The Evolution of Comics in America
"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears/ It's a world of hopes, and a world of fears"("It's a Small World" 1-2). When Robert and Richard Sherman wrote this song, they probably were not thinking of its double meaning. Not only do they talk about the earth people live in today, but they also speak of the comic world, without even realizing it. Comics have been a major communication throughout the years. They have stood for beliefs, had adventures, made many laugh, and many cry. Comics bring out emotions in everyone who reads them, which is why comics were so popular then and now. Since comics are still enjoyed today, many do not even realize the good and bad times comics had in the Early Years, the Golden Era, and the Later Years.
Comics have a history that goes far back in time.
(l to r) William Moulton Marston, H. G. Peter, She...
Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the first comic from...
Comic book superherosHistorians consider the first comics to be the cave paintings of Indians. They portrayed life as it was back then, and when translated correctly they can tell the most amazing stories. The early political cartoons are the second oldest comics. They were usually inspired by the trials Americans were having with the British. The most famous political cartoon would have to be Benjamin Franklin's divided snake in 1776. It says, "Join or Die," and contains a snake divided in the thirteen sections, one for each colony ("Comic Book Legal"). As the years went on many other political cartoons came to life. The political cartoons were the start of a new type of reading that would affect America for the rest of time.
The first colored comic to be shown in the newspaper was of a little boy in a dirty yellow nightshirt. It was titled the Yellow Kid, and Richard...