I've been pretty clear on my love for those big double-page splashes from Jack Kirby (& sometimes Joe Simon, like today). Back when Simon & Kirby were just getting started on Captain America, they weren't really doing those yet. But they still had some very cool single pagers:
Okay - Queer Case of the Mudering Butterfly and the Ancient Mummies is a winner all by itself. And even way back in 1941, they were already creating villains for the Marvel universe for heroes other than Captain America, like-
And if you don't already love this splash...
In issue #6 they started using the centerfold of the comic for those glorious 2-page spreads. They left after #10, so they only did five for Captain America Comics:
Some of the wild, edge-of-surreal, fun of their later design layouts is starting to show here, but it feels like they're still testing the waters, seeing what works for them.
It's one of those situations that leaves me wondering - what if they hadn't gotten screwed on their arrangement for Captain America and had stayed with the book & company back then? Besides how that would likely have reshaped Jack & Joe's financial fortunes over the years, how would it have shaped Timely? When they left, the kid they let write the text pages for Captain America as of #3 wound up running the place. You have to think the company's history would have followed a significantly different path.
But, more to the point, what kind of terrific Captain America art would we have seen if they had stayed on the book for a few years? All the great work they did with the Stuntman spreads and such leave me wanting that cross-continuum viewer to peek at artwork from alternate histories.
I know. I should just be grateful for what we got. But Jack taught me to imagine more...
all art by Jack Kirby & Joe Simon from Captain America Comics #s 1-10 (1941-2)
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