Comic book fans and collectors divide the last 80 years of the publication of superhero comic books into four ages. Rex the wonder dog and detective chimp were introduced to comic book fans before krypto came along. As freighted with historical weight as the superheros origins were, titles from that golden age of comic books, which lasted until the early 1950s. Blackhawk is the eponymous fictional character of the longrunning comic book series blackhawk first published by quality comics and later by dc comics. See more ideas about comics, comic books and comic covers. He watches most of the arrowverse shows, enjoys dc extended universe and marvel cinematic universe movies, and likes comics from marvel, dc and other companies equally. Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. Since this is banned books week, ive come to bury dr. The following is a list of marvel comics golden age characters and teams that first appeared in marvel comics during the golden age of comic books late 1930s and c. Making his first appearance in a comic strip in 1931 dick tracy has been the influence of many heroes that came after him. Qualifying purchases made via these links may earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Captain marvel fawcett all items 3329 abominable snow monster of the north. This article may feature affiliate links to or other companies. Synopsis this is one of a set of lists i made showing a progression. So keep reading to find out if your favorite heroes made my list, and feel free to respond with your different opinions.
During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. However, original characters didnt start appearing until about 1938 as the earliest comic books were reprinted collections of comic strips. At its core, the legion is a large group of intergalactic teenage heroes in the 30th century. Lev gleason built his comic book empire around these two popular characters.
The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century. Some 60 years ago, during the era of mccarthyism, comic books became a threat, causing a panic that culminated in a senate hearing in 1954. Even for the most diehard comic book fans, the history of the legion of superheroes can be headacheinducing. List of marvel comics golden age characters wikipedia. The 20 most obscure superheroes that only true nerds will. In keeping with the celebration of diversity on this website, the following is a list of african or african american characters featured in american comic books of the 1940s and 1950s. Barry allen made his first appearance in 1956 in the fourth issue of showcase comics.
Discover a character s comic book appearances, and browse issues containing your favorite marvel characters. Superheroes that first appeared in 1950s comic books have less mainstream visibility today than their 1940s counterparts. Crimebuster was a young boy who dressed in a hockey uniform and cape to fight crime. The collections timespan ranges from the late 1930s through to the early 1960s, and includes many thousands of comic books in the superhero, scifi, and horror genres. Featuring jingles and wild bill hickok plus a lash larue story. Public domain characters who have appeared in comic books. Wertham was an anti comic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Sixgun heroes 1950 fawcettcharlton is a western comic book published by charlton comics. We will say that the golden age begins in 1938 and ends in 1956, when the. The creations of bon kane, bill finger, jerry siegel, joe shuster, stan lee.
From 1940 to 1950, captain marvel was the comic book industrys biggest hit, with spinoff titles galore. Superheroes in comic books through history retro planet. He was a certifiable cash cow for publisher fawcett comics. Much as we did with last years top 100 comic book villains, ign has pulled together a comprehensive list of the greatest heroes to ever grace the pages of the funny books. These kinds of lists are always less the definitive end of the conversation than the start of one. Superheroes of the 1950s superheroes that first appeared in 1950s comic books have less mainstream visibility today than their 1940s counterparts. See more ideas about classic cartoons, childhood memories and saturday morning cartoons. This era is iconic because it is near the birth age of comic books. Among those making their debuts during this decade were dcs adam strange, an archaeologist with twin jetpacks on his back, and lady blackhawk, alias zinda blake, a selftrained pilot and combat expert.
The description comics derived from the names of popular titles such as comic cuts, and from the fact that in the beginning all the titles presented only comical i. In this vlog, sagu history professor david onyon discusses how comic books were used as propaganda to target american children during world war ii. The describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. For a list of comic book supervillain debuts, see list of comic book supervillain debuts. This article may feature affiliate links to amazon or other companies, and purchases made via these links may earn us.
These are the years when comics were considered a new and exciting form of art. He and wally are widely considered two of the greatest heroes in comics still today. But once upon a time, the daily newspaper was a prominent part of the daily routine, and comic strips served as a beloved bit of amusement to lighten the experience. Some strict collectors consider the era finished by 1950. They first appeared sometime in the 1920s as illustrated dirty jokes featuring squeaky clean comic strip characters like tillie the toiler and jiggs and maggie from bringing up baby. In 1965, feiffer wrote what is arguably the first critical history of the comic book superheroes of the late 30s and early 40s, including plastic man, batman, superman, the spirit, and others. With the name not in use, magazine publisher myron fass got in on the postbatman superhero craze with his own captain marvel, which appeared in six issues across two titles in 1966 and 1967. The top ten western comics and a whole slew of runnersup. Thanks to dcs various reboots and time travel shenanigans, the legions future has suffered from the ripple effects of present day events. In other words these will become great inspirations to future comic characters and stories. Print papers are no longer the primary source of news for most americans, who turn instead to the internet. The political influence of comics in america during.
See more ideas about comic books, vintage comics and vintage comic books. Comic books in the 1950s the golden age of comic books origin of the term. The 50 greatest comicbook characters movies empire. He writes stories about comic books, movies and tv shows that are chockfull of behindthescenes lore and stuff you didnt know about your favorite characters, programs and films. Top 100 most valuable comic books of the golden age 19381956 the 100 most valuable comic books from each age. Chip zdarsky one of the most interesting comic characters weve seen in recent years doesnt fly. So i cant really put together a list of the greatest comic book of the 20s as the format didnt exist yet.
In the great depression and world war ii era the first. Through the mid 1950s, the void was filled by comic books containing more serious themes such as crime, romance, western, and horror. Golden 1938 1950, silver 19561970, bronze 19701985 and modern 1985the present. By the mid1950s, the comic book industry was imperiled. The only superhero comics published continuously through the entire 1950s were action comics, adventure comics. Browse a comprehensive az list of marvel comic characters. The list these are the greatest characters to come out between the. The greatest comicbook characters in the canon have been debated and argued over for decades.
The following is a list of marvel comics golden age characters and teams that first. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. Blackhawk dc comics blackhawk is the eponymous fictional character of the longrunning comic book series blackhawk first published by quality comics and later by dc comics. The first captain marvel, the one with the magic word shazam, ceased publication in 1953 after years of litigation with dc comics. The influence of superman, through his illegitimate offspring captain marvel, continues to be felt, with numerous heroes sporting very similar powers to the american icon. This page will deal with the most valuable of all, golden age comic books. Superheroes were passe, except for the man of steel. However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was reinvented as a crimefighter with a disguise, secret lair, and gadgets, hallmarks of superheroes. A new world new stuff the 1950 s was an odd time for comic books. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Although historically they shared the same format size, based on a sheet of 30 x 22 inch imperial paper, folded, british comics have moved away. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown.
Lupoff in an article called rebirth in issue 1 of fanzines comic art in april 1960 shift from superheroes. The era itself, though, left an indelible mark on comic books with many of the characters remaining popular almost 70 years later. Many comics were based on movie cowboy heroes or tv westerns, but there were also plenty of characters who originated in the fourcolor version of the old west. Tijuana bibles were eightpage, handsized comic books featuring wellknown cartoon characters, sporting heroes, and hollywood film stars in a sequence of hardcore sexual shenanigans. The comics history of all 9 captain marvels nerdist. However, through this period comic books based on the superman, batman, and wonder woman characters retained a modest audience. We have 29 books to download or read online the latest is war heroes 22 alt. But there are a couple of more distinctly british heroes, most notably dan dare and robot archie. The golden age describes an era in the creation of comic books published between the years of 1938 and 1955. Then ace the bathound, streaky the supercat, comet the superhorse and beppo the supermoneky followed in kryptos pawprints.
The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. The first superhero, superman is still alive and well in popular. The first recorded use of the term golden age was by richard a. There were many others as well like gothic novels, story papers and yes even a real novel. He tends to bridge the gap between the pulp magazines and the comic books. Greatest 12 characters of the 1940s who is on this list, what this list is about and how they got on the list. What american superheroes came out in the 1940s and 1950s. Superheroes, horror, and science fiction started pushing westerns to the margins in the late 1960s, and by the late 70s even the longest running stalwarts had been canceled.