Superhero comics

Genre of American comic books

Superhero comics

Cover of Wow Comics 38 (September/October 1941)

Authors|

* Jack Kirby
* Stan Lee
* Dennis O'Neil
* Alan Moore
* Steve Ditko

Publishers|

* DC Comics
* Marvel Comics
* Image Comics
* Valiant Comics
* Charlton Comics

Publications|

* Superman
* Batman
* The Amazing Spider-Man
* Watchmen
* Astro City

Series|

* The Death of Superman
* Gods and Mortals
* Days of Future Past
* The Night Gwen Stacy Died
* Snowbirds Don't Fly

Related genres

* Comic book death
* Magical girl
* Superpower
* Tokusatsu
* Women in Refrigerators

Superhero comics is one of the most common genres of American comic books. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in the 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in North America since the 1960s. Superhero comics feature stories about superheroes and the universes these characters inhabit.

Beginning with the introduction of Superman in 1938 in Action Comics #1 (an anthology of adventure features) comic books devoted to superheroes (heroic people with extraordinary or superhuman abilities and skills, or god-like powers and attributes) ballooned into a widespread genre, coincident with the beginnings of World War II and the end of the Great Depression.

## Precursors

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In comics format, superpowered and costumed heroes like Popeye and The Phantom had appeared in newspaper comic strips for several years prior to Superman. The first fully-masked hero The Clock first appeared in the comic book Funny Pages #6 (Nov. 1936).

## History

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Main article: History of American comics

### The Golden Age (c. 1938 – c. 1950)

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Main article: Golden Age of Comic Books

In the Great Depression and World War II era, the first superhero comics appeared, the most popular being Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and Captain America.

### Decline

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See also: Atom Age of Comic Books

After World War II superhero comic books gradually declined in popularity, their sales hindered in part by the publication of Seduction of the Innocent and the investigations of The Senate Subcommittee hearings on juvenile delinquency. By 1954 only three superheroes still had their own titles; Superman and Batman, who also costarred in World's Finest Comics, and Wonder Woman.[1]

### The Silver Age (c. 1956 – c. 1970)

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Main article: Silver Age of Comic Books

See also: Julius Schwartz

Beginning in the 1950s, DC under the editorship of Julius Schwartz (himself had roots in the science fiction fandom) began publishing revised versions of their 1940s superhero characters such as The Flash and Green Lantern with more of a science fiction focus. Marvel Comics followed suit in the 1960s, introducing characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, the X-Men and Iron Man who featured more complex personalities which had more dramatic potential.

### The Bronze Age (c. 1970 – c. 1985)

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Main article: Bronze Age of Comic Books

Superhero comics became much more political and dealt with social issues as in the short-lived run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams and the Captain America story arc of the superhero's political disillusionment by Steve Englehart. This was eventually supplanted by more sophisticated character driven titles of The Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont and John Byrne for Marvel and The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez for DC. Anti-hero themes became popular with appearances of the Punisher, Wolverine, Ghost Rider and a 1980s revival of Daredevil by Frank Miller.

### The Modern Age (c. 1985 – present)

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Main article: Modern Age of Comic Books

Superhero Comics became darker with the release of landmark deconstructive works such as Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, which led to many imitations. The late 80s to early 90s saw the rise of successful new characters including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the anti-hero Spawn which were predominantly creator owned as opposed to Marvel and DC's which were corporate owned. The comic book mini series Kingdom Come brought an end to the popularity of the anti-hero and encouraged instead a reconstruction of the genre with superhero characters that endeavored to combine artistic and literary sophistication with idealism.

## See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Superhero comics.

* Superhero film
* List of comic book and superhero podcasts

* Comics portal
* Speculative fiction portal

## Notes

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1. ^ Tim Hanley, Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine, Chicago Review Press, 2014, p. 91.

## References

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* Benton, Mike (1991). Superhero Comics of the Silver Age: The Illustrated History. Taylor History of Comics. Taylor Publishing. p. 226\. ISBN 0-87833-746-6.
* Benton, Mike (1992). Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History. Taylor History of Comics. Taylor Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 0-87833-808-X.
* Garrett, Greg (2007). Holy Superheroes!: Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 216\. ISBN 978-0-664-23191-0.
* Howe, Sean 2012). Marvel Comics: the Untold Story. First ed. New York: Harper. 485 p. ISBN 978-0-06-199210-0
* Jacobs, Will and Gerard Jones (1985). The Comic Book Superheroes, from the Silver Age to the Present. New York: Crown Publishers. xi, 292 p. ISBN 0-517-55440-2
* Klock, Geoff (2002). How to Read Superhero Comics and Why. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 204\. ISBN 0-8264-1418-4.
* Knowles, Christopher (2007). Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes. Illustrated by Joseph Michael Linsner. Weiser. p. 256\. ISBN 978-1-57863-406-4.
* LoCicero, Don (2007). Superheroes and Gods: A Comparative Study from Babylonia to Batman. McFarland & Company. p. 249\. ISBN 978-0-7864-3184-7.
* Reynolds, Richard (1994). Super Heroes: A Modern Mythology. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9780878056941.

* v
* t
* e

Superhero fiction

Media|

* Comics
* Novels
* Film
* Podcasts
* Television
* American
* Kamishibai

Plot elements|

* Superhero
* Supervillain
* Superpower
* Secret identity
* Alter ego
* Comic book death

Continuity|

* Continuity
* Canon
* Retroactive continuity
* Reboot
* Crossover

* Superhero fiction

* v
* t
* e

Comics

Glossary of comics terminology

Formats|

* Comic book
* Ashcan comic
* Limited series
* One-shot
* Ongoing series
* Minicomic
* Trade paperback
* Comic strip
* Comic strip formats
* Daily comic strip
* Lianhuanhua
* Sunday comics
* Topper
* Yonkoma
* Digital comics
* Mobile comic
* Webcomic
* Webtoon
* Gag cartoon
* Graphic novel
* Political cartoon

Techniques|

* Film comic
* Motion comic
* Photo comics
* Silent comics
* Text comics

Creators|

* Cartoonists
* list
* Colorists
* Editors
* Inkers
* Letterers
* Publishing companies
* Writers

| By format|

* Editorial
* list
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|

By country|

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Other|

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History|

* Years in comics
* Comics historiography
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* Golden Age
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* Bronze Age
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* events
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Comics studies
and narratology|

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|

Tropes|

* Antihero
* Decompression
* Talking animals
* Masking
* Rogue
* Superhero
* Supervillain
* Widescreen comics

Themes|

* Ethnic stereotypes
* Feminist
* Gender and webcomics
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* The Hawkeye Initiative
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By country|

| Africa|

* South Africa

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Americas|

* Argentina
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* list

Asia|

* China and Taiwan
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* list
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* lists
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Europe|

* Czech Republic
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* list
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* list
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Oceania|

* Australia

Lists|

| By format|

* Comic books
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|

By source|

* Based on fiction
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Other lists|

* Awards
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* manga
* manga magazines
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Collections and
museums|

* Belgian Comic Strip Center
* Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
* National Cartoon Museum
* British Cartoon Archive
* Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel
* Cartoon Art Museum
* The Cartoon Museum
* Fred Waring's Cartoon Collection
* Gibiteca Antonio Gobbo
* Michigan State University Comic Art Collection
* Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
* ToonSeum
* Words & Pictures Museum

Schools|

* Center for Cartoon Studies
* The Kubert School

Organizations|

| Professional|

* Academy of Comic Book Arts
* Association of Canadian Cartoonists
* Association of Comics Magazine Publishers
* Australian Cartoonists' Association
* Comic Art Professional Society
* National Cartoonists Society
* Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas

|

Critical and
academic|

* Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée
* Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association
* Canadian Society for the Study of Comics
* Comic & Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association
* Comics Studies Society
* Sequart Organization
* Svenska Serieakademien

Charitable and
outreach|

* Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors
* British Amateur Press Association (comics)
* Club des bandes dessinées
* Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
* Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
* Finnish Comics Society
* Friends of Lulu
* The Hero Initiative
* Xeric Foundation

* Comics portal
* Category

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