Jack Kirby Libri

The names Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are synony­mous with comic books, and their partnership ush­ered in the Golden Age of comics starting in the 1940s. Together they created memorable characters such as Captain America and Sandman, invented romance com­ics, and raised the standard for the genres of western, crime, and horror comic books. Over the course of three decades they wrote and illustrated several hundred comics, many of which are reproduced in this oversized volume covering all aspects of their amazing career. Selected and with an introduction by Mark Evanier, the foremost authority on the work of Simon and Kirby, and an afterword by Jim Simon, son of Joe Simon, the book includes artwork photographed from the original art in Joe Simon’s private archive and showcases the seminal work of Simon and Kirby and their artistry as it has never been seen before.

In 1962, in the pages of a comic book slated for cancellation, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko gave birth to one of the most enduring icons in American popular culture - the one and only Amazing Spider-Man! Turning the concept of a super hero on its head, they imbued the young, guilt-ridden Peter Parker with the fantastic powers of an arachnid and the unbearable pressures of an everyday teenager...and the combination was pure magic! So come experience Spidey's adventures from the very beginning - including the first appearances of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, Dr. Octopus, the Sandman, the Vulture, Electro and more! COLLECTING : Amazing Fantasy 15, Amazing Spide r-Man 1-10

It's Jack Kirby at his finest in some of the kookiest Cap stories of all-time! Captain America and the Falcon face racism and government corruption with fists and shields raised! The deadly Secret Empire has infiltrated American society and plans to drive the entire country into war with their madness-inducing Madbomb! Collecting:: Captain America 193-214, Annual 3-4; Captain America's Bicentennial Battles

Kamandi, the last boy on Earth! In these tales from KAMANDI #1-20, Kamandi—one of the few survivors of a Great Disaster that has destroyed civilization—must make his way in a world populated by bizarre mutated animals and other strange wonders! Considered one of Jack Kirby's most creative works, KAMANDI features a band of anthropomorphic supporting characters who accompany Kamandi as he searches for answers and adventure across the wastelands of Earth.

At every point, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby raised the bar. When they came to comics, Superman had been around for about a year, and the medium was still in its infancy. They took the action and made it explode, breaking out of the panels and sprinting across the page. They showed what comics could do, experimenting with layout and design, creating the first full-page panels and double page spreads. Their first million-seller was a superhero (Captain America), and their next was military adventure that outsold Superman (DC's Boy Commandos). These two guys from Rochester and Brooklyn broke all the rules when they created the first romance comics, and they blazed trails in every genre: horror, science fiction, crime etc ... Their work in the legendary title Black Magic was acclaimed by readers. It was held up on national television by the Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, where experts claimed Black Magic contributed to the corruption of American youth! Also included here are the Simon and Kirby stories from the experimental terror title Strange World of Your Dreams.

Included in the volume are "This Man, This Monster," the story of an anguished Thing the debut of the Black Panther and Klaw; an all-out battle between the Thing and the Silver Surfer; the original Human Torch vs. Johnny Storm; and the four-part saga in which the dreaded Dr. Doom steals the Surfer's cosmic powers. Collects Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #51-60, Annual #4