As good as the book is in general there are highlights that make it that much more exciting. There’s a warm and loving look back via an introduction by the man himself Joe Simon complete with old pictures of the two men creating their genius. I was particularly into the section on “Sick Humor” which boasted some of the more bizarre things the two worked on. One of my favorites was a page done for Lenny Bruce featuring Simon’s various drawings of the legendary comic. At the time they were done being a fan of Lenny Bruce was seriously frowned on so imagine the stones it took to do something like that.
The Best Of Simon & Kirby is a must for anyone who calls themselves a fan of the men and their era of comic books. As comic books are slowly swallowed by the Hollywood scum and the corporate bean counters this is a great look back at a different time where the priority was turning out an exceptional product. It’s also a celebration of two men who used every ounce of creativity they had and brought into being an art form that continues to bring joy to people so many years later.
