Understanding Superhero Comic Books by Alex Grand

Outcault’s The Yellow Kid became so popular that in 1896 it was drawn in two different newspapers by two different artists at the same time-William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal American by Yellow Kid creator Outcault, and Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World by artist George Luks-driving up sales of both newspapers. The use of sequential panels and word balloons in the comic strip had a tremendous influence on the future of cartoons and the comic book industry. Far from the full-color glossy comic books of today, The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats featured black and white reprints of popular newspaper comic strips. Subsequent comic strip compilation books included reprints of The Katzenjammer Kids, Happy Hooligan, Buster Brown, and Mutt & Jeff.

Although images of caricatures with related wording have existed since the Middle Ages, comics gained popularity through publication in the British humor magazine, Punch, where a number of Golden Age illustrators honed their craft. Richard F. Published in 1897, The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats is considered to be the first comic book, insomuch that it bore the phrase “comic book” on its back cover. The precursor to comic books, cartoons have been popular in England and America since the early 1800s, originating as satirical and political cartoons printed in newspapers and periodicals. The most influential cartoonist of this period, Thomas Nast played a large role in bringing down “Boss” Tweed’s corrupt political machine in 1870s New York through a series of cartoons heavily critical of Tweed. Through a natural evolution, cartoons developed into comic books, first through publications containing compilations of cartoon re-prints, then as books with original cartoon artwork, before reaching critical mass through the creation of superheroes in 1938.

Home > Genres > Comics: Comic Books Comics: Comic Books Description

Understanding Superhero Comic Books by Alex Grand