Co-Founder Of Captain America, Joe Simon Dead At 98

Joe Simon, the co-creator of Captain America and one of the comic-book industry’s most revered writers, artists and editors, has died. Simon created or co-created many legendary characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would turn into Marvel Comics.

With his partner, artist Jack Kirby, he co-created Captain America, one of comics’ most enduring superheroes, and the team worked extensively on such features at DC Comics as the 1940s Sandman and Sandy the Golden Boy, and co-created the Newsboy Legion, the Boy Commandos, and Manhunter. Simon & Kirby creations for other comics publishers include Boys’ Ranch, Fighting American and the Fly. In the late 1940s, the duo created the field of romance comics, and were among the earliest pioneers of horror comics. Simon, who went on to work in advertising and commercial art, also founded the satirical magazine Sick in 1960, remaining with it for a decade. He briefly returned to DC Comics in the 1970s.