Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 8, 2025 | 4 comments

An anniversary tribute to one of comics’ greatest partnerships…

Joe Simon (left) and Jack Kirby (right), circa 1950

By PETER BOSCH

Hymie “Joseph” Simon and Jack Kirby (née Jacob Kurtzberg) met in 1939 when Simon was hired as the editor of Fox Publications’ comic book line, where Kirby was already working in the bullpen. Seeing their styles were not that far apart, they teamed up to work in many comic genres.

Kirby was definitely faster when it came to pencilling but, per Mark Evanier’s impressive book Kirby: King of Comics (Abrams, 2008), he didn’t like inking. So Simon, also an artist, turned his talent to embellishing his partner, as well as writing many of the stories. Simon was also the deal maker for the pair when it came to doing contracts with comic publishers.

Champion Comics #9 (July 1940, Harvey). Art by Simon and Kirby.

Their first published collaboration was Blue Bolt #2 (July 1940, Novelty Press), which hit the newsstands 85 years ago, on May 8, 1940. For the main Blue Bolt story, the pair alternated drawing pages. Published around the same time, Champion #9 (July 1940) had their first cover together. And with the fifth issue of Blue Bolt, Simon shared credit for the first time with Kirby.

Splash page for Blue Bolt #5 (Oct. 1940).

(NOTE: All cover and story pages below are believed to be pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon, unless otherwise noted.)

And so the time had come, Simon and Kirby were a team, Simon & Kirby, ready to change the comic industry forever. As a matter of fact, it can be said that (with the exception of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby), when it came to superheroes, nobody did them better – especially flag-covered heroes:

(Left to right) Captain America Comics #1 (Mar. 1941, Timely/Marvel). Fighting American #3 (Aug.-Sept. 1954, Prize), art by Kirby. The Double Life of Private Strong #2 (Aug. 1959, Archie), art by Kirby.

When it came to creating kid-gang comics, nobody did it better…

(Top row: left to right) Young Allies #1 (Summer 1941, Timely), with inks by Syd Shores. Star Spangled Comics #10 (July 1942, DC).  (Bottom row: left to right) Boys’ Ranch #2 (Dec. 1950, Harvey). Boy Explorers #1 (May-June 1946, Harvey). Detective Comics #65 (July 1942, DC), art: Batman and Robin by Jerry Robinson and the Boy Commandos by Kirby (pencils) and Simon (inks).

The same for crime comic books; nobody did them better…

(Top row, left to right) Headline Comics #37 (Sept.-Oct. 1949, Prize), with a photo of Kirby as the crook and Simon as the policeman. Headline Comics #23 (Mar.-Apr. 1947, Prize). (Bottom row, left to right): Justice Traps the Guilty #10 (June-July 1949, Prize), with undetermined inker. Police Trap #2 (Oct.-Nov. 1954, Mainline), art by Kirby; and Charlie Chan #2 (Aug.-Sept. 1948), art by Kirby.

And when it came to horror comics – OK, E.C. did do them better… but Simon & Kirby offered some thrills!

Black Magic #2 (Dec. 1950-Jan. 1951, Prize), with art by Kirby, and The Strange World of Your Dreams #3 (Nov.-Dec. 1952, Prize).

However, now we come to romance comic books. Not only did Joe Simon and Jack Kirby do it better than anyone else — they created the market! Simon wrote in his autobiography, Joe Simon: My Life in Comics (Titan Books, 2011), that upon his return from service in World War II he felt there were no comic books specifically for teenage girls and women (though there had been earlier titles like Marvel’s Miss America Magazine, Patsy Walker, and Millie the Model, as well as DC’s Wonder Woman). Superheroes were on the way out after the war and “true love” magazines were then very popular on the newsstands.

When Simon took the idea for a serious romance comic book to Al Harvey, it was turned down. Simon then went over to small publisher Crestwood, for which Simon and Kirby had done a number of comics under its subsidiary Prize Comics, and got the green light for Young Romance #1 (Sept.-Oct. 1947).

In his autobiography, Simon wrote: “What could have been our greatest mistake was the best thing we ever did. Before long, it was selling a million copies a month, with almost no returns.”

As a special part of our focus on the team for their 85th anniversary, here’s a look at 13 of their romance comics and stories:

Young Romance #1 (Sept.-Oct. 1947, Prize)

Young Romance #7 (Sept.-Oct. 1948)

Young Romance #10 (Mar.-Apr. 1949)

Young Romance #12 (July-Aug. 1950)

With the incredible popularity of Young Romance, S&K created a sister publication, Young Love.

Young Love #12 (Aug. 1950, Prize)

Young Love #13 (Sept. 1950)

Young Love #14 (Oct. 1950), with art by Kirby.

Young Love #19 (Mar. 1951)

While the romance covers were intriguing come-ons, the most powerful art was often found on the splash pages.

Young Romance #1

Young Romance #1

Young Love #1 (Feb.-Mar. 1949)

Young Love #1

Young Love #12

Simon & Kirby also expanded the market with the titles Western Love and Real West Romances.

S&K worked together on and off for another decade but after The Double Life of Private Strong did not do well, and Archie chose to do in-house production of the S&K creation, the Fly, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby decided to go their individual ways.

They did reteam one last time, working together on the first issue of a revamped version of the Sandman, but it never equaled the success of their 1940s hero.

In their two decades together, Simon and Kirby left a legacy that most artists and writers only dream about achieving. They did it all and they did it with magnificence.

Simon and Kirby letterhead, circa 1948

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MORE

— Get Your Hands on SIMON and KIRBY’s First BLUE BOLT — Remastered For Your Enjoyment. Click here.

— The TOP 13 Essential JACK KIRBY CAPTAIN AMERICA Stories — RANKED. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is due in 2025. (You can pre-order here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.