Comic Books 101 Read online

  COMIC BOOKS 101

  The HISTORY, METHODS and MADNESS

  CHRIS RYALL and SCOTT TIPTON

  Comic Books 101: The History Methods and Madness. Copyright © 2009 by Chris Ryall and Scott Tipton. Manufactured in China. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by IMPACT Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

  Ryall, Chris.

  Comic books 101 : the history, methods and madness / by Chris Ryall and Scott Tipton. — 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Includes index.

  ISBN 978-1-60061-187-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)

  ISBN 13: 978-1-44030-790-4 (EPUB)

  1. Comic books, strips, etc. — History and criticism. I. Tipton, Scott. II. Title. III. Title: Comic books one hundred one. IV. Title: Comic books one hundred and one.

  PN6710.R93 2009

  741.5′9 — dc22

  2008044966

  Edited by Sarah Laichas

  Designed by Wendy Dunning

  Cover art by Gabriel Rodriguez

  Production coordinated by Matt Wagner

  Introduction © 2008 Stan Lee

  Outro © 2008 by the Kilimanjaro Corporation

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To Jenny, Julie and Lucy, and our families for the enabling, love, patience and support

  To Sarah Laichas, our editor, for making us and the book look so good, and to F+W's Wendy Dunning and Pam Wissman for the opportunity to look good in the first place

  To Bernadette Baker-Baughman and Gretchen Stelter for believing in and championing the project

  To Tom Morris and Matt Morris for the initial push

  To Kevin Smith and Ming Chen for being there at the start

  To Ted Adams and Darlene Anderson for the guidance, support and leadership

  To Mark Engblom, David Messina and Nick Roche for the “Toon Chris and Scott art”

  CHRIS SAYS

  And to Scott, my first friend in comics, my partner on the website where this book got its start and a friend for whom I'd take a gamma bomb blast any day.

  SCOTT SAYS

  And to Chris, who asked me to start this whole Comics 101 thing years ago. If I knew then what I know now … well, I wouldn't change a thing.

  Special thanks to Gabriel Rodriguez for the cover illustration, Charlie Kirchoff, Tom B. Long and Leonard O'Grady for the interior colors, Clive Barker, Joe Casey, Carr D'Angelo, Paul Dini, Harlan Ellison, Mark Evanier, Joe Hill, Joshua Jabcuga, Stan Lee, Brian Lynch, Jud Meyers, Gene Simmons, David Tipton, J.C. Vaughn, Mark Waid and Marv Wolfman for their invaluable contributions

  DEDICATION

  For our mothers, Patricia Ryall and Diane Tipton, who were taken from us three days apart in the fall of 2007, but left us with a lifetime of comic-book encouragement and love.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION BY STAN LEE

  AUTHORS' PREFACE

  PART I THE WAY IT BEGAN

  1 Newspaper Strips vs. Comic Books

  2 The Rise of National Comics

  3 The Golden Age

  4 Timely Comics

  5 Fawcett Comics

  6 Dell and Disney

  7 EC Comics and the Comics Code Authority

  8 Marvel and DC

  9 Image Comics

  10 Indies and Small Press

  11 Manga

  12 Collapse and Recovery

  PART II BREAKING IT DOWN

  1 Anatomy of a Comic Book

  2 The Comic-Book Page

  3 The Roles of Creators

  4 Comic Books vs. Graphic Novels

  PART III GIVE ME DC

  1 Superman

  2 Batman

  3 Wonder Woman

  4 The Flash

  5 Green Lantern

  6 The Justice Society of America

  7 The Justice League of America

  8 Watchmen

  PART IV MAKE MINE MARVEL

  1 Sub-Mariner

  2 Captain America

  3 The Fantastic Four

  4 The Incredible Hulk

  5 Spider-Man

  6 The Mighty Thor

  7 Iron Man

  8 The Avengers

  9 The X-Men

  PART V AROUND THE FOUR-COLOR WORLD

  1 Disney Comics

  2 Image Comics

  3 Dark Horse Comics

  4 Bone

  5 Top Shelf Productions

  6 IDW Publishing

  PART VI THE CREATORS: THE MEN BEHIND SUPERMEN

  1 Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

  2 Bob Kane

  3 Will Eisner

  4 Stan Lee

  5 Jack Kirby

  6 Steve Ditko

  7 Chris Claremont

  8 John Byrne

  9 George Pérez

  10 Frank Miller

  Interlude: Mark Gruenwald

  11 Alan Moore

  12 Neil Gaiman

  13 Grant Morrison

  14 Mark Waid

  PART VII HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD

  1 Superman

  2 Batman

  3 Movies

  4 Television

  SUPPLEMENTAL READING

  SWEET DREAMS BY HARLAN ELLISON ®

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  INTRODUCTION BY STAN LEE

  GREETINGS, FELLOW COMICPHILES!

  Stan “The Man” Lee

  Man, do I wish there had been a volume like Comic Books 101 when I was first getting started in comics. It sure would have made life easier for me. But, since Capricious Chris Ryall and the Professor Scott Tipton decided to get themselves born too late to write their book decades ago when I could have used it, I had to learn about comics the hard way. I hadda work for 'em!

  But after you read this amusing, entertaining, interesting and just plain fun collection of practically everything there is to know about comics, you'll be able to sound like a real pro the next time you're at any of the ever-burgeoning comic cons that are springing up faster than you can say,“Don't forget the hyphen in Spider-Man's name!”

  To me, one of the greatest things about this terrific tome is the fact that it's all-inclusive. It touches on the history of all comics in general (even though I'd naturally have preferred it to be exclusively devoted to Marvel and, ahem, yours truly!). But hey, I can't win 'em all!

  And Chris and Scott cover just about anyone and everyone you'd really want to read about. Think I'm exaggerating? OK, how's this for just enough names to whet your appetite — Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Bob Kane, Steve Ditko, and Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster? And they're only the tip of the iceberg, only a tiny sample of the comic-book greats you'll soon be reading about if I ever finish this inspired introduction.

&n
bsp; I don't know how they do it, but Chris and Scott don't seem to leave anything out. Wouldja believe they even explore (so that you won't have to) the advent of comic books in the late 1930s — and even before that, they glom onto newspaper strip collections that actually led to the creation of comic books. By the time you finish reading this exemplary edition, you'll probably be qualified to teach a comic-book course yourself at any of the nation's leading universities.

  Or, to put it another way, it's essentially a one-stop primer for any comic-book newcomer who wonders why Spider-Man can't challenge Batman or why the Justice League and the Avengers don't battle it out once and for all.

  But let's not forget all of Hollywood's great superhero movies. On the pages that follow, you're about to breathlessly behold the source material that led to the greatest superhero movies of our time, and you'll see how some of the most prominent filmmakers manage to give us the most spectacular superhero movies in the known galaxy!

  But now, I have a matter of the gravest import to discuss with you. I've been agonizing about it for years and need someone to share this heavy burden with. It has to do with the words “comic book.” I say “words,” which is plural, because everyone spells it “comic book,” as if it really is two words. But verily, I say to thee, a “comic book” implies a funny or “comical” book. That's why I've been on a one-man crusade to have it called “comic-book” — one word! That makes it a generic word, which has come to mean a book featuring stories composed of words and illustrations, rather than a “funny” book. This is the only subject Chris Ryall and Scott Tipton haven't yet covered, but admit it — haven't I given them a great idea for a sequel?

  COVER, ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS © 1974 MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, INC. USED WITH PERMISSION. WRITTEN BY STAN LEE. COVER ART BY JOHN ROMITA.

  OK, now that we've covered all these weighty matters together, it's time for me to turn you loose and let you attend the first chapter of Comic Books 101. Read it carefully, hear? There may be an exam.

  Excelsior!

  AUTHORS' PREFACE

  CHRIS RYALL

  When Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man was released as an oversized Treasury Edition comic book back in 1976, it was maybe the biggest event of my life. Sure, the entirety of my existence only dated back about 2,500 days, but still. I innately knew that these two costumed superheroes couldn't just team up — it was impossible, it was unprecedented, it was … well, it was just so amazingly cool.

  It got me thinking. If their pairing was that monumental an event — and it was, according to my older brother Ken, who had four years on me and therefore knew all there was to know — why didn't it happen more often? Why didn't DC's Batman take on Marvel's Doctor Strange? Why wasn't there a flirtation going on between Wonder Woman and Iron Man's playboy alter ego, Tony Stark? These team-ups were potentially comics gold — why weren't more people mining it?

  Conversely, my younger sister Carrie had a Treasury Edition of her own to appreciate — an adaptation of The Wizard Of Oz, also produced through a joint venture between the country's two largest comic-book publishers, Marvel and DC Comics. Again, a quality production that made one wonder why these two powerhouses didn't pair up more often. Why were they selfish with their characters? What other characters were out there that could potentially be paired up?

  These questions assaulted my young brain. So we've written a book to explain it to then-me. More important, it will also explain these things and so much more to you. Whether you're new to comics and curious about which superhero movies are worth your time or you've been a fan for a while and are curious about a character's history, this book was designed with you in mind. Need to know when Marvel, DC and so many other publishers got their start? Curious about the bondage-laced origins of Wonder Woman? Want the truth about the comic-book trials from the '50s or curious about how many millions Superman's creators raked in for creating such an icon? It's all covered here: the good, the bad guys and the ugly truth behind the Superman creators' actual treatment. And much more.

  We've taken our lifetime of comics reading — sorry, I mean research! — and crafted a book that introduces you to the creators, characters and concepts that make up the crazy four-color industry that's as much a part of our blood as cosmic rays are a part of the Richards family's (read on, that will soon make sense even to the neophytes among you). The books Scott cites in his intro that follows were largely the same background I had growing up, so it makes sense that we'd combine forces and pass on what we know. Our own version of Superman vs. Spider-Man, as it were, for your edification and enjoyment. Comics are a hobby that offers something for everyone, and our goal is to help interested parties of all ages and interests find their area of passion here. So thank you for your interest, and welcome to Comic Books 101.

  COVER, SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: © 1976 SUPERMAN™ © DC COMICS. MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, INC. USED WITH PERMISSION.

  SCOTT TIPTON

  For Li'l Scott, it was all about the Megos. When I was little, the popular toys of the time were eight-inch-tall plastic superhero dolls from a toy company called Mego. Mego was selling super-heroes like hotcakes back in the 1970s, and they were putting out as many DC and Marvel heroes as the market would bear. My parents indulged my superhero mania, and as I'd play with the Megos, my father would occasionally drop a nugget or two of superhero knowledge.

  “You know, Captain America used to have a sidekick named Bucky.”

  “When I was a kid, the Human Torch wasn't in the Fantastic Four, and he had a kid named Toro that flew around with him.”

  I'd hear these things, and try to get my head around the fact that superheroes had a history, that they weren't just created that day for my amusement, but had been around for years, long enough to have captured my father's imagination as a kid, just the same way they had mine. I had to know more.

  Luckily, my folks recognized my thirst for superhero knowledge, and soon the books began showing up at the house. Superman and Batman: From the 30s to the 70s, giant hardbound collections of Superman and Batman comics from the past five decades. And best of all, Origins of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee's account of the early days of Marvel and the creation of all its most popular characters.

  I inhaled those books. I read them so often that today they're practically in liquid form. Those books virtually imprinted on my DNA. And yet I still wanted more.

  Off to the library, to special-request all the rest of Stan's Origins books, and other finds like DC's Secret Origins of the DC Super-Heroes. Those led me to other discoveries. Walt Kelly's Pogo. Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge. And the hours spent in the library's reference section poring through Maurice Horn's The World Encyclopedia of Comics (those damned librarians would never let me take that one home).

  All of which brings us to today. A lifetime's worth of comic-book minutiae trapped inside my head, and now, finally, a place to put it to good use.

  For readers just getting introduced to the world of comic books, if we can convey not just the information we've spent a lifetime accumulating, but also our enthusiasm and affection for this great American art form, it'll all be worth it.

  Then again, when I look over and see my Mego Spider-Man still behind the wheel of his Spider Car, or pick up my dog-eared, Scotch-taped copy of Origins of Marvel Comics, I realize: It was always worth it. Every minute.

  Welcome to Comic Books 101.

  PART I

  THE WAY IT BEGAN

  Wherein your intrepid instructors begin their march through the entirety of the comic-book universe; this grand entrance includes an exploration of the origins of the comic book, a sideways glance at the various ages of comics and a run-through of the giants by whose hands was this industry built.

  1 Newspaper Strips vs. Comic Books

  Black, white and spread all overTelling a story by combining words and pictures is nothing new. In fact, it's centuries old. But comic books likely never would have come into existence were it not for the filler that ran on the ba
ck pages of newspapers a hundred years ago.

  STRIP SEARCH

  In the early 1900s, some of the most vibrant, mature storytelling available was found in newspaper comic strips, though this might seem hard to believe now. Today, comic strips are being relegated to an ever-shrinking space in a decreasing number of newspapers. Yet it was this golden age of newspaper strips that begat comic books in much the same way the Titans of myth birthed the pantheon of Greek gods who would eventually eclipse them in authority and power. To understand the importance and differences of both formats, let's start at the beginning.

  The advancement of comic strips as an art form began with the launch of the newspaper strip The Yellow Kid by R.F. Outcault. This comic strip was introduced in the pages of the largest newspaper in the country, Joseph Pulitzer's New York World in 1895. The Yellow Kid is generally accepted as the first newspaper strip, and was the first successful weekly comic strip that actually led to increased circulation for a paper. The Yellow Kid also gave rise to the term “yellow journalism” and was the first strip to be successfully merchandised, too.

  The late 1890s and early 1900s were a heady time for newspapers. A bitter rivalry existed between publishing magnate Pulitzer and his chief competitor, William Randolph Hearst. Two years after its launch in Pulitzer's paper, Outcault took The Yellow Kid to Hearst's New York Journal. Hearst had recently started a Sunday supplement and he featured Kid alongside Rudolph Dirks's popular The Kat-zenjammer Kids, a strip heavily influenced by an 1865 German comic strip, Max und Moritz.

  The race for the next great comic strip was on. This competition led to the launch of other notable strips: Outcault's Buster Brown, George McManus's The Newlyweds, Winsor McCay's brilliant epic Little Nemo in Slumberland and Bud Fisher's wildly successful Mutt & Jeff.