Discusses their artistic style and their contribution to the history of comic books. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. Comics packagers, often operated by notable artists such as will eisner and jack binder, also. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. While the form originated in 1933, american comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of action comics, which included the debut of the superhero superman. Such a beautiful book for someone who doesnt know much about ec comics or for that matter comics printed during the 50s80s,this book was an eyeopener. The first recorded use of the term golden age was by richard a. Here artists learned to use clay loosely and freely. Tracing the evolution of comic books by looking at the pictures, panels, and text that brought them to. Romes trajans column, dedicated in 110 ad, is an early surviving. Historically speaking, the roots of comic book art can be traced centuries, even millennia back, all the way to the drawings and paintings of the lascaux cave in southern france, estimated to be circa 17,300 years old. Hajdu, david the ten cent plague the great comic book scare and how it changed america, farrar, straus and giroux, new york, 2008. Pinup artist of the 1940s and 1950s who later turned to photography.
Thats why when the comic book bubble burst in the late 1940s, baker continued to get work for a variety of publishers, mostly drawing either good girl stories or western adventures. He got his first professional work at the age of 16, drawing. Atlas comics is the 1950s comic book publishing label that evolved into marvel comics. Werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. See more ideas about romance comics, comics and romance.
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the american old west frontier usually anywhere west of the mississippi river and typically set during the late nineteenth century. Mar 11, 2014 from action blockbusters to the lego movie, the influence of comic artists on popular culture has never been greater. One fascinating story involves fredric werthams seduction of the innocent, a bestselling book that eventually led to the policing and regulation of comic books and the creation of the comic code authority. David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy strayhorn, bob dylan, and joan baez. Comics under the auspices of publisher bill gaines. The late 1950s through the 1960s 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. The term is generally associated with an american comic books genre published from the late 1940s through the 1950s though the genre had continuing popularity in europe, and persists in limited form in american. In the opinion of many comic book fans, the greatest comic books ever are those published in the 1950s by e. An american comic book is a thin periodical originating in the united states, on average 32 pages, containing comics. It describes the art and lives of the artists and creaters of ec in such a beautiful manner that once i started this book,i was hooked. This, of course, isnt to say that mccarthyism and the. The first comic with a continuing story, it is still noted as one of the most richly illustrated comic strips of all time.
In 1899 a funny folks comic book came out, taking a close first stab at a format for many platinum age comic books. Contemporary post 1950 contemporary post 1950 illustrators and other artists in books, magazines and dvds from after the 1950s. This is a good period to discuss government regulations, free speech, and what made comic books a danger to children in the 1950s. Since this is banned books week, ive come to bury dr. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. The golden age of comic books was a period in the history of american comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s. The first application of the term pop art occurred during discussions among artists who called themselves the independent group ig, which was part of the institute of contemporary art in london, begun. David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy. Atlas comics is the 1950s comicbook publishing label that evolved into marvel comics.
After inheriting the company, he changed the focus from western and romance comics to innovating in new genres of horror and science fiction. Nov 04, 2016 the history of comic book styles is one as dynamic as the stories they contain, shaped not only by the hands of countless writers and artists but by millions of readers across nearly a century. The chilling horror comics history of the 1950s cbr. Kane cocreated the modernday versions of the superheroes green lantern and the atom for dc comics, and cocreated iron fist with roy thomas for marvel comics. It was the brainchild of several young subversive artistsas most modern art tends to be. Little nemo in slumberland, by winsor mccay, begins running in the new york herald. You can download foul play the art and artists of the notorious 1950s e. The mostly americanmade tijuana bibles are widely considered to be the first underground comic books. In 1899 a funny folks comic book came out, taking a close first stab at a format for many platinum age comic.
View as grid list sort by sort newest title price set ascending direction. Mar, 2015 werthams crowning achievement against comic books came in 1954. A cartoonist also comic strip creator, comic book artist, graphic novel artist, or comic book illustrator is a visual artist who specializes in drawing cartoons individual images or comics sequential images. Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. The 10 greatest comic book artists of all time creative bloq. May 8, 1940 sterling norths anticomics editorial, a national disgrace, is published in the chicago daily news. Many questioned, and even blamed, movies, comic books, and rock and roll for its influence on the rising misbehavior of youth. According to a lengthy report on juvenile delinquency in the 1955 saturday evening post, crime committed by teenagers increased by a drastic 45% between 1950 and 1955. David hajdu examines the great comicbook panic of the 1950s. The book is already sold out on the distributor level, and is the duos third horror collection through idw, including bob powells terror and dick briefers frankenstein.
Super heroes all died out between 1950 and 1955 with only superman, batman and wonder woman and a few smaller ones still being published. There were few exceptions mostly in dc comics but those exceptions would have been the norm in the 60s and 70s. Whimsical yet reverential captions describe the girls, the sets, the poses and the props. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of world war ii. They were prized not just for their content but because due to post war austerity british comics apart from the eagle first published n 1950 were mainly monochromatic in contrast to the full coloured american comics published by dell. Legendary publisher bill gaines is perhaps best remembered as the founder of mad magazine, but in the opinion of many dedicated comic book fans, his greatest achievement was e. In part 1, the history of comics from 1890s through around 1949 is summarized briefly. The comics after 1955 by adam blatner reposted 352010 this is based on a talk given 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. Jul 24, 2014 as a kid back in the 1950s i was an avid reader of american war comics which then just cost ten cents.
While there might not be any mutants or doomsday weapons in the actual history of comics, its panels are every bit as unpredictable. Entertaining comics, more commonly known as ec comics, was an american publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid1950s, notably the tales from the crypt series. Further reading if youd like to read more about this period in comic book history, here are some books that you might find useful. Horror comics historian craig yoe and horror comics enthusiast steve karswell banes recounted the horror comics of the 1950s, digging into their gory origins, dark downfall and the artists who worked on them. I walked away from comic books because i felt the artists who had paved the way in the 1960s and 1970s had been abandoned by the two major comic book companies.
Sep 25, 20 wertham was an anti comic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Ec comics, vilified in the 1950s, thrive 60 years later. The american comic book chronicles continues its ambitious series of fullcolor hardcovers where twomorrows top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today. Since that fateful day in 1938 when superman bounded into life in the first issue of action comics, artists and illustrators have found. The firm, first known as educational comics, was founded by max gaines, former editor of the comic book company allamerican publications.
New young artists came without any proper skills or creativity. Wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Initially, ec was owned by maxwell gaines and specialized in educational and childoriented stories. The book, entitled seduction of the innocent fanned anticomic sentiment all over america. In topeka, kansas, linda brown, a third grader, has to walk one mile across a railroad switchyard to get to the black elementary school, while there is a white school only seven blocks away. Atlas evolved out of goodmans 1940s comicbook division, timely comics, and was located on the 14th. It would later be reprinted in numerous newspapers throughout the united states. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 3 of 3 webages. Before digging into the gory history of 50s horror comics, yoe called up a fan cosplaying as a zombie to sit inbetween he and banes for the duration of the discussion. The amazing stylistic history of comic books 99designs. Oct 27, 20 the men who ran ec knew that a bold title, coupled with overthetop art, helped their comic books practically jump off the jampacked newsstands of the early 1950s like rabid rats. He went to work for atlas comics in the midtolate 1950s, and was working for atlas when he died suddenly of. This comic book starts what is now called the platinum age of comics. An example of an early precursor to print comics is trajans column.
This everexpanding reference list provides background on a diverse spectrum of illustrators across time, cultures, and artistic styles. Comics, a line of adventure, horror, and sciencefiction comics whose influence on american graphic novels is undeniable, even today. Even though american comics didnt quite reach the uk until 1959, brian bolland, born 1951, was definitely one of the first artists to spearhead the british invasion of the american comics industry. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. Some 60 years ago, during the era of mccarthyism, comic books became a threat, causing a panic that culminated in a senate hearing in 1954. In part 2, the national pressure to reform the excesses of comic books and the adventures. Bilbrew met two artists who would influence his work. Im alex grand and were dedicated to creating a multimedia experience to learning the intricacies of journalistic comic book history, to fit the comic books and strips that we know and love into a visual historical context. The history of comics has followed different paths in different parts of the world. Gil kane april 6, 1926 january 31, 2000, born eli katz, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and every major comics company and character. When that company merged with dc comics in 1944, gaines retained rights to the comic book picture stories from the bible, and began his new company with a plan to market comics about science, history, and the bible to schools and churches. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. They were arguably the best commercial comics company in the history of the medium, and their list of artists and writers between 1950 and 1955. The book, entitled seduction of the innocent fanned anti comic sentiment all over america.
What was the comic book hysteria like in the 1950s. Foul play the art and artists of the notorious 1950s e. As a kid back in the 1950s i was an avid reader of american war comics which then just cost ten cents. Welcome to comic book historians, an online fanzine. In this new, skewed world, axes were rarely used to chop wood, and meat grinders werent for shredding beef. Magazine and paperback novel publisher martin goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used atlas as the umbrella name for his comic book division during this time. What a shame that these very interesting comics were stopped from being published only after a short. Mar 25, 2008 david hajdu examines the great comic book panic of the 1950s. The resulting hysteria caused many schools and pta groups to hold shades of nazi germany public comic book burnings.
It can be traced back to early precursors such as trajans column, in rome, egyptian hieroglyphs and the bayeux tapestry. Brief general biographies of sixty goldenage 1950s and 1960s comic book artists. In this video, we take a look at my top 20 picks for the best, most culturally significant comic book of the 1950s. To date, the studio has had more than 200 visiting artists, from all parts of the world.
Magazine and paperback novel publisher martin goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used atlas as the umbrella name for his comicbook division during this time. Ec comics, vilified in the 1950s, thrive 60 years later the. Illustrators and other artists in books, magazines and dvds from after the 1950s. Ammonite press unveils a series of four picture books, compiled from the archives of the classic girlie magazines, fiesta and knave, which celebrate an age when glamour photography strove more for artistic ideals and risque titillation than the sexually explicit top. Jul 24, 2019 pop art was born in britain in the mid1950s. Lupoff in an article, rebirth, published in issue one of the fanzine comic art in april 1960 history. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a surge of popularity. Cartoonists include the artists who handle all aspects of the work and those who contribute only part of the production. Jun 20, 2017 the mostly americanmade tijuana bibles are widely considered to be the first underground comic books. Ecs glory and gory years were 19501955, when it mutated from educational comics to entertaining comics, stopped printing tame titles like saddle romances and tiny tot and shifted to twofisted tales and the vault of horror. Jan 05, 2015 a longlost artist of the 1950s sexual underground. If the great comic book scare interests you, and given that youre visiting this site it probably does, this book is essential reading.
After the war, sales dropped dramatically and then continued to slide down throughout the 1950s. See more ideas about comics, comic books and comic covers. The middle decade of the last century was not a good one for the comics industry. He published his book the seduction of the innocent. The first comicstrip reprint collection, the yellow kid in mcfaddens flats, is published as a 196page hardcover book.