Comic book history 1950s

Make offer vintage comic grab bag no new books allowed. Most valuable comic books of the 1950s personal finance advice. Its parent company, dc entertainment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of time warner inc. Some of them originally sold for ten cents, but now go for millions. Through the mid 1950s, the void was filled by comic books containing more serious themes such as crime, romance, western, and horror. It would probably be unfair of us to even include comic book history of. How much are my comic books worth welcome to, a quick and simple guide to help you grade and identify your old comic books. If you want to sell comic books for cash, then we can help you to get the most money for your rare comics. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 2 of 3 webages. Weve arranged the rare comic books by series or main character. Golden 1938 1950, silver 19561970, bronze 19701985 and modern 1985the present. A british comic is a periodical published in the united kingdom that contains comic strips. May 8, 1940 sterling norths anticomics editorial, a national disgrace, is published in the chicago daily news.

As part of the publishers ambitious, multivolume history of american comic books, historian bill schelly has written an incisive account of industry activity, 195059. Comic book value packs comic book value packs are a great way to pick up a lot of comics cheaply. Apr, 2003 fantagraphics is proud to publish jules feiffers long outofprint and seminal essay of comics criticism, the great comic book heroes, in a compact and affordable format. Marvel comics is an american comic book line published by marvel entertainment, inc. The binding of third copy that amazon sent me as a replacement also fell apart, but i was so disgusted by then that i kept the book and used white glue to repair the binding as best as i could. 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. How the code authority kept lgbt characters out of comics get the history behind the comics code authority and how it kept some characters out of. 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. Apr 27, 2017 they are the handheld, take anywhere books filled with superheroes, classic stories, or adult dramas. With stunning artwork and legendary storytelling, their pages have captivated readers for over eighty years. Fredric werthham was the scariest thing to ever happen to comic books. How the code authority kept lgbt characters out of comics. Even seasoned collectors may have problems attaining comics from this era.

Greatest 12 characters of the 1940s who is on this list, what this list is about and how they got on the list. Comic books became a staple of the childhood of millions of american children in the 1940s. Jan, 2019 in this video, we take a look at my top 20 picks for the best, most culturally significant comic book of the 1950s. Oct 24, 20 the history of comics censorship in the 1950s has been chronicled in books like david hajdus the ten cent plague, but researcher carol tilley, an assistant professor at the university of illinois, has found some new angles to the story in a surprising place. Its headquarters are in new york city corporate history. A brief history of romance comics sequential crush. Frederic wertham, author of the 1954 book seduction of the innocent, which warned against the supposed evils of. History of comics censorship, part 1 comic book legal defense. These eras include the golden age 1938 1950, the silver age 19561970, the bronze age 19701985, and the modern age 1985present. Wertham was an anti comic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored. Covering the period from the late 1930s through the early 1950s, feiffer created a lot of the framework for comic book history as its currently understood with this book.

In 1954, a popular book called seduction of the innocent linked comic books and juvenile delinquency, leading to calls for censorship. Sep 25, 20 wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. This site is interested in the content of the books, not their collector value. Like many comic book publishers of the day, ace comics earlier series included costumed superheroes, although as trends in the comic book market changed by the 1950s the focus shifted more to other genres, such as crime, horror. After a few awful attempts at revival in the 50s it seemed that the. In 1933, funnies on parade became the first color comic book printed in the now standard size of 6 58 x 10 14 inches. The precursor to marvel comics was founded in 1939 by pulp magazine publisher martin goodman. The mass panic over how comics could be corrupting the children in the 1950s led to the creation of the comics code authority censorship board. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Lupoff in an article called rebirth in issue 1 of fanzines comic art in april 1960 shift from superheroes.

Many, many comic books have advertisements of all kinds of weapons, really dangerous ones, like. While there might not be any mutants or doomsday weapons in the actual history of comics, its panels are every bit as unpredictable. Weve been selling comics since 1961 our first sale. Publishers wanted to eke out every last drop of profit they could, and comics were a. Magazine and paperback novel publisher martin goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used atlas as the umbrella name for his comicbook division during this time. Steinway comics, americas best comics, four star publications, excellent publications, farrell comics, four star comic corp. Wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. George kashdan was a story editor who rose to edit a number of titles in the new decade. Mar, 2015 the insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books.

Although traditionally women creators have long been a minority in the comic book industry, they have made notable impact since its very beginning, and more and more female artists gain recognition along with the maturing of the medium. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the comics code authority. Sep 20, 2019 or, you can just randomly pay a fortune for comic books you know nothing about. Its brand was published under numerous imprint publishers such as. Youth groups rallied to completely rid some towns of comics, buying up every comic in their local areas to be burned. What was the comic book hysteria like in the 1950s. New editions of soldout volumes of the american comic book chronicles seriesan essential resource for comic book history. Watchmen by alan moore and dave gibbons became one of the most celebrated mainstream comic books in history and earned a place on time magazines list of the 100 greatest english language novels of the 20th century. May 18, 2017 comic book fans and collectors divide the last 80 years of the publication of superhero comic books into four ages. Oct 07, 2018 to start 2018s month of horror id thought it would be interesting to look at a forgotten part of comic book history.

An american comic book is a thin periodical originating in the united states, on average 32 pages, containing comics. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. Like pendennis, i also fondly remember the war comics in the 1950 s. The cca allowed the comic publishers to selfregulate the content of comic books in the united states.

Frederick werthams 1954 book seduction of the innocent, and people believed it. What i find odd is that i own the 19601964 edition of the american comic book chronicles and the binding is perfect. Today the comics code is dead, but calls for the censorship of comic books continue. In order to capitalize on the growing popularity of comic books especially those starring superheroesgoodman created timely comics. Timeline of the anti comics crusade of the 1940s and 1950 s. That may have been because i was young or it may have been due to the fact that i was raised in ny, and the people there just did not take up the anti comic banner. The americans always won and the soldiers almost always called the enemy names that would easily fall into the category of racist today. May 8, 1940 sterling norths anti comics editorial, a national disgrace, is published in the chicago daily news. Dc comics, american media and entertainment company whose iconic comic based properties represented some of the most enduring and recognizable characters in 20th and 21stcentury popular culture. Affectionately called the house of ideas by the fan press, marvels bestknown comics titles include fantastic four, the amazing spiderman, the incredible hulk, iron man, daredevil, thor, captain america, and xmen. An american comic book is a thin periodical originating in the united states, on average 32. A brief history of romance comics a genre is born following wwii and a decline in the popularity of the superhero genre, the comic book industry was taken by storm when a new and muchneeded genre hit the newsstands. New events that shape the comics industry are always happening. These are the years when comics were considered a new and exciting form of art.

One of the key differences between comic books of the. During the return to normalcy in postwar america, superhero comic books sales plummeted and many titles ceased publication. The history of comic books the comic book villain, dr. In the early 1950s, a superhero revival brought back their three major. Find great deals on ebay for 1950 s comic books and 1960s comic books. Bill schelly authors the volume on the 1950s era of marilyn monroe and elvis presley, with a yearbyyear account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends. However, starting soon after their creation in the. Comic books in the history classroom,,, fri 8 2011 the summer of 2011 offers moviegoers several productions based on superheroes and comic books. In this video, we take a look at my top 20 picks for the best, most culturally significant comic book of the 1950s. Simply click any of the links below to see more details of the rarest comics featuring that character, and the minimum they. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. In part 1, the history of comics from 1890s through around 1949 is summarized briefly. These include the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age of comic book publishing. 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.

Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. In the us market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid 1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the selfcensorship comics code authority contributed to the demise of many titles and the toning down of others. Synopsis this is one of a set of lists i made showing a progression. Covering the period from the late 1930s through the early 1950s. The american comic book chronicles series by john morrow. Comic books began as collections of newspaper comic strips. 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. Wanting to try the american comic book chronicles series from twomorrows, i sprung for the 1950s by bill schelly, because i felt it was the decade i knew the least about. During the late 1940s, the popularity of superhero comics waned. You will not find prices or values for comic books on this site. The golden age describes an era in the creation of comic books published between the years of 1938 and 1955. The comics history of all 9 captain marvels nerdist. While the foundations of todays industry started in the 1920s, the events of today are shaping the industry of tomorrow. Comic books in the 1950s the golden age of comic books origin of the term.

Some strict collectors consider the era finished by 1950. The comic book hysteria that you cite was totally unknown to me. To retain reader interest, comic publishers diversified into other genres, such as war, westerns, science fiction, romance, crime and horror. Golden 19381950, silver 19561970, bronze 19701985 and modern 1985the present. 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.

Each pack is grouped around a particular character or theme, and there is no duplication within any pack. Jun 25, 2019 how the code authority kept lgbt characters out of comics get the history behind the comics code authority and how it kept some characters out of mainstream superhero stories for more than. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. The only superhero comics published continuously through the entire 1950s. Please contact cbldf about bringing this presentation to your group. Jul 24, 2014 the comic book hysteria that you cite was totally unknown to me. Howard the duck is a comic book character in the marvel comics universe created by writer steve gerber and artist val mayerik. Similar to the digital comic museum, which we wrote about last week, comic book plus contains a near inexhaustible quantity of golden and silver age comic books.

The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books. The first monthly comic book, aptly titled comics monthly, began publication in 1922, though it also featured reprints of daily newspaper comic strips. Donald ducks uncle scrooge makes his first comic book appearance. Below is a webfriendly version of the cbldf presentation on the history of comics censorship, which has been delivered to audiences of scholars, lawyers, advocates and readers in the united states. I have tried to cover every aspect of the blackhawk comics except one.

The 100 most influential pages in comic book history vulture. Since this is banned books week, ive come to bury dr. This is a good period to discuss government regulations, free speech, and what made comic books a danger to children in the 1950s. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. I hope other fans will use it as a reference, perhaps find something they didnt know, and will communicate with me to tell me things about the blackhawks i dont know. Through the mid1950s, the void was filled by comic books containing more serious themes such as crime, romance, western, and horror. Women creators have worked in every genre, from superheroes. We created this guide to help the many people who call us asking how much are my comic books worth. However, through this period comic books based on the superman, batman, and wonder woman characters retained a modest audience. Jul, 2014 so i have been reading about how in the 1950s america was in a moral panic over comic books and their effects on young people and old. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper british comics are usually comics anthologies which are typically aimed at children, and are published weekly, although some are also published on a fortnightly or monthly schedule. Ive created this site as a place to share my enthusiasm for the blackhawk comic books. Comic book fans and collectors divide the last 80 years of the publication of superhero comic books into four ages. Dcs comics were far tamer than the gory horror comics from other publishers, but.

History of comics censorship, part 1 comic book legal. In fact, they are among the older and more desirable comics on the market. Comics historians divide the history of american comic books into ages. Cgc, 1st appearance, grab bag comic lot of 5 marvel, dc, indy, vintage. Nov 04, 2016 the history of comic book styles is one as dynamic as the stories they contain, shaped not only by the hands of countless writers and artists but by millions of readers across nearly a century. Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, blackandwhite comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. It told that captain america had become a history teacher and he had his young. While the form originated in 1933, american comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of action comics, which included the debut of the superhero superman. History of women in comic books women in comics wiki. The rise and fall of ec comics in the 1950s by adam blatner posted 06182009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. Its kind of ironic how comic books in the 1950s are going though the same thing video games are going through today. The american comic book chronicles continues its ambitious series of fullcolor hardcovers where twomorrows top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today. The comics code authority cca was formed in 1954 by the comics magazine association of america as an alternative to government regulation.

The first recorded use of the term golden age was by richard a. The late 1950s through the 1960s saw a change from dark and supernatural comic book themes to the other end of the spectrum with books containing silly plots. The pogo possum character had been introduced in the first issue of the animal comics comic book in 1941, but gained fame for his topical political humor in the newspaper strips. Created by jerry siegel and joe shuster, superman is possibly the most recognizable comic book character to this day. They emerged in england and america, first as newspaper comic strip supplements, beginning in the late 1890s, and then in bound form as cheap paper magazine format in the early 1930s. Atlas comics is the 1950s comicbook publishing label that evolved into marvel comics. When superman crossed over from comic books to comic strips, his appeal. Casper, the friendly ghost, gets his own comic book. The comics code was the single most awful thing to happen to comic books and american creativity. From 1940 to 1950, captain marvel was the comic book industrys biggest hit, with spinoff titles galore. It would later be reprinted in numerous newspapers throughout the united states. Dcs comics were far tamer than the gory horror comics from other publishers, but there was a cleanup campaign at dc for some of the characters.

By the end of the 1940s most superhero comics had gone into decline with only really batman, superman and captain marvel now called shazam surviving until their return in the second half of the 1950s. In light of kevin feiges most recent dismissal of a modern dcmarvel rivalry, we look back at the history of the comic book rivalry. I remember that every store that sold newspapers and magazines had a large inventory of many types comic books. Ajaxfarrell was a comic book publishing house from the 1950s owned by farrell publishing. This article will cover some of the most valuable comic books of the 1950s, or, the golden age of comic books. John morrow is raising funds for the american comic book chronicles series on kickstarter. The amazing stylistic history of comic books 99designs. In 1950, the cincinnati parents committee began rating almost all comic books published on their own criteria of art, writing, printing, and objectional content. Greatest 12 characters of the 1940s comic vine comic.