In the United States, the first comic book was published in 1934. Ever since the first comic came out, the leading producer has been the United States. The first comics were similar to the comics found in early newspapers; however, they were published as their own books. The first comic books were mostly about adventure stories and depicted some type of superhero character. Historians break up the history of American comic books into different eras. There are four eras starting with the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the Modern age of comic books. The Golden Age of comics is said to have last from the 1930s to the late 1940s. During this time, comics became main stream and readers were introduced to superheroes such as Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman. Superman was the first known superhero and made his debut in 1938. After Superman, almost all comics featured a superhero, and the Golden Age is classified by their appearances. World War II had a big impact on the popularity of the superhero comic books during this era. What made them so popular was showcasing that good triumphs over evil. There were even some comic books that showed characters punching Adolf Hitler. The Silver Age of comics was more about commercial success and artistic advancement. The Golden Age proved that comics were popular and readable, and the Silver Age maintained that success. This ere lasted from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s. During this time, comics were blamed for juvenile crimes occurring more frequently. As a result of this, comic sales went down and writers had to rethink their story plot. Comics started to represent authority. The characters went through a dynamic change and the stars of the comics started to appear as aliens and other science fiction characters. Also during this time, underground comics made for adults started to emerge. The Bronze Age lasted from the 1970s to the mid 1980s. The look of the comic book didn’t change during this era, however, the story plot changed dramatically. Although the pages and pictures were bright and colorful, the story line was more dramatic, realistic, and dark. Real world issues were brought to attention in the comics of this era. Drug use was an issue addressed. The comics became more mature and life like. The Modern Age of comic books started in the 1980s and continues on in to the present. In addition to the characters in comics, the writers are also more recognizable. There are more publishing houses that produce comics and there are independent comic books too. The larger publishing houses became more commercialized. The characters also change during this era. They are now more complex, show self doubt, and the villains are darker.
Comic Book History
It’s Easy to buy Comic Books Online
Back in the good old days, if a kid had a quarter in his pocket he would jump on his skateboard or Schwinn Stingray bicycle and head as fast as he could to the five-and-dime and pick up the newest copy of Spiderman or my favorite, Journey into Mystery featuring the Mighty Thor. These great Marvel Silver Age comics are now worth thousands of dollars and it all started with some kid and his quarter. Now if you want to buy comic books you need to either find an actual comic book store, which are becoming more and more rare every passing month, or you can buy comic books online.
When you buy comic books online you definitely will save some time but you lose the ability to actually hold the comic book in your hands like when you go to the actual store. Personally I like to be able to saunter into a comic book store and walk around, check out the expensive mags on the wall displays, and delve deeply into their back issue files.
About fifteen years ago I started going to comic book stores with my son and we would buy his favorite titles, usually Superman, and while he was looking at the newer titles I would search in the back issue files and find rare gems. After a couple of years of doing this I ended up with quite the collection of Silver Age Marvel comics. I bought a lot of Thor comics, but others also, including lots of X-men and Fantastic Four. Some of these comics were not in very good condition, but I bought them anyway with the reasoning that they were not making these anymore and someday they would be worth something just for being rare. I now have a pretty nice collection that is worth quite a bit of moolah.
If you want to buy comic books online there are several good websites you can go on. Ebay has an extensive ongoing rotation of great comics for sale, including many that have received the CGC (comic guarantee company) certification and are enclosed in hard plastic. You can search through their extensive database and find rare comics and graphic novels as well as newer titles. You can bid on any comics you find there and sometimes you can pick up some pretty good bargains or rare gems. Most of the time though you end up paying more than you intended or someone else beats you in the final auction bidding.
One of the best places to buy comic books online is at www.midtowncomics.com. Here you will find all of the best titles available from Silver Age to today’s mangas. Another great site is www.atomicavenue.com and you can search their extensive database. You can also sell comics as well as buy comic books online there.
With the massive worldwide popularity of comic book and movie superheroes such as Spiderman, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and of course, the X-men, comic book prices will continue to rise, especially older, harder to find titles.
Comic Books – Exploring your Imagination
Research shows that the main cause of downfall of the comic industry is the removal of comic books from shops and stores. But this cannot be the sole cause since comic books are now easily available on the internet, in movies and animations.
Another question that comes to mind is why Japanese animation or “manga” is doing better then traditional comic books? The answer is simple. The Japanese write a better story line and their animated movies are made for a wider audience. Often, Japanese comic books are framed as graphic novels containing 70 to 220 pages for a mature audience. The manga holds a more important place in Japanese culture, and is both well respected as an art form and also as a form of popular literature. On the other hand, comic books in Western countries are generally geared towards young teenagers rather than adults. This approach has made it tough for the Western comic industry to attain its dominant position.
Common misconceptions regarding comic books turning readers into out-of-touch delinquents have also hurt sale. Many parents fear that comics will brainwash children into believing that supermans and batmans actually exist in the world. For this reason, many parents forbid their children from reading comic books as in their view they carry no ethical or moral values. These attitudes have contributed to the lack of interest in comics as well as its drop in publication.
The comic book price guide also sheds some light on why comics are no longer sold. The price guide reveals that the cost of comic books has soared up with the success of movies like Batman, Spiderman, and Superman etc. making it unaffordable to many. Plus when it comes to buying storybooks parents prefer to buy their children fables or novels that will help them build up their vocabulary and learn proper English.
But these parents fail to realize that without fantasy and imagination as found in comics, a child’s creativity cannot develop. Comic books help break the monotony in children’s lives and refresh these young minds to face the challenges of daily life.