Comic Book: An Overview of the Evolution of the American Comic Book

David Christopher, Yahoo! Contributor Network
May 12, 2009 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

The history of the American superhero comic book can be measured in several stages, each marking major shifts in the comic books' functionality, interface, and aesthetics. The first age, the Platinum Age, commonly refers to any material published between 1897 and 1938. There have been a rash of recent discoveries of comics that predate 1897; those books belong to what is being called the Victorian Age. The Golden Age (1938-1956) is followed by the Silver Age (1956 until the early seventies), the Bronze Age (the early seventies to the mid-eighties), and the Modern Age (the mid eighties until the present day).

For a full understanding of the evolution of the American comic book, one must look at the superhero comic book's antecedents in the Victorian and Platinum ages. Before there were superhero comic books, there were "funnies," often-serialized comic strips that were produced for, and appeared in newspapers. The earliest known comic book is The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck from 1837. It was 40 pages long and measured 8 ½" x 11". The book was side stitched, and inside there were 6 to 12 panels per page. However, it was until recently generally accepted that the first comic book was an 1896 reprint of a strip called The Yellow Kid in McFaden's Flats. This comic was 196 pages long, square bound, black and white, 50 cents and 5 ½" x 7 ½". It was sold in newsstands and its success convinced other publishers to start collecting and printing books of newspaper strips on printing presses. Comic books of this type were either in black and white or in color, of varying paper quality, and were humorous in tone and content, functioning as mass entertainment during an era, the end of which marked the beginning of broadcast radio, television, and film. For approximately the next thirty years, comic book content concerned children and pets. 1922 marked the publication of the first monthly book (an industry-wide standard which remains to this day). In the 1930's, three major themes emerged in comic strips and books: jungle (Tarzan), science fiction (Flash Gordon, and mystery (Dick Tracy). Comics of on these themes existed prior to the 30's; however, books with these stories also always contained stories on other themes. The 1930's saw the beginning of single themed non-humorous books. The shift from escapist humor to escapist strips/books with serious overtones lay largely in the Zeitgeist of the day. The stock market crash of 1929, left many people seeking a more adult form of diversion, and with the development of the motion picture industry, publishers began to broaden their scope, mirroring the themes and content of some of the more popular films.

Comics were not produced in a standard size industry-wide. Sizes ranged from 7" by 9" to 16" by 12," depending largely on the capabilities of the printing press the publisher owned. Comic book dealers emerged around this time, developing from newsstand owners who recognized their profit potential. However, it was not until the modern era that comic book dealers and fans had an impact on determining content beyond what sold. Aesthetically, comic book art was largely functional; today there is considerably more emphasis on matching artwork to story tone, just as there is considerably more emphasis today on innovative stories.

In 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster forever changed the comic book industry with Action Comics issue number one, which introduced the world to Superman. (Other notable superhero properties created during this era, which survive to this day, include Batman, Captain Marvel, and Captain America). All comics during this era dealt largely with superheroes. Books were still hand-drawn though most publishers had moved to color by this point. Books were sold on the newsstands and generally sized at 7-3/2 in. wide, by 10-1/2 in. Regarding content, these comics are considered relatively innocent morality plays by today's standards, though some heroes killed (such as the Golden Age Batman). Towards the end of the Golden Age, superhero comic books began to wane in popularity as readers favored horror, true crime, and war stories.

1956, which marks the beginning of the Silver Age, also marks the publication of a book that would have a long lasting impact on the way in which comic books were published. In the midst of the McCarthy era, psychiatrist Frederic Wertham published a book called The Seduction of the Innocent, which blamed comic books for all manner of juvenile misbehavior and criminality. As a result at least one comic book publisher, EC Comics, was nearly forced out of business: the publisher, known for its horror comic books was roundly denounced for obscenity. Because of a Senate investigation stemming from Wertham's book, comic book publishers got together to form the Comics Code Authority, which guided content for the next few decades. Comic books had to feature the CCA imprint prominently on the cover or newsstands/retailers simply would not distribute the books. Publishers began to write superhero books again, shying away from the more popular and more obscene horror books. Silver Age comics were typically sized 7-1/8 in. wide, by 10-1/2, although despite advances in printing technology which made larger print runs, faster, easier and more economically feasible, there were no major functional, interface, or aesthetic developments. Artwork still largely hewed to certain spare standards, and issues usually had self-contained stories, which were still usually morality plays.

Around this time, publishers began to print fan letters in the back of comics. Publishers accepted letters from readers containing praise or criticism or both and often reprinted them on the last page of the book. The ultimate impact of letters pages has not been studied, however the letters page did presage more and more interaction between reader and publisher, as well as more reader input into content.

The following age, the Bronze Age, dealt with a continuing maturation of story content. Some publishers decided to tackle difficult subjects, such as drug use, that fell outside of the CCA guidelines. The CCA gradually began to relax its guidelines, and horror began to enjoy a slow rebirth. Stories began to feature the deaths of major characters, as well as a new breed of character: the anti-hero, whose actions are not dictated by traditional notions of good and evil, but rather by their own, often-warped perception of good and evil. The seventies also saw the beginning of major independent publishers beyond the two majors, Marvel and DC, who had dominated the industry for most of the previous few decades. The end of the Bronze Age saw a number of increasingly dark toned stories, such as Alan Moore's Watchmen, or Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The concept of the anti-hero had become key to several mainstream books, such as Batman, who was re-interpreted by eighties writers as a grim psychotic vigilante, rather than the rather campy, noble superhero he'd become by the sixties.

Comics of this era no longer functioned so much as escapist fantasy, as an increasing emphasis on realism and political allegories often led to the creation of polemical tracts. The major publishers continued to shrink their sizes (6 5/8 x 10 ¼) and with growing sales, hired more and more artists and writers for more new titles. Artists soon began to break the mold established by previous artists; this era saw some of the most aesthetically diverse books than in any other previous period. Publishers also began to use bond paper for some of the more expensive books.

The Modern Age's stories are as dark if not darker than the stories that marked the Cold War. Many comic books were now colored and lettered by computers-so-called digital comics. Newsprint was abandoned in favor of lightweight glossy paper, leading to a more professional looking finish. There was also more of an emphasis on individual artwork and story, stemming from the Bronze Age. However, the Modern Age is perhaps most noted by the maturation of the market for comics as collectibles. There was a huge cottage industry developing around collecting comics, which included price guides for valuing old issues, guidelines for appraisal, and comic book conventions, at which fans could interact with individual writers and authors. There were also subscription services, which allowed fans to pay for and receive comics by mail. All of these innovations in the comic metamarket not only redefined the comic book's core functionality, but also the way in which fans interfaced with the product as well. For example, the better condition comics were in, the more valuable they were. Comic book retailers sold mylar sheets and backing boards to protect comics, and many fans began to handle issues very delicately while reading before slipping them into those supplies, or in some instances buying a copy to read and a second copy for posterity.

Comic book publishers tried to inflate sales artificially by attempting to increase comic book value. They did this by introducing a number of design and distribution changes, none of which increased the comic book as a store of value over a long period. Publishers gave their books die-cut covers, foil embossed covers, fold out covers, and pop-up covers. Often they increased the number of pages, or eliminated the ads in a single issue, advertising the extra content on the cover. There were also comics that came shrink-wrapped with limited edition collectible cards, or even other comics. Finally, there was the longest lasting design change, the variant cover. Initially, publishers distributed these special edition (and more expensive) comic books along with regular issues at regular prices. However, due to a glut in special editions and stagnant demand, publishers eliminated a significant portion of the special edition comics from the market. Marvel and DC have kept producing variant covers, including perhaps five issues in every 100-issue retail order. Retailers mark the prices up, demand goes up, and book value goes up.

Because of various strictures relating to copyright law, comic book publishers do not accept unsolicited ideas and/or suggestions from comic book fans. However, in an interesting interface development, in recent years, comic book publishers have made exceptions. Perhaps the most notable exception was the critically acclaimed Batman, "Death in the Family" storyline that occurred in 1988. The storyline revolved around the second Robin, the orphan Jason Todd, who was decidedly less popular than the first Robin Dick Grayson was. "Death in the Family" was a four-issue storyline that involved Jason Todd's search for his mother, with a very important feature: readers would be able to vote whether or not Jason Todd survived. The actual vote was 5,343 to 5,271 in favor of killing off Jason Todd.

Other similar votes have not had nearly the same long-lasting impact on a comic book. In 1996, Marvel and DC decided to create a series in which their two respective superhero universes would temporarily merge. Readers were allowed to vote on which Marvel characters merged with which DC characters. However, this was merely temporary, lasting four months, with no long-lasting effects on either publisher's storylines.

Recent years has seen a widening of the distribution channel, from solely print to print and digital. Marvel Comics has embraced this by offering a subscription-based service that affords customers access to Marvel's vast archive of back issues. The service, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, charges users a monthly fee to access a collection that currently numbers over 5,000 issues.

DC Comics recently launched its first digital comic featuring limited animation, as well as a website that allows users to submit their work for public consumption. Some publishers are even producing content for mobile phones, such as ROK Comics. Forays into the digital distribution of comic book content are likely to increase as print ad spends decline.

Shawn O'Rourke recently wrote a persuasive argument in Pop Matters that recent major storylines Infinite Crisis (DC Comics), and Civil War (Marvel Comics), effectively mark the end of the Modern Age and the beginning of what he dubs the Postmodern Age. (Read it here). Only time will tell.

Sources

Comic Book Ages, Starting the Discussion, Scoop

See You in the Funny Pages..., TheComicBooks.com

The Platinum Age, TheComicBooks.com

The Golden Age, TheComicBooks.com

The Comic Book Villain, Dr. Frederic Wertham, M.D., TheComicBooks.com

Restarting the Superhero Genre, TheComicBooks.com

The Silver Age, TheComicBooks.com

The Bronze Age, TheComicBooks.com

The Modern Age, SugarBombs.com

The Gimmick Age, TheComicBooks.com

The Comics Code Authority, Comic Artville Library