Comic Book -- Boy Commandos -- January 13, 2021

 

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Artist Jack Kirby and writer Joe Simon created Boy Commandos, a comic book about a gang of kids from many countries who fought the Nazis and then the Japanese. The Commandos were led by a adult, Captain Rip Carter. 

Stan Lee, RIP -- November 12, 2018

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I was sad to learn that Stan Lee has died.  He started out at Timely Comics, filling inkwells for artists.  He became a writer.  Stan Lee became a writer with a story in Captain America #3.  Lee became an editor before he served in the Army during World War Two.

When superheroes fizzled after the war, Lee wrote stories in many genres for Atlas, the successor of Timely.

Atlas became Marvel in the early 1960s.  When superheroes came back, Lee worked with artist Steve Ditko to create Spiderman.  I did not appreciate Marvel comics because they seemed to be trying very hard to be current and hip.

Lee eventually became editor-in-chief.  After he retired, he served as a spokesman for the company and made cameos in Marvel-related movies.

Joe Simon 100 -- October 11, 2013

Joe Simon, who created Captain America with Jack Kirby, was born on 11-October-1913.

Simon served in the Coast Guard during World War II.

The image of Captain America Number 1 comes from a wonderful blog, Hitler Getting Punched (http://hitlergettingpunched.blogspot.com/).

I was sad to learn that Commander Scott Carpenter, the second American in space, has died.  He trained to be a naval aviator during World War II, then served during the Korean War.  After he flew into space, he joined the Navy's Sealab project. John Glenn is the last surviving Mercury program astronaut. 

Comic Book #21 -- February 21, 2013

Marvel's Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Sergeant Fury and His Howling Commandos in 1963.  Stan Lee claims that he made a bet with Marvel's publisher that Lee and Kirby could make a successful book with the worst possible title.  The Howling Commandos were a special forces team led by Sergeant Fury through actions in Europe, Asia and elsewhere.  Nick Fury later went on to a career as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.