To escape the mundane daily hardships of life, and to provide unending hope for the future, authors and illustrators have found a creative outlet to express themselves and their communities through the creation of comic books.
From leaping tall buildings in one bound to swinging through cities with grace, the true power of Superhero's is not their superhuman abilities but their influence on our human desire to be better, to do better. These ideals are just as relevant today as they were at the dawn of the Comic medium.
Platinum Age 1897 - 1938
The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats, which was published in 1897 and featured the words "comic book" on its back cover, is regarded as the first comic book.
Despite the fact that caricatures and associated illustrations have been around since the Middle Ages, comics really took off when they started appearing in Punch, a British humor magazine where many Golden Age illustrators perfected their skills.
Richard F. Outcault's The Yellow Kid gained such popularity that it was simultaneously illustrated by two different artists in two different newspapers in 1896—the William Randolph Hearst-owned New York Journal American by Yellow Kid creator Outcault and the Joseph Pulitzer-owned New York World by artist George Luks—increasing the sales of both publications.
The usage of word balloons and sequential panels in comic strips had a significant impact on the direction that cartoons and the comic book business would take in the future. The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats included black-and-white reproductions of well-known newspaper comic strips, a far cry from the full-color glossy comic books of today. The Katzenjammer Kids, Happy Hooligan, Buster Brown, and Mutt & Jeff were all reprinted in later comic strip collection volumes.
New Fun #1, the first comic book ever to include only original content, was released by DC Comics' forerunner, National Allied Publications, in February 1935. In October 1935, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who would later become famous for designing Superman, began working on New Fun.
Slam Bradley, the predecessor of Superman, was first published in Detective Comics #1 in March 1937 by Siegel and Shuster.
Golden Age 1938 - 1956
Superman's first appearance in Action Comics #1 in June 1938 marked the start of the Golden Age of Comic Books. Less than a year later, in Detective Comics #27, Batman made his debut.
Marvel Comics #1, which introduced characters such as the Human Torch, Angel, and Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, was released in October 1939 by Timely Publications, the company that would later become Marvel Comics. The superhero Captain Marvel from Fawcett Comics and the Green Lantern from DC Comics both made their debuts in 1940.
The first editions of Wonder Woman by DC and Captain America by Marvel were released the following year.
The popularity of comic books peaked between 1938 and the middle of the 1940s. In the early 1940s, Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel comics each consistently sold in the order of 1.5 million copies each month, but today's top comic book series sell an average of roughly 100,000 copies per month.
Sales of superhero comic books declined as post-war America started to return to normal, and numerous series ceased production. Comic books with darker themes, such as crime, romance, Western, and horror, filled the void into the middle of the 1950s. However, there was still a modest audience for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman comic books at this time.
Silver Age 1956 - 1970
The bestselling book Seduction of the Innocent by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham claimed in 1954 that comic books of all kinds were corrupting America's children. According to Wertham, Batman and Robin supported a homosexual lifestyle, Wonder Woman was a lesbian with a fixation on bondage, and Superman stood for Nazi beliefs. The Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency requested Wertham's testimony because members of Congress were so disturbed.
The Comics Code Authority was established by publishers of comic books that year in response to public outrage, much like the Motion Picture Association of America was established to resist government interference in the film industry. The Code established a set standards for comic books
Bronze Age 1970 - 1985
A younger generation of artists, such as Neal Adams, John Byrne, George Perez, Frank Miller, and others, took the place of seasoned ones who had contributed to the creation of the superhero comic books of the 1930s and 1940s, ushering in the Bronze Age, which marked the transition of comic books to a more realism-oriented aesthetic.
The Bronze Age of comic books began with the tragic murder of Peter Parker's beloved Gwen Stacy at the hands of the Green Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #121–122. (June-July 1973). In a genre where heroes are expected to overcome just about any challenge, it was ground-breaking to depict the brutal murder of an innocent heroine and the ultimate failure of the Hero.
The 1970s also saw an increase in socially conscious storylines, most notably in the joint adventures of Green Lantern and Green Arrow as they battled racism, pollution, and social injustice. Iron Man came to terms with his drinking while Green Arrow faced the drug addiction of his sidekick Speedy.
DC and Marvel developed a number of minority superheroes, including Storm, Black Lightning, Blade, and the Green Lantern John Stewart, upon realizing that the great majority of their superheroes were Caucasian men.
Dark Age 1985 - 1996
With the release of the blockbuster comic book series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Dark Age of comic books officially began. Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 12-issue comic book event, was released by DC Comics to mark the company's 50th anniversary. DC intended to reconcile warring characters from the Silver Age and the Golden Age with this series, as well as resolve decades' worth of story errors.
Some significant characters were eliminated, while others who had been absent for a while were brought back with fresh plotlines to address some of the discrepancies. Crisis on Infinite Earths was ultimately a huge hit for DC Comics.
From the middle of the 1980s until the start of the 1990s, anti-heroes rose in popularity. Dark, dismal themes heavily dominated, such as in Watchmen by Alan Moore, where a world looks down on once-powerful superheroes, or Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, where a 55-year-old Batman has retired from combating crime and has left criminals to terrorize Gotham City.
Readers even witnessed Hal Jordan kill his fellow Green Lanterns, the death of Superman, and Batman's terrible injury that would sideline the caped crusader for some time.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Maus, written by Art Spiegelman and based on his own life experiences as a Jewish family in Poland during the Nazi era, was also published during this period.
This period comes to a close with a significant sales decline and industry restructuring brought on by a speculator's market in which too much surplus inventory, too many collector's editions, and too many series were manufactured in an inflated market. Marvel Comics filed for bankruptcy in 1996 as a result of the decline in sales.
Modern Age 1996 - Present
The Modern Age began with the release of Alex Ross's Kingdom Come in 1996, which echoed the idealism and tenacity of Silver Age superheroes.
Comic book publishers made an effort to learn from their failures during this time by developing a streamlined business model and concentrating their efforts on a smaller number of projects. Superhero movies were placed on hold as they were retooled in the wake of Batman and Robin's (1997) box office flop.
The X-Men's box office performance in 2000 played a huge part in reviving interest in superhero movies.
Since Superman made his debut more than 80 years ago, the comic book industry has successfully dominated the film and television sectors. The business has succeeded in maintaining a strong connection with its fans and remaining relevant.
The true heroes of comics are not the characters drawn but the authors/illustrator who give them life. Check out some of the amazing writers and artists who are attending this year's Wicked Comic Con event In Boston, April 22 - 23.
List of Writers/Artists
Jeannine Acheson writer: Dynamite
Brian Azzarello writer: DC, Marvel
Chris Bachalo artist: DC, Marvel
Simon Bisley artist: DC, Heavy Metal
Nick Bradshaw artist: DC, IDW, Marvel
Mark Brooks artist: DC, Marvel
Ryan G. Browne artist: IDW, Image
Elias Chatzoudis artist: Zenescope
Mark Chiarello artist: DC, Disney
Michael Cho artist: DC, Marvel
John Tyler Christopher artist: DC, Marvel
Amanda Conner writer/artist: DC, Boom Studios
Katie Cook writer/artist: Disney, IDW
Camilla D'errico writer/artist
Jeff Dekal artist: DC, Marvel
Dan Didio writer/editor: DC, Frank Miller Presents
Terry Dodson artist: DC, Image, Marvel
Glenn Fabry artist: DC, Marvel, Vertigo
Cully Hamner artist: DC, Marvel
Corin Howell artist: IDW, DC, Dark Horse
Adam Hughes artist: DC, Marvel
Klaus Janson artist: DC, Marvel
Dave Johnson artist: DC, Marvel
Joe Jusko artist: DC, Marvel
Erin Lefler artist: Disney, Marvel
Jeph Loeb writer: DC, Marvel
Mike Llly artist: DC, Dynamite
David Mack writer/artist: Marvel, Dark Horse
Francis Manapul writer/artist: DC, Image
Clay McCormack writer/artist: DC, Image
Ed McGuinness artist: DC, Marvel
Bill McKay artist: Image, Dynamite
Jarrett Melendez writer: Oni, Scout
Adriana Melo artist: DC, Image
Sean G. Murphy artist/writer: DC, Image
Sedat Oezgen artist: IDW, Image, Valiant
Jerome Opeña artist: DC, Marvel
Jimmy Palmiotti writer/artist: Boom, DC, Marvel
Dan Panosian writer/artist: DC, Image, Marvel
Yanick Paquette artist: DC, Marvel
Khoi Pham artist: DC, Marvel
Stephanie Phillips writer: AfterShock, DC, Dark Horse
Humberto Ramos artist: Marvel, DC
Sara Richard artist: DC, IDW
Eduardo Risso artist: DC, Image
Craig Rousseau artist: Dark Horse, Scout
Maria Laura Sanapo artist: DC, Dynamite
Marco Santucci artist: DC, Dynamite
Joseph Schmalke writer/artist: Black Caravan, Scout
Mark Schultz artist/writer: Dark Horse, DC, Kitchen Sink
Liam Sharp artist/writer: DC, Image, Marvel
Tom Sniegoski writer: Dark Horse, Dynamite
Allison Sohn artist: Dark Horse, Dynamite
Brian Stelfreeze artist: DC, Marvel
Larry Stroman artist: DC, Marvel
Ben Templesmith artist/writer: IDW, Heavy Metal
Peter J. Tomasi writer: DC, Image
Billy Tucci writer/artist: DC, Marvel
Chris Uminga artist: DC, Disney
Pablo Villalobos artist: DC, Marvel
Rich Woodall artist: Dark Horse, IDW, Image
Jk Woodward artist: DC, IDW, Marvel
Leinil Yu artist: DC, Marvel
Chrissie Zullo artist: Disney, Marvel
Link to Guest List For More Info: https://www.wickedcomiccon.com/guests/
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