In the beginning...
Comic strips ran in weekly newspapers, with characters like Little Orphan Annie (1924), Popeye (1929), and other characters. Comic strips eventually evolved into comic books, bringing along these characters, and ushering in new creations. Whether or not comic strips and these early comic books are included in
The Golden Age is best left argued by historians.
So let it be written...
Although comic books didn't start with super heroes, many tend to agree that The Golden Age began (or, at the very least, began its popularity) with the introduction of the first super hero of them all:
Superman in
Action Comics #1.
"Super" heroes all began with "Super"-man... While you may not have considered this, yes, it seems fairly obvious when you think about it. Regardless if you knew this before, I bet you won't forget it now!
After the introduction of Superman, the idea of the superhero fighting crime and evildoers boomed, and superheroes soon dominated the comic book industry. DC characters like Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (
see my write-up of Aquaman here),
Green Lantern (Alan Scott),
the Flash (Jay Garrick),
The Atom (Al Pratt),
Dr. Fate,
the Spectre,
Black Canary (Dinah Drake),
Hourman, and
Hawkman all made their first appearances, while
Timely Comics (which would later evolve into today's Marvel Comics) introduced characters like
Captain America and
Bucky,
the Sub-Mariner, and the android
Human Torch (
not Johnny Storm, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four). Other publications of the era introduced characters such as Quality Comics'
Plastic Man, Fawcett Comics'
Captain Marvel, (both characters now belong to DC), and
the Spirit. The Golden Age also saw the first team-up, the
Justice Society of America, as various DC heroes banded together to stop villainy on epic scales.
The 1930s, historically, saw gangsters taking to the streets, so in comics heroes were there to stop these menaces and show them the error of their ways. But by the late-30's and early-40's, the world was changing: the world was going to war, for the second time. This battle was not about land or money, despite the initial arguments made. This war was about evil and atrocities on a scale the world had never seen before.
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| Grow a real moustache, wimp. |
Heroes fight villains, and good conquers over evil. No grey areas. Superheroes went to war.
The comic book, at this point, sold millions. Cheap and portable, comic books often found their way overseas, comforting soldiers as they read about the superheroes, too, taking the fight to the Axis.
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| Can I help you, ladies? |
Furthermore, comic books helped to spread war propaganda, as seen on this cover:
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| "Hey Kid, put the down the comic and grab your gun!" |
With the dropping of the atomic bomb, the word
"atomic" became the buzzword of the time, and many characters and storylines began to deal with radiation and its effects. Even Superman felt the effects of radiation in the form of kryptonite.
...So let it be done.
As the war came to an end and real-life heroes came home, the fascination with superheroes began to fade. Comic books of war, westerns, crime, horror, science fiction, and romance hit the market and overshadowed the superhero comics. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman remained profitable, and thus continued printing. Many other titles, however, were cancelled, and other titles changed their primary focus altogether. All-Star Comics #57, the comic book home of the Justice Society, changed to All-Star Western #58 the next issue.
The Golden Age of Comics saw the best of times, and the
blurst worst of times. Heroes began to vanish altogether....
And then, with the flash of lightning, the Silver Age began....
[Stay Tuned for my entry on The Silver Age of Comics!]
