comic books (golden age)

Origins of the American Comic Book

1933: Eastern Color Printing Co. (in CT) launches booklets of

reprinted newspaper strips as premiums for manufacturers

(e.g., Gulf Oil, Procter & Gamble)

Effort spearheaded byHarry Wildenberg & M.C. (Max) Gaines

Origins of the American Comic Book

1934: Eastern Color Printinglaunches first stand-alone comic

book in definitive periodical format, Famous Funnies

(again, reprinting newspaper strips)

Origins of the American Comic Book

Late ’34: NYC-based Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson launches first comic book series consisting of new, original material, New Fun

The co. he founded later became Detective Comics, Inc., then National Periodical Pub., then eventually “DC.”

Origins of the American Comic Book

Late mid-30s: Assembly-line “shop system” of comic book production

Origins of the American Comic Book

Early ’38: National’s Action Comics No. 1 inaugurates the “costume”

(superhero) genre with Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster’s

“Superman”

Late 30s – early 40s: Meteoric growth of comic book industry

Comic Book Sales(rough estimates)

1940: 10 million / month

1942: 12.5 million / month

1944: 20 million / month(thanks in part to servicemen)

1947: 60 million / month

Comic Book Trendsbesides the Superhero

• “Funny Animal”and related children’s humor comics

(from 1941-1942, with the work ofCarl Barks, Walt Kelly,George Carlson, et al.)

Funny Animal& Children’s

Humor

Comic Book Trendsbesides the Superhero

• “Teenage” Comicsà la Archie

(from 1941, but especiallyafter WW2, c. 1946)

“Teenage” Comics

“Teenage” Comics

“Teenage” Comics

Comic Book Trendsbesides the Superhero

• Crime Comics(from 1942, but especially

after WW2, c. 1946)

Crime Comics

Post-WW2

• Romance(1947– )

Romance Comics

Post-WW2

• Horror(1950– )

HorrorComics!

Post-WW2

• Satire à la Mad(1952– )

Mad (1952– )

Published by EC, created by

Harvey Kurtzman

(editor & head writer, Nos. 1-28)