GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: Simon and Kirby Superheroes - Joe Simon and Jack Kirby

Release Date: 29/09/10

BOOK BLURB:

Simon and Kirby set the standard for costumed heroes with Blue Bolt and Captain America. This title introduces some of their most exciting characters: Fighting American, The Fly, Lancelor Strong and The Stuntman.


REVIEW:

Comic book aficionados have long held Simon and Kirby in great esteem and whilst their names have echoed in the hallowed halls of the mythic Superhero genre since the forties, a number of their titles have long been lost to the reader. Here, in this offering, Titan have not only located a number of these comic holy grail releases but brought them back for the modern reader beautifully restored to appear in this offering, even bringing in modern masters to colour some of the original black and whites to give the reader the ultimate experience.

It’s definitely an offering that will be worth purchasing for the graphic novel fan in your life as they not only get to see the ancestors of the modern interpretations but also visit the world that has had readers glued since it’s inception. Simon and Kirby, it has to be said were the first to amalgamate the worlds of serious storytelling with the action panels that brought the fans to the fold in the first place, setting themselves as the standard for others to follow becoming the archetype that has held sway ever since. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that without Simon and Kirby the genre wouldn’t be what it is today as these pioneers brought many of the key ingredients that can still be seen years later.

To some this item may seem very expensive but when you learn that you’re getting titles that have not only been long out of print and presumed lost, but also the forebear’s of many of today’s heroes by the creator’s of Captain America (amongst many others including the original sandman that Gaiman would re-envision in the Eighties) leaves you know with a history book that your “fan” just can’t live without. Failing all else, the artwork mixed with the storytelling backed up with names to guarantee quality by will also provide inspiration for their own artwork and creativity, a serious title and one that will have pride and place in my own collection. A true gem and one that I’ll lay odds will soon be adorning the shelves of modern artists and storytellers in the comic industry. After all if they’re backing it, how can you not?