RIP Joe Simon
Joe Simon
Captain America’s co-creator, Joe Simon, has died at 98, the Associated Press is reporting.
Simon, with Jack Kirby, created the All-American hero Captain America, who was shown punching Adolf Hitler in the jaw in the first issue of his comics magazine, released before the United States officially entered the war.
Simon’s autobiography, “My Life in Comics,” was released earlier this year.
“We thought it was a good time for a patriotic hero,” Simon writes in “My Life in Comics.” “I did a sketch of him with a chain mail tunic, and wings on the side of his mask like Mercury, the god from Roman mythology. I gave him a shield, like the ones the knights had carried.”
Mark Evanier, a comic industry historian and Jack Kirby biographer, noted that Simon, besides being able to write and draw, also knew how to edit comics.
“Joe himself was the first great real editor who brought to comics skills he’d learned elsewhere and had some perception of how to put a magazine together and how to make a professional looking publication,” Evanier told The AP on Thursday. “He had some business acumen. He knew how to talk to publishers, he knew how to make deals.”
- Matt Price
Contributing: The Associated Press
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- Joe Simon
Kindle Fire demo; Avengers poster; Conan giveaway and Roy Thomas interview
Matt and Kyle take a look at the Kindle Fire’s options for comics; the Avengers release new posters; and Roy Thomas talks about Conan the Barbarian in this week’s comics podcast.
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New Avengers banners feature Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and others
Yahoo Movies debuted a banner featuring Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth as Thor, for the upcoming film “The Avengers,” set for a May 4, 2012 release. The film is directed by Joss Whedon.
The Avengers who haven’t had their own solo movies as yet, plus one villain, are found on a second banner via Moviefone. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow round out the second banner, which can be seen at Moviefone or by clicking past the cut.
- Matt Price
DVD review: Captain America/Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Long-suffering “Captain America” fans finally got an A-list, top-notch film version of their favorite character when “Captain America: The First Avenger” came out earlier this year. But some disappointed Redbox patrons may instead find they’ve rented the TV movies “Captain America” and “Captain America II: Death Too Soon,” both originally shown on TV in 1979, and now out on DVD.
The movie takes a ton of liberties from the comics story. Reb Brown stars in both TV films as Steve Rogers. Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman) wants Steve to take the FLAG formula, a sort of “super-steroid” that was developed by Rogers’ late father. Because his father experimented using his own DNA, the formula is only likely to work on someone in his family. Rogers refuses, but when he’s nearly killed investigating the death of a friend, Mills decides to use the FLAG formula on him without his permission, giving him peak human strength and other abilities. Unfortunately, all this origin means it’s over an hour into the film before Steve gets into Captain America gear, and when he does, he looks more like Evel Knievel than Captain America. His motorcycle, judging by the screen time it gets, is also a very important part of the film.
The first film must have been successful enough, despite making not too much sense, as most of the cast returned later that year for “Death Too Soon.” Connie Selleca (“The Greatest American Hero”) replaced Heather Menzies (“Piranha”) as Dr. Wendy Day.
The terrorist Miguel (Christopher Lee, slumming it) has stolen a rapid aging formula that he will use on a major American city if his demands are not met. (Thus causing — “Death Too Soon.”)
Steve tracks Miguel down to a small town, where he falls in love with a local woman, tussles with local roughnecks, and eventually tracks down the bad guys. Compared to the first film, this one’s semi-watchable, and Lee chews up the scenery with vigor. Hungarian-born Heidi Fleiss ex-boyfriend Ivan Nagy directs, and Captain America’s costume is closer to something that looks like the comics’ Captain America. It’s still pretty much a mess, but, prior to this year, “Death too Soon” was arguably the live-action Captain America to watch.
The Shout Factory Double Feature of “Captain America” and “Captain America II” has no special features to speak of, unfortunately. I’d love to have heard commentary from the directors or star about how these films were made.
— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter is strong, sophisticated in “Captain America”
Hayley Atwell in "Captain America."
Hayley Atwell plays British agent Peggy Carter, part of the team who helps to train scrawny Steve Rogers in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Once Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) receives the super-soldier serum to become America’s athletic, star-spangled hero of World War II, Atwell’s Carter is part of the unit that helps Captain America face off against the villainous Hydra and the Red Skull. “Captain America” is available on DVD and Blu-ray this week.
Hayley Atwell on Captain America: The First Avenger DVD; Robot Chicken season 5 giveaway; Punisher TV show
Hayley Atwell is on the Planet 46 NewsOK Comics Podcast; a Punisher TV pilot is in the works; and you could win Robot Chicken season 5.
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DVD review: “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Vol. 3”
Marvel Comics’ top-tier team of superheroes stars in “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” which features Thor, Iron Man and Captain America, among others.
With “The Avengers” set to come to theaters in 2012, it’s a nice bit of multimedia synergy — but it’s a well-done animated series, as well, culling bits from both the classic and “Ultimate” lines of Marvel Comics, as well as the cinematic universe, to create a hybrid that takes the best of all worlds.
Trailer for The Avengers released at Apple
Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr in "The Avengers."
Get your first extended look at Marvel’s “The Avengers” with a new trailer released today at Apple.
The film, directed by Joss Whedon, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.
- Matt Price
Captain America 2 could feature MODOK; Jennifer Lawrence’s naked paint job; Justice League sellouts
Captain America 2 could feature MODOK; Jennifer Lawrence’s arduous nude makeup process for Mystique; and Justice League a hit in the Planet 46/NewsOK Comics Podcast.
Superman goes back to Krypton, Brian K. Vaughan’s new comic, Captain America interview
Superman goes back to Krypton, the Red Skull has a powerful automobile, and Brian K. Vaughan is returning to comics.
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