Golden age of comic books history

A carnival of comics eastern color printing was released. If the golden age of comic books and the silver age of comic books were the childhood of super heroes, the bronze age of comic books was their adolescence, and the dark age of comic books was their angstridden teenage years, then the modern age of comic books is surely the college years. The golden age set the stage for the majority of comics published for the next two decades. By the mid1950s, the comic book industry was imperiled. The silver age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. Historically, this period covers world war ii, one of. Brenda starrthe first cartoon strip written by a womanwas first published in 1940.

An overview of the 8 ages of comic books from 1897present day which includes key events in american history that helped shape the timeline. The golden age of dc comics is a coffee table book covering the history of dc comics from 19351956. The golden age describes an era in the creation of comic books published between the years of 1938 and 1955. The 1930s was the start of the golden age of comics. This timeline presents milestones, trends, and pivotal events that defined the comics medium during each of these eras. We have such a wide selection that the comics are broken out by letters. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic. The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. We will say that the golden age begins in 1938 and ends in 1956, when the silver age. This guide to strictly the golden age of comics covers titles from 1938 to 1956 with some 30,000 prices and is edited by alex malloy and stuart wells iii, the same men who edit the. The golden age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. The golden age of comics 19381956 technically, the golden age of comics took place between 1938 and 1956. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books. Comics, a division of fawcett publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the golden age of comic books in the 1940s.

A new book chronicling the history of dc comics is going way back to see where batman and other heroes really began, and the hollywood reporter has a look inside the golden age of dc comics. She soon began appearing on the covers, with art provided by alex schomburg. The fact that the golden age of comic books occurred alongside the great depression and world war two is no coincidence. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity.

There are several key events and characters from the 30s that shaped the formation of modern comics. Unfortunately, by 1950, the popularity of superhero comics had declined precipitously. Welcome to superworld comics golden age comics browsing page. As a matter of fact, they are releasing five separate volumes, each pulling material from the 75 years book, and each highlighting a distinctive historical age in comic books. Platinum age 18971938 cover of the new york world, owned by joseph pulitzer, christmas 1899. The golden age 19381949 its generally accepted among collectors that the first comic book was funnies on parade, published in 1933. It is unknown how long this golden age of comics lasted, but some say that it started in the late 30s and ended in the late 40s, while others think that the golden age of comics ended in the early. Many iconic characters were introduced in this time period and became part of american culture at. The modern age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the bronze age 19701985, and the modern age 1985present. The standard guide to golden age comics is the 2006 edition from krause publications, who have been publishing outstanding books about collectibles for many years. This period, which witnessed an explosion of englishcanadian comic book publishing, is now described as the canadian golden age of comics. When i saw this collection golden age western comics edited by steven brower of old west comics for a reasonable price on amazon, i. My wife and i were killing time, waiting for some friends of hers from college to arrive, when we wandered into barnes and noble.

The history of silver age comic books cosmic comics. The golden age of comic books was a period in the history of american comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or. Comic book superheroes unmasked documentary youtube. Well, im up for the challenge to explain 79 years of comics. The golden age of comic books was a period in the history of american comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s. Following the golden age of comic books and an interregnum in the early to mid1950s, the silver age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to circa 1970, and was succeeded by the bronze and modern ages. The silver age was preceded by the golden age and followed by. Subcategories this category has the following 53 subcategories, out of 53 total. Created by jerry siegel and joe shuster, superman is possibly the most recognizable comic book character to this day.

The golden age 19391949 book online at the folio society from the worlds most extensive selection of beautifully illustrated books. The top 10 most valuable golden age comic books april 10, 2015 in april 1938, national allied comics, the predecessor of dc comics, authorized a print run of 200,000 copies of a comic featuring a character like none ever published before. I had this book when i was a kid and remembered the photos of the old comic book covers superman, batman, wonder woman, the spectre, daredevil, blue beetle, green giant, captain marvel, green lantern and other golden age heroes from the world war ii era. The genre quickly exploded, with hundreds of titles published at the height of the time now known as the the golden age of comic books. Pulps were small 10 cent books sold on the newsstands, usually filled with action heroes going to exotic places and having adventures. Top 100 most valuable comic books of the golden age 19381956 the 100 most valuable comic books from each age.

Golden age of comic books golden age comics wiki fandom. It was the first publication to resemble what we know today as a comic book, by including a cover and full color interior pages. And every superhero comic published today owes something to it in the late 1930s, the superhero was born. How censors killed the weird, experimental, progressive golden. People do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. The golden age of comic books introduced the archetype of the superhero. The political influence of comics in america during wwii. The silver age is commonly considered to have begun in 1956 and to have lasted until about 1975. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book.

In this vlog, sagu history professor david onyon discusses how comic books were used as propaganda to target american children during world war ii. Judy appeared as a regular backup feature in exciting comics, displacing miss masque. The golden age of comic books, 19381956, its significance and its historical impact on modern comics. A book i would recommend for the artwork alone, the text is short but revealing. Comic books covering superheros lost popularity towards the end of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age but quickly rose back to popularity once the content of comic books began to be more closely regulated in fear of spurring more juvenile delinquents from questionable content found in horror and mystery genres. Comics historians divide the history of american comic books into ages. This was when the seed of everything we know in comics today were first planted. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. This comic, based on circus gear, capes, and douglas fairbanks type heroism was so successful it heralded many other metoo characters like batman in detective comics 27, 1939.

These are the years when comics were considered a new and exciting form of art. The silver age is the informal term applied to a specific period of comic book publishing history. Following the golden age of comic books and an interregnum in the early to mid1950s, the silver age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to circa 1970, and was succeeded by. The colorful history of comic books and newspaper cartoon. In the 1940s, comic books were often feminist, diverse, and. Jerry siegel and joe shusters superman, bob kanes batman, and will eisners the spirit were all created during the golden age. The golden age and beyond the middle part of the 20th century is considered the golden age of newspaper comics as strips proliferated and papers flourished. In june of 1938, national allied publications began a new comicbook series, featuring several different heroes.

How censors killed the weird, experimental, progressive golden age of comics. I would purchase comic books on lash larue, tim holt, the lone ranger, roy rogers and other older western heroes. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. The golden age 19391949 folio society javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. Victorian age 18421897 a tale of arthur burdett frost dated 1881.

Some strict collectors consider the era finished by 1950. Judy of the jungle is a fictional character from the golden age of comics. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a surge of popularity. The first release is this one, devoted to as the title suggests the golden age of dc comics, an era ending in 1955, when the silver age was born. The golden age is a 1993 fourissue elseworlds comic book miniseries by writer james robinson and artist paul smith. Ultimately there was 40 years of comics before the comic book that heralded the golden age 19381947 which was action comics 1, 1938, the first appearance of superman. Because of supermans popularity during that period, superhero comic books slowly began to dominate that era in comic book history.

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. Many people consider dc comics showcase number 4 to be the beginning of the silver age. This category collects materials related to the golden age of comic books, circa 19381955. Unlike any other time in history, the comic books of the. Today on variant, special guests comic tom and jeff the golden age guru highlight the dawn of superhero comics with the history of the golden age. Its most popular character was captain marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter billy batson, who transformed into the. It concerns the golden age dc comics superheroes entering the 1950s and facing the advent of mccarthyism. An event cited by many as marking the beginning of the golden age was the 1938 debut of superman in action comics. Select the range of golden age comic books by choosing a view above. This page will deal with the most valuable of all, golden age comic books.