If one thing is abundantly clear after reading Joe Simon’s: “Joe Simon: My Life in Comics,” it’s just that.
Not only was he a pioneer in the comic book industry, he made it his life.
If you don’t know who Joe Simon is, you might as well have been in the recent Geico commercial where people lived under rocks. Simply put, Simon has spent his entire life in the industry and is a national treasure. Not only did he co-create Captain America and “Sick” Magazine, he was Stan Lee’s mentor. Because of this, Simon’s life story is a must-read for anyone who calls himself or herself a comic book fan.
At the same time, the style of the writing, with long, winding sentences and unnecessary added information (Which, at times, borders on ramblings) sometimes detract from the fun. While the book provides a first-rate education of the golden age of the industry, the writing style hurts its overall luster.
Nevertheless, the conversation the book provides is essentially a how-to guide to succeed in comic books: work hard, copyright your material and expect to fail, but never give up. For that reason alone, the misgivings in the writing can and should be forgiven. Essentially the “Forrest Gump†of the comic book industry, Simon has seen and done it all and lived to tell the tale.
The honesty Simon provides in this book is its most redeemable quality. The inside-look to all the major comic book companies and legendary names this book provides also help bolster the overall reading experience. It not only makes up for the handful of typos (some paragraphs end without a period, while certain people’s names are spelled two different ways, on the same page. One sentence even began with two I’s instead of one) in the book, but forces you to continue reading. But because someone with Simon’s experience in any field is a true rarity, it’s best to give the title a chance. The fact that he was able to finish this book and have it be so polished (at nearly 100 years old) is a testament to his overall ability and still ever-present zeal.
By the end of the book, you realize that the world will be a much darker place without him.
This is re-enforced by dozens of remarkable photos of everything from unreleased covers of his work, to him and his family throughout his life. Like the thousands of comic books and magazines Simon has produced over his brilliant career, these photos bring the story alive.
They also make something else perfectly clear:
Simon has lived.
And by the end of this work, you’ll see he’s not quite done yet.
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