Batman comics were among those criticized when the comic book industry came under scrutiny with the publication of psychologist fredric werthams book seduction of the innocent 1954. Evolution of comic books timeline timetoast timelines. It contains many features, but its cover feature, superman, is the one who explodes onto the scene and transforms comic books into a cultural force. Werthams thesis was that children imitated crimes committed in comic books, and that these works corrupted the morals of. People do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. A year later it was that version reprinted in new york on sept. The picture depicts the first ten years of generation 1, which is the new golden age era of dc comics. The ages are related to comic book grades in that they help determine the relative price based on the period that they represent as well as the age of the book. Batman reading order and timeline modern age gotham.
Also included are major events in marvel history that take place in a single series like the kreeskrull war and infinity abyss. An overview of the 8 ages of comic books from 1897present day which includes key events in american history that helped shape the timeline. Marvel comics, american media and entertainment company that was widely regarded as one of the big two publishers in the comic industry. Here are the four major ages for comic books in chronological order. Fans use these ages to categorize the different eras of comic books based on times in history that share concerns, storytellings, techniques, marketing strategies, styles of writing and art, and approach genre conventions.
What size of bags and boards do i need to protect my comic. For, no matter where heroism comes from, it inspires people young and old, past and present. Comics timeline comics historians divide the history of american comic books into ages. Monsters is a legends of the dark knight series where the link between the stories are monsters werewolves, bio engineered soldiers and finally clayfaces modern age origin story. With the arrival of world war ii came the birth of captain america by timely comics later marvel comics, who was fighting in the war before the u. Two comic book characters have a claim to being the first female superhero. The dark age of comic books was the culmination of a gradual move towards an older audience for comic books, particularly those featuring superheroes that had started in the bronze age of comic books. The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. Throughout the history of comic books, publishers have made comics is different sizes. For the purpose of bag and board sizes, bcw has simplified the sizes into three groups, or ages. A brief history of comic books the pioneer 15001828, victorian 18281883 and platinum 18831938 ages please note. Well, im up for the challenge to explain 79 years of comics. Since his first appearance new comics genres have emerged along the way. 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.
Comics replaced dime novels as the corrupting paper medium of the day and were blamed for many crimes across multiple decades. With the exception of the beginning of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age, little consensus exists on startingending dates. With soti and the creation of the cca the golden age. Rather, the history of dc comics is the history of the comic book industry as a whole, layered with intrigue, greed, great stories, politics, financial hell holes, but ultimately an innate desire in all of us for a great story. Modern age comic books are swathed in realism, rather than in earlier themes, such as patriotism and morality. 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. It follows the silver age of comic books, and is followed by the modern age of comic books.
The history of the new universe was chronicled in a twoissue perfectbound miniseries called history of the dc universe, followed by highprofile reboots of superman, batman, and wonder woman. The boom of licensed superhero products began and hollywood turned to comic books as inspiration for future blockbuster movies. Frederic wertham, who puclished a book, titled seduction of the innocent. 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. Comic book time is a historically fluid affair, operating on a sliding. This timeline is organized by chronology, and separated by era, as defined by lucas licensing. More importantly, comic books begin to be acknowledged as a legitimate art form. Amont them is the most famousand perhaps most loatheddr. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. In this article, all dates given for various ages are approximate. Ages of comic books there are 5 different ages of comic books. This is a list of all marvel events and crossovers in chronological order. Today the earliest known comic book is called the adventures of obadiah oldbuck. The bronze age of comic books is an informal name for a period in the history of american superhero comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1984.
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. These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the bronze age 19701985, and the modern age 1985present. This timeline is an interactive history of exactly that the evolution of american comics throughout the ages. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book. But still, superhero history can be tricky to navigate, and dc comics is looking to clarify it all with a new timeline. Birth of superman action comics comes out with its first appearance of superman feb 14, 1939. The graphic novel was illustrated by mike konopacki. The development of the modern american comic book happened in stages. Its parent company, marvel entertainment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the disney company. The golden age the appex of comic books history jun 14, 1938. The pogo possum character had been introduced in the first issue of the animal comics comic book inbut gained fame for his topical political humor in the newspaper strips. The following period, the silver age, goes from 1956 to early 1970s. Started in 1933 when jerry siegel and joe shuster created superman and sold the character to dc comics. Fred and ryan have crafted one of the most essentialand most enjoyablehonest and earnest histories of this, the most awful, wonderful, way to make a living yet.
Sometimes, to follow the goldsilverbronze progression, the dark age is folded in with the modern age and called the iron age of comic books, and at other times it is jokingly called the. One particularly nasty crime was the torture and killing of a boy in 1948. The modern age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. This timeline is organized by chronology, as defined by the lucasfilm story group. It is based on zinns classic book a peoples history of the united states.
Scott runs you through a brief history of comic books to dive into what makes the golden age, silver age, bronze age, and modern age so important to how comics and the industry are today. American historians generally divide 20thcentury american comics history chronologically into ages. History comics and graphic novels libguides at arizona. This is a timeline of comics considered canon in the new continuity. Learn about marvel comics s characters and prominent writers and. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. The timeline is split between the main dc trinity of. This is a fairly weak book with some lesser known writers but if youre wanting to read the batman timeline in full and want to read clayfaces origin.
He can bee seen on the cover of the very first issue of captain america comics punching adolf hiter. American comics historians generally divide 20thcentury american comics history chronologically into ages. This book is an updated history of the american comic book by an industry insider. Dc comics leaks a glimpse at their official new time line. The dark age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. Originally published in several languages in europe in 1837, among them an english version designed for britain in 1941. The comic book history of comics is a comic in love with comic books, with the visionaries and madmen that created them, and the poor lunatics so obsessed we still make em today. I grew up accepting the traditional gospel that the superhero genre dictated the ages, but lately ive been leaning towards classifying the ages based on the inception and subsequent changes to the comic code authority. The first masked and costumed superheroine and of natural birth, however, was the woman in red, created by richard hughes and george mandel for. Youll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the platinum age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the golden age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. Loosely based on an ancient greek model of history, which described a golden age of mankind before trouble came into the world, the grading of each age towards the modern shows a type.
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