I don't often touch upon the real-world aspects of the comic book genre, but I'm sure you or at least someone you know has asked "why do people even read comic books". Like most simple questions, the answer is more complicated than you think and changes over time.
In their original form, comic books started out as the "funnies" from American newspapers in the 1920's-1930's simply stapled together into one collected volume. Good to know even back then readers could get a trade paperback instead of collecting every issue. Eventually publishers ran out of funnies and had to hire writers and artists to write new ones to continue these comedic books, or "comic books". Stories went on to span beyond comedy to horror, science fiction, romance and adventure stories, then two young Jewish men named Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster managed to get their own character into a comic book and from there Superman would inspire an unimaginable amount of characters with powers, costumes and epic tales of heroism. This was the dawn of superheroes.
And sure, the prospect of children reading about these amazing characters was a given. Children didn't have much indoor entertainment back then so giving them a combination of children's novels and picture books was likely healthy for them. More so when parents saw these "Superheroes" as good role models for children. During World War II, characters like Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and the newly created Captain America represented America's fight against Nazi Germany, giving both men, women and children a reason to read comic books if not to see the enemy get a beating from their favorite heroes. Comic books were even sent oversees to the troops to keep up moral, some of these troops who returned home would go on to keep reading these characters.
It was around the 1960's and 1970's that comics were boosting in popularity, most likely due to the many iconic characters to come out of Marvel Comic legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Thor, Doctor Strange and The Avengers were all breakout characters who added a layer of personality to an otherwise basic comic book genre. And these characters were relatable too, Spider-Man was a teenager who was growing into an adult, The X-Men were judged for their powers just as people were judged for being homosexual or a different skin color, Doctor Strange's weird stories gelled with the hippie movement and Iron Man represented America's pro-war agenda. Characters like The Punisher and Blade pushed the envelope for what was socially acceptable from superheroes, and even DC Comic's Teen Titans were building credit off of being both a superhero book and a teen-drama book. These books helped keep readership steady even during the time when the Comic's Code of Authority was trying to censer comic books.
From the 1970's to the 1990's, parents started throwing out their children's comic books as a way of telling the kids to grow up. Because of this, comic books from the 1940's to the 1960's started become rare, and when something is rare it becomes valuable. The first issue of Action Comics could make you a millionaire because so many American parents thought the books were useless. Because of the sudden bump in value, comic publishers thought that all they had to do was print more first issues and they'd fly off the shelves thanks to collectors and investors. This spawned (pun) one of the factors of the Dark Age of The 90's: devaluation. See, because so many people were buying first issues of 90's comics the value dropped because everyone already had and kept safe these new books. It was this poor business strategy that almost left Marvel Comics bankrupt. Back then though, readership was again drawn from young people's I'm-not-getting-old, anti-establishment nature just like the 70's. Additionally, because of the millions old comics were going for, young people fell victim to the 90's plot of saving their widely spread and otherwise worthless comics. This revelation hits home as my own father-Rafael O. Ayala-bought comics in the 90's and passed them on to me because they might be worth something someday. To this day I have not told my father the truth. I love him too much to tell him he wasted money on comics. Which is pretty much my life now. How sad!
Comic readers from 2000 onward were mostly 90's comic readers and the children they introduced to the genre. Readership was still bred from the 90's value scam, but many new readers hopped on because of the amount of quality cartoons based off comic books around that time. After "X-Men" in 2000, "Spider-Man" in 2002, "Batman Begins" in 2005 and "Iron Man" in 2008, it was becoming clear to readers and viewers alike that the comic book genre was going beyond the books. This was fully realized after "The Avengers" in 2012, when Marvel Studios/Disney brought together their individual films to create one of film's first "Shared Cinematic Universes". Upon the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros started developing their own shared universes off of the characters they were allowed to use. And with characters springing up in popularity through film, comic book publishers started putting more effort into the comic books of characters who appeared on film, even characters who were once obscure are getting solo comics today like Scarlet Witch and The Vision, once major characters in comics and unknown to the rest of the world and now getting popularity because of their appearances in films.
But maybe that's not the answer you really wanted. Maybe history and business and popularity aren't the factors you think about. Why do we really read comic books? What emotional or psychological benefit do we get from reading individual parts of a long story? What do these colorful and outlandish characters do for us as people? Many people think that people read comics to escape from a harsher reality, and that's not far off. People who were bullied in school or have unfortunate home lives dive into comics for a sense of entertainment or a break from what's real, some may live out a power fantasy through characters like Batman or Spider-Man. Sometimes having comic books characters who are relatable can help (by making the reader sympathize) or hinder (as it disables their ability to ignore the real world) the experience of reading. Really, reading a comic book is no different from reading a novel when you think about it. The only difference is that comic books paint the picture for you, it depends on the writer whether you're watching a cartoon on paper or an animated drama on paper. Either way, I think people read comic books because they offer memorable characters and solidify the ideals of an era. Personally, I might have learned more about science and history from comic books than I remember from school. And that's the point, to teach and inspire and drive readers to be better people. You can say what you want about Wolverine or The Punisher, but when you break it down these comic books have lasted all these years because they show readers their hidden potential of being outstanding people. Superman is an immigrant who became the symbol of America and mankind as a whole. Batman is a victim who got up and used his tragedy as a motivator. Wonder Woman is a icon of an opposed gender who proved men and women can be on an equal plain. Spider-Man is the story of a young man who's new responsibilities mold him into a good role model. The X-Men are a group of minorities who ignore their segregation to defend people of any and all kinds. People read comic books because people want to believe the characters in these books can exist in the real world, they want to believe that people can become-that they can become-these characters if they follow the right path and inspire others. People look to comics the same way people look to religion, maybe to a lesser degree. Still, the stories and characters of comic books have made people think and change and set out to be the superheroes of the reality they once abandoned.
And that is why we read comic books.
Thanks for reading.
Facebook: The Panel Biter
Twitter: @ThePanelBiter
Podbean: Panelbiter.podbean.com
And sure, the prospect of children reading about these amazing characters was a given. Children didn't have much indoor entertainment back then so giving them a combination of children's novels and picture books was likely healthy for them. More so when parents saw these "Superheroes" as good role models for children. During World War II, characters like Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman and the newly created Captain America represented America's fight against Nazi Germany, giving both men, women and children a reason to read comic books if not to see the enemy get a beating from their favorite heroes. Comic books were even sent oversees to the troops to keep up moral, some of these troops who returned home would go on to keep reading these characters.
It was around the 1960's and 1970's that comics were boosting in popularity, most likely due to the many iconic characters to come out of Marvel Comic legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Hulk, Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, Thor, Doctor Strange and The Avengers were all breakout characters who added a layer of personality to an otherwise basic comic book genre. And these characters were relatable too, Spider-Man was a teenager who was growing into an adult, The X-Men were judged for their powers just as people were judged for being homosexual or a different skin color, Doctor Strange's weird stories gelled with the hippie movement and Iron Man represented America's pro-war agenda. Characters like The Punisher and Blade pushed the envelope for what was socially acceptable from superheroes, and even DC Comic's Teen Titans were building credit off of being both a superhero book and a teen-drama book. These books helped keep readership steady even during the time when the Comic's Code of Authority was trying to censer comic books.
From the 1970's to the 1990's, parents started throwing out their children's comic books as a way of telling the kids to grow up. Because of this, comic books from the 1940's to the 1960's started become rare, and when something is rare it becomes valuable. The first issue of Action Comics could make you a millionaire because so many American parents thought the books were useless. Because of the sudden bump in value, comic publishers thought that all they had to do was print more first issues and they'd fly off the shelves thanks to collectors and investors. This spawned (pun) one of the factors of the Dark Age of The 90's: devaluation. See, because so many people were buying first issues of 90's comics the value dropped because everyone already had and kept safe these new books. It was this poor business strategy that almost left Marvel Comics bankrupt. Back then though, readership was again drawn from young people's I'm-not-getting-old, anti-establishment nature just like the 70's. Additionally, because of the millions old comics were going for, young people fell victim to the 90's plot of saving their widely spread and otherwise worthless comics. This revelation hits home as my own father-Rafael O. Ayala-bought comics in the 90's and passed them on to me because they might be worth something someday. To this day I have not told my father the truth. I love him too much to tell him he wasted money on comics. Which is pretty much my life now. How sad!
Comic readers from 2000 onward were mostly 90's comic readers and the children they introduced to the genre. Readership was still bred from the 90's value scam, but many new readers hopped on because of the amount of quality cartoons based off comic books around that time. After "X-Men" in 2000, "Spider-Man" in 2002, "Batman Begins" in 2005 and "Iron Man" in 2008, it was becoming clear to readers and viewers alike that the comic book genre was going beyond the books. This was fully realized after "The Avengers" in 2012, when Marvel Studios/Disney brought together their individual films to create one of film's first "Shared Cinematic Universes". Upon the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros started developing their own shared universes off of the characters they were allowed to use. And with characters springing up in popularity through film, comic book publishers started putting more effort into the comic books of characters who appeared on film, even characters who were once obscure are getting solo comics today like Scarlet Witch and The Vision, once major characters in comics and unknown to the rest of the world and now getting popularity because of their appearances in films.
But maybe that's not the answer you really wanted. Maybe history and business and popularity aren't the factors you think about. Why do we really read comic books? What emotional or psychological benefit do we get from reading individual parts of a long story? What do these colorful and outlandish characters do for us as people? Many people think that people read comics to escape from a harsher reality, and that's not far off. People who were bullied in school or have unfortunate home lives dive into comics for a sense of entertainment or a break from what's real, some may live out a power fantasy through characters like Batman or Spider-Man. Sometimes having comic books characters who are relatable can help (by making the reader sympathize) or hinder (as it disables their ability to ignore the real world) the experience of reading. Really, reading a comic book is no different from reading a novel when you think about it. The only difference is that comic books paint the picture for you, it depends on the writer whether you're watching a cartoon on paper or an animated drama on paper. Either way, I think people read comic books because they offer memorable characters and solidify the ideals of an era. Personally, I might have learned more about science and history from comic books than I remember from school. And that's the point, to teach and inspire and drive readers to be better people. You can say what you want about Wolverine or The Punisher, but when you break it down these comic books have lasted all these years because they show readers their hidden potential of being outstanding people. Superman is an immigrant who became the symbol of America and mankind as a whole. Batman is a victim who got up and used his tragedy as a motivator. Wonder Woman is a icon of an opposed gender who proved men and women can be on an equal plain. Spider-Man is the story of a young man who's new responsibilities mold him into a good role model. The X-Men are a group of minorities who ignore their segregation to defend people of any and all kinds. People read comic books because people want to believe the characters in these books can exist in the real world, they want to believe that people can become-that they can become-these characters if they follow the right path and inspire others. People look to comics the same way people look to religion, maybe to a lesser degree. Still, the stories and characters of comic books have made people think and change and set out to be the superheroes of the reality they once abandoned.
And that is why we read comic books.
Thanks for reading.
Facebook: The Panel Biter
Twitter: @ThePanelBiter
Podbean: Panelbiter.podbean.com
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