Welcome to Comic Books

Comic Books - The Golden Age

The Golden Age of comics was generally accepted as being from the 1930s right up to the mid 1950s. The American book realm prospered during that time and a lot of super stars that we see today were born in that era. Some we know as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern, Hawkman and Robin belonged to the company called Detective Comics or DC. But before Marvel comics made an appearance there was a company called Timely comics and they launched their version of the super heroes in the shape of the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America. But it came as a surprise to know that Fawcett Comics super hero Captain Marvel outdid Superman and his contemporaries.

World War II brought about a change in the comic book market. It proved that comics were an easy way to relax and this was reflected in the stories where Superman and the allies together managed to over power Hitler and the Axis powers that were warring. These helped the young fighters fight stress since they too were there to defeat Hitler.

War bonds were being advertised by Batman and Robin and Superman so along with Uncle Sam, the super heroes of the comic world too did their bit for the war. The influencing factor of a sad looking Uncle Sam versus Supermen, both who wanted you to fight showed that the heroes had a better pull on the young impressionable mind.

So on one hand you had the war that did so much for the development of the heroes, on the other you had other comic book characters who were beginning to make their presence felt. After WWII the change was becoming evident when westerns began to make an appearance and super heroes started taking a backseat. The readership now turned towards other genres like romance, science fiction, satire and horror. There was an opinion that the superheroes were losing out to McCarthyism and the thought that superhero comic books were sending out wrong signals to the younger generation was making itself felt.

Funny comics also started making an appearance during the Golden Age. Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny put in an appearance and the importance of laughter in the war ridden atmosphere was not to be ignored. These funnies brought a little laughter where there was some needed most and the daily routine became easier to deal with. The Golden Age of comic books played a big part in shaping the future of the comic book market.

Get ready for "Saturday Night Live": the comic book

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Live, from Vancouver, it's "COMICS: Saturday Night Live," a 24-page history of the long-running show in comic book form. The comic book comes from Vancouver-based Bluewater Productions, which has also produced pop culture comic books on "Glee," the Three Stooges, Jon Stewart, Steve Jobs, Tina Fey, Gabrielle Giffords, Taylor Swift and "Hunger Games" author Suzanne ...

J. Michael Straczynski Defends His Work on 'Before Watchmen'

If you've been following geek news, you'll know that DC Comics will be releasing a series of comic books, Before Watchmen . These books will be based on characters developed by Alan Moore in Watchmen, the 1986 graphic novel that became the standard by which all other graphic novels are now judged. And if you've been following geek news, you'll also know that Moore is not happy with this prequel ...

Superhero Unit - comics in the classroom

This is a unit based on comic books. There are a range of writing activities: short story, informative, biography and comic strip. I have included a selection of powerpoints I use in lessons - but I also use a lot of film clips to highlight points, especially explaining character motivation More… etc. It’s also a good idea to get your hands on some real-life comics to show the pupils so that ...

Nathan Fillion's 'Castle': The Secret Comic Book History

by Ethan Kaye Comic books weave threads through all popular media. What once lived in attics and dingy strip mall stores are now headlining box offices, Broadway stages, and magazine covers. So how far do these tentacles stretch? This column looks at what’s popular, and uncovers some of the hidden connections to the comic world! This week: [...]

Dave Scheidt: Chicago! Come Discover Local Comic Creators and More

Are you in Chicago? Do you like comic books? Sure you do! So with that, here comes the 2nd Comics Art Show!