Tag Archives: Simon

It’s a Crime, Chapter 1, Promoting Crime

Posted July 18, 2008 in 2008/07, 5 Studio, Artists, It's a Crime, Kirby, Jack, Periods, Prize, Serial Posts, z Archive and tagged Kirby, meskin, Prize, Simon

(Treasure #10, Prize Comics #63, Frankenstein #7)

Feature Publications, more commonly known as Prize Comics but also as Crestwood, was a relatively small company in 1946. There were five titles in their comic line all of which were bimonthlies; Frankenstein, Headline, Prize, Treasure and Wonderland. It was not just that Prize had a limited number of comic titles; Hillman for example had even fewer. Feature’s problem was more about what they were offering. Wonderland had funny stories aimed at the younger comic book readers but did not have any outstanding features. Treasure was a more general anthology again without any features that were likely to excite readers in 1946. Prize and Headline were also anthologies with an emphasis on the hero genre. Unfortunately in 1946 the popularity of superheroes was on a distinct decline. This could even be seen in Prize’s offering. During the war Yank and Doodle had been young patriotic heroes while the Owl was more of a standard crime fighting costumed hero. Yet by 1946 the two had been combined into a single feature. It was an awkward match to say the least. The only title Feature had that set them apart from other comic publishers was Frankenstein. It probably was not a great success otherwise it would not have remained a bimonthly. With the exception of Frankenstein, the best description of Prize’s comics would be tired.

Treasure #10 (December 1946) “The Treasure Keeper”, art by Dan Barry

Blame for Prize’s humdrum nature does not rest with its artists. Some talented individuals at least occasionally appeared in their comics. We have encountered Dan Barry before when I discussed My Date. The Treasure Keeper was an ongoing feature in Treasure Comics. Unfortunately I do not have access to any other issues but I do not believe Barry was always the artist. Here Barry illustrates the story a successful Russian violinist fall after his anti-Czarist efforts are discovered by the authorities. Dan does a good job with the story, or at least as good as can be expected with the script.

Treasure #10 (December 1946) “Know Your America”, art by Mort Meskin

In 1946 Mort Meskin was doing work for a number of different publishers. Was his appearance in Treasure #10 unique or are there other works by Mort to be found in early Prize comics? Meskin was certainly in good form with his contribution to this issue of Treasure. “Know Your America” was another ongoing feature. I suspect its historic nature probably did not generate a lot of reader enthusiasm even in those patriotic days following the war. Meskin manages to add excitement to what really was a rather dry script. The story page I present above is by no means unique. Note how Meskin puts action into a sequence which is really nothing more then the report to the governor about the public’s rejection of the stamp act (about 10 years prior to the revolutionary war). Mort’s command of perspective, something he is not normally known for, is clear in his depiction of the hand extending to the viewer in the third panel.

Treasure #10 (December 1946) “Tomorrow’s Murder”, art by Jack Kirby

The final story in Treasury #10 was something new for Treasure, or for any Feature comic. It was “Tomorrow’s Murder” by Simon and Kirby. New because it was the first Simon and Kirby piece to be published by Feature since a few pre-war stories. But more importantly new because it was Prize’s first true crime genre work. The crime genre itself was certainly not new as Bob Wood and Charles Biro created Crime Does Not Pay for publisher Lev Gleason in 1942. At that time Simon and Kirby may have been too busy with their entrance into the armed service to notice Wood and Biro’s new genre but after the war they could hardly have missed it. When their post-war titles, Stuntman and Boy Explorers, failed and Joe and Jack were looking for something to keep their collaboration going one of the categories they turned their attention to was the successful crime genre. Just a few months after the failure of their Harvey line (Stuntman #3 with cover date October 1946 was released as miniature comic to subscribers only) Simon and Kirby had manage to sell the crime genre concept to Prize.

“Tomorrow’s Murder” also introduced Red-Hot Blaze. Blaze was supposed to be a sort of investigative reported for Headline Comics. The results of his investigations would then be drawn up as a comic story. The splash presents the enactment of the crime as if it was being rendered on a drawing board. In the story panel we get to see the artist. The comic artist’s curly hair indicates that this was not meant to literally be a self-portrait of Jack Kirby. There was no reason to be since the comic book reading public would not have any idea what Jack looked like. Nor was “Tomorrow’s Murder” signed. However the ever present cigar shows that in Jack’s mind there truly was a connection between the real and fictional comic artist.

Treasure #10 (December 1946) house advertisement, art by Jack Kirby

The end of the “Tomorrow’s Murder” story only occupied the top with the house ad shown above taking up the rest of the page. Clearly Simon and Kirby had not just sold Prize on a single crime story, Joe and Jack had convinced them to publish a comic devoted to the genre. Headline would no longer be a general anthology. Of the titles currently being published by Prize, Headline had the most appropriately named for a crime comic. By retaining the original title name, I am sure Prize hoped that they might keep some of the former readers as well. The advertisement indicated that the switch to crime would happen in the January issue. Things did not work out as originally planned as Headline #23 would be cover dated March. When Headline #23 was finally released its cover was not the mock-up issue depicted in the house ad either. The one shown in the ad would actually be used for Headline #24.

Prize Comics #63 (March 1947) “Romania’s Strangest Killer”, art by Jack Kirby

The same month that Headline #23 was released a Simon and Kirby crime story also appeared in Prize Comics #63. In “Romania’s Strangest Killer” the placement of the splash panel at the bottom of the first page is rather unique. Of course the story panels at the top of the page are not truly part of the story. It is actually just an introduction using the theme of Red-Hot Blaze being an investigator for Headline Comics. Only this time it is a Headline editor who makes an appearance not the artist. The splash panel is very powerful showing a murdered victim in the foreground, another hanging in the mid-ground and the perpetrator exiting in the back. Part of the title is enclosed with an outline of a hatchet. It is a great design but we shall see that a lot of the Simon and Kirby crime splashes are masterpieces.

Just as with “Tomorrow’s Murder”, the last page of “Romania’s Strangest Killer” includes the same house advertisement. Well not quite the same since the text referring to the release and issue dates have been removed. Not, however, completely because although small and blurred the January – February cover date can still be made out on the small mock-up cover.

Frankenstein #7 (May, 1947) “Justice Finds A Cop Killer”, art by Jack Kirby

Two months after the actual release of the first crime version of Headline a crime story appeared in yet another Prize title. In 1946 Frankenstein as portrayed by Dick Briefer was not truly monster stories but rather belonged to the humor genre. The Simon and Kirby story “Justice Finds a Cop Killer” seems very much out of place. It is once again a Red-Hot Blaze story with the curly haired and cigar smoking artist making a reappearance. Although not a particularly impressive design the splash panel is still very dramatic largely due to Kirby’s famous exaggerated perspective. The falling policeman is so dramatic that it is easy to overlook the fact that the gun and bullet trace do not actually seem to be aimed properly.

“Justice Finds a Cop Killer” concludes with the same house ad. More specifically the dateless version that appeared in Prize Comics #63. Despite the late date (as the second crime version of Headline had appeared in this same month) the presence of the crime story in Frankenstein was part of the same promotion campaign. The only Prize comic not to receive this treatment would be Wonderland. That title was much too directed at a very young readership for a crime story to be at all appropriate or productive.

The art for these promotional stories was typical for the crime genre work that Simon and Kirby would do. Most important was the dramatic action that was Jack Kirby’s trademark. There would be a slightly greater emphasis on realism as compared to Kirby’s Stuntman and Boy Explorers but the art would otherwise very much like S&K’s previous efforts for Harvey. One hallmark of Simon and Kirby’s art for Timely and DC had been the extending parts of figures beyond the panel borders. This technique could still be found in Stuntman and Boy Explorers but not nearly as commonly as the earlier work. It would disappear completely in the crime work.

Another prominent trait of Simon and Kirby’s work for Timely and DC was the use of unusual panel shapes. Among panels with the normal straight edge others would trace a zigzag pattern. Circular or sub-circular panels would also be used in places. This use of non-rectangular panels would be continued in Stuntman and Boy Explorers. For instance “Curtain Call for Death” from Stuntman #2 (June 1946) 16% of the panels were circular or sub-circular. The number may seem small but had all the pages had the typical 6 panels (however S&K never adopted such a regimented layout) that would mean on average there was a rounded panel on each page. The promotional crime stories maintained a similar level of rounded panels. In “Tomorrow’s Murder” and “Romania’s Strangest Killer” 14% of the panels were circular or sub-circular while in “Justice Finds a Cop Killer” the ratio was 16%.

The inking was in the bold manner of what I have called the Sculptural style due to its emphasis on what I refer to as form lines that are not shadows but are used to give a sense of volume to shapes (see my Inking Glossary for explanations of my terms). The Sculptural style was previously used for the Simon and Kirby work done for DC (as for example in the Newsboy Legion stories). The use of this inking style was continued after the war. However Simon and Kirby art was never static and was always evolving. The Sculptural style used for Stuntman and Boy Explorers made use of even bolder brushwork. The individual brush marks stand out and while still indicating shadows or form they take on an expressive roll of their own. This bolder manner of the Sculptural style would be used in the early S&K crime art as well. Absent for the most part are techniques like picket fence crosshatching, drop strings, shoulder blots and abstract arch shadows. Such techniques do make rare appearances but even then are usually not done in the manner typical of the soon to appear Studio style.

Joe and Jack were heavily into self promotion. Much of the comic book art that they created was provided with a Simon and Kirby signature. The operative word is “much” as not every work they did was signed. None of the three promotional pieces I discussed above had a signature. Normally with such a small group I would not make much about that fact but as we shall see the absence of a signature was not limited to these pieces alone.

Again and again, while working on my serial post “The Art of Romance” I found myself referring to the Headline and Justice Traps the Guilty for help in questions about attributions. This is not surprising because artists that worked for the Simon and Kirby studio normally were expected to be able to handle work from any genre. I have decided that it would be beneficial to review the Simon and Kirby crime material so this will be the first of another serial post. It will not have as many chapters as “The Art of Romance” because as we will see Simon and Kirby’s involvement with the crime genre only lasted a few years.

Chapter 2, A Revitalized Title
Chapter 3, Competing Against Themselves
Chapter 4, Crime Gets Real
Chapter 5, Making a Commitment
Chapter 6, Forgotten Artists
Chapter 7, A Studio With Many Artists
Chapter 8, The Chinese Detective
Chapter 9, Not The Same
Chapter 10, The Master and His Protege
Chapter 11, The New Team

A Date Without Romance

by Harry Mendryk

Posted July 11, 2008 in 2008/07, 5 Studio, Artists, Featured Work, Hillman, Kirby, Jack, Periods, Topic, z Archive and tagged Hillman, Kirby, Simon

Most of the work that Simon and Kirby did for Hillman in 1947 was for previously existing titles. The sole exception was My Date. Despite its title, My Date was not a romance comic (as I discussed previously) instead it is teenage humor and in particular an Archie-clone. Archie first appeared as a backup feature in MLJ’s Pep Comics during the war while both Joe and Jack were in military service. Archie was so successful that MLJ’s superheroes were eventually dropped and the company’s name changed to Archie Comics. 1947 found Simon and Kirby looking for a work so it is not surprising that the popular Archie would lead them to suggest teenage humor title to Hillman. Although My Date was not a romance comic it clearly was directed at teenage girls. There would be a lot of dating in My Date but no romance.

My Date #1 (July 1947) “My Date with Swifty Chase”, art by Jack Kirby

The first story in all the My Date issues would be by Simon and Kirby. Initially the feature centered on Swifty Chase a good hearted young inventor. Like Archie there is a love triangle but in this case the center of it is the beautiful Sunny Daye and Snubby Skeemer is Swifty’s rich and unscrupulous rival. The first story has quite a cast of characters as can be seen in the splash. Three of them were clearly meant for this story alone; Humphrey Hogart, his fiance actress Chandra Blake and B. O. his business manager (the three are shown in the center background of the splash). The rest seem to be meant to be re-occurring cast members. However issue #2 introduced a new character, House-Date Harry, who would quickly become the feature’s lead character while Swifty would be delegated to a supporting roll. This is the equivalent of Jughead pushing out Archie. The Swifty Chase feature would be Simon and Kirby’s only contribution to the title and only the last issue would have more then one Swifty or House-Date Harry story.

Kirby’s drawing for My Date is surprising good. I say surprising because Jack is most famous for his more realistic portrayals. Yet the Swifty Chase stories are filled with visually interesting characters all done in a more cartoony style then is typical for Kirby although not as cartoony as his work at the same time in Punch and Judy. I wish I can be as complimentary about the writing. The first story is really a masterpiece. Lots of action and funny turns of events. Having Humphrey Hobart in it also helped. Things changed with the introduction of House-Date Harry. The idea of the scheming but good hearted Harry would have been fine as one shot story line. With the recurring use of the House-Date Harry theme it becomes forced and not nearly so funny. I really cannot see Simon and Kirby being able to continue to make this feature interesting.

Incidentally, I once wrote that the first use of a pin-up by Simon and Kirby was for Boys’ Ranch. Well I was wrong. I forgot about the pin-up found in My Date #3. It depicts Harry’s new house-on-wheels. It was printed to be viewed by rotating the page but perhaps it was originally meant to be a double page pin-up.

My Date #2 (September 1947) “My Date”, art by Dan Barry

Not only was there a feature “My Date with Swifty Chase” but there was also another simply titled “My Date”. Interestingly “My Date” uses the same ribbon border on the splash page that is found in “My Date with Swifty Chase”. The premise for the feature was the supposed true stories as told to Jean Anne Marten. But after reading these stories it is clear that they are fictional. The feature “My Date” was drawn by Dan Barry in issues #1 to #3 and by an unidentified artist in the final issue. At this time Barry was doing a bit of work for Hillman including Airboy and the Heap. Besides comic books, Dan would also do syndication work on Tarzan (1947 – 1948) and Flash Gordon (1951 – 1990). Joe Simon told me that Barry did work for him during the Mainline period. Originally I thought this was on Charlie Chan but when I showed Joe that art he said it was not done by Barry. So at this point I have no idea what work Dan Barry did for Mainline. Barry seems a good enough artist but I cannot get very excited about the work he did for My Date.

My Date #1 (July 1947) “Ginny”, art by unidentified artist

Another feature in My Date is “Ginny”. Nothing particularly outstanding about this feature, it was just another teenage group. The most unusual member was a cigar smoking girl with the name of Big Bertha. (Big Bertha was a heavy gun used by the Germans during World War 1). I have no idea who the artist was but it was the same one in all four issues. In terms of drawing skills this artist really was not more exceptional then other artists in My Date (of course excluding Kirby). What really distinguishes him is his use of panel layouts. These were much more imaginative then even those by Simon and Kirby in the “Swifty Chase” stories.

My Date #1 (July 1947) “Ultra Violet” page 2, art by Jerry Robinson? and George Roussos?

Perhaps the most unique feature in My Date was “Ultra Violet”. The lead character Violet has a very active imagination. But she is no Walter Mitty, her daydreams actually affect reality. In the sequence shown above, Violet transforms into a glamorous school superintendent (that sure sounds like an oxymoron). Her actions in that roll have repercussions even after she resumes her more ordinary existence. Another daydream reveals the truth behind a musical idol (he has false teeth and wears a toupee). I rather like the fact that no explanation is given as to how she is able to achieve such transformations.

The first Ultra Violet story is unsigned. When writing in this blog I prefer to record my current opinions even when they are very tentative and in need of further investigation. Such is the case here where I feel the art looks very much like that by Jerry Robinson. You can see some of Jerry’s work with Mort Meskin in a previous post. However the art is not so well done as to suggest that Jerry inked it himself, nor is the inking by Mort Meskin. If it is by Robinson, and that still is a big if, then it may have been inked by George Roussos.

My Date #2 (September 1947) “Ultra Violet”, art by Dan Barry

The Ultra Violet features in My Date #2 and #3 were done by Dan Barry. Barry brought to the feature a more finished and elaborate style but I rather liked the original artist.

My Date #2 (September 1947) “The Rosebud Sisters”, art by Jack Keeler

My Date included stories that only appeared once. Was that intentional or were they tryouts that were judged to be unsuccessful? One unusual story was “The Rosebud Sisters”. Since the story is about a couple of elderly woman it seems very out of place in a comic devoted to teenage humor. The oddness of including this story was obvious even then since it was subtitled “Those 70-Year-Old Teen-Agers”. Fortunately the art was signed by Jack Keeler otherwise I never would have recognized it. Keeler had worked with Simon and Kirby previously having provided some 3 page Junior Genius stories for Stuntman. The Junior Genius was one of those humor strips with rather cartoony type of drawing. Keeler drew “The Rosebud Sisters” more realistically without completely loosing the cartoon-like effect.

My Date #2 (September 1947) “Lindy Hopp Dancing Lessons”, art by unidentified artist

Another curious feature is “Lindy Hopp Dancing Lessons” from My Date #2. What is unusual about it is although it clearly was not drawn by either Jack Kirby or Joe Simon it includes two characters from “My Date with Swifty Chase”. The boy in the green sweater and yellow hat is clearly Bumpy although he is referred to as Soud. Snubby Skeemer is correctly named but in this strip he will not hold a girl because when he does he breaks out in a rash. This is hardly consistent with his portrayal in the Swifty Chase stories.

My Date #3 (November 1947) “Date Snatcher”, art by unidentified artist

While recognizing My Date was not a romance comic, some have called it a proto-romance. The idea being that it lead the way to the first true romance comic book, Young Romance. Personally I do not buy that argument since I feel the best prototype was just what Joe Simon claimed, the romance pulps. Almost all of My Date was teenage humor albeit primarily aimed at a young female readership. There is some justification for a label of proto-romance for a couple of stories in My Date. “Date Snatcher” (My Date #3) and “Genius, That’s What” (My Date #4) are decidedly not humor. They both deal with relations between the sexes. However there are no kisses or expressions of love although the lead character’s sister in “Date Snatcher” does get married. Like the humor stories, there is lots of dating but no romance. Still very little would have to be changed to make these true romance stories so proto-romance seems appropriate for these particular features.

My Date #4 (January 1948) “Genius, That’s What”, art by unidentified artist

I am undecided about just what level of involvement did Simon and Kirby have with My Date. I am sure the title was Joe and Jack’s brain-child. Although not belonging to the romance genre, My Date was clearly aimed at teenage girls which was the same audience intended for the romance comic that Simon and Kirby were proposing at this time. All the covers were by Kirby except the last one which was by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin but that one also depicted Swifty Chase, Sunny Daye and House-Date Harry. Further the first story in the comic was always by Simon and Kirby. In fact the only art that Simon and Kirby signed for Hillman was for My Date and the Western Fighters #1 cover. All that would suggest that My Date was produced by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. But not everything in the comic supports that thesis. Usually any new Simon and Kirby title would feature a lot of work drawn by Jack but My Date would only have one Kirby story per issue (except for My Date #4). S&K would usually provide a feature with a story title while Hillman generally only used the feature’s name and My Date followed the Hillman format. Like Sherlock Holmes’s barking dog, what is most surprising is what is not present in My Date and that is Bill Draut. Draut played an important part in earlier the Stuntman and Boy Explorers comics and would again in Young Romance but he is completely absent from My Date. The only artist that worked with Joe and Jack previously was Jack Keeler and he only shows up once. I am not sure what to say about Dan Barry. Barry appeared in a number of Hillman titles in about the same time. Did Simon and Kirby introduce Dan to Hillman or was it the other way around? I am unfamiliar with the rest of the My Date artists and do not believe any of them did work for Simon and Kirby later. All in all there is a least a suggestion the Simon and Kirby did not have the full creative control over My Date that they obviously had with titles that they produced for Prize.

Simon and Kirby Take On Kiddy Comics

by Harry Mendryk

Posted July 4, 2008 in 2008/07, 5 Studio, Artists, Hillman, Kirby, Jack, Periods, z Archive and tagged Hillman, Kirby, Simon

After the failure of Stuntman and Boy Explorers (published by Harvey Comics) by October 1946 (cover date) Simon and Kirby had to look elsewhere to keep their partnership going. DC was not really much of an option. Simon and Kirby had pretty much burned that bridge behind them when they made the deal with Harvey. Yes they still contributed to Boy Commandos, but Sandman had been cancelled months before and the Newsboy Legion would be a few months later. Joe and Jack would eventually do work largely for two publishers, Hillman and Prize. On the face of what S&K initially produced one might predict that Hillman would be the primary source of future work. While Simon and Kirby produced a crime title for Prize (Headline) they supplied a wide variety of genre to Hillman; crime (Clue and Real Clue Crime Stories), adventure (Flying Fool in Airboy), teenage humor (My Date), and most surprising kiddy humor (Punch and Judy). Furry animal stories seem such an unlikely product for Joe and Jack. However I doubt that Simon and Kirby felt there was any genre they could not do better then most other creators.

Punch and Judy volume 1 number 4
Punch and Judy vol. 1 no. 4 (Fall 1945) “How to Make Your Own Puppets”, art by an unidentified artist

According to the Jack Kirby Checklist, the first time Kirby drew something for Hillman was for Punch and Judy in the fall of 1945. If true it would have been one of the earliest things that Jack did after the war. The earliest other post-war work was the cover for Adventure #100 (October 1945, and no I do not believe this was done before Kirby went into the Army) so the date for the early Punch and Judy piece is just possible. At this point Joe Simon was still in the Coast Guard and so any work that Jack did was done without Joe’s help. The last time I wrote about this early Punch and Judy piece I was undecided about how correct the attribution to Kirby was. Since then I come to believe that “How to Make Your Own Puppets” should be excluded from work by Kirby. The timing seems wrong. It does not seem reasonable that immediately after returning to civilian life that Jack would seek out and find a company that he had never work for previously. Instead it would have made more sense to return to DC since at that point he still had a good relationship with that company. Yes I know Kirby did work for another company Lafayette Street Corp. (Picture News #1, January 1946, “You Can’t Loose A Faithful Dog”) but that had a cover date of months later. The inking for “How to Make Your Own Puppets” was not by Kirby. And last, but certainly not least, the drawing does appear to have any distinctive Kirby traits. Now it is true that the subject matter is not typical for Jack Kirby and therefore there is less to compare with it. But it is easy to recognize Kirby’s hand in some similar work for newspapers that Kirby did early in his career as well as the later work for Punch and Judy. So the absence of Kirby traits in “How to Make Your Own Puppets” is not a good sign.

Punch and Judy volume 2, number 9 (April 1947) “Rover the Rascal”, art by Jack Kirby

So if we exclude “How to Make Your Own Puppets”, the earliest work that Simon and Kirby did for Hillman was “King of the Bank Robbers” (Clue volume 2, number 1, March 1947). The next month Joe and Jack did another crime story and their first contribution to Hillman’s Punch and Judy Comics. Punch and Judy obviously catered to a younger reader then S&K normally dealt with. The feature story was about a about a wooden puppet that was very much alive, in other words a Pinocchio clone. Other stories included talking animals. Art was very simple consisting of little more then outlines. S&K first art for Punch and Judy was “Rover the Rascal”. This was a single page humor using a humanized dog family. I am not sure whether this was the first appearance of “Rover the Rascal” but it would not appear again. The line art was a simple as that found in the rest of the comic. The humor was of the slap-stick variety, something that Kirby gravitated towards. Probably the only exceptional thing about this piece was the use of a circular panel. That was a device that was very abundantly used from Captain America to Stuntman, but in the near future would become less common. All in all “Rover the Rascal” was not a very successful piece, but it was not a failure either. It was a beginning. For the rest of the year each issue of Punch and Judy what have at least one piece by Simon and Kirby and often two.

Punch and Judy volume 3, number 2 (December 1947) “Earl the Rich Rabbit”, art by Jack Kirby

One of the stories that Simon and Kirby would do for Punch and Judy was not their own creation. “Earl the Rich Rabbit” had appeared previously. I am not sure when it was created but the GCD has an entry for it for February 1947 issue (volume2, number 7). The Wikipedia says that Tony DiPreta drew it, but it is not clear if he was the creator or even when he worked on Earl. Jack Kirby did “Earl the Rich Rabbit” three times (June, October and December 1947). As generally was the case for Punch and Judy, the art for “Earl the Rich Rabbit” was very simplistic. Little more then outlines. Even so Kirby’s personal drawing style can often be recognized. There is little in the way of spotting but the spotting that was used was often drop strings (see the Inking Glossary for an explanation of inking terms). Considering their situation it is unlikely that Simon and Kirby had any studio assistants at the time. So it is likely that the inking was done by either Jack or Joe. There is little to go on, but what little there is looks like Jack’s spotting. The outline inking is just too simple to hazard a guess. The humor is often the slap-stick that Jack preferred. The “Earl the Rich Rabbit” stories that Simon and Kirby did were nicely done and funny in places. But I cannot help but feel that Joe and Jack’s hearts were not really into it. Since it was an ongoing feature I suspect that Simon and Kirby were not given any leeway to make the type of changes that would get their creative juices flowing.

Punch and Judy volume 2, number 10 (May 1947) “Lockjaw the Alligator”, art by Jack Kirby

Simon and Kirby’s most frequent contribution to Punch and Judy was “Lockjaw the Alligator” which appeared on four occasions. Lockjaw was a S&K creation and forms an interesting contrast to “Earl the Rich Rabbit”. The art is much more substantial in Lockjaw as compared to Earl. Although still simple relative to work by Simon and Kirby in other genre, the drawing is more detailed and the inking more substantial then the other funny animal stories. Drop strings are much more evident but there are no signs of techniques such as picket fence crosshatching. Most important is that forms are given a much more three dimensional shape. As I wrote before the inking was probably done by either Joe or Jack. In the case of the above splash I suspect it was Kirby doing the spotting.

Punch and Judy volume 3, number 1 (October 1947) “Lockjaw Goes To College” page 4, art by Jack Kirby

The humor is predominately slap-stick and can get pretty ridiculous. This is not a negative criticism because you can hardly expect talking animal stories to be serious (that only changed in recent years). Lockjaw really can be a lot of fun. I could not resist including one of my favorite pages. The image of an alligator on a college date is pretty ludicrous. Lockjaw’s cloths always looked funny but never more so then this tux. The dance sequence continues onto the next page where it goes to rather extremes, but it is panel 5 that is one of my favorite pieces of Simon and Kirby humor art.

The inking of the cloth folds does not look like Kirby’s which normally would have more elongated oval (spatulate) shapes. Also the placement of the folds does not look typical for Jack. So this story was most likely inked by Joe Simon.

Punch and Judy volume 2, number 12 (July 1947) “The Mystery Crooner”, art by Jack Kirby

Simon and Kirby had one other creation used in Punch and Judy; Toby and His Band. Toby had only one appearance but the fact that it was provided with both a feature name and a story title (not done for any of the other Simon and Kirby stories in Punch and Judy) suggests a hope for it to be a continuing feature. Toby was not a funny animal story but rather belong to the teenage humor genre. The surprise is not that Simon and Kirby would try teenage humor (after all Archie was a big success) but that they would try it twice for the same publisher. My Date was a not the proto-romance that some have tried to make it but rather another teenage humor comic. The fact that the first issue of My Date and the Toby and His Band story were both released in the same month suggests that Toby may originally have been conceived for My Date.

Toby also has a more then passing resemblance to another Simon and Kirby story: “Pipsy” from Laugh #24 (September 1947) published by Archie. Only a slight change in hair style would be required to morph Toby into Pipsy. Doreen, the leading lady from “Pipsy”, even has the same ribbon in her hair as Jill does in the splash for Toby and His Band. Since “Pipsy” was published just a couple months after “The Mystery Crooner” if it was not recycled art it was at least a recycled concept.

Although Simon and Kirby started out doing a greater variety of work for Hillman then for Prize by the end of the year things were very different. It was Prize that agreed to publish Joe and Jack’s Young Romance in September. The conversion of Headline into a crime comic by S&K must have been very successful as the first Justice Traps the Guilty was released in October. The deal that Simon and Kirby made with Prize must have been very attractive, particularly the sharing of the profits for the highly successful Young Romance. Simon and Kirby’s last crime work for Hillman would appear in September, the last Fly Fool and the last work for Punch and Judy would be in December, and My Date would end in January 1948. The last Hillman work would be a cover for Western Fighters #1 (April 1948). Left over inventory?

The Boys’ Ranch Landscape Swipe

by Harry Mendryk

Posted June 27, 2008 in 2008/06, 5 Studio, Artists, Harvey, Kirby, Jack, Periods, z Archive and tagged Boys' Ranch, Kirby, Simon

Boys’ Ranch #2 (December 1950) “Lead Will Fly At Sunset”, art by Jack Kirby

In a recent post about Boys’ Ranch I wrote about what is probably the most unusual splash the Jack Kirby ever drew. The reader need not go back to my original post because I include an image of the splash above and here is what I wrote:

Not only did Boys’ Ranch include exceptional pinups, the splash pages are among the best that Jack Kirby did and that is saying a lot. Most of them are full page splashes filled with excitement. However the most unusual splash that Kirby did, not just for Boys’ Ranch but for any Simon and Kirby production, was certainly the one for “Lead Will Fly at Sunset.” Not only does it have no action, it does not even have any characters at all. That is Boys’ Ranch we see below from a distance but there is only the caption to confirm that. What we are provided with is nothing more then a landscape. Well that is a little misleading as this was drawn by Jack Kirby who shows here that he can embody a landscape with interest as well. Partly this is due to the unusual perspective Jack has depicted. In the foreground a steep trail descends to a panoramic vista. The nearby terrain is so rugged that only a few twisted trees have managed to cling to the rocks. With the extensive view it is easy to overlook the most significant inhabitant, a coyote on our left descending via the trail.

But if a reader still wants to go back to my original post here is a link.

Illustration from “The Book of Cowboys” by Holling C. Holling

Kirby scholar and sleuth Tom Morehouse added a comment to my post:

Part of the reason this may stand out is that Jack swiped this particular landscape from The Book of Cowboys by Holling C. Holling (published in 1936).

and he kindly sent a scan of the landscape in question.

Frankly I am not at all surprised that the splash was based on a swipe as it was so unusual. Further that fact that Kirby sometimes used swipes is now too well documented (mostly by Tom) to provide any shock. The equivalent of swiping is a fundamental process in art but only comic art fans use such a derogatory term (swipe is slang for steal). I hasten to add that I believe Tom uses the term for the same reason that I do; the word is so entrenched with comic book fans and requires no explanation. Personally I find cases such as this not a source of embarrassment or condemnation, but as valuable windows into the mind of the creator. Despite my having referred to it as a swipe the splash is truly a Kirby creation and not a mere copy. Compare any detail and it will be seen that Kirby has not followed Holling’s closely. For instance Kirby has only kept one of the distant mountains and even that has been rendered in a manner suggesting that it may be a cloud. This has the effect of making the closer bluffs more dramatic then in Holling’s illustration. Also Kirby has added clumps of trees in the background in places that Holling had left rather featureless.

Although I was not surprised that Kirby swiped this splash I would never have guessed the most important change that Jack made. The most unusual aspect of the comic splash, particularly for an artist like Kirby, was the complete absence of people. It would never have occurred to me that this would not also be found in the original source of the swipe. Yet Holling has foreground figures descending the trail. The most natural expectation would have been that Jack would replace Holling’s figures with Boys’ Ranch members. Unexpectedly Kirby removed Holling’s figures entirely and introduced the lone coyote in their place. It is one of those creative leaps of a great artist that provide awe but can never be truly understood. It seems counter-intuitive, but the removal of all people has made the splash more dramatic.

That the Boys’ Ranch splash was now been shown by Tom Morehouse to be based on a swipe does not diminish it in my eyes. Quite the contrary, seeing how Kirby has used Holling’s book illustration has increased my appreciation for the splash. I may use the term swipe but in reality Jack has not stolen anything.

The Art of Romance, Chapter 8, Kirby on the Range?

by Harry Mendryk

Posted June 20, 2008 in 2008/06, 5 Studio, Art of Romance, Artists, Kirby, Jack, Periods, Prize, Serial Posts, z Archive and tagged Kirby, Simon

(Real West Romance #1 – #7, Western Love #1 – #6)

The theme of this chapter is one that I have touched on before in relationship to some work from Young Romance. Rather then repeat myself over and over again in the examples below I will summarize my argument here. There are five basic ways that some story art might have an incomplete resemblance Jack Kirby’s work; the art may have been done by an artist that was influenced by Kirby; the artist may have swiped from Kirby; Kirby acting as an art editor may have altered another artist’s work; the inker may have deviated from the original pencils by Kirby; or Kirby did layouts that were finished by another penciler/inker. The first three can easily be distinguished from the other two by not being consistently present throughout the story. However distinguishing between the effects of a heavy handed inker or an artist working from Kirby layouts presents more of a problem. In the end it is a judgment call which is probably based in part on how the person making the call feels about the way inkers at the time went about their work. If you believe that inkers working for Simon and Kirby felt that they should impart their own vision on Kirby’s pencils (such as certainly was the case in the silver age) then you are likely attribute stories that do not look like typical Kirby to a heavy handed inker. If, like me, you doubt that an inker would take liberties on tight pencils provided by Kirby (who after all was their boss) then untypical Kirby stories would be better explained as due to an artist working from Kirby layouts. The difference between the two possibilities really is not that great because in these cases the second artist appears to have been the inker as well. Nonetheless I like to make the distinction because there really does seem to be two bodies of work. One group of work is easily identified as by Jack Kirby with all of his characteristic traits no matter who did the inking (the unadulterated Kirby). The other may not always be so readily identified and has unusual traits (unusual at least for Kirby).

I remember that during the silver age Kirby was sometimes listed as having provided layouts while another artist would get the credit for the penciling or finishing. I believe this is just as unfair as the credit Jack sometimes got for plotting while another (Stan Lee) would be credit with the writing. Plotting a story would normally be considered part of writing it just as laying out a story would generally be included in the drawing of a story. Separating plotting from writing or layouts from pencils is fundamentally unfair. In Jack Kirby’s case it is particularly egregious because some of his margin notes ended up in actual dialog and also some of his layouts would be quite tightly rendered in places. Therefore in cases where Jack provided layouts I prefer to credit the pencils to both Jack and the other artist. Unfortunately I have never been able to identify who the finishing artists were.

Real Western Romance #1 (April 1949) “Heart Rustler”, art by Jack Kirby and unidentified artist

The Jack Kirby Checklist cites “Heart Rustler” as being inked, but not penciled, by Jack Kirby. Simon and Kirby’s business was not so much creating comic books as producing them. So it is easy to imagine circumstances where Jack Kirby could be called on to ink someone else’s pencils. I do not know about the reader, but I would love to see how Kirby would ink another artist. So I look at stories like “Heart Rustler” with much interest. However when I examined this story I was disappointed, it was clearly not inked by Jack. Yes there are some places that exhibit some features of Studio style inking. There are some abstract shadows in each panel that are created using a very blunt brush (see my Inking Glossary for explanations of the terms I use to describe inking techniques). Those in the splash panel and first story panel could even be described as having an arced edge. It is probable that Jack or Joe added them. More important are the spotting that is done in a way that Kirby would not have done it. The man blocked out in blue on the left edge of the splash panel has a hat casting a shadow formed by simple hatching; I have never seen Kirby do that. It may be a little hard to make out in the image I supplied but the lower legs of the woman in the same splash panel are shadowed with nearly vertical lines; again this is not an inking technique that Jack used. None of the clothing folds look like Jack’s brush. In fact the shoulder of the woman in the first story panel has a couple of odd blunt spots; one of which is attached to a then line as if it was a leaf on a drooping stem. Kirby would sometimes use similar blots on the edge of a limb as a way of indicating a shadow but he never placed them isolated as done by this inker. Similar problems can be found throughout the story. So I repeat Jack Kirby did not ink this story other then some possible touch ups.

Was the attribution found in the Jack Kirby Checklist just completely unreasonable? No, I think I can understand how it came to be. Look at the face of the woman in the splash. She seems to me to have a very Kirby look to her. Kirby’s hand is a bit harder to see on the rest of the page although I feel it can be seen in the armed gunman in the splash panel. I also believe I can spot Kirby’s touch in the other pages of the story. Further the entire story seems to be laid out in a manner typical for Jack Kirby. I suspect that source of the inking attribution in the Jack Kirby Checklist noted the Kirby look to the story and assumed that it was achieved by Jack inking the piece. Since the brush work itself shows that Kirby was not the inker another explanation must be advanced. The explanation I would give is that Kirby did the layouts for this story. It is apparent that when Jack did layouts the pencils would be tighter in some parts (like the face of the woman in the splash) while other places it would be rougher. Another artist would then tighten up the work and then ink it or perhaps tighten it up while inking.

Real Western Romance #3 (August 1949) “Our Love Wore Six-Guns”, art by Jack Kirby and unidentified artist

Another story identified by the Jack Kirby Checklist as inked but not drawn by Jack Kirby is “Our Love Wore Six-Guns”. Here is a case where the inking is actually done in a manner even further from that used by Kirby then in “Heart Rustler”. Nothing looks like Studio style inking. The clothing folds are typically long and narrow very unlike what Jack was doing at this time. It may be less obvious in “Our Love Wore Six-Guns” then in “Heart Rustler” but there are some faces that look like they had the Kirby touch; for instance the woman in the page’s last panel. These Kirby-like portions occur too frequently throughout the story to be explained as either swiping by the artist or art editing by Jack. The man is just as consistently un-Kirby like in my opinion. I find it hard to believe that an inker would have produced the man’s face in this way had he been inking over tight pencils by Jack. The story layout does seem to have consistently been done in a way appropriate for Kirby. So my conclusion is once again Jack provided layouts and another artist finished and inked them. The inking style used in this story does not match that for “Heart Rustler” so I believe different artists were used for the two stories.

Western Love #2 (September 1949) “Kathy and the Merchant” page 4, art by Jack Kirby and unidentified artist

To be honest I am not very impressed with either of the two artists who worked on the Kirby layouts for the two stories I discussed above. Because of the low quality of the work usually found on Kirby layouts, I believe the layouts were generally provided when Simon and Kirby felt it was necessary to employ the use of artists of lesser talent, perhaps even studio assistants. However there are exceptions such as “Kathy and the Merchant”. The group of men in panels 2 to 4 is, in my opinion, nicely done. I also do not think their higher quality was due to tighter pencils. To my eyes they have a blend of Kirby and non-Kirby elements. Page 4 is typical of the story so swiping or editing can be eliminated as explanations. I can understand if others believe that Jack did the pencils that were just inked by another, but I prefer to think that Jack supplied layouts not tight pencils. I will say that the Jack Kirby Checklist credits Joe Simon with the inking but I feel that is clearly wrong. The brushwork is much too fine in this story to be the work of Joe.

Real Western Romance #4 (October 1949) “Perfect Cowboy” page 4, art by Jack Kirby and unidentified artist

I think “Perfect Cowboy” also falls into the category of Kirby layouts. The splash may have been particularly tighter and was not inked by the same artist as the rest of the story. The story inking is very interesting. At a glance it appears to be Studio style brushwork. Certainly that was what the inker was attempting. But this is not Joe Simon’s inking as suggested by some. The picket fence crosshatching only superficially resembles Jack or Joe’s brush. The pickets have a distinct pointed end and progressively widen through most of their length unlike the more uniform width found in Kirby, Simon or even Meskin’s use of the Studio style. I am not sure I would call it true picket fence, but simple crosshatching is applied to the dust cloud in panel 3 which is unlike anything I have seen by an inker working in the Studio style. However the most unique technique of this inker is his applying of picket fence crosshatching to the hair of the woman as best seen in the last two panels of this page. The pickets are placed in the same direction as would be expected for the hair and therefore the rails are at odds to the flow of the hair. This is all meant to suggest shadows formed on the lower parts of the waves and curls but the result is decidedly unnatural looking. I do not remember seeing this spotting of hair ever being repeated in Simon and Kirby productions.

Real Western Romance #7 “Loves of a Navajo Princess”, art by Jack Kirby and unidentified artist

The final story that I will cover is a tough call. The two Indians in the splash panel were clearly done by Jack Kirby. The Studio style inking that the left part of the panel shows almost convinced me that this was an example of Jack as art editor fixing up the splash. However close examination showed that the same inking style was used on the rest of the splash. Actually the entire story is done in Studio style inking; picket fence crosshatching, drop strings, abstract arc shadows, the works. In fact the inking job is truly well done but it just does not look like Kirby’s brush. The biggest giveaway is the cloth folds which have a distinct tendency for elongated folds in some places and irregular blots in others. Nowhere else does the art look quite as pure Kirby as the splash but there are more then enough places that have Jack’s touch to convince me that it was his layouts. But like I said it is a tough call and I am not sure many will agree with me, certainly the Jack Kirby Checklist does not.

This chapter concludes the western romance section of The Art of Romance. I have added to my sidebar checklists for Real West Romance and Western Love. Cowboy love was an interesting experiment but it just was not a very successful one. The love glut resulted in the cancellation of a lot of romance comics including the western subgenre. However it would not be correct to blame the demise of the western romance on the love glut. Despite all the cancelled love titles there must have been enough profits during the love glut to convince at least the major publishers to continue to produce a significant number of titles. In contrast none of the publishers decided to continue the western romance titles. The effects of the love glut on the romances that Simon and Kirby produced for Prize was very divergent. Real West Romance and Western Love must not have sold well as they were cancelled just after the peak of the love glut. Young Romance and Young Love not only seemed to weather the love glut but to flourish. But that will be discussed in future chapters of The Art of Romance.

Chapter 1, A New Genre (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 2, Early Artists (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 3, The Field No Longer Their’s Alone (YR #5 – #8)
Chapter 4, An Explosion of Romance (YR #9 – #12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 5, New Talent (YR #9 – 12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 6, Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 7, More Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 8, Kirby on the Range? (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 9, More Romance (YR #13 – #16, YL #5 – #6)
Chapter 10, The Peak of the Love Glut (YR #17 – #20, YL #7 – #8)
Chapter 11, After the Glut (YR #21 – #23, YL #9 – #10)
Chapter 12, A Smaller Studio (YR #24 – #26, YL #12 – #14)
Chapter 13, Romance Bottoms Out (YR #27 – #29, YL #15 – #17)
Chapter 14, The Third Suspect (YR #30 – #32, YL #18 – #20)
Chapter 15, The Action of Romance (YR #33 – #35, YL #21 – #23)
Chapter 16, Someone Old and Someone New (YR #36 – #38, YL #24 – #26)
Chapter 17, The Assistant (YR #39 – #41, YL #27 – #29)
Chapter 18, Meskin Takes Over (YR #42 – #44, YL #30 – #32)
Chapter 19, More Artists (YR #45 – #47, YL #33 – #35)
Chapter 20, Romance Still Matters (YR #48 – #50, YL #36 – #38, YB #1)
Chapter 21, Roussos Messes Up (YR #51 – #53, YL #39 – #41, YB #2 – 3)
Chapter 22, He’s the Man (YR #54 – #56, YL #42 – #44, YB #4)
Chapter 23, New Ways of Doing Things (YR #57 – #59, YL #45 – #47, YB #5 – #6)
Chapter 24, A New Artist (YR #60 – #62, YL #48 – #50, YB #7 – #8)
Chapter 25, More New Faces (YR #63 – #65, YLe #51 – #53, YB #9 – #11)
Chapter 26, Goodbye Jack (YR #66 – #68, YL #54 – #56, YB #12 – #14)
Chapter 27, The Return of Mort (YR #69 – #71, YL #57 – #59, YB #15 – #17)
Chapter 28, A Glut of Artists (YR #72 – #74, YL #60 – #62, YB #18 & #19, IL #1 & #2)
Chapter 29, Trouble Begins (YR #75 – #77, YL #63 – #65, YB #20 – #22, IL #3 – #5)
Chapter 30, Transition (YR #78 – #80, YL #66 – #68, YBs #23 – #25, IL #6, ILY #7)
Chapter 30, Appendix (YB #23)
Chapter 31, Kirby, Kirby and More Kirby (YR #81 – #82, YL #69 – #70, YB #26 – #27)
Chapter 32, The Kirby Beat Goes On (YR #83 – #84, YL #71 – #72, YB #28 – #29)
Chapter 33, End of an Era (YR #85 – #87, YL #73, YB #30, AFL #1)
Chapter 34, A New Prize Title (YR #88 – #91, AFL #2 – #5, PL #1 – #2)
Chapter 35, Settling In ( YR #92 – #94, AFL #6 – #8, PL #3 – #5)
Appendix, J.O. Is Joe Orlando
Chapter 36, More Kirby (YR #95 – #97, AFL #9 – #11, PL #6 – #8)
Chapter 37, Some Surprises (YR #98 – #100, AFL #12 – #14, PL #9 – #11)
Chapter 38, All Things Must End (YR #101 – #103, AFL #15 – #17, PL #12 – #14)

Art By Joe Simon, Chapter 1, In The Beginning

by Harry Mendryk

Posted June 13, 2006 in 1 Early, 2006/06, Art of J. Simon, Periods, Serial Posts, z Archive and tagged Joe, Simon

I disagree with the Kirby Checklist (and most scholars and experts as well) about attribution of some of the work to Jack Kirby. In most of these particular cases I believe the correct assignment would be to Joe Simon. Some of these examples look so obviously Simon to me, that I am amazed at that others cannot see it. In most cases I get no explanation as to why someone attributes something to Jack and not to Joe. As I have discussed previously, comic experts are unwilling or unable to explain their verdicts. There are some few scholars that have tried to give evidence to support their position. But in those cases what I keep hearing is that certain features look like their were done by Kirby. That is all well and good, but what I don’t hear are mentions of features that do not look like the way Simon would do them. In other words these scholars seem to be looking for evidence of Kirby involvement, but are not looking for clues to Simon’s presence. But Joe was a talented artist and through his inking of Kirby’s pencils was very familiar with his style. Joe had the ability and incentive to use things he learned from Jack and even at times to ghost Kirby.

So I would like to do another serial post, this time on art done by Joe Simon before and during the Simon and Kirby collaboration. I doubt I will change many minds about some of these (in my view) misattributions. However I do hope to bring to some a better understanding of Simon’s own style. A similar attempt on the work of Jack Kirby would be a monumental undertaking, there is just so much of it. Joe did not do that much penciling during the years of the S&K studio. So you would think that it would not be that hard to do a fairly detailed and complete analysis. But with Simon I am faced with two problems. The first is that early work by Joe was done during the golden age of comics. These comics are uncommon and generally priced very high. I simply do not have access to all of the comics that some say have work by Joe in them. What I do have for study seems to provide a good idea of Joe’s techniques. A more complete access would certainly be desirable, but I do not think it will change much the view point that I will be presenting here. The second, more serious problem, is the lack of signed work during the period of S&K collaboration. Once they teamed up, work that was signed was done so jointly as Simon and Kirby. No individually signed art was done by either Joe or Jack. So we must look elsewhere for documentation of work by Joe to form the foundation of our analysis.

Joe Simon started his career as a newspaper artist in Rochester, NY. The work I have seen are sport illustrations. These are nicely done in a realistic style, not at all like comic book art. Simon also did a lot of touch up work using an air brush. As Joe described it to me once, if an editor felt a dress was too short in a photograph of a woman, an artist would air brush it longer. Joe became a master of the use of an air brush. But the newspaper Simon worked for shutdown, and he decided to try his luck in New York City.

Joe Simon

Joe did find work doing re-touching. But although he was good at it, it was a career he did not want to remain in. Following a suggestion, Joe tried the new comic book industry and entered the Funnies Inc. shop. Although this was a completely new experience for him, he adapted quickly and found it to his liking. In his book “The Comic Book Makers”, Joe says his first job was a seven page western. Unfortunately to my knowledge nobody has located what comic this western was published in. The first published work we do know about was done for different publishers, Lev Gleason, Centaur and Timely, and have cover dates of January 1940. Two covers and two stories, for someone who never did comics before it was an impressive start. But comics was a new industry with opportunities for the those with ambition and talent.

Keen Detective #17 (January 1940) by Joe Simon (signed)

For the Keen Detective cover Joe Simon has chosen a fight atop an American tank in the Arabian desert. An unusual choice since the middle east was not then the center of conflict it is today. Here Joe has trouble depicting the hero. His left arm is not convincing, nor is his left leg. Otherwise the rest of the figures are handled well. Simon’s composition works well with and complements the circular field used. The circular field works so well that I wish I could credit Joe with it. In fact this field was a trade mark of Keen Detective and was used for a number of covers before this one. However most of the artists were unable to use it as effectively as Simon did. Still I believe Joe liked the results and a circular design would reappear in some S&K covers in a couple of years. The inking looks like it was done mainly with brush. To me there really is nothing wrong with the inking. But it seems mainly to be used in deliminating the figures. What spotting there is appears mainly to have been done to provide some form to the tank, it is does not seem to aid the over all design.

Silver Streak #2 (January 1940) by Joe Simon (signed)

For the cover of Silver Streak #2, Joe depicts the Claw, a villain with his own feature story inside. Although given a monstrous portrayal, the Claw was originally recognizably as a personification of the yellow peril. Being politically correct was not a consideration in those days before the war. But Simon has made the Claw not as an Asian monster, but instead used Frankenstein as a model. It is an exciting cover with corpses in open coffins (zombies?), a scantly dressed damsel in distress and a hero to the rescue. Remember the damsel, we shall see her again. Anatomy is not Joe’s strong point here, he does not even try to be accurate. Simon provides enough muscle lines to convince the viewer that the hero is strong in body as well as strong in character. What Simon does excel at is design, and the composition of the cover is excellent. Inking is done primarily with a brush in a bold manner. The inking is much more effective then in the previous cover.

SS #2
Silver Streak #2 “The Tree Men of Uranus” by Joe Simon (signed)

Joe Simon initiates a new feature, Solar Patrol. Joe liked science fiction, and it was a genre that he would turn to often. Frankly after Joe’s exciting cover work, this example of his story art is a bit of a let down. You can tell he is uncomfortable with the whole aspect of the sequential art. Simon does not seem to be satisfied with a standard panel grid and uses variously sized panels instead. Unfortunately it becomes a bit confusing and Joe sometimes had to add arrows to indicate the proper reading sequence. I suspect his panel layout was an attempt to make it all more interesting. He does not succeed here, but I think it is the forerunner of the irregularly shaped and circular panels that S&K would use in the future.

In his book Joe Simon describes learning how to draw for comic books:

Slits for eyes, unless the character was to register astonishment or horror – and then the eyes become circles. Heavier lines for the eyebrows, raised for bewilderment, slanting down toward the nose for anger. One line for the upper lip. A heavier line, indicating a shadow, constituted the lower lip.

In this story Joe seems to have followed the use of simplicity to a fault. Perhaps because of it he does not seem to be able to make panels as exciting as his covers. Even panels that by their nature should be interesting, such as the space ship destroying the enemy base, come off as rather dull. Another aspect of Joe’s adoption of simplicity is techniques he starts using in the depiction of his figures. Most obvious among them is the way Simon draws eyes. For men viewed at mid-distance Joe uses a single mark to indicate the eye itself and another for the eyebrow. He joins these two marks so that they meet at an angle, sort of like a sideways ‘V’. We will see this typical Simon technique in much of the art he did before teaming up with Jack Kirby. As for women, Simon economical penciling is too extreme leaving them with limited hair strand lines and no real feel of curls. There is a striking difference between how Joe draws the humans, and the more detailed version he provides for the tree men. I suspect that Joe may be swiping the aliens from some unknown source. Even if that is not true, we will meet a related version of the tree men again.

For another story, Simon was asked to make a character based on the use of fire such as done in the Human Torch. This might sound like a recipe for infringement except the publisher was Goodman, he already had the copyrights to the Human Torch. Joe’s response was the creation of the Fiery Mask which appeared in Daring Comics #1. Unfortunately I have no scans for this story. But if you are a Kirby diehard, you may have a copy of Greg Theakston’s “The Complete Jack Kirby, 1917 – 1940” which has a wonderful restoration of this story. Joe did a much better job with this feature then he did on Solar Patrol. Part of the reason is due to the his adding more action and interest to his panels. Greg Theakston gives another important reason by showing that Joe has done a bit of swiping from master artist Hal Foster.

Let me close this chapter with a story Simon told after dinner to Carmine Infantino, and myself. Joe talked about the cover to Red Raven #1 (August 1940). Apparently someone has recently shown that the drawing is a swipe (from Hal Foster again?). Joe grumbled that when it when it was thought to be an original work it was a Kirby, but when now that it is a swipe Simon must have done it. But after he finished this remark Carmine asked “But Joe did you use swipes?”. Joe replied “Of course I used swipes, everyone did”. (Actually the Red Raven cover was penciled by Jack, but I suspect the layout was by Joe, and not because it is a swipe). We will find that not only did Joe use swipes, he re-used them.

Chapter 2, Before Kirby
Chapter 2, Footnote
Chapter 3, Working for the Fox
Chapter 4, Transition
Chapter 4, Footnote
Chapter 5, Side by Side
Chapter 6, Jon Henri
Chapter 7, Glaven
Chapter 8, Off to War
Chapter 9, American Royalty
Chapter 10, A History Lesson
Chapter 11, The Party Is Over
Chapter 12, Covering the Fly
Chapter 13, Wrap Up
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 1, Champ 22 Confirmed
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 2, Daring Adventures #12
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 3, Daring Mystery Comics #3
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 4, Daring Adventure #16
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 5, Harvey Hits #12
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 6, Amazing Man #10
Art by Joe Simon, Appendix 7, The Spirit #12
Art by Joe Simon, Joe Simon as a Newspaper Staff Artist

Joe Simon Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted February 1, 2006 in Artists, Checklist, Simon, Joe, Simon, Joe and tagged Checklist, Joe, Simon


Last update: 1/19/2009

Codes:
    s:  = signed
    a:  = signed with alias
    &:  = signed Simon and Kirby
    ?:  = questionable attribution
    r:  = reprint

48 Famous Americans (J.C. Penny)
          **** 1947       [cover]
          **** 1947   48p "individual biographies"

Adventure Is My Career ()
          **** 1945       [cover]
          **** 1945   32p ""

Adventures of the Fly (Archie)
     2    Sept 1959       [cover]
     3    Nov  1959       [cover]
     4    Jan  1960       [cover]

Alarming Tales (Harvey)
     1    Sept 1957       [cover]
     2    Nov  1957       [cover]
     2    Nov  1957       [contents]
     3    Jan  1958       [cover]
     4    Mar  1958       [cover]
     4    Mar  1958       [contents]
     4    Mar  1958    1p "The Feast Of The Rag Dolls"
   ? 5    Sept 1958       [contents]

Amazing Man ()
   s 10   Mar  1940    6p "Ranch Dude"

Black Cat (Harvey)
   s 5    Apr  1947   10p "My City Is No More"
     6    July 1947    9p "Fear The Story Of A Guilty Conscience!"
     7    Sept 1947   10p "Death-Trap De Luxe"
     8    Nov  1947   12p "The Madness Of Doctor Altu"

Black Cat Mystic (Harvey)
     60   Nov  1957       [cover]

Blue Beetle (Fox)
     2    May  1940       [cover]
     3    July 1940       [cover]

Blue Bolt (Funnies)
   s 1    June 1940    8p "The Human Lighting Streak"
   s 2    July 1940    7p "Blue Bolt"
     3    Aug  1940       [cover]
   s 3    Aug  1940    6p "Blue Bolt"
     7    Dec  1940       [cover]

Boy Commandos (National/DC)
   & 12   Sept 1945       [cover]
   & 12   Sept 1945    3p "Coast Guard Reconnaissance"

Boy Explorers (Harvey)
     1    May  1946   12p "Let's Meet His Highness The Duke Of Broadway"

Champ (Harvey)
   a 19   June 1942       [cover]
     22   Sept 1942       [cover]

Champion (Harvey)
     8    June 1940       [cover]

Cockeyed (Hillman)
   & 4    Apr  1956    2p "Guys And Dolls"

Daring Adventures (Super Comics)
     12   **** 1963       [cover]
     15   **** 1964       [cover]
     16   **** 1964       [cover]

Daring Mystery (Timely (Marvel))
     1    Jan  1940   10p "The Fantastic Thriller of the Walking Corpses "
   s 2    Feb  1940   10p "The Phantom Bullet"
   a 2    Feb  1940   10p "Trojak the Tiger Man"
   s 3    Apr  1940   13p ""
   ? 5    June 1940    7p "The Devil-Flower"
     6    Sept 1940   10p "The Fiery Mask"

Detective Short Stories (Timely)
   s      (v.2, n5)  Aug  1940    2p "Murder Is My Middle Name"

Dick Tracy (Harvey)
     129  Nov  129        [cover]

Double-Dare Adventures (Harvey)
     1    Dec  1966       [cover]
     2    Mar  1967       [cover]

Fantastic (Fox)
   s 6    May  1940       [cover]
   s 7    June 1940       [cover]
     8    July 1940       [cover]

Fighting American (Prize)
     6    Feb  1955    8p "Deadly Doolittle"

First Love Illustrated (Harvey)
   ? 74   Mar  1957       [contents]

Going Steady (Prize)
   s 1    (v.3, n3)  Jan  1960       [cover]
   s 3    (v.3, n5)  May  1960       [cover]
     5    (v.3, n6)  July 1960       [cover]
   s 6    (v.4, n1)  Sept 1960       [cover]
   s 6    (v.4, n1)  Sept 1960    2p "Tips for the Teenage Decorator"

Green Hornet (Harvey)
     8    Aug  1942       [cover]
   r 37   Jan  1948   12p "In This Corner, Kid Adonis"
     38   Mar  1948    8p "Affairs Of The Man From Out Of This World"

Harvey Hits (Harvey)
     1    Sept 1957       [cover]
     1    Sept 1957    1p "The Magic Of The Little White Goddess"
     6    Feb  1958       [cover]
     6    Feb  1958       [cover]
     12   Aug  1958       [cover]
     26   Nov  1959       [cover]
   ? 36   Sept 1960       [cover]
   ? 48   Sept 1960       [cover]

Hi-School Romance (Harvey)
     56   Oct  1956       [contents]
     57   Nov  1956       [contents]
     58   Dec  1956       [contents]
     59   Jan  1957       [contents]
     60   Feb  1957       [contents]
     61   Mar  1957       [contents]
     62   Apr  1957       [contents]
     63   May  1957       [contents]
     64   June 1957       [contents]

Human Torch, The (Timely / Marvel)
   s 2    Fall 1940   10p "The Strange Case of the Bloodless Corpses"

Intimate Confessions (Super Comics)
   ? 10   **** 1963       [cover]
     12   **** 1964       [cover]
     18   **** 1964       [cover]

Jigsaw (Harvey)
     2    Dec  1966       [cover]

Keen Detective Funnies (Centaur)
   s 17   Jan  1940       [cover]

Love and Marriage (Super Comics)
     12   ****            [cover]
   ? 12   **** 1964       [cover]
     15   **** 1964       [cover]
   ? 15   **** 1964       [cover]
   ? 17   **** 1964       [cover]

Mystery Men (Fox)
   s 10   May  1940       [cover]
   s 11   June 1940       [cover]
     12   July 1940       [cover]

Our Friend Ken (Country Art Studio)
          ****         8p "Our Friend Ken"- (Political comic)

Pocket (Harvey)
     1    Aug  1941       [cover]
     2    Sept 1941       [cover]
     4    Jan  1942       [cover]

Real Fact (National/DC)
     2    May  1946    4p "Combat Photographer"

Romantic Love (Super Comics)
   ? 10   **** 1963       [cover]

Science (Fox)
   s 4    May  1940       [cover]
     5    June 1940       [cover]
   s 6    July 1940       [cover]

Sick (Prize)
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Aug  1960       [cover]
   s 38   (v.5, n6)  Aug  1965       [cover]
   s 41   (v.6, n1)  Nov  1965       [cover]
     42   (v.6, n2)  Feb  1966       [cover]
     42   (v.6, n2)  Feb  1966    7p "Superfan"
   s 44   (v.6, n5)  June 1966       [cover]
   s 47   (v.6, n7)  Sept 1966       [cover]
   s 52   (v.7, n4)  May  1967       [cover]
   s 56   (v.7, n8)  Nov  1967       [cover]
   s 57   (v.8, n1)  Dec  1967       [cover]
   s 59   (v.8, n3)  Mar  1968       [cover]
   s 66   (v.9, n2)  Mar  1969       [cover]
   s 69   (v.9, n5)  Aug  1969       [cover]
   s 75   (v.10, n3) Apr  1970       [cover]
   s 90   (v.12, n3) June 1972       [cover]
   s 92   (v.12, n5) Dec  1972       [cover]
   s 93   (v.13, n1) Mar  1973       [cover]
   s 94   (v.13, n2) June 1973       [cover]
   s 96   (v.13, n4) Dec  1973       [cover]
   s 95   (v.13, n3) Sept 1973       [cover]
   s 97   (v.14, n1) Mar  1974       [cover]
   s 98   (v.14, n2) June 1974       [cover]
   s 99   (v.14, n3) Aug  1974       [cover]
   s 100  (v.14, n4) Oct  1974       [cover]
   s 101  (v.14, n5) Dec  1974       [cover]
   s 102  (v.15, n1) Feb  1975       [cover]
   s 103  (v.15, n2) Apr  1975       [cover]
   s 104  (v.15, n3) June 1975       [cover]
   s 105  (v.15, n14)Aug  1975       [cover]
   s 106  (v.15, n5) Oct  1975       [cover]
   s 107  (v.15, n6) Dec  1975       [cover]
   s 108  (v.15, n7) Feb  1976       [cover]

Sick Annual (Prize)
   s 1    **** 1967       [cover]
   s 13   **** 1973       [cover]
   s 14   **** 1974       [cover]
   s 15   **** 1975       [cover]

Sick Special (Prize)
   s 44   (v.6, n4)  May  1966       [cover]

Sick Yearbook (Prize)
   s      **** 1975       [cover]

Silver Streak (Newsbrook)
   s      (v.1, n2)  Jan  1940       [cover]
   s      (v.1, n2)  Jan  1940    5p "Solar Patrol"

Sole en America (Amigos de Lefkowitz para Alcalde)
          ****         8p "Sole en America"- (Political comic)

Speed (Harvey)
   a 19   June 1942       [cover]
     21   Aug  1942       [cover]
   a 22   Sept 1942       [cover]
     23   Oct  1942       [cover]

Spirit, The (Super Comics)
          **** 1964       [cover]

Spyman (Harvey)
     2    Dec  1966       [cover]
     3    Feb  1967       [cover]

Star Spangled (National/DC)
   & 44   May  1945       [cover]

Strange Planets (Super Comics)
     12   **** 1964       [cover]

Stuntman (Harvey)
     2    June 1946   12p "The Angel Wore Spurs"

Target (Funnies)
   s      (v.1, n1)  Feb  1940    7p "The Case Of The Black Widow Spider"
   s      (v.1, n2)  Mar  1940    6p "Sabotage"
   ?      (v.1, n4)  May  1940    6p "The Counterfeit Lottery Ring"
          (v.1, n10) Nov  1940       [cover]

Teen Romances (Super Comics)
   ? 15   **** 1964       [cover]
   ? 16   **** 1964       [cover]
   ? 17   **** 1964       [cover]

The Rockefeller Team (Country Art Studio)
          ****         8p "The Rockefeller Team"- (Political comic )

Thrill-O-Rama (Harvey)
     1    Oct  1965       [cover]

True 3D (Harvey)
     1    Dec  1953       [cover]
     1    Dec  1953    1p "splash"

True Bride-To-Be Romances (Harvey)
     23   Apr  1957       [contents]

Uncanny Stories (Timely)
          (v.1, n1)  Apr  1941    1p "The Earth-Stealers"

Unearthly Spectaculars (Harvey)
     1    Oct  1965       [cover]

Warfront (Harvey)
     29   July 1956       [cover]
   ? 30   Sept 1957       [cover]
   ? 34   Sept 1958       [cover]

Weird (Fox)
   s 3    June 1940       [cover]
     4    July 1940       [cover]

Wonderworld (Fox)
   s 13   May  1940       [cover]
   s 14   June 1940       [cover]
     15   July 1940       [cover]

Young Brides (Prize)
   ? 19   (v.3, n1)  Nov  1954       [cover]
     25   (v.4, n1)  Nov  1955       [cover]

Young Hearts In Love (Super Comics)
     18   ****            [cover]
     17   Apr  1962       [cover]

Young Love (Prize)
     77   (v.4, n2)  Aug  1960       [cover]
   ? 82   (v.5, n1)  June 1961    7p "BMOC"
   ? 82   (v.5, n1)  June 1961    6p "Queen Bess"
   s 83   (v.5, n2)  Aug  1961       [cover]
   ? 83   (v.5, n2)  Aug  1961    6p "The Loneliness"

Young Romance (Prize)
     83   (v.9, n5)  June 1956       [cover]
   s 113  (v.14, n5) Aug  1961       [cover]

Western Love Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted January 20, 2006 in Comic Checklists, Western Love and tagged Kirby, Simon

Last update: 6/7/2020

Codes:
    r:  = reprint
    s:  = script
    l:  = layout
    p:  = pencils
    i:  = inks
  name  = signed
 <name> = signed with an alias
 {name} = signed as Simon & Kirby
 [name] = unsigned attribution

Western Love (Prize)
   #1 July 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Equal Of Any Man" 7 pg P:[Starr]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Gambler's Girl" 8 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut]Lt:[Oda]
       "Kate And The Coyote" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Weddin' At Red Rock" 3 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Tonto Express" 7 pg P:[Gregg]  Lt:[[Oda]
       "Love Songs of the Prairie" 1 pg  (text)
       "Cowgirl Sweetheart" 2 pg  (text)
       "A Gal, A Guy And A Gelding" 9 pg P:[Stallman?]  Lt:[Oda]
   #2 September 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Sworn Enemies In Love" 9 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Kissless Cowboy" 8 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Love-Sick Weakling" 8 pg P:[Premiani]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Always Yours, Ma'am" 2 pg  (text)
       "Troublemaker" 8 pg P:[Donahue]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Kathy And The Merchant" 9 pg Ly:[Kirby] P:[Kirby & ?]  Lt:[Oda]
   #3 November 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Wife Wanted" 8 pg P:[Premiani]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Romance In Robber's Roost" 9 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
       "A Man To Handle Belle" 8 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Blue Blood And The Bum" 9 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Romance and the Postmistress" 2 pg  (text)
       "Dude Ranch Diplomancy" 1 pg P:[Donahue]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Gunman's Shadow" 8 pg P:[Starr]  Lt:[Oda]
   #4 January 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "The Girl from Ghost Town" 8 pg P:[Premiani]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Cowtown Casanova" 8 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
       "Bodyguard for Betsy" 8 pg P:[Starr]  Lt:[Oda]
       "How to Corral Your Man" 1 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Heartbreaker" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Rancher's Daughter" 8 pg P:Meskin I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Six-Gun Serenade" 8 pg P:Severin & [Kirby] I:Elder Lt:[Oda]
   #5 March 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Dead Ringer" 9 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Survival" 8 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Let's Give A Barn Dance" 1 pg P:[Severin]  
       "The Rangers And The Fire-Maiden" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Love on the Range" 8 pg  (text)
       "Cowboy Romeo Or City Slicker" 1 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Two Can Play The Game" 5 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Lilly's Last Stand" 9 pg P:Meskin I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]

Charlie Chan Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted January 1, 2006 in Charlie Chan, Comic Checklists and tagged Chan, Charlie, Checklist, Kirby, Simon

Last update: 6/6/2020

Codes:
    r:  = reprint
    s:  = script
    l:  = layout
    p:  = pencils
    i:  = inks
  name  = signed
 <name> = signed with an alias
 {name} = signed as Simon & Kirby
 [name] = unsigned attribution

Charlie Chan (Prize)
   #1 June 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "The Hit And Run Murder Case" 10 pg P:C. Infantino I:[C. Infantino & Simon]
       "Charlie Chan" 10 pg P:C. Infantino I:C. Infantino
       "Land Of The Leopard Men" 10 pg P:C. Infantino I:C. InfantinoLt:[Oda]
       "The Weasel Of Wall Street" 8 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "He Talked Too Much" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Train Robber's Last Trip" 5 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
   #2 August 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "Number One Trouble" 13 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Vanishing Jewel Salesman" 9 pg P:[C. Infantino & Kirby] I:[C. InfantinoLt:[Oda]
       "Murder On The Midway" 8 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Powder Puff Cop" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Toledo Terror" 7 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "Hocus-Pocus Hearse" 6 pg P:Golden  Lt:[Oda]
   #3 October 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "The Secret Of The Smuggled Silk" 10 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Mystery Of The Phantom Killer" 11 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "Charlie Chan" 10 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Anchors Aweigh" 2 pg  (text)
       "Hilly Billy" 4 pg  
       "Keri Krane" 8 pg P:[Briefer] I:[Briefer]
   #4 December 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "The Burial-At-Sea Murder Mystery" 10 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Model Murder Case" 10 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Case Of The Missing Planet" 9 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "Take It Easy" 2 pg  (text)
       "Cassidy The Movie Cop" 5 pg  
       "Keri Krane" 8 pg P:[Briefer] I:[Briefer]
   #5 February 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "The Antique Burglar" 11 pg P:[Briefer] I:[Briefer] Lt:[Briefer]
       "Murder On Ice" 10 pg P:[Briefer] I:[Briefer] Lt:[Briefer]
       "The Dude Ranch Hold-Up" 11 pg P:[Briefer] I:[Briefer] Lt:[Briefer]
       "The Promotion" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Fox Of Paris" 5 pg P:[C. Infantino] I:[C. Infantino] Lt:[Oda]
       "Floating Mine Racket" 6 pg P:Stallman I:StallmanLt:[Oda]

Charlie Chan (Charlton)
   #6 June 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby] I:[Kirby]
       "See No Evil" 6 pg  Lt:[Ferguson?]
       "Pawns Of Peril" 7 pg  Lt:[Ferguson?]
       "Pitfall" 7 pg W:[Oleck]  Lt:[Ferguson?]
       "Tracer Of Missing People" 2 pg  
       "Conscience Killed Him" 2 pg  
   #7 August 1955  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Silent Witness" 6 pg  Lt:[Ferguson?]
       "The Talking Stone Face" 6 pg  
       "Trick Ending" 7 pg  
       "Lion Tamer" 6 pg  
   #8 October 1955  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Clever Victim" 6 pg  
       "The Emerald Turtle" 6 pg  
       "The Lock Without a Key" 7 pg  
       "Beat in the Bushes" 6 pg  
   #9 December 1955  
       (cover) 1 pg  
       "Troublesome Time" 6 pg  
       "Fool's Gold" 6 pg  
       "Flanagan's Bank" 6 pg  
       "The Penalty" 6 pg

Headline Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted January 1, 2006 in Comic Checklists, Headline and tagged Checklist, Headline, Kirby, Simon

Last update: 6/6/2020

Codes:
    r:  = reprint
    s:  = script
    l:  = layout
    p:  = pencils
    i:  = inks
  name  = signed
 <name> = signed with an alias
 {name} = signed as Simon & Kirby
 [name] = unsigned attribution

Headline (Prize)
   #23 (v.2, n.11) March 1947  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "The Last Bloody Days Of Babyface Nelson" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Design for Death" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Doctor Is Missing" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "The Bear Skull Trail To Death" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Burned At The Stake" 10 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "To My Valentine" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Killer In The Kitchen" 5 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
   #24 (v.2, n.12) May 1947  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Trapping New England's Chain Murderer" 9 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Murder On A Wave Length" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Grim Pay-Off For The Pinball Mob" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "A Phantom Pulls The Trigger" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "The Thing Inside Bob Tate" 2 pg  (text)
       "You Can't Forget A Killer" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "The Case Of The Floating Corpse" 4 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
   #25 (v.3, n.1) July 1947  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Masquerade Of Eddie The Doll" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Murder's Reward" 7 pg  Lt:[Fred]
       "Prophet of Death" 4 pg P:Powell  Lt:[Fred]
       "Blind Man's Death" 7 pg  Lt:[Fred]
       "Justice?" 2 pg  (text)
       "Death Takes A Honeymoon" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Fred]
       "Pay Up Or Die" 7 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Wyatt]
       "Case Of The Forgetful Killer" 4 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
   #26 (v.3, n.2) September 1947  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "The Life And Death Of Public Enemy Number One" 10 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "You Can't Fool A G-Man Twice" 6 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "Test Of Death" 4 pg  Lt:?
       "The Strange Aftermath Of The Kansas City Massacre" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "On The Spot" 2 pg  (text)
       "Beyond The Law" 7 pg  Lt:?
       "Bullets For The Bogus G-Man" 8 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
   #27 (v.3, n.3) November 1947  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Stella Mae Dickson, The Bobby Sox Bandit Queen" 13 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Guns Of Jesse James" 8 pg Ly:[Kirby] P:[?]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Death Of The Gambler King" 7 pg P:Draut I:[Draut]Lt:[Oda]
       "The Spark of Murder" 2 pg  (text)
       "Bring Me His Corpse" 4 pg P:Draut I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Spirit Swindlers" 11 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
   #28 (v.3, n.4) February 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "I Worked For The Fence" 13 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "Trapping Chicago's Speed-Demon Mob" 8 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Postage Stamp Swindle" 7 pg P:[Robinson & Meskin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Lone Wolf" 2 pg  (text)
       "Machine-Gun Kelly, Kidnapper" 7 pg P:Draut I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Murder Makes Bad Medicine" 8 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
   #29 (v.3, n.5) April 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "Insurance Reward Racket" 14 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "Don't Let Wilber Squeal" 8 pg P:Draut I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Night Of The Freak Murder" 8 pg P:[Robinson & Meskin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "An Expensive Auto Ride" 2 pg  (text)
       "Hide-Away Town" 5 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Sisters Of Satan" 8 pg P:Draut I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
   #30 (v.3, n.6) June 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "Numbers Racket" 15 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Witch Murders" 7 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Pistol-Packin' Playgirl" 5 pg P:Hollingsworth  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Roasted Mail-Robber Ghost" 2 pg  (text)
       "Menace In The Making" 7 pg P:Draut I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Bullet-Proof Bad Man" 9 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
   #31 (v.4, n.1) August 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Pickpocket Gang" 14 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "Perfect For Murder" 8 pg P:Nicholas  Lt:[Oda]
       "A Gangster Dies" 6 pg P:Broderick  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Trap" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Female Furies Of The Old West" 7 pg P:Hollingsworth  Lt:[Oda]
       "They Kidnapped The Parole Board" 8 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
   #32 (v.4, n.2) October 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Counterfeit Team" 12 pg P:{Kirby}  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Mystery Of Room 712" 8 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Clue Of The Horoscope" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "A Grave Crime" 2 pg  (text)
       "G Man Blitz" 7 pg P:[Broderick]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Terror Of The Everglades" 8 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
   #33 (v.4, n.3) December 1948  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "Premeditated Homicide" 15 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Man Who Stole An Ocean Liner" 6 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
       "The FBI And The Gun-Happy Robber" 1 pg P:[Kirby]  (text)
       "How The FBI Trapped The Booby Trap Slayer" 1 pg P:[Kirby]  (text)
       "A Mother's Ominous Dream" 6 pg P:[Broderick]  Lt:[Oda]
       "What Price Faith" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Shattered Alibi" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Underworld Parasite" 7 pg P:Stallman  Lt:[Oda]
   #34 (v.4, n.4) February 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:{Kirby}  
       "Blackhearted Tony" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Outlaw Down-Under" 8 pg P:Stallman  Lt:[Oda]
       "Twenty Second Story Man" 9 pg P:Guinta I:StallmanLt:[Oda]
       "The Frozen Fingerprints" 2 pg  (text)
       "Double-Cross" 9 pg P:[Broderick]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Medium Done Murder Case" 8 pg P:[Starr]  Lt:[Oda]
   #35 (v.4, n.5) May 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Kirby  
       "Dead Or Alive" 8 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Deadly Gilas" 7 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Great Mouthpiece" 7 pg P:Stallman  Lt:[Oda]
       "Georgie's Last Ride" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Independence Day" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Golf Links Murder" 5 pg P:Stallman  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Fabulous Baldwins" 7 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
   #36 (v.4, n.6) July 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Odds Against Murder" 9 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Masquerading Bandits" 7 pg P:Rockwell  Lt:[Oda]
       "Shoe-Box Annie" 8 pg P:[Broderick]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Tell-Tale Letter" 2 pg  (text)
       "Dutch Joe Cretzer's Other Business" 8 pg P:[Briefer]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Hip Sing Tong" 8 pg P:[Severin?]  Lt:[Oda]
   #37 (v.5, n.1) September 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Death Of A Menace" 8 pg P:Donahue  Lt:[Oda]
       "Unlucky In Crime" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Threat Of The Clan" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Accusing Match" 1 pg P:[Kirby]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Revenge" 2 pg  (text)
       "One-Man Posse" 8 pg P:Severin I:BelfiLt:[Oda]
       "The Artistic Swindler" 8 pg P:[Premiani]  Lt:[Oda]
   #38 (v.5, n.2) November 1949  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Train Robbery Of 1949" 10 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Clue That Stuck" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "No Escape" 5 pg P:[Severin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Rat Trap" 10 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Double Revenge" 2 pg  (text)
       "The Dog-Nappers" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #39 (v.5, n.3) January 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "The Boiler Room Racket" 10 pg P:[Stein?] I:[Stein?] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Cheapest Thief in the World" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Fingerman" 8 pg  
       "New Year Murder" 2 pg  (text)
       "Author of Violence" 8 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Arctic Ambush" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #40 (v.5, n.4) March 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "The Case Of Joe Andrews" 9.67 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Counterfeit Winners" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Justice Has Icy Fingers" 7 pg P:[M. Bailey]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Human Bloodhound" 2 pg  (text)
       "Inside Information" 7.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Man Of Many Faces" 8 pg P:Meskin I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #41 (v.5, n.5) May 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Octopus of the Underworld" 7.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Reservation for Death" 7.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Know Your FBI" 2 pg  
       "J. Edgar Takes a Hand" 7.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "J. Edgar Hoover" 2 pg  (text)
       "G-Man Savvy" 6.67 pg  
       "Guns for Sale" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #42 (v.5, n.6) July 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Ghost Racket" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Jewels of Death" 6.67 pg P:[Gregg]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Boomerang" 7 pg  Lt:[Little Sir]
       "Black Magic ad" 1 pg P:[Kirby]  (advertisement)
       "Closeups" 2 pg  (text)
       "Diary of a Lawbreaker" 7.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Gang War" 7.67 pg P:[M. Bailey]  
   #43 (v.6, n.1) September 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:Photo  
       "Shakedown" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Dig Your Own Grave" 7.67 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Scales Of Justice" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Hit Of The Show" 6.67 pg P:[Gregg]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 2 pg  (text)
       "Ticket To Alcatraz" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Our Swords Will Find You" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #44 (v.6, n.2) November 1950  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Racket Empire" 10 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Feathered Serpent" 7.67 pg P:Severin I:Elder Lt:[Oda]
       "Too Many Corpses" 6.67 pg P:[Gregg]  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Chapped Hands" 1 pg  (text)
       "Demon Ship" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Dynamite" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #45 (v.6, n.3) January 1951  
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Kirby]  
       "Penny Shakedown" 10 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "City In Terror" 7.67 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Eddie Was No Gent" 5.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Homocide- C.O.D." 6.67 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Dual Personality" 1 pg  (text)
       "Name Your Assassin" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #46 (v.6, n.4) March 1951
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "Enemy Of Reform" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Beyond The Grave" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Buried Alive" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Death Flight" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Ashes of Guilt" 1 pg  (text)
       "Jungle Sleuth" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #47 (v.6, n.5) May 1951
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Fixer" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Deadly Double-Cross" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Living Dead" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "A Dead Man's Shadow" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Accusing Ledger" 1 pg  (text)
       "Madman At Work" 7 pg  
   #48 (v.6, n.6) July 1951
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "This Match For Hire" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Leech Of The Underworld" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Racket Squad" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Play Dead" 1 pg  (text)
       "Loophole" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #49 (v.7, n.1) September 1951
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Speedway Racketeers" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "One Foot In The Grave" 6.67 pg  
       "Shroud For A Killer" 6.67 pg  
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Come Share My Tomb" 7.67 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Black Box" 1 pg  (text)
       "Female Of The Species" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #50 (v.7, n.2) November 1951
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Muscle Man" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Legacy of Death" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "One Mad Dog" 1 pg  (text)
       "Time to Kill" 5.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Cross and Double Cross" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #51 (v.7, n.3) January 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "King Of The Stool Pigeons" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "I Murdered Myself" 5.67 pg P:M. Bailey  
       "Passport To The Grave" 6.67 pg P:Marcus I:AbelLt:[Oda]
       "Hitchhike Killer" 1 pg  (text)
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Scheduled To Die" 7 pg  
   #52 (v.7, n.4) March 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Hideout Racket" 10 pg P:Stein I:SteinLt:[Oda]
       "Voyage of Vengeance" 4.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Telltale Match" 1 pg  (text)
       "You Only Die Once" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Dope, Teen-Age Menace" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Coffin for a Killer" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #53 (v.7, n.5) May 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Business Buccaneers" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Perfect Master-Mind" 5.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Initial Loss" 1 pg  (text)
       "Getaway" 5.67 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Accusing Corpse" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #54 (v.7, n.6) July 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Homicide Peddlers" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Dirt Cheap" 1 pg  (text)
       "Shadow of the Gallows" 6.67 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Twice Dead" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #55 (v.8, n.1) September 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Grab-Bag King" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Mr. Underground" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Turnabout" 1 pg  (text)
       "Death in the Swamp" 7 pg  
   #56 (v.8, n.2) November 1952
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Charity Chiselers" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "An Eye For An Eye" 6.67 pg  Lt:[Cappy]
       "Shoe Tipoff" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Has-Been" 6.67 pg P:Stein I:SteinLt:[Oda]
   #57 (v.8, n.3) January 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Counterfeit" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Deadly Alibi" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Public Eye" 1 pg  (text)
       "See No Evil" 7 pg W:[Oleck?]  Lt:[Oda]
   #58 (v.8, n.4) March 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Merchant of Death" 10 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Pitchfork Death" 1 pg  (text)
       "Hex Marks the Spot" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Crime Oddities" .67 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Blazing Justice" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #59 (v.8, n.5) May 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Getaway Mob" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Lines on the Map" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Deadly Angle" 1 pg  (text)
       "Killers Are Never Alone" 5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Find the Corpse" 5 pg P:Stein I:SteinLt:[Oda]
   #60 (v.8, n.6) July 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Finger Man" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "F.B.I. Radio Broadcast" 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Perfect Fit" 1 pg  (text)
       "G-Man Payoff" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Curious Crime Facts" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Circle of Death" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #61 (v.9, n.1) September 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Moonshine" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Homicide that Wasn't" 2 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Brain of the Underworld" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Candy Clue" 1 pg  (text)
       "Murder Solved By Mud" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "First Mistake" 7 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #62 (v.9, n.2) November 1953
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Espionage" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Efficiency System" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Blind Alley" 5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Blather Mouth" 1 pg  (text)
       "Kiss Of Death" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #63 (v.9, n.3) January 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Slave Peddlers" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Time To Kill" 4 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Counterfeit G-Man" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Too Perfect Getaway" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Legal Clue" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Perfect Hideout" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #64 (v.9, n.4) March 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Black Hand" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Red Roses in Kerosene" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Savage Circle" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Double Play" 3 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Innocent Murderer" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Long Green" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Big Pay-Off" 5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #65 (v.9, n.5) May 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Syndicate Boss" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Appointment with Death" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Home to Homicide" 4.67 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Love Letters" 1 pg  (text)
       "Gift for a Killer" 5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
   #66 (v.9, n.6) July 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "Ransom" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Murder Will Out" 3 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Manhunt" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Soft Touch" 2 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Capsules" 1 pg  (text)
       "G-Men Are Poison" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #67 (v.10, n.1) September 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The River Pirates" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Death Trap" 3 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Chain Reaction" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Egotist" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Tenpin Clue" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Witness" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
   #68 (v.10, n.2) November 1954
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Charity Racketeers" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Road To Alcatraz" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Grim Lesson" 4 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Inside Job" 1 pg  (text)
       "Speed Merchant" 6 pg P:Stein I:SteinLt:[Oda]
   #69 (v.10, n.3) January 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "Homicide In The Headlines" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Freezeout" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "The Old Gun" 4 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "$20 Holdup" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Honorable Way" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
   #70 (v.10, n.4) March 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein]
       "The Roller Derby Racketeers" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Smart Guy" 4.5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Matchbook" 1 pg  (text)
       "Face of Death" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Flames of Destruction" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #71 (v.10, n.5) May 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "The Hot Ice Heisters" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Crusader" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Roussos] Lt:[Oda]
       "There's Always A Way" 4 pg P:Banks  Lt:[Oda]
       "Double Play" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Robbery" 1 pg  (text)
   #72 (v.10, n.6) July 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Jig-Saw" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Blue Thread" 1 pg  (text)
       "Ordeal By Fire" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Puzzle" 4 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Police Procedure in Crime" 1 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "My Beat" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #73 (v.11, n.1) September 1955
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Prison Riot" 8 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Brown Border" 1 pg  (text)
       "Circumstantial Evidence" 5 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Final Winner" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Big Man" 6 pg P:Meskin I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #74 (v.11, n.2) January 1956
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Brainwash at Hong Kong" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Headlines" 1 pg  (text)
       "'Flash' Cameron, Photographer" 6 pg  Lt:[Oda]
       "Never See Morning" 6 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Flashes" 1 pg  (text)
       "Money From Nowhere" 7 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #75 (v.11, n.3) March 1956
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Curse of the River Diamonds" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Innocent" 1 pg  (text)
       "Duke Kennedy" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
       "Hot Stuff" 6 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "The Fight Fan" 6 pg P:[Meskin] I:[Meskin] Lt:[Oda]
   #76 (v.11, n.4) May 1956
       (cover) 1 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut]
       "Democratic Victory at Venice" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Old Timer" 1 pg  (text)
       "Flash Cameron Investigates a Disaster" 6 pg P:Galindo  Lt:[Oda]
       "The Grafters" 6 pg P:[Meskin]  Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Channel for Trouble" 6 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]
   #77 (v.11, n.5) September 1956
       (cover) 1 pg P:Stein I:Stein
       "Flying Saucers" 6 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Closeups" 1 pg  (text)
       "Fast Finish" 6 pg P:Galindo  Lt:[Oda]
       "Snap Decision" 6 pg P:Galindo  Lt:[Oda]
       "Pen and Ink" 1 pg P:[Stein] I:[Stein] Lt:[Oda]
       "Baby Face" 1 pg  (text)
       "Hide and Seek" 6 pg P:[Draut] I:[Draut] Lt:[Oda]

Simon and Kirby

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, their studio, and the artists who worked for them

Tag Archives: Simon

It’s a Crime, Chapter 1, Promoting Crime

A Date Without Romance

Simon and Kirby Take On Kiddy Comics

The Boys’ Ranch Landscape Swipe

The Art of Romance, Chapter 8, Kirby on the Range?

Art By Joe Simon, Chapter 1, In The Beginning

Joe Simon Checklist

Western Love Checklist

Charlie Chan Checklist

Headline Checklist

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