Comic Book History

“a comic book is a series of words and pictures that are presented in a sequential manner to form a narrative that may or may not be humorous” (McCloud 1993).

What is considered as the first “real” comic strip was Richard Felton Outcault’s The Yellow Kid which was published in 1895 in Joseph Pulitzer’s The New York World. The strip was most notable for it was the first strip to use balloons as a space to put character dialogue. Publishers started to realize that comic strips made their papers appeal to a wider audience and strips became more widespread and gave birth to other early strips and characters that are still well known to this day such as Popeye. The first comic books were collections of reprints of these early strips.
As the comic industry expanded during the 1930’s, it developed a cultural and economic identity very different from newspaper syndicates of the time.
Though this is regarded as the birth of the modern comics, the format of the modern comic can be compared with narrative imagery of cave paintings. The format has also been compared to medieval broadsheets that were strips carved into sections of wood which were then used for printing. The authors would regularly produce stylized narrative images of public executions and caricatures which were then circulated. Other comparisons have been drawn to historic artifacts such as the Bayeux Tapestry which features a graphic narrative of the events leading to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Many of the thematic elements of comics can be followed back to ancient legends and mythology, for example, Achilles’ weakness was his heel can be compared to the weaknesses that afflict the modern superhero such as Superman’s weakness Kryptonite. In fact DC comics Justice League’s main members have been compared to the pantheon of gods from Greek Mythology, The Watch Tower serving as their Mount Olympus. Even the way that Superheroes are depicted with their Adonis like physiques can be compared to the way the ancient Greeks depicted their gods in their sculpture (though some artists took it a bit too far, giving Adonis a heavy course of steroids and Human Growth Hormone). The epic trials and adventures the characters in comics hark back to the ancient myths and legends such as the 12 Labours of Superman mirroring the Labours of Hercules.
When comics began they were initially considered a form of entertainment for children and mostly had their place on the fringes of pop culture, however they evolved into a sophisticated art form that was used to not only convey narrative but also ideologies and a social commentary of their times. During World War II Captain America was conceived by Marvel comics as a way to promote patriotism and boost morale. At the time DC Comics were more focused on more governmental and social welfare issues.
After WWII the industry declined, losing a percentage of its audience to Television and questions about the Social impact of comics were raised after the emergence and popularity of Horror comics. In the USA a Senate investigation was launched. One of the industry’s biggest blows came when Dr Fredric Wertham’s The Seduction of the Innocent accused some comic books of corrupting the young, inciting them to violence.
The industry responded by setting up the Comics Code Authority as a way of self-policing the industry and win back readers.
Over the years further examples of this kind of commentary can be seen. As the Vietnam War raged, the public opinion was not that of patriotism and pride but more one questioning the government’s intentions. With all this change, the superhero was reinvented and as a result more conflicted, flawed and complicated heroes were introduced. They battled against virtuous villains and took part in story lines that made the reader think more about both sides. The “Secret Empire” story line saw Steve Rogers abandon his alter ego Captain America as a reaction to Marvel’s fictionalized depiction of the Watergate Scandal.
As other forms of entertainment became more prevelant in the 70’s and 80’s reader numbers declined the focus for the major comic book companies became licensing their characters for film, TV shows and cartoons. Film such as Superman starring Christopher Reeves, TV shows such as The Incredible Hulk and Cartoons such as Fantastic 4 all gave the companies the resources to keep producing comics and keep their place in the industry.
Through the 80’s the industry went through a further transition towards bringing their characters into the real world, giving them personal issues to deal with, crisis of faith, and even bring into question their mortality. Characters such as Frank Millar’s Daredevil began to question his own motives as a superhero and at points his own sanity.
Darker story lines were introduced such as Batman: Knightfall which told the story of the defeat of Batman at the hands of Bane and Superman: Doomsday which followed the events leading up and the events after Superman dies in Lois Lane’s arms in front of the Daily Planet building.
During this time the industry saw one of its biggest booms. By making their characters not only more in depth but mortal gave rise to more intense story lines and rekindled the public’s interest in the medium and the stories it had to tell.
Through the 90’s to today the comic book industry has gone from strength to strength. More publishing houses can be found than ever before, comic book art (though it had a wobble in the mid 90’s) has evolved exponentially and now embraces not only digital colouring techniques but also 3D imaging as part of its production. The characters who were envisioned so long ago are now fully realized as part of multimillion dollar motion pictures, computer games, animated series and movies.
The industry has endured for decades, telling fans stories of their favorite characters facing off against the most diabolical villains. Hopefully if the industry continues to evolve with the times, keeps bringing in fresh writers, artists and dynamic new ideas it will endure well into the future.