Overview of the Golden Age of Comic Books

     Comic books first became popular in the late 1930's and their popularity lasted into the 1950's. Now, comic books are usually considered a kid's medium, but back in the 1940's, comics had a wide demographic. During the war, nearly half of the population, or 70 million people read them. Comic books first became popular because during the Depression, they provided a cheap form of entertainment. People who were suffering during this time needed a hero, and two Jewish kids from Cleveland, John Shuster and Jerry Siegel, gave them one.

     Superman was the first real commercial success. Most other comic books contained multiple superheroes but Superman was the first to have an entire issue devoted entirely to his own adventures. Most other comic books sold 300,000 copies a month but Superman sold over 1,300,000 each month. Because of Superman's success, other superheroes – Batman, the Green Lantern, Wonder Women – gained popularity during this time.

     Into the 40's, comic book popularity continued to rise. At the height of the golden age, comic book circulation reached 25 million copies per month. While comics during the Depression represented the common man, superheroes during the war, like Captain America, represented the patriotism of America. The first issue of Captain America is very similar to the first issue of the Escapist. On the cover of Captain America, he is punching Hitler in the face. The Mistress of the Moth is somewhat similar to Wonder Women because both heroes were primarily published because of their sex appeal. Comics during WWII were filled with heroes combatting the Nazis and the Japanese.

     After WWII, the atomic age of comic books emerged. Many new comic book heroes derived their super powers from the radiation of nuclear bomb explosions. The bomb became a main theme in the comic books of the time. Not only were bombs popular, but superheroes that fought communism. Instead of fighting Nazis and the Japanese, new heroes fought against the evil Soviets and the Koreans. After WWII though, the popularity of comic books really diminished though because America really didn't need a hero anymore. A lot of the comics during WWII were based off of nationalism but after the war ended, the heroes ran out of villains to fight.