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

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.

FIRE AWAY
The Kindle Fire offers comics via graphic novel sales on Amazon.com and the comiXology app that comes pre-installed on the tablet. The comiXology reader links to any existing comiXology account. Its reader is preferable to the Fire’s native browser for comics, which will feature several DC graphic novels.

NEW AVENGERS POSTER

A brand new banner featuring the core four members of “The Avengers” — Captain America, Bruce Banner, Iron Man and Thor, from left to right — has premiered over at Yahoo Movies.

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/movie-stills/gallery/3403/the-avengers-stills#info

CONAN GIVEAWAY

Lionsgate Home Entertainment is  releasing  Conan the Barbarian on 3D/2D Blu-ray Combo Pack, 2D   Blu-ray Disc, and DVD this November 22nd. Starring Jason Momoa, Rachel   Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, and Ron Perlman, this 2011  re-make  includes audio commentaries, The Conan Legacy  featurette, a making-of  and more. Longtime “Conan” comics writer appears on the special features for the film.

We have a copy of the  Conan the Phenomenon: The Legacy  of Robert E. Howard Fantasy  Icon hardcover art history book as well as the Conan the Barbarian the Blu-ray Combo Pack to give away.  For a chance to win, answer our question of the day:  Which Conan is your favorite?  The character from the books?  Arnold from the films?  The Barry Windsor-Smith or John Buscema version from the comics?  The more recent version from the Dark Horse Comics?  Or Jason Momoa in the new film?

ROY THOMAS

Speaking of Conan, I talked to Roy Thomas, who brought Conan to Marvel Comics in the 1970s and has been writing “Road of Kings” for Dark Horse.  He talked about the early days of the Conan comic.

He said he was hoping to expand Marvel’s reach beyond superheroes into sword and sorcery, and licensing Conan was a home run. The new “Conan the Barbarian” is out on DVD and Blu-ray today. Look for more of the interview with Thomas in Friday’s Weekend Look.

WINNER WINNER ROBOT CHICKEN DINNER

We’ve chosen our winner for the Robot Chicken season 5 DVD  —  the DVD goes to MovieHunter1888.

REVIEW FILE: Justice League 3, Captain America #4, Fear Itself 7.3, Avengers #19, Batman #3
Comics read in 2011: 1,748. Still to go: 263

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

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 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.

The half-British, half-American Atwell grew up in London, but spent summers in Kansas City, Mo.

For “Captain America,” she went through extensive training with an ex-Marine to become Agent Peggy Carter.

“It was a matter of making sure that physically she was strong and fit and looked like she could hold a gun and hold her own in quite an action-packed, male-dominated environment,” Atwell said in a phone interview promoting “Captain America.”

“And it felt like it paid off. It gave me tremendous energy and vitality and confidence, not to mention stronger biceps.”

But Peggy Carter isn’t only strong, she’s also sexy.

“We looked at kind of old Hollywood glamour, the Lauren Bacalls, and the pencil skirts of the 40s, and found a way to make the uniform look practical and strong, but also sexy and sophisticated as well.”

Atwell said she felt women of the 1940s made an effort to look their best at all times, which was reflected in Peggy Carter.

So even when Carter is chasing the bad guys, “she still managed to go and powder her nose and put some red lipstick on,” Atwell said.

She said working with star Chris Evans was inspiring.

Chris Evans, left, and Hayley Atwell, cast members in "Captain America: The First Avenger."

“He’s a really smart guy, and I thought he brought so much sensitivity to this role,” she said. “Not just the physical aspect of it, which he obviously was clearly capable of doing, but then you see there’s quite a sensitive side to what Chris can do as an actor.”

Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”) plays Col. Chester Phillips, a gruff military man who must be convinced of the potential of Steve Rogers. Atwell said her time with Jones on set was always educational.

“As Brits, we really appreciate wit, and he has buckets full of it,” Atwell said. “His conversation is very funny. Very, very dry sense of humor. It’s something that I can imagine being quite intimidating to some people, but I found everything that came out of his mouth either interesting or very, very funny.”

After she was cast as Peggy Carter, Atwell said she researched Captain America comic books to get a feel for the story. Captain America first appeared in 1940, in what would later become Marvel Comics. She said she discovered Captain America was about a man who chose to use his newfound abilities for the greater good.

“And not to get too swayed by the temptation to become famous as he experiences in the film,” she said.

Though the timeline of the various films might not make it obvious how Agent Peggy Carter would return, Atwell’s up for another turn in the superhero world.

“I haven’t had any conversations about that yet,” she said. “Obviously anything’s possible, because being in this sci-fi world, you can bring anything back or do anything, and I would absolutely jump at the opportunity to be involved again.”

In the meantime, she’ll support co-star Chris Evans by watching him return as Captain America in “The Avengers,” though she’s worried about one potential plotline.

“I think if there’s any romantic involvement, I’ll be very jealous,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll want to see that, I’ll feel cheated. But of course I’ll go and support Chris and go and watch the film. I’m a big fan of the other films. I loved ‘Thor,’ and I loved ‘Iron Man,’ so I’ll definitely go and see that for those reasons. It’s going to be a really exciting movie, I think. ‘The Avengers’ will be the icing on the cake of years of great films all coming together in this one action film.”

In the meantime, she’s been performing in a play in London, and this week will begin filming “The Sweeney” in London with Ray Winstone.

She said she’s very proud of her work in “Captain America,” and the overall film, though she finds it hard to judge it completely objectively.

“It’s almost like having this incredible experience, and then having a video of it forever and ever and ever to remind of all the fun that you had and all the friends that you made. So I feel very privileged and honored to be a part of it.”

– By Matthew Price
From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman

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.

CAPTAIN AMERICA ON DVD/HAYLEY ATWELL ON THE PLANET 46 COMICS PODCAST
Hayley Atwell plays British agent Peggy Carter in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”
Atwell talked about doing a lot of training to become Agent Carter, but also about keeping the character sophisticated.
“We looked at kind of old Hollywood glamour, the Lauren Bacalls, and the pencil skirts of the 40s, and found a way to make the uniform look practical and strong, but also sexy and sophisticated as well,” she said.
She’s also looking forward to seeing her pal Chris Evans in “The Avengers.” She said the two of them got on very well on-set.
“He was great fun. We hung out a lot. He’s a really smart guy, and I thought he brought so much sensitivity to this role. Not just the physical aspect of it, which he obviously was clearly capable of doing, but then you see there’s quite a sensitive side to what Chris can do as an actor. And he was a gentleman, and he was very sweet. I felt like one of the guys being around him, but I also felt looked after by him. He’s had a lot more experience working with Hollywood than I have.”

ROBOT CHICKEN SEASON 5 GIVEAWAY
The Planet 46 Comics Podcast is giving away Season 5 of Robot Chicken, featuring 20 uncensored episodes from the series’ two-part fifth season, including nine never-before-seen episodes and sketches fueled by the series’ signature pop culture parodies. They are also stocked with hours and hours of bonus materials ranging from deleted scenes and episode commentary with celebrity guests, to behind-the-scenes featurettes. Plus, the series’ 100th episode is included on this release.
Want to win a copy? Tell us who is your favorite celebrity guest voice on Robot Chicken!
Chris Evans, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Hulk Hogan, Kristin Chenoweth, Bruce Campbell, James Marsden, David Hasselhoff, Vanessa Hudgens, Scarlett Johansson,
Dean Cain, Dom DeLuise, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rosario Dawson and more have all appeared on the show.

PUNISHER TV SHOW
Deadline reports Fox has handed a put pilot commitment to The Punisher, a series based on the Marvel comic from Ed Bernero and ABC Studios. The show is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel Comics twist.
It’s not the only comic-book show that may arrive on FOX — the network is also developing “The Spectre.”

REVIEW FILE:
Justice League #2, Batman #2, Cold War #1, Fear Itself #7, Avengers #18
Comics read in 2011: 1606. Still to go: 405

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.

In the third volume, the Avengers face the Masters of Evil, a group of Avengers foes gathered by Captain America’s enemy, Baron Zemo. Though the Avengers appear to be down for the count after Zemo attacks their mansion, Zemo hasn’t accounted for the bowman Hawkeye or the Wakandan king Black Panther, two Avengers who weren’t there at the time.

The second episode on the set, “459,” brings the Kree warrior Captain Mar-Vell into the “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” continuity, as an alien sentry comes to Earth as a harbinger of interstellar war.

A three-part storyline features the time-traveling dictator Kang the Conqueror and is reminiscent of the great Kang storylines from the Avengers comics.

And in “Widow’s Sting,” Hawkeye and Mockingbird are on the trail of the apparent double-agent the Black Widow.

Eric Loomis brings a Robert Downey Jr.-esque flair to the brash, sarcastic Iron Man, and veteran voice actor Fred Tatasciore returns as the Hulk after playing the character in direct-to-DVD films and video games. Brian Bloom (“As the World Turns”) voices the heroic Captain America, while Rick Wasserman (“24”) plays the Norse god of thunder, Thor.

There’s some anime influence, but “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” animation style is probably somewhere between Marvel’s more traditional superhero style and a full-on anime production. It’s similar in look to the recent “Wolverine and the X-Men” as far as art style is concerned. Former “X-Force” comics writer Christopher Yost is the series’ head writer and story editor, and wrote the “Masters of Evil” episode included in this collection.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

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 arduous nude makeup process for Mystique; and Justice League a hit in the Planet 46/NewsOK Comics Podcast.

CAP SCREENWRITER WANTS MODOK

“Captain America” film co-writer Christopher Markus tells Hero Complex he’d like to see MODOK in the sequel to the Marvel film, though that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal.

“I love MODOK and I think you could make a terrifying movie with MODOK but nobody seems to be on my side at the momentum,” Markus said.  MODOK, which stands for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, was created by Jack Kirby, and is a giant head in a floating chair.

JUSTICE LEAGUE STARTS STRONG

DC Comics relaunched its entire line of superhero comics on Wednesday, with the release of “Justice League” No. 1, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee.

The issue has already gone through two printings, with a third scheduled, within the first week of release.   More than 200,000 copies were ordered.

MYSTIQUE FEELING BLUE

The “X-Men First Class” DVD will be released Sept. 9.  A sneak peek at the special features of the film shows how Jennifer Lawrence was painted blue for her Mystique role.

Jennifer Lawrence had to stand, near-naked, for seven hours while six makeup artists applied the Mystique makeup.

The DVD for X-Men: First Class will be out on Blu-ray and DVD on Friday, September 9th.

REVIEW FILE: Flashpoint 5, Justice League 1, Angel And Faith 1, Amazing Spider-Man 668, Incredible Hulks #635.

Comics read in 2011: 1,341 Still to go: 670.

As seen at EW, six minutes of Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns” have been made available, online and in the Blu-ray set.

This scene features Brandon Routh’s Superman making a return trip to the remains of Krypton in the opening of the film.

CAPTAIN AMERICA LEAD VEHICLE DESIGNER DANIEL SIMON TALKS THE RED SKULL CAR

The car driven by the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) is very prominent in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

“We really gave the car a special treatment, because it’s so iconic in the film,” Simon said. The car was fully built out at 25 feet long.

“We didn’t want to go very futuristic on the car. It belongs to the villain, and we thought a personal object for the villain should be more elegant and artsy,” Simon said.

BRIAN K VAUGHAN RETURNING TO COMICS
Brian K. Vaughan (“Y: The Last Man,” “Ex Machina”) will return to monthly comics with “Saga” from Image Comics. The series was co-created by and will be illustrated by Fiona Staples. CBR reports “Saga” is a sci-fi series about “the life and times of a family fighting to survive a never-ending war.”

REVIEW FILE: The Vault #1, X-Men Schism #2, Captain America and Bucky #620.
Comics read in 2011: 1,129 Still to go: 882.

The Red Skull's car from "Captain America: The First Avenger."

After delving into the future designing vehicles on “Tron: Legacy,” German vehicle designer Daniel Simon went back to the past for “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Simon wanted to look back to 1940s designs while working as the lead vehicle designer for the Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios motion picture.

Several of his designs are for vehicles used by HYDRA, which is the deep science division led by the villainous Red Skull.

“HYDRA is an advanced department back in the 1940s, so we actually had to think of what would be futuristic back then,” Simon said. “So one easy thought is to look at what was done in the ’50s, and just cheat it back into the 1940s.”

Captain America was first created in the comic books of the 1940s by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The film based on the comic is set in the same era. Simon looked at archival material from the era to get an idea for what the vehicles should look like.

“Another thing is to look back at archives, and books, and look at what they were developing,” he said. “We just tried to place them in our vehicles.”

Simon said everything that was under development couldn’t be extrapolated on, because it was important for it to fit with the public’s perception of what might have been possible in a vehicle of the time.

“We couldn’t go crazy, because we need a certain believability on screen,” he said. “It’s for public; it’s for a wide span of audience. It’s more like a popular approach on technology.”

Simon designed submarines, cars and motorcycles for the film, some of which had to change at the last minute.

“The HYDRA motorcycles were funny; that was moviemaking at its best,” he said.

The motorcycles were originally designed for one chassis, but as the story developed, more stunts were going to be done on the bikes. The planned chassis was too long for the stuntmen to perform certain stunts, so the production team came back to Simon with a new chassis to design over.

“On my last, last day on the show, I had to redesign the bikes so they fit. … These are the things that happen in Hollywood,” Simon said.

A vehicle that gets a lot of screen time is the car driven by the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

“We really gave the car a special treatment, because it’s so iconic in the film,” Simon said. The car was fully built out at 25 feet long.

“We didn’t want to go very futuristic on the car. It belongs to the villain, and we thought a personal object for the villain should be more elegant and artsy,” Simon said.

Simon looked at the most elegant cars of the time, including the Mercedes 540K, Bentleys and Bugattis, to appropriate design elements, such as the elegant front fenders, the long hood and the way the lights are positioned.

The back and sides of the six-wheeled car, meanwhile, are more utilitarian, with toolboxes and radio equipment.

“It was completely designed from scratch,” Simon said. “There’s no little nut and bolt on it that existed somewhere.”

Simon said the car had to have sophistication and speed.

“It has an aircraft engine in it, in the story, and it’s the fastest thing on Earth back then,” he said.

Simon worked in Los Angeles and sent his designs over the Internet to a team building the vehicles in England.

“To see what’s today possible, that your exact visions come true on the other side of the world, it’s still stunning to me,” he said.

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Captain America Corps 1-2
Roger Stern writes this miniseries, which gathers various Captain Americas through time and puts them up against a cosmic-level threat to the future.  Philippe Briones, who drew “American Son,” is a good choice for art on this mini.   The U.S. Agent, American Dream, Commander A, and an early-day Steve Rogers Captain America join a recent James Barnes Captain America as the only force who can overcome this totalitarian threat to the future.    If you’re a longtime Cap fan, you’ll love how Stern dusts off various incarnations of the character.  And if you’re a new fan from the films, the World War II Cap will be familiar — recent comics fans should be able to clue in to the pre-”Fear Itself” Bucky Cap.

Ghost Rider #1
Rob Williams crafts this tale of a new, female Ghost Rider who replaces Johnny Blaze as “Fear Itself” crosses the Marvel Universe.   Matthew Clark provides the art.  This seems to be an attempt to move Ghost Rider back toward the Marvel Universe as opposed to off in a Marvel Knights or mature readers imprint, and it works OK, but it didn’t set my head on fire.

Amazing Spider-Man #665
As “Spider-Island” looms, Peter Parker’s relationship with longtime pal Betty Brant is explored.  Aunt May comes off a bit out of character, and parts of the story may be cliched, but it’s a rare misstep by Dan Slott, who even on a rare off issue is perfectly readable. Art is byRyan Stegman. As a change of pace, grounding issue before Spider-Island it’s fine, and Slott is still a fantastic Spider-Man writer.  This one was just less appealing to me than most of his run.

Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket #1
Rags Morales provides nice art, but I couldn’t really get into Mike Carlin’s story about the Canterbury Cricket.  It’s the origin of a new character in the Flashpoint Universe, set in England.  As resistance fighters Etrigan the Demon, Godiva, Mrs Hyde and Wicked Jinny Greenteeth face off against the Amazons, they are in trouble until the Cricket arrives, and reveals his origin.

Flashpoint: Green Arrow Industries #1
Writer Pornsak Pichetshote joins artists Ig Guara and Marco Castiello to fill us in on the Green Arrow of the world of “Flashpoint,” in which Oliver Queen is a businessman gathering high-powered technology.   This one shot reveals an Oliver Queen who is a complete 180 from the Oliver Queen of the regular DCU.  While there were some interesting contrasts, mainly this made me want to read some old-school Mike Grell Green Arrow.

Batman: Gates of Gotham #3
Kyle Higgins and Scott Snyder continue to explore the current mystery vexing Gotham City, with ties back to the city’s early days.  Maybe not as strong as the first two issues, but still a highly recommended Batman miniseries.   Trevor McCarthy is the artist.   Nicholas Gate is forced to decide where a new bridge expanding Gotham City will lead – to land owned by thuggish Cameron Kane, or to land owned by Gate’s favored Alan Wayne.  Though Kane’s option is structurally ideal, Nicholas is torn.

Defenders: From the Marvel Vault
The story behind this story is probably more interesting than the story itself.  Marvel, clearing out inventory issues, finds an issue completely drawn by Mark Bagley.  It was written by Fabian Nicieza, but the script has long-since been lost.  Since Nicieza is exclusive to DC, Marvel asks previous “Defenders” writer Kurt Busiek to make sense of it.  He does, in such a screwball fashion that it couldn’t be what was originally intended.  But it’s pretty clever.   Worth a look if you’re a Busiek or Bagley fan, or to take a peek behind the curtain on the process of making these things.

Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1
Writer Adam Schlagman and artist Ben Oliver focus on the “Top Gun” aspects of Hal Jordan in this “Flashpoint” tie-in series.

Red Robin #1 (2009)

Writer Chris Yost and artist Ramon Bachs reintroduced Tim Wayne (formerly Drake) as the Red Robin in this 2009 series that had the former Robin searching for the thought-dead Batman.  With Dick Grayson taking over the helm of Batman, Tim is seething over his choice of Damian Wayne, Bruce’s son, to take the role of Robin.   Tim is distraught, and desperate to find Bruce to set things right. 

Edit: I noticed I counted “Red Robin” #1 twice, so I’ve replaced it in the count with another DC from 2009: “Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade” #1. 

- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 1,059 Still to go: 952

Marvel has released concept art for the upcoming “Avengers” movie, starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner, as Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and Hawkeye.  The posters are available at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Click past the cut to see the four posters released so far.

- Matt Price

If watching Chris Evans as Captain America take on Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull in this week’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” film whets your appetite for more of the star-spangled hero, you’re in luck. Marvel Comics has several trade paperback and hardcover editions in print collecting the hero’s adventures.

Captain America first appeared in “Captain America Comics” No. 1, with a cover date of March 1941. Captain America became one of the most popular wartime heroes, but his popularity waned in the postwar era, and by 1953 his comic had been canceled.

But the Captain hadn’t been forgotten. When Stan Lee began his Marvel Comics line of superheroes in the early 1960s, he remembered Captain America, who had been published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel. He revived Captain America in the pages of “Avengers” No. 4 and starred him in his own stories in “Tales of Suspense.”

The first of Lee’s and Jack Kirby’s Silver Age Captain America solo stories are collected in “Marvel Masterworks: Captain America.” The origins of Captain America, his nemesis the Red Skull and Cap’s partner, Bucky, are all in this collection.

This paperback collection also features the Cosmic Cube and Baron Zemo’s army of assassins. It includes the Captain America stories from “Tales of Suspense” Nos. 59-81.

Steve Englehart was one of the most prominent writers to tackle Captain America in the 1970s. His storylines “Secret Empire” and “Nomad” are among the most famous adventures of Captain America.

Captain America discovers a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of the U.S. government. He’s disillusioned by what he’s discovered, and gives up the Captain America identity to become Nomad. This Watergate-era Captain America examined what happened to the country’s greatest super-heroic symbol when the government failed to live up to his trust. “Secret Empire” ran in issues 169-176 of “Captain America.” “Nomad” ran in issues 177-186.

Roger Stern and John Byrne had a brief but memorable run on “Captain America” in the 1980s, collected in the “War and Remembrance” hardcover edition. It features Captain America mulling a presidential run, and an updated version of his origin.

Mark Gruenwald became the longest-serving writer of Captain America during his run in the 1980s and 1990s. His best-known storyline, “The Captain,” recently was collected in trade paperback.

In “Captain America” No. 332, a government commission demands that Captain America answer solely to it. Rogers refuses and gives up the costume of Captain America. In the storyline, the government hires its own Captain America, and Steve Rogers continues to fight for liberty while wearing a predominantly black costume and calling himself simply “The Captain.”

Artists for the storyline were Tom Morgan and Kieron Dwyer.

Gruenwald ended his run in 1995 and was replaced by writer Mark Waid, who with artist Ron Garney created the storyline “Operation Rebirth,” which sees Captain America alongside the Red Skull against Adolf Hitler.

This storyline, collected in hardcover, contains Captain America Nos. 444-448 and Nos. 450-454.

In recent years, writer Ed Brubaker has been the man behind the “Captain America” saga. The “Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate Collection” features an action-packed, espionage-tinged Captain America tale featuring the Red Skull, the Cosmic Cube and a plot against the United States. There’s also the return of a long-absent member of Captain America’s supporting cast.

Artists include Steve Epting, Mike Perkins and Michael Lark.

If you’d rather start with the latest comic book, Marvel’s made that easy, too. Brubaker and artist Steve McNiven (“Civil War”) have launched a new “Captain America” No. 1, on sale now, to draw in recent converts to the character.

“I gave myself a few challenges for this new No. 1 — I wanted to do the perfect Cap comic for anyone who walks out of the Cap movie and wants to know what’s next, but it also had to build on everything I’ve done on the book beforehand, too, and feel like the natural next step,” Brubaker said in a news release.

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Center to right: Chris Evans plays Captain America and Sebastian Stan plays James "Bucky" Barnes in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, from Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment.

A scrawny young man from Brooklyn becomes a star-spangled defender of America in “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

Steve Rogers is a patriotic but underweight young man who volunteered for a secret government experiment. The results of the experiment turned him into a super-soldier. In the comics, where he was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1940, the hero was ready-made to battle Adolf Hitler and the Axis powers of World War II.

The film “Captain America: The First Avenger” will take viewers back to those early days of the Marvel Universe.

Rogers (Chris Evans) is joined by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) as they face off against the HYDRA terrorist organization, led by the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

Chosen from a long list of potential Captains, Evans turned down the role three times before agreeing to become Marvel’s centerpiece hero. He told Entertainment Weekly he’s glad he overcame his fears to sign up as the Star Spangled Avenger.

“When I first put on the suit, I was absolutely terrified. But once I started working, I could just see this was going to be a good experience. Then I started going, ‘Wow. This is really cool,’” he told Entertainment Weekly in October. “I can’t believe I was almost too chicken to play Captain America.”

Joe Johnston, who directed a well-reviewed superhero period piece more than 20 years ago with “The Rocketeer,” is directing the film. The movie leads into 2012′s “The Avengers,” which will feature Captain America, Iron Man and Thor and is being directed by Joss Whedon. While it is a piece of that larger Marvel mythology, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said at Comic-Con International in 2010 that all of the Marvel films have to work independently, as well.

“All the movies have to stand on their own. If you need to watch all of them to understand any of them, then we’ve failed,” Feige said. “But it also wouldn’t work if we didn’t have filmmakers … like Joe, and now Joss, who are excited about that notion, who understand their toes aren’t being stepped on, they’re telling the story and the movie that they want to tell. But they get enough of these little pieces in that the baton can be passed to the next one. And they enjoy the idea, they enjoy that notion of being part of something bigger.”

The film, set in the 1940s, should hew pretty closely to Captain America’s comic-book roots, something Feige describes as an asset.

“We have the incredibly unfair advantage of almost 70 years of material, all of which has been revamped and refreshed over the decades in comic book form,” he said in an online discussion with journalists. “Our job is to look at the rich history of these characters and pick the best stories to tell.”

Feige, who was in London for 3½ months as “Captain America” was being filmed, said he enjoys being able to bring Marvel characters to a wide audience.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be back in the mode of introducing characters to the audience for the first time, as we did with Iron Man in 2008.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Chris Evans stars as Steve Rogers, a skinny 4F reject during World War II who becomes the star-spangled superhero Captain America.

He’s transformed from a scrawny Brooklyn scrapper to a chiseled, enhanced Adonis through the power of Dr. Abraham Erskine’s super soldier serum.

While the movie’s better-living-through-chemistry origin might inspire snickers in this day of steroids and HGH, the movie plays its superhero origin perfectly straight.  The serum that gives Steve Rogers his powers isn’t as important as the man Steve Rogers is — a true-blue American that wants to aid his country.

Erskine (Stanley Tucci) picks the earnest, determined Rogers as a candidate for his super soldier serum — but he still has to convince the proper, yet steely Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and the gritty, grumpy Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones).

But even once Erskine’s formula works its magic on Steve, he’s still kept from the front — he’s signed up as a war bonds pitchman for the USO.

While he’s a hit on the homefront, the soldiers in the field aren’t as thrilled with his prefab success — until a situation arises in which he proves he’s the genuine article.

Captain America is eventually set loose on his opposite number — the similarly enhanced Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), who’s the head of the Nazi’s deep science division, HYDRA.   Taking his good friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and the rest of his Howling Commandos with him across enemy lines, Captain America strikes at the heart of HYDRA.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the screenwriters for the three “Narnia” films provide a story rich with detail from the Marvel Comics. This movie, set during the early 1940s, is a throwback — for most of the movie, you feel as if you’re watching a movie that could have been made during World War II.   Chris Evans brings an aw-shucks earnestness to the role that’s just short of Jimmy Stewart as a superhero.

Director Joe Johnston, who channeled similar 1940s nostalgia in 1991′s “The Rocketeer,” here creates a sepia-toned piece of Americana that’s as wholesome as a big slice of apple pie.  Johnston worked as a designer on “Star Wars” and shared an Oscar for Visual Effects on “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and he brings sensibilities from both of those films to “Captain America: The First Avenger.”

The film does lead into next summer’s “The Avengers,” but it doesn’t feel like only a prelude.  It feels like a salute, to the America that created Captain America, and to the belief that greatness continues to live within our nation’s people, waiting only to be unlocked.

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Captain America star Chris Evans gets recognized at the Lanmark Technology Music Lodge “Captain America Military Salute” program on Thursday, July 21 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT. Stan Lee will be recognized for his service as an Army Illustrator during WWII, and a Navy SEAL Veteran will be honored for excellence in the line of duty.

With Comic-Con looming, trailers and premieres abound!

SPIDEY TRAILER

Set to debut in front of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the teaser trailer for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the reboot directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, has made its way online via Movie-List.com.

ALSO A BAT-TRAILER

After being shown on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s conclusion of his Bat-trilogy is also on the ‘Net.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Do you prefer the Amazing Spider-Man or Dark Knight Rises trailer?

COMIC-CON!
Lots is happening at Comic-Con, which kicks off with a preview night tonight.
DC Comics will feature “The New 52” at Comic-Con, the upcoming historic renumbering of the entire DC line of superhero comic books with 52 first issues. Marvel has panels on the comic-book series “Amazing Spider-Man” and “X-Men,” among others.

CAPTAIN AMERICA!

“Captain America: The First Avenger” premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, with stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson in attendance.

REVIEW FILE: Daredevil 1, Misadventures of Adam West 1
Comics read in 2011: 1,026 Still to go: 985

Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell at the premiere for "Captain America: The First Avenger." (AP)

“Captain America: The First Avenger” premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, with stars Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper and Samuel L. Jackson in attendance.   Also on the scene – Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr., who will co-star with Evans in “The Avengers” as Thor and Iron Man, respectively.

Vanessa Hudgens and Zoe Saldana were other stars who made an appearance at the premiere event.  Click past the cut for a photo gallery from the event.

- Matt Price

Kyle and Matt take a look at the poster for “The Dark Knight Rises” and discuss the box office potential of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Part 2. We also discuss the upcoming “Amazing Spider-Man” and what’s to come at Comic-Con International.
Review File: Captain America 1, X-Men Schism 1, The Red Wing 1
Comics read in 2011: 979 Still to go: 1,032.

He went from a scrawny 4F in the early days of World War II to America’s super soldier! The Toy and Action Figure Museum will celebrate the Marvel Comics hero Captain America from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the museum, 111 S Chickasaw in Pauls Valley.

The film “Captain America: The First Avenger” will be released Friday, July 22, and is based on the Captain America comic book series from Marvel Comics.

As World War II beckons, scrawny Steve Rogers volunteers to undergo a series of experiments for a secret U.S. program to develop a super soldier.

Captain America’s origins and his battle with the Red Skull will be featured in the upcoming film.

Movie memorabilia will be available to visitors of the museum all weekend while supplies last.

For more information, call the museum at (405) 238-6300 or visit the website at www.actionfiguremuseum.com.

Captain America is also getting a spotlight in comic books as his movie prepares for release.

Marvel is featuring Steve Rogers’ return as Captain America in a new “Captain America” No. 1, released this week.

“I gave myself a few challenges for this new No. 1 — I wanted to do the perfect Cap comic for anyone who walks out of the Cap movie and wants to know what’s next, but it also had to build on everything I’ve done on the book beforehand, too, and feel like the natural next step,” said writer Ed Brubaker.

Brubaker will be joined by artist Steve McNiven, who drew the Marvel Comics best-seller “Civil War.”

“Steve is at the top of his game, and no one draws action like him,” Brubaker said.

McNiven said he’s been itching for a chance to draw Captain America.

“Captain America has been a character I’ve wanted to work on in more depth since ‘Civil War,’ a real icon of the Marvel Universe,” McNiven said. “Not only do I get to run with Cap, but Ed Brubaker, a guy who has redefined the character at Marvel, is writing the books and he’s come up with an absolutely brilliant storyline that I can’t wait for folks to read.”

“Captain America” No. 1 is a $3.99 comic book on sale now. Fans can find a nearby comic shop by visiting comicshoplocator.com or calling (888) 266-4226.

- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Captain America faces off with Hydra.

Captain America gets a shield.

Steve Rogers becomes a super soldier.

Chris Evans (AP)

Marvel.com reports that Chris Evans, who stars as Captain America in the upcoming film “Captain America: The First Avenger,” will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday.

He’ll be joined by Marvel executives and guests.   Fans can watch a live webcast of the Opening Bell beginning at 9:29 a.m. ET on the homepage of nyse.com.

- Matt Price

This week’s Planet 46 comics podcast features a Robot Chicken: Star Wars III giveaway! Just tell us your favorite Star Wars character for a chance to win.

CAPTAIN AMERICA MELTS

For Independence Day, Kyle created a cool stop-motion featuring Captain America, his shield, and a Bomb Pop.   Kyle talks about the making of the movie in the Planet 46 Comics Podcast.

SUPERHERO TOY COMEDY

Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Travis Willingham, and Bryan Enk are set to star in the new live-action web series “Shelf Life,” which stars four action figures on a young boy’s shelf.  The series will follow the action figures’ irreverent antics and was co-written and directed by Paul Jenkins (“Wolverine: Origin”).

The first season of Shelf Life introduces us to Hero Man (Travis Willingham: Thor, Transformers, Marvel Super Hero Squad), Hero Lass (Tara Platt), Bug Boy (Yuri Lowenthal) and Samurai Snake (Bryan Enk).

PALICKI TO PLAY LADY JAYE
Adrianne Palicki is set to play female lead Lady Jaye in “GI Joe: Cobra Strikes.”  According to

Adrianne Palicki (AP)

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed on to play the beefy soldier Roadblock in the Jon M. Chu-directed film.

REVIEW FILE: Flashpoint 3, Elric 1, Fear Itself 4.

Comics read in 2011: 914 Still to go: 1097.

In celebration of reaching 2 million facebook fans, Marvel is sharing exclusive images from Captain America: The First Avenger and other behind-the-scenes peeks at its Facebook page today.  New images feature Chris Evans as Captain America, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull, and more.

- Matt Price

- Matt Price

With the July 4 weekend upon us, here are some patriotic comic-books to check out and celebrate the United States of America.

Captain America Comics 1 (1941)
This Joe Simon/Jack Kirby creation shows a ton of energy and excitement, as the origin of Captain America is revealed for the first time.   This issue also has the first appearance of the Red Skull, who in this issue is a traitorous American industrialist.

American Dream 1-5 (2008 Marvel)
American Dream is a young woman who takes on an adapted costume of Captain America in the “MC2″ universe, the Marvel Universe of a few years in the future.    This 5-issue miniseries by Tom DeFalco and Todd Nauck is reminiscent of Silver Age Marvel Comics, as Shannon Carter deals with balancing her personal and superheroic lives.  The five-issue miniseries was collected in the “American Dream: Beyond Courage” trade paperback.

Fighting American 1-7 (Prize); Harvey series 1-2

The new collection from Titan collects all the “Fighting American” stories by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, including the previously unpublished second Harvey issue.  “The Mad Inker” is published here for the first time, missing the splash page that has been lost to time.
The Fighting American started as a Communist-bashing All-American hero in 1954, but as the series went on, he became more of a precursor to Adam West’s Batman, with lots of goofy gags and camp elements.   But the series as a whole, despite the shift in tone, is worth seeking out, especially with Titan’s new collection.

Onslaught Reborn 1-5 (2006)
Jeph Loeb and Rob Liefeld celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Onslaught” in the Marvel Universe with “Onslaught Reborn,” a jam-packed action movie of a comic-book series.  Revived by the events of “House of M,” Onslaught seeks to destroy the earth’s heroes.  Trying to destroy Franklin Richards, he’s again cast into the Heroes Reborn world, where those heroes come face-to-face with the monster.  It’s intended as rock-em, sock-em comics action, and it succeeds at that, despite a lot of detractors at the time.  It heavily features the Avengers — including Thor, Iron Man and Captain America — and the Fantastic Four, among others.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Nos. 71-80 (Marvel, 1988)
Civil War comes to Cobra Island, as Serpentor and someone claiming to be Cobra Commander each vie for control of the organization.  Destro waits in the wings to make his move, as well.   Serpentor, through Doctor Mindbender, manages to get the Joes ordered to help his cause.  Written by Larry Hama, with artists including Ron Wagner and Marshall Rogers.  IDW has collected these issues as Classic G.I. Joe vol 8.

- Matt Price
Comics read in 2011: 911 Still to go:  1100

News on “Man of Steel,” secrets of Captain America and a “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” report are on this week’s Planet 46/NewsOK comics podcast.

TRANSFORMERS 3 IS OUT
With the release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the Planet 46 comics crew asks: Who is your favorite Transformer?
GENERAL STEEL
“Man Of Steel,” Zack Snyder’s reboot of the Superman movies, adds Christopher Meloni to the film.
Deadline first reported that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor Christopher Meloni would have a role in the film; Meloni later told Vulture he would play a military general.

CAPTAIN AMERICA CO-CREATOR HAS NEW BIOGRAPHY
The 97-year-old co-creator of Captain America tells his life story in “Joe Simon: My Life in Comics” by Titan Books.
In his book, Simon writes about how the Captain America first came to life in 1940. Simon wrote that he was outraged by the Nazis, and wanted to cast Adolf Hitler as a villain.
“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.”

REVIEW FILE: Iron Age #1, Rocketeer #2, Marvel Universe vs Wolverine #1, Flashpoint: Project Superman #1
Comics read in 2011: 881 Still to go: 1130

The cover to Joe Simon's autobiography, "Joe Simon: My Life in Comics," from Titan Publishing. Copyright 2011 Joseph H. Simon

The 97-year-old co-creator of Captain America tells his life story in “Joe Simon: My Life in Comics” by Titan Books.

There’s no better time than a long Independence Day weekend to celebrate the co-creator, with Jack Kirby, of the most All-American of heroes. The Chris Evans movie “Captain America: The First Avenger,” releasing July 22, has the World War II character at perhaps his highest profile since the 1940s.
In his book, Simon writes about how the character first came to life in 1940. Seeing what was going on in Europe, Simon felt the real-life villainy of Adolf Hitler deserved a heroic counterpoint. The United States wasn’t yet in the war, but Simon wrote that he was outraged by the Nazis.

“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.”

With “Captain America,” Simon and Kirby were so confident they had a hit on their hands, they began producing the comic before trying to sell it. When Martin Goodman, who owned Timely Comics, saw the pages, he brought Simon and Kirby on staff to oversee a line of comics.

“Captain America” No. 1, released in March 1941, became a huge hit, selling about a million copies.

“Nobody could match the thunder and lightning Jack Kirby brought to comic books,” Simon writes.

Over the course of the book, Simon has encounters with celebrities including writer Damon Runyon, prizefighter Jack Dempsey, Batman creator Bob Kane, comedian Sid Caesar and more.

Simon recounts his early days in newspapers during the Great Depression and his role in comics in wartime America. After the success of “Captain America,” Simon and Kirby moved to DC Comics, working on titles including “Boy Commandos” and “Sandman.” Before entering military service in 1943, Simon and Kirby stockpiled dozens of covers for “Boy Commandos” and “Star-Spangled Comics.”

Returning from the war, Simon and Kirby worked for Harvey Comics on titles including “Boy Explorers” and “Stuntman.”

In 1954, the pair launched the creator-owned “Fighting American,” which started out seriously but evolved over the seven issues into an over-the-top character that had a humorous element.

“Sure, the book was full of Commies and offbeat villains,” Simon writes in his introduction to a new “Fighting American” collection, released in June by Titan Books. “But it also poked fun at the whole superhero thing.”

The collection offers the character’s complete Simon and Kirby adventures, minus one lost page, along with previously unpublished stories and a new introduction by Simon.

“Fighting American” is a 200-page full-color paperback that retails for $19.95.

Simon and Kirby worked in tandem until 1955, when censorship and declining sales rocked the comic book industry. Kirby went on to co-create Marvel Comics heroes including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in the superhero revival of the 1960s, and occasionally reteamed with Simon. Simon continued working for Harvey, created “Brother Power, the Geek” for DC, and headed up the humor magazine Sick. He previously wrote a history of comic book creators called “The Comic Book Makers.”

“Joe Simon: My Life in Comics” is a 256-page hardback that retails for $24.95.

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Chris Evans at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, June 5, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Chris Evans, who plays star-spangled superhero Captain America in this summer’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” is Nerdage’s #6 actor with geek appeal.

Evans will reprise the role in the Joss Whedon-directed “Avengers,” filming now.

In a recent interview with The Triangle, Evans said he felt like he had a responsibility to Captain America’s fans.

“At the end of the day, you’re making the movie for the fans. These movies wouldn’t get made if there wasn’t a built-in fanbase. They just wouldn’t. So at the end of the day, your loyalty is to the people who are passionate about these comic books, so you want to make sure that they’re happy, first and foremost,” Evans said.

- Matt Price