So Jack Kirby should get a credit as a co-creator of Captain America?

Simon conceived the name, designed the costume, drew the first image of Captain America with the costume no different to the famous one we know and love and wrote 'CAPTAIN AMERICA' above it. Different shield, of course. Then he roughs out the entire first issue and gives it to Kirby to finish the art.

And Kirby goes down as co-creator. Influential to the character through work done after the original creation? Absolutely. As was Stan. But not part of the original act of creation.

Barring something like that, it'd be nice if at the very least the companies that owned the IP rights for these characters or some 'official' agency (lord knows what that means, but anyway) kept a clear, accessible documentation laying out the various important creative permutations of these characters and named those responsible.  If only so that we don't end up with an authorship question decades or centuries down the line.  It's a nightmare with Shakespeare, I can't even imagine what a nightmare current legal creator credits will be for future comics historians. 

An aside: in extreme scenarios where the original character somehow fails to catch on but really hits big once another creator makes their changes, it seems similar to the way we think about bands that trotted along for a couple of albums and then hit it big after a couple of line-up changes, and THAT'S the line-up people think of when thinking of the band.

Once an "ideal" tiered credit system is put in place, we will never again see Batman work another case. "Creator" 14,583 will make this month's issue all about the background history of the smelly, gray bat-creature Bruce encountered when he was eight years old; the one that possessed him and claimed him as his own, inhabiting him in a way that makes HIM the one, true Batman; the power behind the cowl all along... See, everyone? He just "created" Batman from the ground up! That's gotta be worth some of that sweet, sweet royalty money! Next issue, "creator" 14,584 will establish the Court of Bats, the race the gray bat-creature originates from, and take us through their long history... See, everyone? He just "created" the Bat-Creature all over again, which we already know is the crimefighting spirit that dwells within the one, true Batman! Write him a check! Next issue, "creator" 14, 585 will establish that Batman has no inhabiting spirit within him, but is rather a classic split-personality! That is SO absolutely key to what makes the character work, am I right? Check, please! Now able to retire alongside "creators" 14, 583 & 14,584, he leaves the book to "creator" 14,586 who will put Batman in a green costume. Total revamp! Wow. Looks sharp, sir. Here is this month's royalty check to you. You totally owned Batman this month, and your contribution will endure for all time. Next month, "creator" 14, 587; blue costume! Month after that, "creator" 14, 588; purple sparkly costume, like Yvonne Craig used to wear! SO groovy, right? Write that genius creator a check...

What exactly do we call that??