Comic Book History of Comics Free

The comic strip has been an essential part of the American newspaper since its first appearance more than years ago. Newspaper comics—often called the "funnies" or the "funny pages"—quickly became a popular form of entertainment. Characters like Charlie Brown, Garfield, Blondie, and Dagwood became celebrities in their own right, entertaining generations of people young and old. Comics did exist before the strips in newspapers that may first come to mind when you think of the medium. Satirical illustrations often with a political bent and caricatures of famous people became popular in Europe in the early s. Printers sold inexpensive color prints lampooning politicians and issues of the day, and exhibitions of these prints were popular attractions in Great Britain and France. As political caricatures and standalone illustrations became popular in early 18th-century Europe, artists sought new ways to satisfy demand. Each of the book's 40 pages contained several picture panels with accompanying text underneath. It was a big hit in Europe, and ina version was printed in the U. As printing technology evolved and allowed publishers to print in large quantities and sell for a nominal cost, humorous illustrations changed as well. Inhe published a famous comic called "Max und Moritz," which chronicled the escapades of two young boys. In the U. It was printed in color and appeared alongside the weather Comic Book History of Comics. Comics and illustrations also played an important role in the history of the U. Franklin's cartoon was an illustration of a snake with a severed head and the printed words "Join, or Die. By the midth century, mass-circulation magazines became famous for their elaborate illustrations Comic Book History of Comics political cartoons. The American illustrator Thomas Nast was known for his caricatures of politicians and satirical illustrations of contemporary issues like enslavement and corruption in New York Comic Book History of Comics. Nast is also credited with inventing the donkey and elephant symbols that represent the Democratic and Republican parties. Although several cartoon characters appeared in American newspapers in the early s, the strip "The Yellow Kid," created by Richard Outcault, is often cited as the first true comic strip. Initially published in in New York Worldthe color strip was the first to use speech bubbles and a defined series of panels to create comic narratives. Outcault's creation, which followed the antics of a bald, jug-eared street urchin dressed in a yellow gown, quickly became a hit with readers. Within a decade, long-running cartoons like "Gasoline Alley," "Popeye," and "Little Orphan Annie" were appearing in newspapers across the country. By the s, full-color standalone sections dedicated to comics were common in newspapers. The middle part of the 20th century is considered the golden age of newspaper comics as strips proliferated and papers flourished. Detective "Dick Tracy" debuted in ; "Brenda Starr"—the first cartoon strip written by a woman—was first published in ; "Peanuts" Comic Book History of Comics "Beetle Bailey" each arrived in Other popular comics include "Doonesbury""Garfield""Bloom County"and "Calvin and Hobbes" Today, strips like "Zits" and "Non Sequitur" entertain readers, as well as ongoing classics like "Peanuts. Thankfully, the internet has become a vibrant alternative for cartoons, giving a platform to creations like "Dinosaur Comics" and "xkcd" and introducing a whole new Comic Book History of Comics to the joys of comics. Share Flipboard Email. Mary Bellis. Inventions Expert. Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years. She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Comic Book History of Comics Graham Bell. Updated November 27, ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our. Comic book | Britannica

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Comic Book History of Comics to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Ryan Dunlavey Goodreads Author. For the first time ever, the inspiring, infuriating, and utterly insane story of comics, graphic novels, and manga is presented in comic book form! Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Fredric Wertham, For the first time ever, the inspiring, Comic Book History of Comics, and utterly insane story of comics, graphic novels, and manga is presented in comic book form! Collects Comic Book Comics Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Comic Book History of Comics. Other Editions 5. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Comic Book History of Comicsplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Comic Book History of Comics. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Comic Book History of Comic Book History of Comics. Jun 21, Kate rated it it was amazing Shelves: graphic-novels. I was willing to give this book a try because upon skimming, I saw that it gave Dr. Wertham a fair analysis: far, Comic Book History of Comics too many books about comic books paint him as an egotist out to ruin harmless fun. Van Lente and Dunlavey present not only all the medical and especially social work Comic Book History of Comics did that formed the background for his incendiary attitude toward '50s comics, they also both fairly, and hilariously--I about choked with laughter at some panels in the p. This makes for a fascinating history. The last few chapters are harder to 'get' than the preceding, but I don't think this is an issue with Van Lente and Dunlavey's work so much as it's a Comic Book History of Comics that the increasing corporatizing of the comic industry led to a dizzying amount of mergers, buy-outs, and other Wall Street mathematics--not to mention all the copyright issues, transfers, and other entanglements--and that's bloody hard to keep straight. It's really to their credit that the chapters on these situations "No More Wednesdays" and " AD," and also "The Grabbers," on the creators' rights legal battles in the '80s are as clear as they are. It also has the distinction Comic Book History of Comics being another 'choking on laughter' page. The sheer amount of research, Comic Book History of Comics and breadth, dedication, and love for the medium in this work makes it worth all 5 Comic Book History of Comics. I only picked this up because my enjoyment of the recent Marvel universe movies made me a little interested in the background, and I was blown away by all that Van Lente and Dunlavey managed to encompass. Highly, highly recommended for comic book fans, of any level. View 1 comment. Dec 18, Dov Zeller rated it liked it Shelves: graphics-comicsnon- fictiongraphic-historywar-and-fighting. This is a hard one to rate. It is a very dense, fairly interesting, unflaggingly homosocial history of comics, though it is not just one history, but overlapping, shifting histories, re-manifesting histories. By the end of Comic Book History of Comics book it is clear that there are many ways to approach comic history and some versions could go back as far as several hundred years and some to the early nineteen hundreds I would argue for cave paintings as another beginning. How and when does an art form begin? Where d This is a hard one to rate. Where do we locate the earliest seedlings? Who knows. Creation myths are, after all, myths. But there are less mythical seminal moments that stand out. There are people who are clearly of utmost influence and importance. And Lente tries to clarify and describe these moments and immortalize the people who happen to be, every single one of them, men. So, what do I think of this book? It's tries to be silly at times when it doesn't need to be and probably shouldn't be. It confuses comic and comic as if a book about sequential art has to be a comedy. Sometimes I worry Lente is stuck in Action Philosophers mode like an old fashioned record player, and he can't get out of that mode of hyper-active caricature. There are a lot of gags in here and it's just too packed with intensity and theatricality. There is a forced quality to the humor. Graphics work in a way that I find distracts from the text rather than offering textual collaboration. I think I would have loved a very similar but very different book. One addressing similar content, but with a different demeanor, a calmer, more confident approach, and one that isn't to the Bechdel test what a radish is to cheesecake. Dec 13, Stewart Tame rated it really liked it. Very nicely done! Van Lente and Dunlavey do an admirable job of condensing comics history into a single volume without leaving anything major out. This is comics history from an American point of view. Europe, the UK, and Japan are touched on only with regards to the ways in which their comics have been received in the USA, plus any pertaining cultural background--for the UK, for instance, Mick Anglo's Marvelman is mentioned partly for the Captain Marvel influence and partly because of its impac Very nicely done! Europe, the UK, and Japan are touched on only with regards to the ways in which their comics Comic Book History of Comics been received in the USA, plus any pertaining cultural background--for the UK, for instance, Mick Anglo's Marvelman is mentioned partly for the Captain Marvel influence and partly because of its impact on Alan Moore's career; AD and Warrior get mentioned for similar reasons. Not a complaint so much as an observation. Comics history is full of fascinating sidebars that aren't really germane to the big picture. That said, there's an impressive level of detail in this book, and I'd even go so far as to call it the single best general overview of the subject I've ever read. Van Lente and Dunlavey are particularly good at showing broader cultural context. One reason the Golden Age of comics Comic Book History of Comics off in New York City in particular was because there was a large pool of out of work talent due to Fleischer Animation Studios packing up and moving to Florida. I had not known that before, not being a student of animation history. The book is chock full of such interesting details. Highly recommended! Aug 14, Raina rated it liked it Shelves: nonficadultgraphicnovel. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A bit scattered. The entire history of an art form is difficult to contain in a linear narrative. I appreciated reading this for myself, as an overview of points in comics history I haven't studied before. I feel like I understand the ownership rights drama a little bit better now that I've Comic Book History of Comics this. And have more fodder for my ongoing opinion-forming re: superheroes and their pluses and minuses and ramifications for amerikan culture. BEC Yeah, yeah, yeah. The pages are packed with illustrations and text, and the reader gets no breaks. So, I feel like, as a comic book, this could be better crafted. But the content is important and worth communicating. I'd almost say this would be a good text book for high school or so, but there's enough R rated content, maybe not so much. The coverage of Disney is particularly intriguing. It's a good start. Feb 20, Cardyn Brooks rated it it was amazing. Often wry, snide, ironic and sarcastic, The Comic Book History of Comics is an engaging introduction to the appeal and evolution of illustrated storytelling. Oct 20, David Schaafsma rated it liked it Shelves: gn-pedagogy. This is impressive, I guess, in the very achievement of a comic book history of comics, as Scott McCloud helps us see comic theory through comic form I can't say I really liked it, visually, though I see what they are doing, to pay homage to the various styles across the decades But I still didn't love it The Colorful History of Comic Books and Newspaper Cartoon Strips

The precursor to comic books, cartoons have been popular in England and America since the early s, originating as satirical and political cartoons printed in newspapers and periodicals. Through a natural evolution, cartoons developed into comic books, first through publications containing compilations of cartoon re-prints, then as books with original cartoon artwork, before reaching critical mass through the creation of superheroes in Far Comic Book History of Comics the full-color glossy comic books of today, this book featured black and white reprints of popular newspaper comic strips. The first monthly comic book, aptly titled Comics Monthlybegan publication Comic Book History of Comicsthough it also featured reprints of daily newspaper comic strips. Batman premiered less than a year later in Detective Comics The period from through the mids represents the peak of comic book popularity. Whereas current monthly sales of popular comic book titles hover aroundcopies, in the early s Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel titles each regularly sold in the range of 1. During the return to normalcy in post-war America, superhero comic books sales plummeted and many titles ceased publication. Through the mids, the void was filled by comic books containing more serious themes such as crime, romance, Western, and horror. However, through this period comic books based on the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman characters retained a modest audience. Inpsychiatrist Fredric Wertham wrote in his bestselling book Seduction of the Innocent that comic books of all types were corrupting the youth of America. Wertham posited that Superman represented fascist ideals, Batman and Robin promoted a homosexual lifestyle, and Wonder Woman was a lesbian with a bondage fixation. Members of Congress were so Comic Book History of Comics that they called Wertham to testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. Comic Book History of Comics public backlash, that same year comic book publishers created the Comics Code Authority in order to self- regulate their industry, much as the Motion Picture Association of America was formed to prevent government involvement in film production. The Code set a number of requirements for comic books:. Subsequently cancelling many horror, crime, and romance titles which violated the Code, comic book companies began publishing comic books featuring superheroes from Comic Book History of Comics Golden Age. They revamped existing superheroes and created new superhero characters. The return of Flash, albeit an updated version of Flash, in Showcase 4 October marks the beginning of the Silver Age, when superhero comic books saw a renewed commercial success. The late s through the s saw a change from dark and supernatural comic book themes to the other end of the spectrum with books containing silly plots and a high degree of camp. Heralding Comic Book History of Comics outrageousness of the Batman television series in the mids, Batman comic books introduced ridiculous characters such as Batbaby, Bat-Ape, Bat-Mite, and Ace the Bat Hound. Also during this time, taking the place of serious villains to battle Superman, numerous forms of kryptonite were brought forth—gold, blue, Jewel, red-green, Magno, red-gold kryptonite and Kryptonite Plus. The Bronze Age signaled a more realistic style within comic books as a younger generation of artists, including Neal AdamsJohn ByrneGeorge PerezFrank Comic Book History of Comicsand others, replaced aging artists who had helped to create the superhero comic books of the s Comic Book History of Comics s. In a genre where heroes are relied upon to surmount almost any challenge, it was revolutionary to illustrate the brutal murder of an innocent character alongside the ultimate failure of her anticipated savior. This more lenient attitude allowed for the return of the horror comic genre, including titles such as The Tomb of Dracula in and Ghost Rider and Tales of the Zombie in Additional supernatural characters Comic Book History of Comics, Swamp Thing, and Blade were introduced in the early s. In addition, socially conscious stories became more numerous in the s, most famously during the collaborative adventures of Green Lantern and Green Arrow as they fought against racism, pollution, and social injustice. Kicking off the Dark Age of comic books was the publication of the monumental series Crisis on Infinite Earths. In this series, DC planned to clear up decades of plot inconsistencies, as well as bring together conflicting characters from the Golden Age and the Silver Age. The idea was to have multiple alternate realities brought together to make one consistent reality, as in reconciling how Green Lantern Alan Scott from the s can exist in the same reality as Green Lantern Hal Jordan of the s. To wit, the Justice Society of the s with their Green Lantern could exist at the same time as the Justice League of the s with a different Green Lantern. To solve some of the inconsistencies, certain major characters were killed off and characters long out of play were brought back with new storylines. From the mids through the early s, anti-heroes were popular. The sales slump contributed to the bankruptcy of Marvel Comics in During this period, comic book publishers attempted to rectify their mistakes by creating a leaner business plan and putting more effort into a fewer number of projects. Following the dismal failure of the motion picture Batman and Robinsuperhero films were put on ice for retooling. Inthe modest success of The X-Men helped put the popularity of the superhero movie back on track. Over eighty years since the debut of Superman, the comic book industry has remained relevant through the early adoption of digital comics, successful saturation into the film and television markets, and maintaining a strong connection to their fan-base.