Comic Books

Comic books, which first appeared in the 1930s, have entertained children and young adults for decades. They have told stories from a wide variety of genres, including romance, humor, horror, war, and Westerns (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2), but are most associated with tales featuring the exploits of superpowered heroes. The costumed heroes from their pages have been translated into all other forms of popular culture—plastic action-figure playtoys, Halloween costumes, television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) and radio (see entry under 1920s—TV and Radio in volume 2) shows, feature films, and so on—and continue to have a firm grasp on the American imagination.

Comic books first appeared in 1933 with the publication of Famous Funnies, which included reprints of popular newspaper strips. In 1935, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (1890–1968) launched New Fun Comics—the first comic book to print all-new material. Early issues featured crime and mystery stories that were popular in the pulp magazines (see entry under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2) of the era. The industry was changed forever in 1939 with the arrival of Superman (see entry under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2). Created by two Cleveland teens, Superman was unlike any other hero ever seen. He possessed superpowers, wore a skintight costume, and had a secret identity. Superman was an immediate success. He spawned a vast number of costumed counterparts like Batman (see entry under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2), Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman (see entry under 1940s—Print Culture in volume 3), and Plastic Man. The comic-book industry boomed during the 1940s and sold millions of issues per month. However, by the 1950s, they were criticized by some for emphasizing sex, crime, and violence. Dr. Fredric Wertham (1895–1981) led the anti-comics forces and claimed in his controversial text, Seduction of the Innocent, that comics led to juvenile delinquency. The industry responded by creating the Comics Code Authority, a self-censoring body that enforced standards.

The industry rebounded in the 1960s. The characters of Marvel Comics (see entry under 1960s—Print Culture in volume 4), like Spider-Man (see entry under 1960s—Print Culture in volume 4) and the X-Men, were more "realistic." They often appeared flawed and insecure, and they revitalized the superhero genre (category) of comic books. Superheroes continue to dominate the marketplace, but recent decades have seen the rise of independent and "underground" comics that appeal to an older, more diverse readership. Among the most noteworthy creators of these more "adult" comics are Robert Crumb (1943–), Harvey Pekar (1939–), and Art Spiegelman (1948–). By the 1980s, even the superheroes became involved in more mature story lines. Of note, the Dark Knight, a graphic novel written by Frank Miller (1957–) in 1986, presents an adult view of the Batman legend.

The comic book industry has faced increased competition from TV, VCRs, video games (see entry under 1970s—Sports and Games in volume 4), and computers since the 1970s. While DC and Marvel, the leading producers of superhero comics, accounted for 75 percent of the market in the 1990s, finding a new generation of comic-book readers remains an industry concern. Still, the superheroes remain popular and now regularly appear in films and on television.

—Charles Coletta

For More Information

Daniels, Les. DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York: Little, Brown, 1995.

Daniels, Les. Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991.

Jones, Gerard, and Will Jacobs. The Comic Book Heroes. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1997.

Kurtzman, Harvey. From AARGH! to ZAP!: Harvey Kurtzman's Visual History of Comics. New York: Prentice Hall, 1991.

Pustz, Matthew. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999.