The Birth: A Brief History Of Western Comic Books Part 1

What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘comic book’?

For many, it’s been a familiar part of our culture for most of (if not, all) our lives. Whether it’s drama-fueled Japanese manga or the cape-clad American muscle heroes, the vibrant world of comics has captivated readers for decades.

Communication via images dates as far back as the thirty-second century BC, when the Egyptians devised their original iconic form; hieroglyphs. The hieroglyphic catalogue consisted of over one thousand images to express a range of objectives, from generalised imagery and emotions to highly specific photonics.

However, it wasn’t until 1837 when the first recorded graphic novel appeared in the Western world. Titled The Adventures Of Mr Obadiah Oldbuck, it was written and illustrated by Swiss caricaturist, Rodolphe Töpffer. First published in Geneva, Switzerland, it made its way to London in 1841. The plot was a comfortable one, consisting of suitors, long-sword duelling and marriage-based disputes; very reminiscent of its classical predecessors in the mainstream world of fictional storytelling.

However, the true integration of comic books into Western pop culture took root on September 16th, 1894. This began with just another issue of The New York World Newspaper, a daily Democratic news source in which American cartoonist, Richard F. Outcault, published his first full-page, six-panel comic strip. The comic strip was titled Uncle Eben’s Ignorance Of The City and was the first in a series known as The Yellow Kid. An amusing depiction of life, infused with adult-aimed satirical commentary, it proved both enjoyable and cathartic for the everyday reader.

With the overwhelming popularity of The Yellow Kid, it wasn’t long before comic strips became a newspaper staple.

For the most part, however, the comic strip format remained a short, one-page dose of humour-based commentary; a brief interlude of escapism for readers during the grim looming of The Great Depression.

That is until 1933 when Famous Funnies appeared.

Famous Funnies began life as an anthology of these serialised newspaper strips. It was first published in the United States by Eastern Colour Printing. Popular culture historians have since awarded it the title of first-ever true American comic book.

This provided readers with a more substantial dose of comic-based reverie, as well as creating a neat little time capsule for the political goings-on of the era.

The public quickly took to this new form of visual literature and following the success of Famous Funnies, the title became a monthly (and later bi-monthly) issue, the second of which marked the start of original material produced specifically for the book.

With the format set and already demonstrating a healthy track record of success, others were quick to follow suit.

One of the most notable newcomers was Action Comics and their debut of the now world-renowned Superman in 1938. The powerful first appearance of Kent Clark served as an inspiration to the writers and artists of the Western world and thus began the colourful, cape-wearing world of Superheroes.

Hence an era now referred to as the “golden age” of comic books was born, introducing future household names such as Wonderwoman, Batman, Captain America, The Green Lantern and many, many more!

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A Brief History of Western Comic Books Part 2: The Horror Shift