The guys over at
Big Shiny Robot managed to score a rare interview with the legendary writer, artist, editor, and publisher, who's career in comic books has spanned over 70 years. To read the entire interview, just follow the link at the bottom of this article. Below is what Joe Simon had to say about perhaps his greatest creation: Captain America.
On What He Thinks About The Upcoming Movie:
"I’m very excited about it. I don’t know the details of the story in the movie, though I have a great deal of confidence in the Marvel movie makers, and have been contacted by Stephen Broussard, the co-producer, several times. It’s apparent that they’re putting a great deal of energy and creativity into all of their projects."
On Whether He'd Consider Returing To Work On The Character In The Future:
" I did a short piece for Captain America issue #600, and other than that, I’m just happy to draw sketches of him for friends and family."
On How He Feels About Captain America's Current Portrayal In The Comic Books:
"I haven’t followed the character too closely over all of the years, but I’m very happy that they kept the patriotic aspects of the character according to what I would have done, and that Captain America emerged as an icon for the readers. For the sake of the sales and trends of the times I did participate in the horrific death of Captain America. I was told about it in advance, and one of the top quotes in the New York Daily News was the statement “Captain America, gone just when we really need him.” Given the way the world is today, that’s probably truer than ever before. Strangely enough, when Jack and I created those first ten issues, with the exception of Hitler on the first cover, there wasn’t much politics in the stories–they were mostly horror and detective adventures."
While I have no doubt that Stan Lee deserves a cameo in
Captain America: The First Avenger for his excellent work with the character in the 1960's, it's a pity that Marvel Studios don't seem to have reached out to Joe Simon! Still, be sure to share your thoughts on that and his above comments in the usual place!
About The Author:
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.