by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, edited by Steve Saffel

Publisher: Titan

Format: hardcover, 9x12, partial color, $39.95 (order with code DEC084249)

ISBN: 978-1-8457-6931-4

Reviewed by: Library Journal

Simon and Kirby are comics' Lennon/McCartney dream duo. Teaming in the 1940s, Simon was the seasoned writer/editor/inker and Kirby the hot young artist who ultimately became one of the industry's most influential and creative personalities. They invented Captain America, received the first cover bylines, and their jump-off-the-pages action told the story as strongly as the words, changing comics forever. This first in a six-volume series offers a broad look at their collaborations. They worked in many genres, and chapters spotlight heroes, science fiction, war and adventure, crime drama, Westerns, horror, sick humor, and romance (future volumes will cover some subjects individually), each with a background intro by Kirby biographer Mark Evanier. The book sports 25 gloriously restored comics selected by Simon, plus five additional covers, and is capped with a checklist of all the comics they produced together/apart. Dazzling from beginning to end, this is a monumental piece of comics' history and a hunk of Americana that is a dream come true for legions of fans. Buy it for your graphic novels, art, or pop culture collections.  —Mike Rogers