An introduction
A superhero or superheroine (which was established in 1917) is a hero or stock character with heroic or superhuman capabilities. But a superhero can’t be defined only by the superhuman power of Batman. He also saves lives without these supernatural abilities. Comic strips are a series or drawings that relate comic events. They often have balloon-printed dialogue. Comic books were created from old comic strips.
History1930-1930 America was in a difficult decade. The Great Depression hit, and America was plunged into poverty and desperation. People attempted to escape this horrible reality by watching movies and going to sporting events. This article is about the History of the American Comic Book Industry, from its inception in the 1930s until today. It shows how comic books have mirrored the world around them. As the world changes, our heroes persevere, even though they face many difficulties along the way. They were both passionate about comics and used to read them daily. The comics were first published in 1933 by Siegel and Shuster. Their hero was a child who was transported from Krypton to Earth in a spaceship. Kansas couple found the child and taught him justice and truth. Due to his alien origin, he was gifted with unique abilities such as super speed, strength, invulnerability, and a high level of vulnerability. He wore a dark blue costume with a shield over his chest. A bright red cape was added to his attire. He called him “Superman.”
Every newspaper in the vicinity rejected the hero. DC Comics eventually accepted Siegel & Shuster’s work and made him the cover of Action Comics. The comic book sold out all copies and Superman is now a national icon. Superman didn’t like the hero and had no superpowers. But he did have many gadgets, such as a grapple rifle, a utility knife, and shuriken weapons known as “batarangs.”
Bruce Wayne’s story is darker than Superman’s. As a child, his parents were killed. Bruce Wayne became a billionaire and learned all forms of martial arts. Then, in an act of revenge, he donned a black cowl and a mask that looked like a bat to fight crime on Gotham City streets at night. Other companies also had their own superheroes, including DC’s Superman or Batman. Fawcett Comics had Bulletman and newspapers had The Spirit. Timely Comics was launched in 1939 with superheroes named “Human Torch and Submariner” by William Moulton Marston, a psychiatrist who also co-created the lie detector. DC hired Marston later and he created Wonder Woman in 1941. She is the first female superhero. DC gave Batman Robin the name Robin to appeal more to young readers. Many other heroes had young sidekicks, such as Bulletman who had Bulletgirl, Human Torch who had Toro, and so forth. Fawcett Comics developed a superhero that was actually a child. As soon as Billy Batson, a young boy, yelled “SHAZAM!” the superhero “Captain Marvel” would transform into him. Eventually, Captain Marvel was outselling Superman. DC filed a complaint against Fawcett accusing Captain Marvel of being “too similar” with Superman. After a twelve-year legal fight, DC prevailed and Fawcett was forced to cease printing Captain Marvel. 1940 – Superman is everywhere.
He had television shows, cartoons and action figures by 1940. Superman was relatable and unique because he was fictional and lived in the same time as his readers. He was an emigrant who came to America and sought out the American dream. Superman was particularly loved by teenagers and young men. DC needed another hero to match Superman’s immense success. The story was written by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
The hot topic in the 1940’s was World War II. The nation needed heroes who could fight for Europe’s war, and these heroes were there long before American soldiers arrived. Timely Comics first introduced the subject in 1940 when Namor, the character of Timely Comics, defeated the Japanese. Soon, Robin, Batman, Wonder Woman and Human Torch joined the fight against the Axis Powers. DC wrote a story where Superman ended war in just two pages. But they knew that it wouldn’t work that way in real-life, so they decided to have Superman fight war on the domestic front and sell war bonds. All of the superheroes fought for the American flag. However, it wasn’t until 1941 that a superhero actually wore it. Adolf Hitler was a beast compared with the rest. Captain America featured Adolf Hitler as a star-spangled hero. This new hero was so beloved by the public that many young men joined World War II to become soldiers. His story is simple: Steve Rogers, a young and frail patriot who wanted to serve his country, was born in a small town. Superheroes were no longer relevant after the defeat of the Allies during World War II. Many of the heroes lost their fight against the villains. New topics, including westerns and romance, took over comic book publishing. Only DC’s Superman and Robin were selling, as well as Wonder Woman.
1954 – Dr. Frederick Wertham published “Seduction Of The Innocent”, a book that criticized comic books for destroying the youth of children. He made some major accusations against Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and Superman in his book. He claimed that Superman was a fascist who liked to see people suffering while he was immune. Wonder Woman was also a far cry from what women are expected to be like. The most absurd accusation was that Robin (Batman) and Robin “make boys homosexual.” “Seduction” almost completely destroyed the comics industry. The “Comics Code Authority” was formed to help parents and people like Dr. Wertham. Comic books had their approval before they could be published under the Comics Code. It banned comic books that were filled with horror, drugs or romance. Superman became closer to the law and was more like an officer. Robin and Batman spent more quality time with women. Wonder Woman was more often with Steve Trevor, her lover. The Comics Code saved the comics industry but also made it worse. After the industry’s brief-lived boom, sales plummeted more than 50%. DC decided to revamp their 1940’s heroes and bring comics back to life. They reintroduced “The Flash” in Showcase Comics 1956. He wore a more modern costume and was younger than his 1940 counterpart. Also, he worked as a forensics scientist for the police when he wasn’t fighting crime. DC revamped many heroes, including Green Lantern and Hawkman, Atom, as well as Aquaman, thanks to Flash’s success.
The Justice League of America was created by these new heroes and Superman and Batman. Timely Comics wanted a return to the superhero comic-selling business so Stan Lee, an artist and writer, created a team Timely could be proud of. Timely Comics became Marvel Comics in 1961. Fantastic Four was released. It is hard to describe the incredible partnership between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They co-created superheroes such a Iron Man and Thor, Daredevil, Hulk, Daredevil, Black Panther, and the Hulk. They also founded superhero teams like the X-Men or the Avengers. Stan Lee loathed the idea of having sidekicks. He believed that young people would fight crime if they wanted to. The hero he created was actually a teenage boy fighting crime. However, the publisher turned him down. (McLaughlin). Lee pushed on and his hero finally appeared in Amazing Fantasy’s final issue. The Amazing Spider-Man appeared in Amazing Fantasy’s pages in 1962. Peter Parker is a highschool student who was bitten and subsequently gained the ability to fight crime. Spider-Man became a cultural icon after his Uncle Ben died. Spider-Man was an inspirational hero. He also faced everyday challenges, just like his readers.
Marvel sold more comic books than DC in 1960. However, DC characters were not forgotten. A television program called Batman, featuring Burt Ward and Adam West, was launched in 1966. “Bat-Mania,” the national television show, was immediately popular. Although this campy TV series was parody, audiences and readers didn’t mind. Two-year-long Batman comic sales almost tripled due to the series. Marvel’s characters and DC’s were quite different. DC heroes were more parent-like. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman were characters that readers aspired too be. Marvel heroes, however, were more relatable and touched on current affairs. Hulk and Spider-Man were characters that people were already familiar with, minus their superpowers. Both companies had their own ways of writing comics. DC would prepare their scripts before the artist could draw them. Marvel would ask the artist to draw the pages first. Then the writers would complete the script.
In the 1970s, Marvel’s X-Men book became a popular choice for readers. The X-Men, a group of teenagers, were born with “mutant abilities” and would fight to make the world a better place. The X-Men served as a metaphor to all minorities, regardless of race or religion. Marvel Comics was so influential on younger readers that Stan Lee, an Office of Health Education employee, asked him to write an article about anti-drug use featuring one of Marvel Comics’ characters. Lee was forbidden from publishing the comic because it violated the Comics Code Authority.
Finally, Lee’s publisher Martin Goodman allowed him to publish the story with no approval from the Code. After the issue was published and sold out, other companies started to take notice and tackle other issues without the Code’s permission. In DC’s Green Lantern/Green Arrow, they covered heroin abuse a few more months later. The Comics Code Authority fell to oblivion after all the comics dealt with all these issues. Publishers could now write whatever story they wanted.
Warner Brothers, DC Entertainment and DC Entertainment produced Superman: The Movie. It was the first movie with a big budget to feature a super hero in 1978. Christopher Reeve became Superman’s actor. Marvel and DC finally broke away from the Comics Code Authority. Iron Man was found to be an alcoholic. Hulk’s fury was attributed to child abuse. LexLuthor became a corrupted businessman after he turned from a mad scientist and into Superman’s villain. Frank Miller, an ex-Daredevil comic writer, was hired to create Batman in a dark and gritty new version. Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns was Batman’s first comic. Alan Moore was the creator of Watchmen, a comic that featured everything from sexual impotence to murder.
DC’s Sandman 1990 won the World Fantasy Award for being the first comic ever to do so. In comic books, there are now specialty shops for longer comics. The new success of Frank Miller’s Batman led to Warner Brothers releasing a new Batman movie in 1989. The 1990’s saw the rise in popularity of older comic books. People began buying more comic books, believing that they would become just as valuable in the future. The more people purchase comics, then publishers will continue printing. Older issues were valuable due to their rarity. Collectors began to realize this and started not buying as often as before. New stories were created to bring back readers. The rights to superhero creators are now available to them. This was a very welcome development for Todd MacFarlane (ex-Marvel Editor in Chief), who created the famous characters Venom, Spawn, and many others.
Unfortunately, comic book popularity started falling again in late 1990. Comic book movies are more popular and more successful in this new generation. 2000’s X-Men saw the debut of today’s special effect superhero movies. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the film about a superhero, was the most successful for five years. It earned $821.71 million worldwide before it was eclipsed by Spider-Man 2. The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s Batman movie, is currently holding that record. It currently has a worldwide net of $1,001.921,825. It received a nomination in the Best Picture of 2008 category. Heath Ledger also won the Academy Award as Best Actor, Supporting Role, for his portrayal of the Joker. The comics don’t sell as well, but the super heroes are still well-known because of these films. DC’s movies were so successful that they relaunched their whole business and franchises in 2011 with “The New 52”, keeping their characters relevant and current for younger readers.
While times change constantly, superheroes have nearly always kept their roots. Although heroes are subject to change over time, their impact on society is not affected. Superman, the Kryptonian alien still fighting for justice and truth nearly 100 years later. Batman, a billionaire playboy who takes revenge on his parents’ deaths in Gotham City at night, is still Batman. Spider-Man, a science nerd and a victim of a radioactive spider bite, still has difficulty getting the girl. Superheroes have no future and in one-hundred centuries, people will still read comics, watch movies, and use tablets or iPads to digitally access comics. Superheroes are resilient. They will be around for many more generations!
