The origins of the comic book are somewhat
controversial and perhaps the jury is still
out. So lets go back to the cartoonish broadsheets
of the Middle Ages, which were parchment
products, created by anonymous woodcutters.
As mass circulation of these broadsheets
became possible, they soon developed a market,
particularly at public executions, popular
events for centuries (ugh), which drew thousands
of happy spectators. Many of these spectators
would invest in an artist's rendering of
a hanging or burning, and thus making a
very lucky day for the broadsheet seller.
The broadsheet evolved into higher-level
content as humor was introduced. Eventually,
all types of broadsheets emerged, which
were eventually bound in collections,
the prototype of the modern magazine.
Magazines formatted like the popular Punch,
an elegant British creation, became the
primary focus of documentary accounts
of news and events, fiction and humor.
One can see in Punch, the sophisticated
evolution of a comic style, particularly
in respect of the evolution of comics
in Great Britain. Still and all, from
an historical standpoint, the comic strip
stood in the alley, waiting to be born.
And then some say Great Britain's Ally
Sloper's "Half Alley" was the first comic
book. This was a black and white tabloid
that had panels of cartoons mixed with
a sliver of news; circa 1884.
Now while all this was going on in Great
Britain, this inching towards the comic
book, the United States had its own brand
of evolution. Instead of magazines, US
newspapers took the lead in creating the
comic book industry. Newspapers, with
their first steps, took their single image
gags and evolved them into multi-paneled
comic strips. It was during this period
that William Randolph Hearst scored a
knockout with the Yellow Kid, which was
actually printed in yellow ink.
So where did the actual comic book begin?
Some say it was with reprints of Carl
Schultz' Foxy Grandpa, from 1901 to 1905.
Although others say it was Great Britain's
Ally Sloper's Half Alley. In 1902, Hearst
published the Katzenjammer Kids and Happy
Hooligan in books with cardboard covers.
For a time, the Yellow Kid himself was
a top contender. But it depends how rigid
you are in your description of a comic
book. These examples, for sure, were predecessors
to the modern comic book, which exploded
in the 1930's.
The Whitman Publishing Company, in 1934,
became one of the pre-launchers for the
modern comic book. They published forty
issues of Famous Comics, which was a black
and white hardcover reprint. The first
regularly published comic in the more
recognizable modern format though, was
Famous Funnies. It featured such memorable
characters as Joe Palooka, Buck Rogers
and Mutt and Jeff.
Superheroes as we know them today took
a strong foothold in the 1930's. In 1938,
Max C. Gaines, who was one of the comic
industry giants, brought "Superman" to
Dell Comics publisher, Harry Donenfield.
Donenfield scored the comic coup of the
century when he published a story written
by two teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Joe
Shuster- and so "Superman of Metropolis"
(the title of their short story they wrote
in their own fanzine) was born. Superman
was to set a standard for comic book heroes
that persist to this day.
Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer,
has decided to take up residency on the
Internet. He is the owner and editor of
several websites, one of which was built
around one of his childhood passions;
www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com
. You can visit here to keep up to date
on the world of comic books and comic
book collecting. Feel free to sign up
for my comic book ezine at www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com/comic-book-ezine.html
