Joe Simon

Joe Simon was a famous creator of comic books.

He was a writer, an artist, and an editor. He also worked as a publisher. Simon was born in 1913 as Hymie Simon. He grew up in Rochester, New York. His family was a poor Jewish family. They lived in a small flat. This flat was also his father's tailor shop. As a student, Simon loved to draw. He was the art director for his high school newspaper. He even earned his first money for art in school. Two universities paid him $10 for his artwork.

After school, Simon began a long career in art. He worked as an assistant for a newspaper. Later, he moved to Syracuse, New York. He worked there as an art director for $60 a week. At age 23, he moved to New York City. He lived in a boarding house near Columbia University. Simon found freelance work at Paramount Pictures. He also worked for Macfadden Publications. Eventually, he began working on comic books. His first assignment was a seven-page Western story. Soon, he created his first hero, the Fiery Mask. He even used the name Gregory Sykes for one story.

Simon met an artist named Jack Kirby. They became a famous team for many years. They worked together at Timely Comics. This company later became Marvel Comics. Simon was the very first editor at Timely. Together, they created the hero Captain America. This character was a huge success. The first book sold nearly one million copies. Simon and Kirby also worked at DC Comics. They created characters like the Sandman and Manhunter. They also made the Boy Commandos. This series sold over a million copies every month. It was a very popular title.

During World War II, Simon served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was assigned to the Mounted Beach Patrol. Later, he went to boot camp in Maryland. He then worked with the Combat Art Corps in Washington, D.C. He used his art to help the Coast Guard. He made a comic book called True Comics. He also made a book called Adventure Is My Career. This book helped the military find new people to join. After the war, Simon married Harriet Feldman. He and Kirby lived in houses near each other on Long Island. They both worked from home studios.

As superhero stories became less popular, Simon tried new things. He and Kirby helped start romance comics. One of these was called Young Romance. They also helped start early horror comics. They made a series called Black Magic. Later, they started their own company called Mainline Publications. They published stories about the West and stories about war. Simon also started a magazine called Sick in 1960. He stayed with that magazine for over ten years. In 1999, he joined the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. His work helped change the world of comics forever.