Above are covers of some of the books that ive read and think are quite good. Introduction and brief history of comics modern comics have been in existence since the 1880s where it was printed in a newspaper by alfred harmsworth although there is other publications which can be considered to be the first comics e. This site contains mild spoilers for the eventual outcomes of some comics seriesstoriesevents which may or may not affect storylines in the marvel cinematic universe. The history of comic books may seem like a series of articles on comic books, but it shows the infectious nature of heroes. Welcome to comic book historians, an online fanzine. These films trace their origins back to the early 1940s. The worlds largest collectibles auctioneer comic books, vintage comics, original and animation art. Oh, and i want wally west and damian back as soon as possible.
Includes an epilogue about comics in the early twentyfirst century includes bibliographical references pages 106109 and index. Below we take a look at 75 years of black superheroes in comic books. The great comic book artist, will eisner, defined the comic as a form of sequential art. Tracing the evolution of comic books by looking at the pictures, panels, and text that brought them to. A brief 75year history lesson on black superheroes in. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Based on the successful american festival, germanys. Most all links will take you to wikipedia which has major spoilers. Another example of just how much comics have impacted our history is the martin luther king and the montgomery story comic, which is a 16page comic book about martin luther king, jr. From the platinum age to the modern age, youll find some very interesting reading in here. I feel like damian wayne was on his way to becoming one of the best dc characters in recent years. The precursor to marvel comics was founded in 1939 by pulp magazine publisher martin goodman.
Eight great books about comic books publishers weekly. Obadiah oldbuck becomes the earliest known sequential comic book to be published in america. Dw takes a look back at the evolution of the comic. Key tasks in the creation of comic books are writing. The following year the company published new fun the first comic book to feature entirely new material rather than reprints of newspaper strips. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history vulture. A brief comicbook history of spiderman and the avengers. Affectionately called the house of ideas by the fan press, marvels bestknown comics titles include fantastic four, the amazing spiderman, the incredible hulk, iron man, daredevil, thor, captain america. Comics historians have split the history of comics into several different ages. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. A brief history of comics there are a lot of books on the history of comics.
This is the comic that became, essentially, the beginning of. Mutt and jeff becomes the first successful daily comic strip. The word, comics, is still associated with both comic books, comic strips, and even comedians. Pulp writer malcolm wheelernicholson founded national allied publications in 1934.
Youll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the platinum age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the golden age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. With the exception of the beginning of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age, little consensus exists on startingending dates. In north america, the more serious francobelgian comics are often seen as equivalent to graphic novels, but whether they are long or short, bound or in. A brief rambling history of comic books and the people who made them.
The history of comics has followed different paths in different parts of the world. Im alex grand and were dedicated to creating a multimedia experience to learning the intricacies of journalistic comic book history, to fit the comic books and strips that we know and love into a visual historical context. Created by jerry siegel and joe shuster, superman is possibly the most recognizable comic book character to this day. For, no matter where heroism comes from, it inspires people young and old, past and present. It can be traced back to early precursors such as trajans column, in rome, egyptian hieroglyphs and the bayeux tapestry. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s.
Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. The first american comic book, funnies on parade, was a giveaway anthology reprinting comic strips from the newspapers. The untold story was a reminder of the many wonderful prose books dedicated to the history of the comic book. A notable event in the history of the american comic book came with. Provides a history of comic books in america during the twentieth century, showing how it has influenced and been influenced by american culture. In order to capitalize on the growing popularity of comic booksespecially those starring superheroesgoodman created timely comics.
Marvel comics history and marvel comics background world collectors net marvel comics is an american comic book line published by marvel entertainment, inc. Superman, batman, spiderman, the hulk, and countless other comic book. The history of comic books see you in the funny pages the early known comic has recently become an exciting, brand new field of research in the comic industry. Pulps were small 10 cent books sold on the newsstands, usually filled with action heroes going to exotic places and having adventures. A brief history of comic book movies traces the meteoric rise of the hybrid art form of the comic book film. The pioneer 15001828, victorian 18281883 and platinum 18831938 ages.
A brief history of comic book movies 9783319471839. Affectionately called the house of ideas by the fan press, marvels. After a very brief chapter on very early comic books, he begins with 1933s funnies on parade and gives us an indepth journey from that point on with every age of the comics. A brief comicbook history of spiderman and the avengers a look back at some of peter parker s original interactions with the ateam by james white posted 11 feb 2015. The comic book history of comics by fred van lente and ryan dunlavey presents the long and storied history of the comic book and graphic novel art form and the industry that spawned it in the only format befitting the true history of comics, a comic book. Some argue, however, that the comic in its purest form has been seen in early cultures, such as egyptian wall art and prehistoric man cave paintings. History comics and graphic novels libguides at arizona. Introduction and brief history of comics and the adventures of obadiah oldbuck 1952 words 8 pages. Reprints of titles such as popeye, buster brown and bringing up father sell millions before the advent. The origin of the word comic book comes from the comic strips that generally ran in newspapers. The first german comic con event in stuttgart drew 50,000 fans, while a frankfurt museum is showing the pioneers of the genre. The golden age of comics comics have been in existence since the end of the 19th century, but it was after the depression that the popularity of newspaper cartoons expanded into a major industry.
Comix a history of comic books in america was published in 1971, when comic books still ruled the earth. The early history of marvel comics did you know science. They are the handheld, take anywhere books filled with superheroes, classic stories, or adult dramas. Reprints of platinum age comics, like the brownies and yellow kid, become increasingly popular. Published in 1897, the yellow kid in mcfaddens flats is considered to be the first comic book, insomuch that it bore the phrase comic book on its back cover. In order to capitalize on the growing popularity of comic books especially those starring superheroesgoodman created timely comics. In this article, all dates given for various ages are approximate. The first modern comic book, famous funnies, was released in the us in 1933 and was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips, which had established many of the storytelling devices used in comics.
Created by orrin cromwell evans, the comic book is the first to be produced, written and drawn by only africanamerican writers and artists. Romes trajans column, dedicated in 110 ad, is an early surviving. An example of an early precursor to print comics is trajans column. In addition to being a newspaper strip, it gets made into a series of animated films starting in 19. This book literally covers every aspect of american comic book history. A brief history of comics heritage auctions comics. The earliestknown american cartoon, published in 1646, belongs in this category, as. Marvel comics history and marvel comics background marvel comics is an american comic book line published by marvel entertainment, inc. If you want a quick summary with some samples of comics across the history of the art form and dont want to read an entire book about it, you can get a quick summary here.
This book is an updated history of the american comic book by an industry insider. The tail has an origin, path, tip, and pointed direction. At this point in comicbook history, most superheroes had no. Rather, the history of dc comics is the history of the comic book industry as a whole, layered with intrigue, greed, great stories, politics, financial hell holes, but ultimately an innate desire in all of us for a great story. In my opinion, the new52 is one of the biggest disappointments in comic book history. A brief history of comic books and an overview of comic formats. The american comic strip is born when the adventures of mr.
Image comics has a fascinating history steeped in huge step forwards for comic creators, the near breakdown of the industry and bad art with weird little feet. A brief history of comic books the pioneer 15001828, victorian 18281883 and platinum 18831938 ages please note. The first, the victorian age, spans almost the entirety of early american history. The term comic book derives from american comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone. Up until as recent as a years ago it was generally believed that the first comic book was a reprint collection of the first comic strip, best known as the yellow kid. A comic book or comicbook, also called comic magazine or simply comic, is a publication that. The librarys vast trove of comic books exposes a unique and revealing history of american popular culture. Eight great books about comic books by heidi macdonald may 07, 2014 with more and more graphic novels on shelves and tablets of comics readers worldwide, theres also been a boom in books about. Wanting to get rid of undistributed copies, the story goes, someone slapped a 10 cent tag on them and dropped them off at a few newsstands. A history by gambit1024 april 25, 2012 23 comments the most recognizable comics characters in the world. Some of them originally sold for ten cents, but now go. Books a brief history of comics based on the successful american festival, germanys first comic con took place in stuttgart from june 2526, drawing some 50,000 fans.