Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books | |
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Platinum Age of Comic Books | |
Followed by | Silver Age of Comic Books |
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the
Etymology
The first recorded use of the term "Golden Age" was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article, "Re-Birth", published in issue one of the fanzine Comic Art in April 1960.[1]
History
An event cited by many as marking the beginning of the Golden Age was the 1938 debut of Superman in Action Comics #1,[2][3] published by Detective Comics[4] (predecessor of DC Comics). Superman's popularity helped make comic books a major arm of publishing,[5] which led rival companies to create superheroes of their own to emulate Superman's success.[6][7]
World War II
Between 1939 and 1941 Detective Comics and its sister company,
Patriotic heroes donning red, white, and blue were particularly popular during the time of the Second World War following the
As comic books grew in popularity, publishers began launching titles that expanded into a variety of genres. Dell Comics' non-superhero characters (particularly the licensed Walt Disney animated-character comics) outsold the superhero comics of the day.[13] The publisher featured licensed movie and literary characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Roy Rogers and Tarzan.[14] It was during this era that noted Donald Duck writer-artist Carl Barks rose to prominence.[15] Additionally, MLJ's introduction of Archie Andrews in Pep Comics #22 (December 1941) gave rise to teen humor comics,[16] with the Archie Andrews character remaining in print well into the 21st century.[17]
At the same time in Canada, American comic books were prohibited importation under the War Exchange Conservation Act[18] which restricted the importation of non-essential goods. Canadian publishers responded to this lack of competition by producing titles of their own, informally called the Canadian Whites. While these titles flourished during the war, they did not survive the lifting of trade restrictions afterwards.
Post-war and shift from superheroes
A brief time period after the war until the mid-1950s is sometimes referred to as the
In 1946,
Also during this period, the mass media with the advent of television were forcing media companies to put out comics that reflected the popular culture of the time period. Comic books focused on space, mystery, and suspense that television and other forms of media were turning to in the march toward scientific progress.[29] According to historian Michael A. Amundson, appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power.[30] It was during this period that long-running humor comics debuted, including EC Comics' series Mad and Dell's series Uncle Scrooge (both in 1952).[31][32]
End of the era
In 1953, the comic book industry hit a setback when the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was created in order to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency.[33] After the publication of Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent the following year that claimed comics sparked illegal behavior among minors, comic book publishers such as EC's William Gaines were subpoenaed to testify in public hearings.[34] As a result, the Comics Code Authority was created by the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers to enact self-censorship by comic book publishers.[35] At this time, EC canceled its crime and horror titles and focused primarily on Mad.[35] The Silver Age of Comic Books is recognized by some as beginning with the debut of the first successful new superhero since the Golden Age, DC Comics' new Flash, in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956).[36][37][38] However, others point to either the end of World War II in 1945, or in 1948 with the first outcry of Fredric Wertham as the end of the Golden Age.[39] [40]
See also
- Silver Age of Comic Books
- Bronze Age of Comic Books
- Modern Age of Comic Books
- List of Golden Age comics publishers
- List of Marvel Comics Golden Age characters
References
- ^ Quattro, Ken (2004). "The New Ages: Rethinking Comic Book History". Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
... according to fanzine historian Bill Schelly, 'The first use of the words "golden age" pertaining to the comics of the 1940s was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article called'"Re-Birth' in Comic Art #1 (April 1960).
- ^ "The Golden Age of Comics". History Detectives: Special Investigations. PBS. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
The precise era of the Golden Age is disputed, though most agree that it was born with the launch of Superman in 1938.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Action Comics #1". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ISBN 9781888054385.
- ISBN 1893905616.
since Superman inspired so many different super-heroes.
- ISBN 1578067197.
the various Superman-inspired "costume" comics
- ISBN 1401200079.
- ISBN 978-0786470952.
- ^ Morse, Ben (July 2006). "Thunderstruck". Wizard (179).
- ^ Madrid, Mike (September 30, 2013). Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics. Minneapolis, MN: Exterminating Angel Press. p. 29.
- ^ "Captain America Comics (1941) #1". Marvel Comics. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ISBN 0878336591.
- ISBN 978-0313399237.
- ^ "Donald Duck "Lost in the Andes" | The Comics Journal". Tcj.com. January 24, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ISBN 0810958384.
- ^ Telling, Gillian (July 6, 2015). "Mark Waid discusses 'overwhelmingly positive' reaction to Archie Andrews' new look after 75 years of Archie". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ The War Exchange Conservation Act, 1940, S.C. 1940-41, c. 2
- OCLC 175290005.
- ^ William W. Savage, Commies, Cowboys, and Jungle Queens: Comic Books and America, 1945–1954, Wesleyan University Press, 1998, p. 111.
- ISBN 9780199734191.
- ISBN 978-0756667429.
Following More Fun Comics change in focus the previous month, the displaced super-heroes Superboy, Green Arrow, Johnny Quick, Aquaman, and the Shining Knight were welcomed by Adventure Comics.
- ISBN 9781605490540.
- ^ "The Human Torch". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ "Marvel Mystery Comics". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0786470273.
- ISBN 0954458907.
- ISBN 0764125818.
- ^ Szasz, Ferenc (September 15, 2013). "Atomic Comics Cartoonists Confront the Nuclear World". University of Nevada Press. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ISBN 9780870817632.
- ISBN 1592572332.
- ISBN 0896893227.
- ISBN 1583605037.
- ISBN 087805975X.
- ^ a b Kiste Nyberg, Amy. "Comics Code History: The Seal of Approval". cbldf.org. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ISBN 087349668X.
The Silver Age started with Showcase #4, the Flash's first appearance.
- ISBN 9781555219994.
DC's Showcase No. 4 was the comic that started the Silver Age
- ^ "DC Flashback: The Flash". Comic Book Resources. July 2, 2007. Archived from the original on January 12, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5550-5.
- ^ Wertham, Fredrick (May 29, 1948). The Comics, Very Funny. Saturday Review of Literature. p. 6.
External links
- Comic Book Plus (scans of presumed public domain Golden Age comics)
- Digital Comic Museum (scans of presumed public domain Golden Age comics)
- Don Markstein's Toonopedia
- International Catalogue of Superheroes
- Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes
- Villain Paper Archived 2021-12-26 at the Wayback Machine a Golden Age Comics Subscription Service