Making its debut as an american newspaper comic strip in 1936, the phantom was the forerunner of the comicbook superhero genre that today animates vast billiondollar franchises spanning print, film, television, video games, and licensed merchandise. The term superhero, as we use it today, basically boils down to this guy. The book was pleasant to read and felt a like a novel rendition of all the events that would happen in a comic book, but from a firstperson perspective. The first female comic book superheroes in history screenrant. The colorful history of comic books and newspaper cartoon strips. The success of the xmen tv series had made 20th century fox license the film rights in 1994. Below is a list of the rarest, classic, and sought after superhero comic books of all time.
Every superhero and comic book movie in chronological order. Then, in 1966, two white, jewish, first generation american creators, stan lee and jack kirby, revolutionized comic books by introducing the first black superhero. Next came the original batwoman and batgirl, in order to create a batfamily that more closely approximated a wholesome nuclear family. Every superhero and comic book movie in chronological. Mar 02, 2018 the first black superhero, the first black comic book hero, and the first lobo by d. But youve probably never heard of ityou probably think superman inaugurated the. The character of superman has gone through a number of changes in those 80 years and those changes are perhaps best realized simply by looking at the evolution of action comics itself. Black or africanamerican comic book superheroes were nonexistent in the two major comic book companies until the mid1960s. The first american comic book, funnies on parade, was published in 1933.
Then, in 1966, two white, jewish, firstgeneration american creators, stan lee and jack kirby, revolutionized comic books by introducing the first black superhero. First superhero ever and oldest comic book youtube. Since the debut of superman in 1938 by jerry siegel and joe shuster, stories of superheroes ranging from. The most expensive super hero comic books are usually first issues, those released in limited copies, and superhero comic books that mark an important change in a superheros life. C based on a nonsuperhero comic book s an original superhero story not based on a comic book cc based around comic book culture in the real world. The strip proved so popular that national launched superman into his own selftitled comic book, the first for any superhero, premiering with. The crimefighting martial artist first appeared in marvel premiere no. Although this practice continued, it became the norm to have issues featuring just one superheros story. So he was the first black character in comic books to have his own title and the first character named lobo. Who was the first ever superhero in comic book history. Superman is an ongoing american comic book series featuring the dc comics superhero superman as its main protagonist.
The film became the first marvel property to win an oscar and the then highestgrossing comic book adaptation until the release of sam raimis spiderman in 2002. Lobo is a cowboy and totally different from the character with the same name in dc. Although it looked more like a picture book than what most americans would consider to be a comic book, its author, switzerlands rudolphe topffer, is widely considered to be the creator of the picture story, comic strip, and graphic novel comic book. The first black superhero, the first black comic book hero. A superhero also known as a super hero or super hero is a fictional character of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derringdo in the public interest. Film historians may dig deep into the vaults of saturday morning serials to discuss various heroes and villains who excited the movie audiences imaginations of the late 1930s through 1950s, but to date only one fulllength movie has been proposed as the first almost featurelength superhero movie. However, according to most sources, the first superhero ever was t he phantom. Most scholars think that superman was the first superhero in comic books.
The first ethiopian comic book, jember, weaves a superhero story about the journey of an ambitious young man. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in. So perhaps on one hand a stigma is slowly receding. Our movie theater curtains are bursting at the seams with superhero stories and fans are so infatuated with their spandex. Why the first black superhero was not the one you think the. Iron fist, american comic strip superhero created for marvel comics by writer roy thomas and artist gil kane. George brenners the clock was a forerunner for most superhero comic book plots, since he was around so much earlier than the other superheroes. Since the debut of superman in 1938 by jerry siegel and joe. Why the first black superhero was not the one you think.
Nov 27, 2019 the swiss artist rodolphe topffer is credited with creating the first multipanel comic in 1827 and the first illustrated book, the adventures of obadiah oldbuck, a decade later. Superhero comics are one of the most common genres of american comic books. The first masked and costumed superheroine and of natural birth, however, was the woman in red, created by richard hughes and george mandel for. The union introduces new superteam to marvels comic. Often cited as perhaps the earliest superhero akin to those to become popularized through american comic books. Black panther is first superhero movie nominated for. And thats how the comic book industry survived for decades. The movie, a quick cashin from the campy 1966 tv series starring adam west, it would be nearly three decades before a. While he doesnt have any discernible lion powers he does seem to have exceptional agility, hearing and aggression. Dependsare we talking superhero as in comic book, comic strip, book or tv.
It recounted the adventures of kit walker, who donned a mask and purple outfit to become the phantom aka the ghost who walks. Pulps were small 10 cent books sold on the newsstands, usually filled with action heroes going to exotic places and having adventures. The first issue of a longrunning comic book series is commonly the rarest and most desirable to collectors. The union introduces new superteam to marvels comic book. The book was pleasant to read and felt a like a novel rendition of all the events that would happen in a comic book, but from a first person perspective. He debuted in new fun 6 october 1935, by jerry siegel and joe shuster under the pseudonyms leger and reuths. They were all under the general name, timely comics.
This comic book is also the first featuring a superhero, and is considered to be the most valuable comic in the world. The comic publisher that would eventually become marvel comics released their first comic book, marvel comics. The following is a list of the first known appearances of various superhero fictional characters and teams. That series was retitled marvel mystery comics very quickly. There were previous superheroes the first being spring heeled jack and even previous superheroes in comics the earliest is mandrake the magician. Evans published the first and only issue of a comic book aimed exclusively at black readers, made solely by black creators and featuring only black. He debuted in his own newspaper comic strip on february.
The union introduces new superteam to marvels comic book universe this may. Top websites about first black comic book superhero. If you mean the origin of the comic book superhero, im inclined to go. Before superman, before batman, there wasthe phantom. From his blue uniform to his flowing red cape to the s shield on his chest, superman is one of the most immediately recognizable and beloved dc super heroes of all time.
Apr 25, 2012 in this newer generation, comic book films are becoming more popular and successful. He first appeared on the scene in 1938 at the height of nazi aggression in europe. Prior to the release of this issue, comic books normally featured several characters and a variety of stories in one publication. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive the man of steel fights a neverending battle for truth, justice, and the american way.
Comic book collectors are often lifelong enthusiasts of the comic book stories, and they usually focus on particular heroes and attempt to assemble the entire run of a title. Kane andrews is just another one of the billions of people on earth who watch as richter, the worlds first superhuman, goes on a rampage. Silvamarvel entertainment a fivepart series will feature britains first line of superhero defense. An individual with extraordinary abilities, who uses said abil. However, it was not like timely comics was something that they thought was some great brand name. After a few days of wondering who the first superhero ever was, we decided to do our research.
The earliest comic books simply reprinted comic strips from the newspapers. Namor the submariner was the first marvel superhero and made his debut appearance in 1939. After the civil war ended there was yet another battle. As a college graduate, the main character, amanuel tilahun, is seen struggling to find a job in addis ababa, an aspect many young ethiopians can relate to. The first comic book is generally considered by famous funnies, which appeared in 1934. After the comic book boom and the success of several comic book adaptation films including superhero films in the 1990s, the first decade of the 21st century brought increased interest in superhero films and some of their most profitable franchises, many from marvel enterprises. Jun 25, 2019 first, they gave bruce wayne an aunt to live with him, dick and alfred, so theyd have a womans presence in the batcave. Apr 21, 2019 however, according to most sources, the first superhero ever was t he phantom. The character was created by william blake bill everett and was first published by timely comics, the precursor to marvel comics. He probably just misses out on being a superhero, but he is certainly a hero. The harvey heroes did team up in one black cat story, and then were featured in stories behind the cover as americas star heroes in speed comics. Value of superhero comic books super hero comics values.
A year ago, james mangolds logan became the first superhero movie to receive recognition in the writing categories. The precursor to the modern comic book has a long and interesting history with roots lying deep in the european development of the. Meet the creator of ethiopias first comic book superhero. The phantom is officially the first superhero ever and is consequently the first costumed fiction character ever. Until, with the whole world watching, kane surprises himself by flying up to catch someone the supervillain has thrown off a building. Created by lee falk usa, the first superhero was the phantom, who debuted in his own newspaper comic strip on 17 feb 1936. Captain america is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by marvel comics. First, they gave bruce wayne an aunt to live with him, dick and alfred, so theyd have a womans presence in the batcave. Then theres the difference between super hero and hero whereas being a super.
History of superheroes timeline timetoast timelines. The movie, a quick cashin from the campy 1966 tv series starring adam west, it would be nearly three decades before a single comic book superhero made a bigscreen dent. I really enjoyed being able to see how kane felt as he came into his powers and figured out his role in the grand scheme of things. Each of the books 40 pages contained several picture panels with accompanying text underneath. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in the 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in north america since the 1960s.
Blade was also a mix of a more traditional action film as well as darker superhero film with the title character having vampire powers as well as carrying an arsenal of weaponry. It was the birth of superman, the first comic book character to have powers greater than any human being, setting the. The colorful history of comic books and newspaper cartoon. Comic book franchise universes also go through several reboots and resets, and as such, there are different eras and universes where superheroes have different. The first superhero character was introduced in action comics no. The following is a list of the first known appearances of various superhero fictional characters and teams a superhero also known as a super hero or super hero is a fictional character of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derringdo in the public interest. As such, a crimefighting adventurer does not have to literally have some super. It was the birth of superman, the first comic book character to have powers greater than any human being, setting the stage for more superhero characters to follow. Jason cooper on march 2, 2018 in guest columns it took over half a century between the black panthers first appearance fantastic four july 1966 and the movie. In this newer generation, comic book films are becoming more popular and successful. The first time that a bad guy unmasked a superhero happened a shockingly long time ago. Superhero comics feature stories about superheroes and the universes these characters inhabit. Our movie theater curtains are bursting at the seams with superhero stories and fans are.
But there has been the usual hype in which the press release and the board presentation somehow becomes a primary source for history and people start thinking the black panther was the. However, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was reinvented as a crimefighter with a disguise, secret lair, and gadgets, hallmarks of superheroes. In their latest spotlight on notable comic firsts, csbg reveals the first time that a supervillain unmasked a superhero in a comic book. Namor was first created for a giveaway comic book that was never released. Stan lee, cocreator of spiderman and other usually disguised superheroes, says his earliest inspiration in the genre was novel hero sir percy blakeney, a. By the author of the comic book heroes, killing monsters, and scores of successful comic books and screenplays, men of tomorrow is the first book to tell the surprising story of the young jewish misfits, hustlers and nerds who invented the superhero and the comic book industry. For a list of comic book supervillain debuts, see list of comic book supervillain debuts. The first superhero of comic books or graphic novels was superman. The man of steel is the ultimate symbol of truth, justice, and hope. Jan 15, 2020 who was the first superhero to be unmasked by a supervillain. May 18, 2017 prior to the release of this issue, comic books normally featured several characters and a variety of stories in one publication. Two comicbook characters have a claim to being the first female superhero.