Although American comics have European origins, it is undeniable that what really made American comics famous is the American product that is more familiar to today's readers: superhero .
Ever since the ancestor of superheroes Superman (Superman) came to earth, to this day, superhero comics still account for more than half of the American comic market. The huge amount they have accumulated cannot be introduced in three or four pages. complete.
△The first issue of "Action Comics" with Superman as the cover was created by one of the creators, Joe. Schuster
However, regardless of the development history, character creation, and the world view constructed therein, it is still possible to make a simple and comprehensive introduction, because although superheroes are different, they are actually somewhat similar.
Also, the most concerning question of this book is: In the American comic market dominated by superheroes, how will documentary graphic novels be inevitably affected, and how can we find a way out of it?
Thanks to today's mature comics research discipline, the history of American comics has gained clear divisions and names.
Just like the history of Western art is divided into Renaissance , Baroque and Rococo and other different periods, the development of American comics is divided into three periods gold, silver and bronze , and the basis of classification is basically It is that is divided by the era when representative characters appeared.
As for the development of comics that occurred before the golden age, that is, the period when Topfo's picture stories were introduced to the prosperity of newspaper comics , there is also a metal name: Platinum Age.
After comics began to gain an independent status other than newspapers, in 933, the first publication that met the definition of today's "American comic book" "Famous Funnies" (Famous Funnies) finally appeared in the United States. : A Carnival of Comics).
Although the name is "comic book", American comic books are actually closer to the meaning of "comics journal" in the form of serialization.
This 36-page "Famous Comic Book", a collection of well-known comic characters in American newspapers at that time, can be well-deserved as the representative of American comics; more importantly, has since established the basic format of American comic books:
From 1938 to 1956, American comic books adopted the same number of pages, a printed format (approximately 38 × 28 cm) between newspapers and books, with almost no changes, and of course the appetizing Journal distribution method.
American comic books ushered in the golden age of superheroes in this consistent form.
The emergence of the golden age, the first thing that must be mentioned is the cradle of superheroes "Action Comics" comic journal.
In 1938, "Action Comics" was first published by National Comics Publications (later the famous DC comic ). It was this comic periodical that introduced the star protagonist who still has the charm to this day. Superman 》 is brought to readers all over the world.
This image of Superman, who comes from outside the earth and is almost flawless except for his secret weaknesses, quickly gained popularity among the public after it came out and became a model for almost all superheroes in future generations.
In the political and social context of the ensuing World War II and the Great Depression , it is certainly not difficult to imagine that this image of "justice must prevail" or the "American savior" will be supported. s reason.
Even after Superman, Captain America , which appeared in the 1940s, directly applied this national identity to the character name.
Although it was later combined with its own Avengers story, it is undeniable that the purpose of Captain America's initial design was to promote as the national image of the United States. :
During the war, use comic media that is easy for everyone to understand. , inspires people's patriotic sentiment and recognition.
In fact, there are few works that are so unabashedly used as war propaganda . Therefore, it is not surprising that the creator of "Captain America" was once protested and even intimidated by anti-war people.
However, just as extreme pacifists usually only constitute a minority in society, "Captain America" has not become less popular as a result, but has gained higher-profile support.
Therefore, under the leadership of pioneers such as Superman and Captain America, not only did Action Comics continue to create heroic characters that swept the world, but other comic periodicals and publishing houses also gradually joined the fantasy universe full of superheroes, making the United States Comics are almost synonymous with superhero comics.
DC, Atlas Comics , which was later renamed Marvel (Marvel), from "Famous Comics" to Dell Publishing which published the first "Disney Comics", plus Archie Comics , which focuses on teen heroes.
These comic book publishing houses were not only the main generators of superheroes at the time, but after successive silver and bronze periods, they combined with the Hollywood film industry that dominated the world and are still dominating the market today. Don't shake.
△"Asian" The first issue of the "Captain America" comic released in 1941
Regardless of the gold, silver and bronze periods, the more important issue for the development of today's graphic novels is.
After the initial craze, although superhero comics still account for the majority of American comic creations, can American comics find other paths?
This question should probably be answered first by a character who subverts the general image of superheroes.
In 1986, in the ranks of superhero works, a "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" appeared.
Although readers are familiar with the Batman character originally owned by DC Comics, the stories of Batman are actually created by different authors in turn, so Batman in different chapters also has different personalities. Supporting characters and background settings, etc.
this time comes from Frank. The biggest difference between Frank Miller's version and previous authors is that he emphasizes the dark character of Batman, the antihero.
And in the same year, Allen appeared. Moore's "Guardians" .
In this comic work, which is the only comic in the history of to win the Hugo Award the literary award, almost every "hero" has his or her own struggles and distortions.
Compared with superhero comics with bright and righteous images, the characters in "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Guardians" obviously present with a deeper and more serious discussion of human nature.
The protagonists of heroic comics will also have flaws, not just superficial weaknesses like stones from aliens, but and ordinary humans who have the dark side of inner struggle.
Judging from the critical acclaim of these two works, the anti-heroes will not lose their charm because they reveal their deep dark characters. On the contrary, in terms of subjective recognition, readers will be better able to understand these experiences of great pain and ultimately The character who breaks through himself, is the real hero in the minds of readers.
Because of this, whether the author agrees with it or not, in an era when the meaning of the term "graphic novel" is gradually being recognized, these two collected works, due to their serious themes and basically unsuitable features for children, It has been repeatedly used as an example of graphic novels, used to demonstrate a fundamental difference from ordinary comics.
As if the authors had made an appointment in advance, the revolutionary documentary work "Maus" also began to be serialized at a very close time. These works with new visions broke through the horizons of American comic readers one after another.
Under this trend, more and more creators choose to escape the world of superheroes and try independent creations of documentary or fiction. Modern graphic novels begin to show their prominence.
Finally, under the influence of the hippie style of the 160s, the underground comics (underground comix) that challenged the conventional also began to break taboos on various themes and impact the established value system.
Although the early underground comics soon declined, these works undoubtedly inspired later alternative comics. Cartoonists held the spirit of artistic experimentation and tried various possible comic themes.
Alternative graphic novels have gained a place to survive outside the highly competitive mainstream superhero comics.
Interestingly, in addition to the many independent authors with different styles, another reason why American comics broke the established image of superheroes was none other than an important stage in the history of art around the same time:
American pop art that embraces popular culture (Pop art).
Orthodox art and popular culture are two categories that are incompatible with each other at first glance, but through the bridge built by popular artists, they have had an unignorable impact on the American comics industry.
and Pop artist Roy. Lichtenstein is a representative figure as a bridge. However, critics and general audiences alike initially thought that Lichtenstein's approach was not art at all.
△Lichtenstein's "Drowning Girl", oil painting and synthetic paint.
In particular, when Lichtenstein published his huge oil painting "Drowning Girl" for the first time in 1963, the audience at the time was dumbfounded because this huge picture was taken directly from DC. The full color page of one issue of the comic "Secret Hearts" .
But just like Andy. Just like the example of Warhol's "Comba Soup Can" , the Pop artists' shocking approach at the time has now been generally recognized.
Pop art explores the essence of popular culture. They deliberately and directly appropriate commercial images that are printed in large quantities in daily culture, and often enlarge these trivial objects that are usually regarded as unimportant, amplify them to an unequal and huge scale. Force people to face up to and think about their existence in life.
Lichtenstein's subsequent works also continued to capture techniques from comics, such as thick black outlines, dots and dialog boxes , etc.
As pop art is gradually recognized by orthodox art, the importance and artistic value of comic media to contemporary life are also recognized.
This can be regarded as "saving" American comics to a certain extent. More cartoonists are creating with an attitude of facing real art, and more and more readers are willing to appreciate serious works. Comic works .
At this point, comics are no longer just regarded as popular cultural products and can only linger on the edge of the art category, but have officially entered the palace of art history.
Perhaps it can be said that, despite choosing a completely different path from the European comics pioneers, American comics ultimately followed the example of their European counterparts in treating comics as an "orthodox" art category .
Although it was later combined with its own Avengers story, it is undeniable that the purpose of Captain America's initial design was to promote as the national image of the United States. :
During the war, use comic media that is easy for everyone to understand. , inspires people's patriotic sentiment and recognition.
In fact, there are few works that are so unabashedly used as war propaganda . Therefore, it is not surprising that the creator of "Captain America" was once protested and even intimidated by anti-war people.
However, just as extreme pacifists usually only constitute a minority in society, "Captain America" has not become less popular as a result, but has gained higher-profile support.
Therefore, under the leadership of pioneers such as Superman and Captain America, not only did Action Comics continue to create heroic characters that swept the world, but other comic periodicals and publishing houses also gradually joined the fantasy universe full of superheroes, making the United States Comics are almost synonymous with superhero comics.
DC, Atlas Comics , which was later renamed Marvel (Marvel), from "Famous Comics" to Dell Publishing which published the first "Disney Comics", plus Archie Comics , which focuses on teen heroes.
These comic book publishing houses were not only the main generators of superheroes at the time, but after successive silver and bronze periods, they combined with the Hollywood film industry that dominated the world and are still dominating the market today. Don't shake.
△"Asian" The first issue of the "Captain America" comic released in 1941
Regardless of the gold, silver and bronze periods, the more important issue for the development of today's graphic novels is.
After the initial craze, although superhero comics still account for the majority of American comic creations, can American comics find other paths?
This question should probably be answered first by a character who subverts the general image of superheroes.
In 1986, in the ranks of superhero works, a "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" appeared.
Although readers are familiar with the Batman character originally owned by DC Comics, the stories of Batman are actually created by different authors in turn, so Batman in different chapters also has different personalities. Supporting characters and background settings, etc.
this time comes from Frank. The biggest difference between Frank Miller's version and previous authors is that he emphasizes the dark character of Batman, the antihero.
And in the same year, Allen appeared. Moore's "Guardians" .
In this comic work, which is the only comic in the history of to win the Hugo Award the literary award, almost every "hero" has his or her own struggles and distortions.
Compared with superhero comics with bright and righteous images, the characters in "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Guardians" obviously present with a deeper and more serious discussion of human nature.
The protagonists of heroic comics will also have flaws, not just superficial weaknesses like stones from aliens, but and ordinary humans who have the dark side of inner struggle.
Judging from the critical acclaim of these two works, the anti-heroes will not lose their charm because they reveal their deep dark characters. On the contrary, in terms of subjective recognition, readers will be better able to understand these experiences of great pain and ultimately The character who breaks through himself, is the real hero in the minds of readers.
Because of this, whether the author agrees with it or not, in an era when the meaning of the term "graphic novel" is gradually being recognized, these two collected works, due to their serious themes and basically unsuitable features for children, It has been repeatedly used as an example of graphic novels, used to demonstrate a fundamental difference from ordinary comics.
As if the authors had made an appointment in advance, the revolutionary documentary work "Maus" also began to be serialized at a very close time. These works with new visions broke through the horizons of American comic readers one after another.
Under this trend, more and more creators choose to escape the world of superheroes and try independent creations of documentary or fiction. Modern graphic novels begin to show their prominence.
Finally, under the influence of the hippie style of the 160s, the underground comics (underground comix) that challenged the conventional also began to break taboos on various themes and impact the established value system.
Although the early underground comics soon declined, these works undoubtedly inspired later alternative comics. Cartoonists held the spirit of artistic experimentation and tried various possible comic themes.
Alternative graphic novels have gained a place to survive outside the highly competitive mainstream superhero comics.
Interestingly, in addition to the many independent authors with different styles, another reason why American comics broke the established image of superheroes was none other than an important stage in the history of art around the same time:
American pop art that embraces popular culture (Pop art).
Orthodox art and popular culture are two categories that are incompatible with each other at first glance, but through the bridge built by popular artists, they have had an unignorable impact on the American comics industry.
and Pop artist Roy. Lichtenstein is a representative figure as a bridge. However, critics and general audiences alike initially thought that Lichtenstein's approach was not art at all.
△Lichtenstein's "Drowning Girl", oil painting and synthetic paint.
In particular, when Lichtenstein published his huge oil painting "Drowning Girl" for the first time in 1963, the audience at the time was dumbfounded because this huge picture was taken directly from DC. The full color page of one issue of the comic "Secret Hearts" .
But just like Andy. Just like the example of Warhol's "Comba Soup Can" , the Pop artists' shocking approach at the time has now been generally recognized.
Pop art explores the essence of popular culture. They deliberately and directly appropriate commercial images that are printed in large quantities in daily culture, and often enlarge these trivial objects that are usually regarded as unimportant, amplify them to an unequal and huge scale. Force people to face up to and think about their existence in life.
Lichtenstein's subsequent works also continued to capture techniques from comics, such as thick black outlines, dots and dialog boxes , etc.
As pop art is gradually recognized by orthodox art, the importance and artistic value of comic media to contemporary life are also recognized.
This can be regarded as "saving" American comics to a certain extent. More cartoonists are creating with an attitude of facing real art, and more and more readers are willing to appreciate serious works. Comic works .
At this point, comics are no longer just regarded as popular cultural products and can only linger on the edge of the art category, but have officially entered the palace of art history.
Perhaps it can be said that, despite choosing a completely different path from the European comics pioneers, American comics ultimately followed the example of their European counterparts in treating comics as an "orthodox" art category .
