hi-res PDF - MSU Dept of History

COMICS, IN THE BEGINNING
from prehistory to the golden age
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RODOLPHE TÖPFFER
the father of the comic book
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Rodolphe Töpffer (January 31, 1799 -
June 8, 1846)
Aspired to be a painter - became teachingdirector
of boys prep school.
Published a number of scholarly literary
analyses
1832 - appointed as chair of Rhetoric and
Belles-Lettres at the University of Geneva
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Histoire de M. Vieux Bois (Les Amours de Mr. Vieux
Bois or Monsieur Vieuxbois)
Created 1827, first published 1837
Published in the United States as The Adventures
of Obadiah Oldbuck - as a newspaper supplement
(1842)
30 pages, each of which had between one and six
illustrated panels & associated text
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Töpffer published a total of 7 works:
Histoire de M. Jabot (1831/1833) The adventures of a middle class dandy who attempts to enter contemporary Upper class.
Monsieur Crépin (1837) The adventures of a father who employs a series of tutors for his children & falls prey to their
eccentricities.
Histoire de M. Vieux Bois (1827/1837)
Monsieur Pencil -(1831/1849) An escalating series of events beginning with an artist losing his sketch to the blowing wind and
almost resulting in a global war.
Histoire d'Albert (1845) The adventures of an inexperienced young man in search of a career. After many attempts he ends up
as a journalist in support of radical ideas.
Histoire de Monsieur Cryptogame (1845) The story of a lepidopterist who goes to great lengths to replace his current lover
with a more suitable one.
Le Docteur Festus (1831/1846) A scientist wanders the world, offering assistance. He is blissfully unaware that disaster marks
his path.
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THE FOUNDATION OF THE MODERN COMIC
BOOK
the newspaper comic strip & the pulp magazine
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THE BIRTH OF THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY
the funnies, dell publishing, & eastern color printing
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The Funnies (1929) - Dell Publishing (printed by
Eastern Color Printing)
16 page tabloid-format collection of comic strips
that came out regularly on Saturdays
sold for 10¢ (later reduced to 5¢)
contained original material - not reprints
lasted on 36 issues
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Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (retired U.S. Army
Major)
forced to retire from the army - began writing pulp
adventure and military stories.
1934 - founded National Allied Publications
wanted to publish comics with original content -
was unaware of the failure of Dell Publishing’s
Funnies
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Detective Comics (1937)
Wheeler-Nicholson was forced into partnership
with Donenfeld & Liebowitz
Detective Comics #1 was released by a newly
formed company: Detective Comics Inc.
By late 1937, Wheeler-Nicholson turned National
Allied Publications over to Donenfeld to cover his
debts
In 1938, Wheeler-Nicholson sold his stake in
Detective Comics Inc. Donenfeld
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the birth of the
SUPERHERO
(oh yeah, and the golden age too)
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june
1938
(cue dramatic music)
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June, 1938 - Action Comics #1
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Published by Detective Comics Inc
Siegel & Shuster were paid 10$/page for a 13
page story - $130 dollars in total.
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Timely Comics
Martin Goodman
Published pulp magazines including All Star
Adventure Fiction, Complete Western Book,
Mystery Tales, Uncanny Stories, and Star Detective
Contracted with a comic book packager called
Funnies Inc. (to supply him with original material)
Marvel Comics #1 (1939)
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Contained several new superhero characters: Human
Torch (an android), Angel (a costumed detective), and
Namor the Sub-Mariner (mutant anti-hero)
sold out its first print run of 80,000 copies
2nd print run sold approximately 800,000 copies.
Based on the success, Goodman hired Joe Simon &
Jack Kirby as an in-house staff.
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