Comic Book History: The Birth of Superheroes. usa comics

In our 21st century, even the lazy one already knows what a comic is. Heroes in multi-colored tights, saving the universe from various misfortunes three times a day, have long been on everyone's lips. At first glance, it seems that behind a beautiful picture lies either a complete lack of plot, or extremely formulaic variations from action movies of the 80s. In fact, of course, this is not the case.

Comics, as we know them, have been around for almost a hundred years. If we take into account the rich experience of Japanese and many other artists, then this period may increase several times. But, of course, most lovers of this type of art appreciate modern works first of all. And there’s a good reason: in its almost century-old history, comics have grown from a small section in the daily news releases into an entire industry that includes many publishers, authors, artists, released series, adaptations, related products and ... you can go on and on. For those whose head is spinning from such a variety, first of all, I would like to advise you to get acquainted with the primary sources - many issues and publications have already become not only classics of the genre, but also a valuable cultural heritage recognized throughout the world.

Big world of comics

In Russia, the big world of comics is just beginning its march and, thanks to a couple of publishing houses, everyone who wants to get acquainted with the plots has the opportunity to do so. But, unfortunately, this process is not fast - there are not so many books published in our country so far. But nothing, the Internet comes to the rescue here - given the scale of production, there are specialized sites where you can buy both new releases and old collector's editions. The cost of the latter, by the way, can sometimes even reach several million dollars! But, however, about everything in order.

All comics available for purchase are in English. Let this not scare off those who are not confident in the knowledge of English - with a few exceptions, the difficulty for understanding is not high, and besides, this is a great opportunity to practice the language.

The advent of modern comics was preceded by 18th-century political cartoons by William Hogarth.They were a series of drawings united by a common idea.

The next important stage in the development of the art of creating comics was the activity Rodolphe Tepffer and Wilhelm Busch. The first became famous The story of Monsieur Vyo-Bois", World fame to another was brought by the popular poetic series" Max and Moritz”, which tells about two tomboys.

« Teddy bear and tiger"- this was the name of the first American comic book, which was published in 1892. No less popular was the story " yellow kid» about a little boy from China who, in search of adventure, came to America.

A well-known comic book creator is Rudolf Derks. It was he who came up with bubbles”, frames in which the speech of the characters is placed.

Golden age of comics

This period in the history of American comics, which lasted (according to various estimates) from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s. The first serious steps in the development of the art of graphic novels were made at the beginning of the 20th century, in search of new ways of graphic and visual communication and self-expression. At first, comics were purely humorous in nature. This is largely due to the etymology of the English word that determined their name. This situation changed radically in June 1938, when the character Superman(English) Superman).

The beginning of the golden age is considered to be the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics, published in 1938 and published by DC Comics. The appearance of Superman was very popular, and soon superheroes filled the pages of comics. Other characters that have been popular for a long time are Plastic(English) plastic man), published by Quality Comics, as well as Detective Spirit by cartoonist Will Eisner, which originally appeared as an add-on bundled with the Sunday edition of the newspaper.

In total, more than 400 superheroes were created during this period. Most of them strongly resembled Superman and did not survive to this day, but it was then that heroes such as Batman And Captain America.

The Second World War had a major impact on the content of superhero comics - now the heroes fought the Axis, and the covers depicted superheroes fighting the leader of the Nazi movement, Adolf Hitler. After the victory over fascism, superheroes with nuclear abilities began to appear, for example Atomic Thunderer and Atomic Man. Historians of the time believe that the childish characters helped ease young readers' fears about the prospect of nuclear war. In addition, the heroes began to fight the communists, and some were involved in the Korean War.

However, after the end of World War II, the popularity of superheroes began to decline. In general, it was during the golden age that a new and to this day the main direction in comics appeared - superheroes and new worlds.

Along with superheroes, cartoon characters also appear in comics. For example, stories about Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse. They win not only children's, but also an adult audience.

Entire publishing companies specializing in publishing comics are being created: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image Comics. One of the largest is Marvel. She produced such masterpieces as Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Spider-Man.

IN 1970 - 1980 began a big competition in the comics industry between the two largest printing companies "Marvel" and "Dell". Dell starts reprinting comics from the 30s and 50s, and Marvel Comics responds with a series of new adventures spiderman.

IN 1977 - Three months before the release of George Lucas' sensational science fiction film Star Wars, Marvel Comics takes revenge by launching a comic book series based on the film. Star Wars exceeded all expectations, breaking all record circulations. Warner Communications attracts readers with characters Hulk, Doctor Strange, Dick Tracy and Flash Gordon. Subsequently, feature films and animated films were shot based on these comics.

1989 the year was the fifteenth anniversary Batman. The comic book cycle was timed to coincide with this year and the feature film "Batman" was shot, in which such first-class actors as Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne) and Jack Nicholson (Joker) participated, everything was thought out to the smallest detail, and the film became the highest grossing film of all time movies (for that period), and comics brought a lot of money.

IN 1990 In 2008, the Classics in Illustrations series was published, which included Moby Dick, The Raven, Poe's poems, Dickens's Great Expectations, Lewis Carroll's Alice in the Crossroads. The Mutant Ninja Turtles, released by Mirage Studios and written by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, made a real sensation.

A variety of comics exist around the world from Chinese manhua to Japanese manga, comic books in the US, and short strip comics in Europe. Despite all the variety of styles and genres, the main task of comics is to evoke feelings and emotions in the reader. Elements such as dialogue bubbles or text frames are used to display dialogue and convey the right information to the reader. The drawings and their arrangement, as well as various auxiliary elements, are designed to support the sequence of events in the narrative.

The most famous form of printed comics is the so-called strips, or miniatures. They usually consist of four small drawings following one another and are published in newspapers and magazines. More voluminous comics are published as separate magazines, books or albums.

Figures and facts:

In New York at Heritage Auctions in February 2012, a collection of rare comics owned by Billy Wright was sold. The comics reportedly went under the hammer for $3.5 million.

The top lot among the exhibited auctions was the 27th issue of the collection Detective Comics (1939), on the pages of which Batman first appeared. The publication was bought for 523 thousand dollars. In 1939, the late Billy Wright of Virginia paid 10 cents for Detective Comics #27. The auction also sold the first collection of Action Comics (1938), where Superman debuted. They paid $299,000 for it.

A collection of unique comics sold at auction in the French capital for 650 thousand euros. According to the organizer of the auction - the Sotheby's auction house - about a hundred of the most popular among collectors of pictures and drawings by famous European, American and Japanese artists went under the hammer.

Among the most expensive lots is the original illustration for the Mysterious Star comic book from The Adventures of Tintin, published in the Soir newspaper, which was sold for more than 234,000 euros. This famous picture, which depicts how the faithful dog of a fearless journalist - Milu - stained his paws in tar, was painted by the Belgian artist Georges Remy, who worked under the pseudonym Hergé, in 1941.

Behind 100 thousand euros purchased the original title picture of the comic " black island". And the first edition of comics about Spiderman cost 40 thousand dollars, V 1963 its value was 12 cents.

1.Superman ushered in the golden age of American comics

The appearance of "Superman" in American comics marked the beginning of the "Golden Age" of cartoon stories. There have been comics in the US before. But most of the time they were humorous. And so, in search of new readers and new experiences for them, it was decided to move from humor to adventure. Back in 1938, the superhero Superman appeared for the first time in the Action Comics # 1 comic book - and laid the foundation for the epic of superheroes that flooded the drawn pages. Many of them were very similar to their progenitor, but original, interesting carriers of superpowers were also born. Although the plot patterns were still invariably traced ... The heroic theme was very fond of readers and lasted quite a long time, sensitively reacting to historical events: during World War II, the fight against evil was concentrated on the fight against the Nazis and Hitler, then - with the communists, was rethought on the pages and the Korean War, and the danger of nuclear weapons ... This is how the mainstream of comics appeared, and American stories in pictures became one of the most popular around the world. Many comics were filmed and became the basis for cartoons, and characters with superpowers are known and loved by the audience to this day.

2. In Japan, the most popular comic book about pirates

Japan is the second country in the world. Where comics get so much attention. Both adults and children read them, they make a huge number of animated series (anime), and ardent fans (otaku) organize entire cosplay festivals, where they dress up as their favorite characters, hold themed photo shoots and stage scenes based on their favorite works. Each manga has its own army of fans, its peak of popularity, but there is one that does not give up the first positions in any popularity ratings. "One Piece" - the story of the adventures of the unusual boy Luffy, whose body can stretch like rubber, has been the most beloved in Japan and beyond since 1997! Despite the fact that the characters depicted on the pages do not shine with special beauty, they regularly bypass in popularity any beautiful warriors with huge eyes, and various love stories rich in emotions... Travel, treasure hunting, true friends and insidious villains, adventures and revealing the secrets of the world - all the components of "One Piece" are a kind of classic, apparently remaining eternal.

3. French comics about Asterix pleased both adults and children

France, which also pays attention to comics, calls them "bande dessinee" - a drawn tape. The French gave the world another character beloved by all - the Gaul Asterix. Travel comics of a jolly Gaul and his touching faithful friend Obelix are to everyone's taste. Visually, the stories about Asterix amuse children, and adults appreciate the play on words and parody of modernity. Later, Asterix and his friends became the heroes of cartoons and films, which were also loved by audiences of all ages. It is curious that the creators of the comic specifically named the main character by the first letter of the alphabet - so that he would always be in the first lines of the catalogs.

4. Satirical comics dominated in the USSR

In the USSR, comics were not very popular, and even now in Russia, rare fans of comics prefer to buy foreign ones rather than draw their own. In Soviet times, children's comics were published on the pages of "Funny Pictures" and adult, satirical, in the magazine "Crocodile". They, perhaps, became the most popular comics in the Soviet Union, because Krokodil was the only all-Union satirical magazine. Both small, everyday topics and major events from the life of the country were considered. However, the magazine contained not only satirical materials. But he also talked about the achievements of the USSR - in general, he was the official mouthpiece of politics. "Crocodile" was published in millions of copies and even received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

5. Garfield lives in all of us

Another very popular American comic book character is Garfield. Initially, the author planned to make Garfield ... a beetle, but the publishers of the story about the beetle did not accept it, they had to redo the appearance of the main character. Now Garfield is a cat recognizable all over the world, fat and very charming, famous for his appetite, laziness and sense of humor with elements of sarcasm. However, in a variety of situations, Garfield manifests different traits that add up to a very multifaceted character. At the same time, the volume of each story is only three pictures (such comics are called strips). So to fit a humorous story into three frames is a special style and skill. The reader is invited to laugh at the shortcomings that are depicted, albeit exaggerated, but found in almost everyone: in one way or another, we are all a little Garfield. Especially on weekends...

“Instead of landing in Kansas, Superman's shuttle could have landed on a Soviet collective farm field, and then everything would have been different. Superman would have become a correspondent for Pravda, not the Daily Planet, and would have fought not for American ideals, but for the victory of socialism on the planet, ”Perhaps, this is exactly what Mark Millar reasoned when he came up with the idea of ​​the Superman. Red son. And, we have to admit, the comic book about the adventures of Superman the communist turned out to be beyond praise!

In interviews, Millar repeatedly said that the idea of ​​​​an alternative history of Superman came to him as a child. He pondered it for several years, collecting facts, studying history, constructing ideas about what the hero of the second world superpower, the USSR, would be like.

Millar came up with an alternative history, which, like a mirror, reflected the real story. The collapse of America, the demand for independence from certain states, military equipment on the streets of peaceful cities ... So, if circumstances had turned out differently, Superman would have landed in Ukraine, would have been raised in accordance with communist ideals and principles, but at the same time his character remained would be unchanged - all the same determination to fight for the truth, fearlessness and courage, and boundless love for all mankind. Soviet Superman is just as responsive, he does not miss a single plea for help and saves lives!

Despite the obvious similarities, there are features that fundamentally distinguish the Soviet and American superheroes. So, Superman from the USSR is not a meticulous journalist, who is used to seeing him, but a military man who observes the strictest secrecy. Instead of the usual symbol on his chest, of course, a sickle and a hammer. His struggle is not for American ideals, but for Stalin, socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact.

The Red Son Universe is recognized as one of the alternate universes in existence and is part of the DC Multiverse. The events unfolding on Earth chronologically cover the period from 1953 to 2001. Mark Millar's idea turned out to be very successful, and the answer to the question of what Superman would be like if he grew up in the Soviet Union is more than convincing!

More than one generation of teenagers grew up on graphic novels about Superman, Batman, Hulk, Iron Man. Comics have been, and still are, a cult item, although explaining why superheroes so excite the minds of young and old is no easy task.

The history of comics, as surprising as it sounds, has very ancient roots that go back to the times when people lived in caves and hunted mammoths. It was then that the first samples of rock art appeared, in which, along with scenes from real life, the first superheroes appeared, embodied in the images of the ancient gods.

Hopi rock paintings in Arizona, USA

The chronology of the development of such a genre as comics is very long and long, replete with numerous dates, therefore, listing the main milestones in the development of comics, we will limit ourselves to a journey through the 19th and 20th centuries, since it was during this period that a qualitative leap occurred in the development of the genre and the well-known heroes.

The history of comics is rooted in primitive times.

Speaking of comics, we should start with the personality of Rodolphe Töpfer, a French-speaking Swiss artist who became a key figure in the history of the development of modern comics. At the beginning of the 19th century, he began to consistently illustrate stories, placing text under the images. These comics of his were reprinted throughout Europe and the United States. Due to the lack of copyright laws, pirated editions of "cartoon stories" began to be translated and published all over the world.

In 1843, satirical drawings that regularly appeared in newspapers and magazines got their name - cartoons.

Rodolphe Toepfer became a key figure in the history of the development of comics

The invention of photogravure in 1873 made newspapers relatively inexpensive and allowed them to be produced with more illustrations. This change in technology was the impetus for the development of comics and their mass production. The art of comics was especially developed in America. In 1893, Joseph Pulitzer published his first full-page color comics in The New York World, and other newspapers began printing color comics in the same year.

As a tool of popular culture, involving both artistic and literary skills, comics successfully reflected the social problems of their time. By the beginning of the 20th century, regular strips were appearing in the newspapers of major US cities.

The 1920s and 1930s were a period of active development of the comics industry around the world: in 1929, comics were published, the main character of which was the sailor Popeye. A feature of this character was an increase in strength after eating spinach. On June 1, 1938, comics saw the light of day, the main character of which was Superman, and in 1939 Batman and the first Human Torch appeared on the pages of comics.

In the second half of the 20th century, comics are a popular collectible.

During the second half of the 20th century, comics became a very popular collector's item, and American comics of the 1970s became the basis for comic book collections.

Cover of the Plastic Man comic book, 1943

During this period, comic book characters appear:
1961 - The first issue of the Fantastic Four is published - comics about a team of superheroes with various supernatural abilities;
1962 - the time of the birth of Spider-Man and the Hulk;
1963 - comics about Iron Man, Doctor Strange and the X-Men saw the light;
1966 - the appearance of the Black Panther;
1970 - A series of comics about Conan the Barbarian is released;
1977 - the appearance of the Star Wars comics;
1984 - "Birth" of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Lubok is the ancestor of the comics genre in Russia.

Despite the fact that comics are considered typical representatives of "Western" culture, they have a rather long history in our country as well. The first domestic comics, with a slight stretch, include popular prints, which became widespread at the beginning of the 17th century.

Such a book was a small scroll, which depicted pictures describing the most relevant event of socio-political life at the moment. That is why the name of such books sounded like “amusing sheets”.

"Strong and brave hero Ilya Muromets". Lubok 1868

The next stage in the development of domestic comics is associated with the name of Vladimir Dahl. His work “The Adventures of Khristian Khristianovich Violdamur and his Arshet” was in many ways reminiscent of modern comics, since the plot, or rather, the narrative, was based on a story in pictures. Such a peculiar form of presentation of the material was not appreciated by Dahl's contemporaries, so the "stories in pictures" did not receive further development.

In August 1914, the association "Today's Lubok" appeared in Moscow, whose members were such representatives of the domestic cultural elite as Kazimir Malevich, Aristarkh Lentulov, David Burliuk, Vladimir Mayakovsky. The society issued campaign leaflets on military topics, which contained both pictures and textual information.

In the USSR, the comic book was not widely used.

In Soviet Russia, comics were not widely used: domestic ideological services in every possible way prevented the appearance in our country of any elements of "Western" culture, including comics. However, this did not prevent him from creating his own alternative to comics, which manifested itself in the publication of the collections "History in Pictures", the illustrated story "The Adventures of Makar the Fierce" by Boris Antonovsky, posted on the pages of the Leningrad magazine "Hedgehog", comics by Bronislav Malakhovsky "Smart Masha".

“A story about bagels and a woman who does not recognize a republic” is a poster from the “ROSTA Windows” cycle. August 1920 The artist is Mikhail Cheremnykh. Text by Vladimir Mayakovsky

The proliferation of comics led to the fact that in the 1930s the authorities officially banned it, calling comics "a bourgeois-American way of fooling the youth." The only source of new stories-illustrations for a long time continued to be the children's magazine "Murzilka". Only in 1956 did the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League begin publishing a new magazine, Funny Pictures, which actively began to use the comic book genre as its main content.

Later in the USSR and Russia, comics about Oktyabrin, which became known to the whole world, a series of comics “Hare Pts and his imaginary friends: Shch, F, a heating pad and pork chop with peas” and a collection of comics “Cat” appeared in the USSR and Russia.