Comic books have been around in the United States for over 80 years now. Popular amongst all ages, they are a unique form of entertainment separate from other books or films alike. Made up of mainly pictures, comic books paint a visual story most often depicting a superhero and his acts to save victims from threatening villains. It’s from these comics, one of the most famous titles being Marvel, where the most famous superheroes and their many adventures have been born. As the appreciation for comic books as a type of enjoyment and art grows, it’s important to know the history behind them. In the New York Times article title, “Superheroes: Born in New York City”, Michael Powell describes the start of the Comic Book Craze and the influence these stories had on his childhood.
One commonality found throughout many of the well-known comic books is that they are based off of facets of real life. According to Powell, the “Founding Fathers” of comic books consisted of many young, creative minds throughout high schools in NYC. To think that such a remarkable ‘world’ of illustrations began in the hands of students not even in college yet is incredible. This just proves that a great, constructive imagination is not limited to any age. In one paragraph, it describes how three huge names, Bob Kane, the mastermind behind Batman, Will Eisner of the Spirit, and Stan Lee, maker of Fantastic Four, Spider Man, the Hulk, and many more all came from the same high school in the Bronx (DeWitt Clinton High School). This makes me wonder if the school has a great art program or if they were just lucky enough to attract a bunch of incredibly talented kids.
It is obvious that people are attracted to superheroes because they provide an escape or false reality for those going through personal troubles. What’s interesting to note, though, is how the era in which they began helped promote their success. With the country recovering from hard times after the Depression, it became a output for stress for a good percentage of the American population. All movements have a history, and it is important to take the time to learn it to understand their origins and connections in society.
Comic books play a large role in the entertainment and art world today. Hit heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman will continue to be an inspiration for our culture into the coming generations. I really appreciate the ending of the article. Powell states, “a Bangladeshi kid in Elmhurst and a Senegalese kid in University Heights are doodling in their seventh-grade math classes, and they have their own ideas. You may hear about them in the New-York Historical Society’s next superhero show, in 2060.” Who knows what sketches will be created next.
I found a personal connection to your blog due to the reason that I was once a avid Batman comic book reader when I was younger. For a kid like me, these comics were my obsession, and though I never strived to create my own comics, I always found deep appreciation for the creators of them; I also found it so unique that art can be so popular, and prominent in such a “fictional” and “childish” setting. Comics remind me that art is so much more than what the common person thinks of it. Art can truly be in anything, and what anyone perceives it to be.
Your blog was very interesting to read because the topic has been and is very popular. During the start of comic books, kids and adults alike are attracted to them because they opened up a new world. Even today they are still popular, as there is Comic con and so many movies about these comic book super heroes. It’s very interesting to know that they appeared after the Depression. Art – in this case, in comic books – have brought some new light and happiness into Americans.
Comic book is an interesting art form! As a child, I see the super heros in the comic books as someone to look up to, like a fatherly figure. I wasn’t much of a hero fan to be honest. I prefer watching anime such as Dragon Ball or Naruto. I did stop after Naruto reached 100 episodes. Nevertheless, Japanese Anime provides a source of beyond-reality fulfillment. In dragon ball, there are heros who save the world, similar to much of DC’s comics.
What’s fascinating about your post, however, is the fact that super hero comics are born in our city! That’s amazing. I honestly had no idea of this. I think the authors of the comics are exposed to the arts in NYC, and they were inspired to create such comics. I don’t believe it was their high school that caused them to become such good comic writers.
There truly are so many artistic mediums in which a story can be told, and though comics are presented through easy language (pictures— as in, it does not require a great level of skill to read and understand it), their power and impact should not be undermined! Aside from comic books having the power to allow people to “escape” through it characters, there’s also something very inspiring about reading a story through pictures (even books that aren’t necessarily intended for humor, though in most cases where comics are used, humor is too). We saw this in our English class when we read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. She used comics as a medium of telling pretty serious details of her life’s story, and by doing so she was really able to tell her story in a unique and profound way!
Also- It was very interesting to learn that such memorable names in Comic book history (like Batman and Spiderman), were written by authors from our very own New York City!!
Your connection between the origin of superhero comics and the great depression was a great point. I wonder if the recent resurgence in popularity of superhero movies has any quantifiable relationship to the housing crash of 2008. As that crash was the worst economic downturn since the great depression, i’d love to see a study on the connection between hard times and a turn to superhero related entertainment. It would make sense that a correlation exists due to this current resurgence in popularity and their origin in the great depression.
I enjoyed your description on how creativity and brilliance does not belong only to what society considers “adults”. The Outsiders, for example, is a book that was written by a high school student that is used to teach literature all over the country. In fact, it was even produced into a motion picture that received relative success in the box office. I feel as though age does not substantialize work, especially in fields of creativity. I also find the history of comic books quite interesting. I didn’t know that comic books gained the most momentum in their popularity directly after the Great Depression. This would make sense, as I’m sure many families were worn out by the economic distress that they had recently fought against. Putting coming books which are, as you said, forms of false reality, and putting them in context with our own reality, adds an entirely new dimension to my interpretation of my favorite comic book heroes.
It’s very interesting how comic books and their characters influence our world today because of their heroics and appeal to the masses. Indeed, its intriguing how their rise came right after the depression. I hope that future generations gain inspiration from this and build on what is already established.
This is a perfect example of how you’re never too young to have a major impact on the world; creating something as successful as this before college is quite a feat. I find it very interesting that these artists all went to the same high school, and like you, I wonder if their art program was an inspirational backbone to their success. It’s also incredible how these superheroes live on into the 21st century; it seems like every few months there’s another Marvel movie opening in theaters. I personally never got into comic books or was attracted to the superhero scene, but I greatly respect the passion and dedication these artists have, which luckily for them, yielded great success.
Comic Books are an escape from reality unlike any other. The first Comic Book I ever read was “The Amazing SpiderMan” and I have had a deep connection with newer SpiderMan Comics and also Movies and Television Series. As a child I had the Spiderman backpacks and Spiderman water bottle and Spiderman clothing and just about anything else that had Spidermans face on it. Whenever I doze off I begin to imagine what life would be like if I were Spiderman and what I would be doing instead of living a conventional life. I think this points to your general theme that Superheroes provide an escape from reality.
I fully agree with you that comic books are for the most part based of aspects from an ordinary person’s life. In my opinion thats what makes them so appealing and relatable in the first place. Spiderman was so appealing to everyone because in the beginning of the comic he was just and ordinary student just like all of us, and just by chance he became spiderman. I also found it very surprising that three big names from the comic book hall of fames came from the same high school….. Who would’ve thought.
It’s inspiring to have such young students create a ripple effect in the world with fictional characters, a ripple we can still feel the waves of today. I was very surprised to learn that many superheroes were once stories in high school newspapers. A doodle during 4th period math could expand into a comic strip which could be circulated and become popular. Then you might have a book, a series, a movie, a play, or even a theme park ride at Disney World! I wonder if those “Founding Fathers” ever looked back in wonder at where they came from to where they are now (cameos in movies based on their comics!).