CAPTAIN AMERICA - Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's greatest creation

At this very moment a new movie, 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, 

is reportedly the #1 box office draw.

At seventy-three years old, Captain America is still going strong and shows no signs of stopping. 

Realistically, much has changed since that first issue dated March, 1941, and the symbolic hero has endured many permutations over the years. That is natural, since the country he represents has itself transmogrified over the decades, shedding layers upon layers of innocence, and allowing the once gleaming luster of patriotism to tarnish from abuse and a lack of trust in authority.

When Captain America came upon the scene those long years ago, there was a need for something to believe in, someone to look up to.There was war rumbling in Europe and the tremors were being felt in the United States of America. Economic depression had gripped the nation over a decade earlier, and the citizens were hungry for something hopeful around the next corner.

Enter Joe Simon and Jacob Kurtzberg. After experimenting with several nom de plumes like Jack Curtiss, Bob Brown, Ted Gray, Richard Lee, Curt Davis, and Lance Kirby, Jacob Kurtzberg finally decided on the name he would use for his comics career - Jack Kirby. Kirby met Simon  around March, 1940, while both worked for Fox Feature Syndicate. According to Kirby, "After Joe Simon was hired as an editor, we got to know one another and soon we were working together. Joe was a little older, and I counted on him to do the talking for both of us. We made a pretty good team."

Soon after, both were hired by Martin Goodman at Timely/Marvel Comics. In 1939 Marvel had success with breakout characters The Human Torch and The Submariner. In December, 1940,  CAPTAIN AMERICA  #1 hit the stands, the right character for the right time. 

Jack Kirby remembers those early Timely/Marvel days:

"The pressure was tremendous. I was penciling at breakneck speed, as many as nine pages a day. I guess that was the reason my figure work began to take on a distorted look; my instincts told me that a figure had to be extreme to have power. I feel that action and graceful movement symbolize beauty and life, and acrobatic characters are the perfect instrument to convey this. I want to show mankind at it's best, not it's worst."

"Captain America was created for a time that needed noble figures. We weren't at war yet, but everyone knew it was coming. That's why Captain America was born; America needed a super-patriot."

He was a super-patriot, all right. The cover for issue #1 showcased Captain America socking Hitler in the face! Simon and Kirby were first, and America would take the cue and follow Cap's lead.Within the year the United States entered the war and not long after, Hitler and his ilk suffered more than just a sore jaw. Captain America was there to lead the country to victory.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 -  pencils: Jack Kirby / inks: Syd Shores

While today's political correctness prevents overt propaganda and the racial stereotyping that flourished during the 40's and 50's, it seems that the lines between right and wrong, good and evil have blurred to a degree where heroes like the Captain America of old appear trite, corny, and passe to the modern American. But I hope not. I believe that now as much as ever we need someone to look up to, someone to stand for decency and the moral values that are threatened to become covered in the dust of yesterday's forgotten history. In a world of complicated trouble, we still need Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's simple vision of Captain America, the heroic national ideal worthy to be emulated, a leader for us all to follow.

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The origin of Captain America from CAPTAIN AMERICA #1

Script:Joe Simon / Pencils:Jack Kirby / Inks: Al Liederman

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More from Jack Kirby on CAPTAIN AMERICA #1:

"We thought it would compete well with Superman. 

It was a good testing ground for me. The first issue was meant to look more like a movie than a traditional comic book. 

Movies were what I knew best, and I wanted to tell stories the way they did. I guess I'm just a frustrated director."

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The first appearance of the Red Skull, from CAPTAIN AMERICA #1

Script:Joe Simon / Pencils:Jack Kirby / Inks: Al Liederman

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Captain America first appeared in the movies in 1944.

Timely/Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman gave Republic Pictures the rights to serialize Captain America free of charge. 

Creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby "never got a dime" out of the deal.

Captain America: 1944 Serial - #1

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Jack Kirby original artwork of Captain America, done 1966

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The Three (or more) Origins Of The TWO-GUN KID

Ready to be confused?

There are actually more than three origins for the Marvel/Timely/Atlas Comics character The TWO-GUN KID,

 because there are in fact more than one TWO-GUN KID!

For our purposes here today, we are going to focus on TWO-GUN's first incarnation.

He first appeared in the comics in 1948, in Marvel's' TWO-GUN KID #1, portrayed by Marvel's go-to western artist Syd Shores. The TWO-GUN KID was Marvel's second continuing western character (the first being The Masked Raider, who first appeared in MARVEL COMICS #1,1939), and (by name, at least) their longest running western star. The Kid was a tall, handsome blonde-haired cowboy named Clay Harder, who wore a black hat, black shirt and red neckerchief, and many of his adventures began and ended with him riding into(or out of) the story while singing a song, such as, "I ride alone thruout the west, from Dodge to Alamo, I'm on the trail of owlhoots, that's why my guns hang low"!

TWO-GUN KID #1 art by Syd Shores

TWO-GUN showed up full-blown, that is to say, with no back story. That would come later. This first comic series lasted only 10 issues, stopping after only a year and 1/2 in 1949. Four years later Marvel tried again, and with TWO-GUN KID #11 the Kid was back in action, better than ever. First re-appearing drawn ably by Fred Kida, followed by Bob Fujitani, Chuck Miller, Joe Maneely, Jack Davis, Al Hartley, John Severin, and finally by the team of Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, who would be at the helm when Marvel transformed the character into his newer incarnation in 1962.

TWO-GUN KID #1 1948 art by Syd Shores

TWO-GUN's first origin appeared in TWO GUN KID #36, April 1957, depicted by Chuck Miller. 

We will discover that the origin story to follow a few months later would essentially contradict this first narrative.

Let's enjoy this adventure, and later examine the other versions.

Origin number one:

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TWO-GUN's next origin story was revealed exactly one year later, in TWO-GUN KID #41, April 1958.

 This time, Atlas' heavy-hitter Joe Maneely handled the art chores

Origin number two:

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The 3rd and final TWO-GUN KID origin story we present today appeared in TWO-GUN KID #52, February 1960, delineated by western maven  John Severin. The strange aspect of this version is that it is a retelling of the Joe Maneely version, essentially word for word, and panel for panel,only redrawn by Severin! In many panels virtually nothing has been changed in the layout from Maneely's version. Why this new variant rendition was produced is a mystery that perhaps Atlas Comics historians such as Doc V or others can answer. As for me, I don't know why Marvel had Severin redraw the origin, but it remains a fascinating comparison to Maneely's original interpretation.

Origin number three:

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Clay Harder's TWO-GUN KID rode for a total of 59 issues before Marvel decided a change was in order.

In TWO-GUN KID #59, April 1961, the original TWO GUN KID sang his last song. The comic ends with a saga where the Kid gets ambushed by two "owlhoots" who wound the Kid in the shoulder, and the story ends with the Kid passing out. Stan Lee's final panel blurb assures us the Kid recovered and rode again, and we would see him in the next great issue. Alas, that was not to be...

TWO-GUN KID #59, 1961 art by Kirby & Ayers

Perhaps the Kid's wound was more grievous than first thought. Perhaps he did wake up and ride away, singing, but later died from an unattended infection. All I can tell you is, this was the last we see of Clay Harder, the original TWO-GUN KID.

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TWO-GUN KID #60, 1962 art by Kirby & Ayers

In November 1962 the TWO-GUN KID comic reappeared on the stands (#60), exhibiting a new, revamped TWO-GUN KID. With artwork by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers, the new Kid was Matt Hawk, a dark-haired dude who gets transformed into a mask wearing, sharpshooting wild-west avenger.

Ah, but that origin story, my friends, is for another day...