Comic books may be one of the most misunderstood mass culture art forms to emerge during the twentieth century. Commonly associated with juveniles and cheap story lines, comics have often been cast aside by more high-minded art critics. But like all art forms, comic books offer a wide range of content, style, and depth—it’s just much easier to read the shallow, inane offerings in the Sunday paper.
The history of comic books resembles that of a person, beginning with its childish antics in the beginning of the twentieth century and leading to the eventual blossoming of adult-oriented content found in contemporary artists like Frank Miller.
The publishing of Richard Felton Outcault’s Yellow Kid is often cited as the first comic strip. Even though there were comic strips published prior to Outcault’s, he was the artist to create the balloon type element that contained the words the characters spoke. Most comic books, the first of which were called The Funnies, were humoristic in their content. But the crash of the stock market in 1929 altered the content of comic books. The depression was like the loss of a parent causing a child to turn its attention to more mature themes.
The 1930s’ saw the emergence of adventure and superhero comics. The most famous of these were Superman, Captain Marvel, and Batman—all of which featured muscular men with an alternative identity. It should be no surprise that the style of comic books would be altered by the greater social landscape. The United States was entering a period of social fragmentation and the glory days of the twenties were nothing but a fading memory. The humor comic books no longer spoke to people about their everyday situation. But the idea that any man can turn himself into a cultural superhero resonated with a culture experiencing a catastrophic World War and a devastating economic depression.
After what is commonly referred to as the Golden Years of the 1930s’ and 40s’, comic books entered the Silver Age , headed by Marvel Comics Universe. Marvel brought the world of comic books to another level. No longer were characters perfect men with toned bodies, intent on ridding society of its gangsters and mad scientists.
The characters created by Marvel Comic Books were often by-products of failed science experiments and they often had to deal with an unwelcome reception by the human population. This confrontation with scientific inquiry by Marvel Comic Books was a reflection on the overall, cultural questioning of scientific expansion after the dropping of a nuclear bomb.
The end of the Silver Age of comics brought on the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age of comics saw artists develop characters and themes in a more mature, in-depth manner. Eventually the Bronze Age would move into the present, Gimmick age. The Gimmick age saw the leaders in industry devise a number of gimmicks as a way of selling more comics. The most famous of these gimmicks is the killing off of characters, only to bring them back a few issues later—remember the Superman fiasco? The gimmick age also saw comics really move their influence to the big screen. Titles such as Batman, Terminator, Spiderman, and The Incredible Hulk have all become blockbuster hits.
The evolution of comic books is intriguing in that it often reflects the greater social landscape in which it exists. The old comic books glitter with a sense of innocence found in the burgeoning of a new country and culture. But as that country began to questions its beliefs and ideas, so too did comic books alter their content and style. Today, comics find themselves being adapted to the big screen and enjoying the lavish, opulent media attention that comes with being a celebrity in the 21st century.
Finding old comic books for sale has been made much easier by the rise of the Internet. Popular sites such as eBay and Amazon offer a wide range of comics for sale. But one can still venture to the traditional comic book shows—found in community centers and city halls across the country—as a way to purchase and discuss both contemporary and old comic books.
Comic books have become a thriving industry and an international, cultural movement. They come in such a wide range of style and content that it’s surprisingly simply to find a particular character, or villain, to suit one’s taste. It will be interesting to see how comics confront the age of the Internet and how it may affect their characters.
Coville, Jaimie. “History of Comic Books.” Geocitites.1998. 23 April 2007.
Coville, Jamie. “The Silver Age.” 23 April 2007.
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Arts/drawing s/Comicstrip/HistoryofComics/TheSilverAge/TheSilve />Lalumiere, Claude. “A Short History of American Comic Books.” January Magazine. April 2000. 23 April 2007. http://www.januarymagazine.com/features/comix.html .