- For the Elseworlds series, see JSA: The Golden Age.
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period beginning in 1938 and ending in the mid '50s.
History
During this "Golden Age," comic books became more popular, with the concept of superhero created and firmly established. Many famous heroes made their first appearance in the Golden Age, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern.
The era was kick-started by the publishing of Action Comics #1 in June, 1938, which featured the first appearance of Superman and the superhero. Superman became extremely popular. Soon, superheroes dominated the pages of comic books from DC Comics, Timely Comics (later known as Marvel Comics), Quality Comics and Fawcett Publications.
The Second World War had a profound effect on the Golden Age. Comic books became known as cheap and portable sources of entertainment, with good triumphing over evil. War bonds were advertised on comics covers and stories were full of propaganda.
The era ended in the mid '50s, with the release of more gritty stories by many companies, the cancellation of long running series such as All-Star Comics (Volume 1) (starring the Justice Society of America), and the publication of Seduction of the Innocent, by Dr. Fredric Wertham, who argued that superhero comic books led to juvenile delinquency. After this, the Silver Age began.
Notes
- Golden Age is also the name of a 1993-1994 limited series.
- The DC Database includes the period from the 1935 publication of New Fun Comics #1, which is retroactively regarded as the first DC comic, to Superman's 1938 debut as part of the Golden Age. This period is sometimes also called the "Platinum Age".
Trivia
- The Ages of Comic Books by Davey Beauchamp uses the term "Atom Age" (citing Overstreet) for the 1946-1956 period of the Golden Age.
See Also