Comic Book History Analysis

"As the ruthless war-mongers of Europe focus their eyes on a peace-loving America...the youth of our country heed the call to arm for defense...but great as the danger of the foreign attack...is the threat of invasion from within...the dreaded fifth column..." A golden age comic book, featuring the first appearances of Captain America and Bucky Barnes. The book was released in March of 1941, just two years in to World War 2 and created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. From the offset, I can see why this book may have caused controversy amongst readers, it was obviously very current and likely affected a lot of people whilst the country was at war. It reads very well in retrospect, it has a strong sense of history to it and in many ways feels less like a superhero story and more like an action comic book. Like most books of that age, I felt like there wasn't much time to get to know the titular character before they take up their respective mantle. Steve Rogers doesnt ...

"In a closely guarded lab, Anthony 'Tony' Stark shows off a new invention to US military defense officials. He has developed micro-transistors capable of powering up things such as magnets; turning them into powerful weapons strong enough to pull open a thick metal door from a distance." A silver age comic book. The first appearance of the Invincible Iron Man from all the way back in 1963. It's crazy to believe where this character started with his origin and how he's depicted in the more modern comic books. This Jack Kirby cover shows us a very literal iron suit that was heavy and clunky but still considered an absolute Marvel for readers at the time. I thought this was a very good read, it's a litte dated with it's dialogue and what was considered an "innovative invention" at the time (magnets) but it still tells a good story. Tony Stark has come a long way since this book, despite him still being depicted as the philanthropic l...

"When high school wallflower Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, his life is transformed – first for the better, then for the worse! With his new array of arachnid abilities – including speed, strength, agility and, thanks to his scientific know-how, spinning webs – Peter seeks fame as the costumed celebrity called Spider-Man! But his cavalier attitude soon comes back to haunt him, and shatter the lives of his beloved Uncle Ben and Aunt May! Peter Parker is about to learn a powerful lesson, one that has never been taught better than by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko: With great power there must also come great responsibility!" A silver age comic book. A story of a boy, bitten by a radioactive spider that would give him the abilities to do "what ever a spider can". Not only a classic, but a fan favourite for over 60 years. Spawning several live action movies, series, animated series and video games, Spider-Man would go on to be one of Marvel's b...

"As a distant planet is destroyed by old age, a scientist places his infant son in a space capsule and launches it toward Earth. The capsule is found by a passing motorist, who brings the baby to an orphanage, where the child astounds the attendants with his superhuman powers. The child, who is named Clark Kent, can jump over buildings, lift enormous weights, and run faster than a freight train. Furthermore, his skin is impenetrable. Realizing that he has powers far beyond normal humans, Clark dedicates himself to serve humanity as Superman, the champion of the oppressed." A golden age comic book. The first appearance of an iconic, legendary superhero. Action comics issue number 1 was released in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It features the first appearance of the man of steel himself: Superman. I was quite surprised reading this book, firstly by how long it was. Unlike Amazing Fantasy 15 (first appearance of Spider-Man), which holds 32 pages, Action Comi...

It's May of 1939 and Detective Comics issue number 27 has hit the shelves. The single issue that would go down in history for it's iconic first appearance of one of DC's most popular characters, the Dark Knight himself: Batman, or as he was originally known: The Bat Man. Today, the issue is now worth over 2 and a half million dollars, a substantial gain in value from a cover price of 10 cents. Bob Kane was notoriously known as the creator of Batman. However, Bill Finger also made massive contributions to the character and his surrounding universe, which unfortunately was left in the dark for decades. Bob Kane himself took sole credit for the creation of Batman from the character's first appearance all the way up to Kane's death in 1998. On his tombstone one line states: "Bob Kane, Bruce Wayne, Batman, they are one and the same". Not only was he the self-proclaimed creator of Batman, he was also a salesman which is arguably the reaso...