American Comics Timeline

8/6/2019 American Comics Timeline

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American Comic Books

A Timeline.


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1895

The New York World, owned by

Joseph Pulitzer, begins publishing

a series of comics by Richard

Outcault taking place in Hogan's

Alley, and featuring a boy in a

yellow nightshirt who becomes

known as "The Yellow Kid."


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1905

Little Nemo in Slumberland, by

Winsor McCay, begins running in

the New York Herald. The first

comic with a continuing story, it

is still noted as one of the most

richly illustrated comic strips of

all time. Having a continuingstory is a convention of American

style comic books.


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1937

The first issue ofDetective

Comics is released by the

company that will

eventually be named DC

Comics. (DC is an

abbreviation for "Detective

Comics.") DC Comics is still one of the

Big Two comic publishers.


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1938

Action Comics makes its first

appearance, and features the

first superhero ever:

Superman. He can run faster

than a train, leap over tall

buildings, and block bullets

withhis chest, but isn't yetable to fly. The character is a

hit, and many more

superh

ero comics follow.


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1939

"The Bat-Man" makes his

first appearance in

Detective Comics. Unlike

Superman, Batman has no

powers; he fights crime

using martial arts,

technology, and his mind.


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1939 (again!)

Timely Comics releases

Marvel Comics, including

Prince Namor the Sub-

Mariner and several other

heroes. Timely will

eventually be renamed

Marvel. Marvel is the other Big

Two comic publisher


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1939 once more

First appearance ofThe Flash, (An important

superhero in comics culture to this day).


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1940

DC presents Alan

Scott, who makes a

ring that allows him

to use the light of

the GreenLantern.

To this day, Green

Lanternis a popularsuperhero.


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1940

Brenda Starr debuts. Thestar of the strip is aredheaded reporter whooften visits exotic places.

It's notable for beingcreated by a woman,Dale Messick. The stripcontinues to be female-created, still running

today, being written byMary Schmich and drawnby June Brigman.


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1941

First appearance ofCaptain America forwhat will be Marvel

comics First appearance of

Wonder Woman forDC. (WonderWoman is createdby a psychiatrist toembody femaleideals ofheroism).


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1959

Supergirl, cousin

of Superman

created.


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1961

Marvel presents Stan Lee's TheFantastic Four, a superherogroup consisting of Mr.Fantastic, The Invisible Girl,

The Thing, and The HumanTorch. Unusually, the teammembers didn't hide their realidentities (Reed Richards,Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and

Johnny Storm). Reed and Susanwould marry in 1965.


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The same year.

First appearance

of the Incredible

Hulk.


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1963

X Men number 1

published. No Wolverine

yet. The original team is

the Angel, the Beast,

Cyclops, Iceman, and

Marvel Girl.


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1964

First appearance of

Daredevil. A

blind attorney by

day, crime

fighting vigilante

by night.


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1986

First wave of comicstargeted directly at adults.Art Spiegelmans Maus,Frank Millers The Dark

Knight Returns and AlanMoores Watchmen allpublished in 1986.Considered serious worksWatchmen is regarded as

one of the greatest novels,(graphic or otherwise), ofthe 20th Century.


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1989

The Sandman is publishedby DC comics. Still the onlycomic book to win a HugoNebula Fantasy Award.

DC decides to publishTheSandman and Swamp Thingusing a new company,Vertigo comics. Vertigoexclusively deal with adult

content.


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2002

Shonen Jump, a Japanese

Manga, is published in

English for the first time,

selling 300000 copies it is

a huge success.


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2008

Both DC comics and Marvel

have continuing success

with their movie properties.

Iron Man is a huge success.The Dark Knight wins a

posthumous Oscar for its

villain Heath Ledger.


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2009

The unfilmable Watchmen, is filmed.

Marvel industries is sold to Disney for $4 billion.

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American Comics Timeline