In the 1940s, comic books were the
equivalent of
videogames
today. Everybody started publishing them, even the staid
Saturday
Evening Post! Their comics line was
Novelty Press, and to create the
lead character, they commissioned young up-and-coming writer/artist Joe
Simon.
Simon came up with the concept, plot, and character designs
and produced the first issue of
Blue Bolt. But, by the second issue, his workload
between this and other projects was so overwhelming, that to stay on
deadline (Yes, there was a time when comics artists actually MET
deadlines!), he partnered with another young up-and-comer, Jacob
Kurtzburg.
You know him as...Jack Kirby!
(In the '60s he would, with Stan Lee, co-create
The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor...basically 95% of
Marvel Comics' Silver Age line-up, almost all of whom are still going strong today! Yeah, THAT Jack Kirby!)
Thus, with
The Blue Bolt, the legendary Golden Age team of
Simon & Kirby born!
As
to the character himself...he was a football star who was struck by
lightning (twice), recovered, flew his private plane to get help,
crashed it so hard that it fell thru to the center of the Earth where
the inhabitants of an advanced civilization used radiation to save
and improve him, was given a costume and weapon, and sent to battle the local super-villain, The Green Sorceress.
And that was just the origin story!
Then things
really got busy!
It
took a year for Blue to both fall in love with, and finally defeat,
Greenie. Then realizing World War II was under way, he went to the
surface to battle the Axis.
Simon & Kirby moved on to create other, even higher-profile, projects (
Captain America, Newsboy Legion, Young Romance, etc.) but
Blue Bolt
chugged on, surviving until the early 50s, when, after changing from a
superhero to horror title, it was laid to rest as a result of a public
outcry against comics led by Dr. Wertham.
We at
Atomic Kommie Comics™ have resurrected the
valiant hero as part of our
Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™ line, including his
first appearance, his (in our opinion) BEST cover, and his
final Golden Age cover appearance!
For a fan of the Golden Age of Comics, Jack Kirby, or the Blue Bolt himself,
any
of our shirts, mugs, mousepads or other goodies would make great
Christmas gifts!
Show the fanboy (or fangirl) in your life you
know what they like!
