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Illustrated history -

Depending on how you look at it, the history of comics stretches as far back into the past as illustrations themselves. Since prehistoric times, humans have used illustrations to record history, document their surroundings, and indicate what's important to them.

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Ancient comics -

The oldest-known cave paintings (not pictured) are found in the Maros district of Indonesia and date back 40,000 years ago, to the Upper Paleolithic period. From this point onward, illustration has remained a near-constant habit of human societies.

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Rome: Masterpieces and doodles -

Even in ancient Rome, comical graffiti was widespread throughout the empire. Sometimes graphic, sometimes political, and sometimes simply humorous, this Roman graffiti has given experts a better understanding of the thoughts, opinions, and personalities of common Romans. Despite the centuries that separate us, their graffiti and our comics are intimately similar in their abilities to reflect society.

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Comics in Edo Japan -

Humorous, tongue-in-cheek illustrated stories were also popular in the East for centuries. In Edo-period Japan, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries, small books called kibyōshi were produced in a manner strikingly similar to modern comic books. Usually consisting of around 10 pages, kibyōshi books contained full-page illustrations of funny or satirical scenes, complete with on-image text to denote dialogue or context.

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William Blake: The godfather of comics? -

It might come as a surprise to hear William Blake, the famed English poet and artist considered by many to be the premiere creative of the Georgian and Victorian eras, brought up in such close relation to comic books. Believe it or not, many historians believe that Blake's innovative mix of literature and illustration paved the way for comics in the West.

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The Platinum Age of comics -

Long before superheroes and lasagna-loving cats came into vogue, comics in the late 19th century were far more crude, but also often more overtly political. The first era of modern comics, known as the Platinum Age, is generally agreed to have occurred between the early 1800s and late 1930s, and is characterized by the first appearances of comic strips in newspapers, collections of these strips, and illustrated propaganda.

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Penny dreadfuls -

Penny dreadfuls were the progenitors of the pulp fiction stories that would become so popular in the 20th century. Short and bombastic stories sold on the cheap primarily to the young and uneducated working class of the 19th-century United Kingdom, penny dreadfuls have been called "the Victorian equivalent to video games." While the contents of these books were rarely illustrated, their vibrant and eye-catching covers marked an early marriage of appealing visuals and exciting stories.

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'The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck' -

One Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck is the hapless main character in what is considered to be the first proper comic in the world. Originally published in French as Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, it was written and illustrated by Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer in 1827 and published a decade later. Histoire de M. Vieux Bois became a hit sensation in Europe, and by at least 1843 the comic was reprinted as 'The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck' for readers in America, where it also became immensely popular.

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Punch, or the London Charivari -

In 1841, shortly after the European success of 'Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck,' a satire publication known as Punch was established in London and gained immediate popularity. Every week, a new edition of Punch would be published, filled with crude and humorous cartoons starring Punch, the riotous and incorrigible puppet who served as the magazine's mascot. Punch helped popularize the magazine cartoon, and is often credited with establishing the word "cartoon" as it is used today.

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Comic Cuts -

As the popularity of stories told through pictures continued to develop, various other publications popped up to secure their piece of the comic cake. Comic Cuts, another British magazine, pioneered the multi-panel format of comics that is so common today. Before Comic Cuts entered circulation in 1890, most comics only utilized one panel or page to get their point across.

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The first funny pages -

The popularity of comics in Western Europe eventually spilled over into the United States in the early 20th century. In 1929, the Dell Publishing Company began printing 'The Funnies,' a weekly periodical of color-printed, multi-panel cartoons, usually filling around 16 pages. Early comic hits like 'Bug Movies' and 'Foxy Grandpa' first appeared in these early, proto-comic books.

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Funnies on Parade: Standardizing the medium -

Avid comic book readers have grown to expect comics to always be a certain size and length: 6.8 inches (16.7 cm) by 10.25 inches (26 cm), and 32 pages in length. Another product of Dell Publishing, 'Funnies on Parade' is responsible for standardizing this format. In the 1930s, sales manager Harry Wildenberg discovered that this was the most cost-effective way to print comic collections, since they could be printed on one page of broadside print and folded to make 32 pages. It wasn't long until this revolutionary format was adopted by comic printers around the nation and the world.

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National Allied Publications and the world's first superhero -

The Golden Age of Comics can be traced back to National Allied Publications, a parent company of DC Comics. It was their comics division that introduced the world's first modern comic superhero: Slam Bradley. Slam Bradley pioneered many of the most common superhero tropes when he first hit the newsstands in 1937's 'Detective Comics #1.' Bradley, a private eye  with irresistible charisma, superhuman strength, and a trusty sidekick named Shorty Morgan, always began his adventures with a call from the local police, begging for his help in solving a seemingly impossible case. Many aspects of Slam Bradley would be reused in later and more famous heroes like Superman and Batman.

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Propaganda cartoons -

The move away from the laughable and pitiful comic bozos of the earliest comics and towards dreamy protagonists who stood as the epitome of wit and masculinity was also accompanied by a shift of intent. In the late '30s, as Europe was creeping towards war, these new protagonists more and more frequently began to promote the ideals of the United States and its allies.

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The Golden Age of Comics -

The Golden Age of Comics is generally considered to have started in 1938, the year that Superman was introduced to the world. Superman's immense popularity led to a mad dash in the publishing world, with every comic and newspaper company in the United States trying to create the next superhero sensation.

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'Action Comics #1' -

'Action Comics #1' was published by National Allied Publications on April 18, 1938, with the book date printed as June 1938. This was the world's first proper introduction to Superman as he's known today, although the writing duo of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster had previously used the name Superman in the 1933 comic 'The Reign of the Superman,' where the titular character was actually a villain with telepathic powers, not the beloved hero from Krypton. The original edition of 'Action Comics #1' has long reigned supreme as the most valuable comic book in the world, and has sold at auction for more than US$3 million.

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The rise of Superman -

The Superman story told in 'Action Comics #1' starts from the very beginning, telling for the first time the origin story so many fans now know by heart. The first five pages show an infant Clark Kent being sent to Earth from a "a distant planet,' where he is discovered by a a passerby and turned into an orphanage. His super strength is immediately noticeable, and by the time Clark reaches adulthood he decides that he must use his powers to help mankind. And thus, Superman, and the entire superhero genre as we know it today, was born.

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Comics and politics -

Superman was a patriotic figure from the very start, and many other patriotic heroes came soon after. Characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America donned the American red, white, and blue, and were constantly pitted against the enemies of society. Be they robbers, gang members, or overseas threats, each issue of the most popular comic books told the story of the victory of American values over anyone or anything that dared to challenge it.

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Comics and World War II -

The patriotic zeal of America's favorite heroes was thrown into overdrive when the United States officially entered World War II. Beloved heroes were not only depicted fighting valiantly against the Nazis and other fascist European regimes, but also as motivating American civilian readers at home to aid in the war effort by buying war bonds and finding pride in their factory work. By 1944, around 44% of American men considered themselves as avid consumers of comics.

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The Writer's War Board -

The Office of War Information, a wartime government agency tasked with the oversight of and intervention in American media, established the Writer's War Board in 1942. It was the Writer's War Board's job to collaborate with the comics industry to ensure the greatest heroes of the era were firmly in line with America's wartime values and actively supported the Allied effort against fascism.

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The first decline of superhero mania -

After the war, comic book popularity began to steadily decline, putting an end to the Golden Age of Comics. This decline is usually chalked up to a mixture of messy writing that led to confused moral messages that angered the parents of young consumers, a severe drop in quality caused by self-censorship, and a general sense of disillusionment in post-bomb America.

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Comics and delinquency -

As superheroes began to drift from their perfect and patriotic images of the war period and rogue vigilante characters like Batman gained more prominence, public outcry linking comic books to juvenile delinquency started to gather steam. The release of Dr. Fredric Wertham's 1954 book 'Seduction of the Innocent' acted as a catalyst for this public change of heart. In his book, which was wildly popular at the time, Dr. Wertham produced a brand of comic McCarthyism that blamed juvenile violence and petty crime on comic books and their often violent, extralegal imagery. Wertham went so far as to claim that the close bond between Batman and his sidekick Robin was built on "homosexual ideals."

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The CMA -

Wertham's theories took him all the way to the courtroom, where he testified at the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. In response to these criticisms, comic publishers established the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA) and the Comics Code Authority (CCA). The CCA acted as a self-regulating and self-censoring body that ensured questionable morals were struck from all comics. This habit of self-censorship, which frequently went a bit overboard, is commonly cited as the main reason the quality of comic book stories dropped in tandem with their popularity.

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The Marvel revolution -

After decades of lackluster popularity, with the notable exceptions of the success of the Flash and the Justice League, the industry was saved by the most famous man in comics: Stan Lee (pictured). As a young employee of Marvel Comics, Lee created flawed superheroes who were more relatable to average people, a dramatic departure from the pillars of perfection like Superman and Wonder Woman. The introduction of the Fantastic Four, conceived by Lee and longtime collaborator Jack Kirby, was an instant success and led to Marvel overtaking DC as the country's premiere comic book powerhouse. By the time Lee and artist Steve Ditko introduced Spider-Man to the world in 1962, the face of the comics industry had been irreversibly altered.

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The rise of manga -

The history of comics is a global history, with each region tracing its own story. The most popular and lucrative form of comics isn't the Western superhero comic, but Japanese manga. Manga comic books have been in production since at least the 18th century and cover a far wider selection of genres and stories than their Western counterparts.

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The rise of manga -

Modern manga found immense popularity in Japan and other parts of Asia after the end of World War II, when the medium began to tell not only light and humorous stories, but was also used to process the events of the war and the apocalyptic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Early post-war manga icons like Astro Boy and Doraemon continue to enjoy intense popularity in Japan and the world at large.

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Comics in Europe -

After the European comic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries spread to the United States, comic books in Europe continued on their own trajectory. Franco-Belgian comics enjoyed particular success in the form of internationally beloved series like Les Pieds Nickelés and 'The Adventures of Tintin.'

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Comics in Europe -

The European world of comics suffered greatly from the rise of fascism. Under the regimes of despots like Spain's Francisco Franco, media was subjected to strict regulation and censorship; the Franco regime outlawed superheroes altogether, and only allowed historical comics that showcased the power of Spain to be printed. Despite this decades-long suppression of creativity, European comics continue to enjoy their strong traditions of artistry and storytelling to this day.

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A medium reclaimed -

Despite its long history as a money-grab and a propaganda machine, the medium of comics has found its place among the most respected avenues of artistry. Graphic novels and politically conscious comic books like the 'Watchmen' series and Art Spiegelman's seminal 'Maus' series are today considered some of the most important literature in recent memory.

Sources: (Book Riot) (CBR) (Illustration History)

See also: Stan Lee—The life of a comic book genius

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