In 1954, industry legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby founded Mainline Publications to publish their own comics during that turbulent era in comics history. The four titles—Bullseye, Foxhole, Police Trap, and In Love—looked to build off their reputation as hit makers in the Western, War, Crime, and Romance genres, but the 1950s backlash against comics killed any chance at success, and Mainline closed its doors just two years later. For the first time, TwoMorrows Publishing is compiling the best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline comics work, including all of the stories with S&K art, as well as key tales with contributions by Mort Meskin and others. After the company’s dissolution, their partnership ended with Simon leaving comics for advertising, and Kirby taking unused Mainline concepts to both DC and Marvel. This collection bridges the gap between Simon & Kirby’s peak with their 1950s romance comics, and the lows that led to Kirby’s resurgence with Challengers of the Unknown and the early Marvel Universe. With loving art restoration by Chris Fama, and an historical overview by John Morrow to put it all into perspective, the Best of Simon & Kirby’s Mainline Comics presents some of the final, and finest, work Joe and Jack ever produced!

Beginning with "Blue Bolt" in June 1940, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby set the standard for costumed heroes. Their creation "Captain America" remains one of the most famous heroes in comic book history, and their work for Timely and DC Comics raised the bar.
This large format hardcover collects the duo's most exciting characters: "Fighting American," their cold-war take on the patriotic hero, "The Fly," with origins in an unknown Spider-Man prototype, "Lancelot Strong, " the man with the double life, and the Hollywood swashbuckler known as "Stuntman."
This is the only edition authorized by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby, gathered from the official Simon and Kirby archives.

The creators of "Captain America" produced some of the most thrilling science fiction. Spanning more than 20 years, this volume features the first stories Joe Simon and Jack Kirby ever produced together ("The Blue Bolt Adventures") as well as "Race for the Moon", featuring pencils by Kirby and inked artwork by comic book legends Reed Crandall, Angelo Torres, and Al Williamson.

At every point, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby raised the bar.
When they came to comics, ""Superman had been around for about a year, and the medium was still in its infancy. They took the action and made it explode, breaking out of the panels and sprinting across the page. They showed what comics could do, experimenting with layout and design, creating the first full-page panels and double page spreads.
Their first million-seller was a superhero ("Captain America"), and their next was military adventure that outsold Superman (DC's" Boy Commandos"). These two guys from Rochester and Brooklyn broke all the rules when they created the first romance comics, and they blazed trails in every genre: horror, science fiction, crime etc ...
Their work in the legendary title "Black Magic" was acclaimed by readers. It was held up on national television by the Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, where experts claimed "Black Magic "contributed to the corruption of American youth Also included here are the Simon and Kirby stories from the experimental terror title "Strange World of Your Dreams."