Age Comic
Age Comic
A super-hero is a fictional character – typically an adventurer or vigilante of some sort – with superhuman powers or abilities (physical, mental or spiritual in nature), whose exploits are chronicled almost entirely in comic books or other media adaptations of those comic book adventures. These are typically children’s cartoons, but several super-hero movies have been released in the past 10 years.
Some common characteristics include:
- A brightly-colored, skin-tight, often thematic costume (Batman’s costume resembles a giant bat, Captain America’s costume is in patriotic red, white and blue)
- A need to keep his or her identity secret. This is often in an attempt to protect the hero’s loved ones.
- A strong moral code. A hero will often do something with no more motivation than, “It’s the right thing to do.”
- Weapons or other gear that are impossible with current science.
Not all super-heroes fall neatly into those characteristics (The Fantastic Four, for example, do not operate with secret identities), but most do.
Super-heroes can trace their history to the pulp heroes of the 1920s and 30s.
Specifically, elements of Doc Savage, who was the peak of human evolution, can be seen in Superman’s abilities in his earliest adventures; and Batman’s dark tone can be drawn to The Shadow, while his costume has more in common with comic strip hero, The Phantom. The Phantom predates Superman, but because Superman has super-human powers, he is generally considered the first super-hero.
The vast majority of super-hero comic books produced today are published by either DC Comics or Marvel Comics. In fact, they co-own the copyright to the term “super-hero.” No other comic book company can use “super-hero” or any variation of the term.
Super-hero stories lend themselves well to other genres, from the “intergalactic cop” science fiction of Green Lantern to the Law & Order kind of police procedural in Powers.
Most modern super-hero stories continue to feel the impact of The Watchmen. Characters that were written primarily for children for 40-70 years are now dealing with much more mature themes including political corruption, betrayal, madness, and what happens when the “bad guys” win. Lex Luthor has been President of the United States, and Norman “Green Goblin” Osborn is, as of this writing, currently one of the most powerful politicians in the Marvel Universe.
The future of super-heroes is as uncertain as super-hero comics. As independent comics and graphic novels gain a greater foothold in the industry, DC and Marvel are taking more chances with their properties, allowing creators the opportunity to dramatically kill off all but the most recognizable properties if it suits the needs of the story.
R. Wesley Smith has been involved with comic books for over twenty-five years. He is a freelance writer and regularly submits columns on the comic book industry to Examiner.com. You can find his most recent columns at http://www.examiner.com, keyword: “Wesley Smith.”
in the Silver age of Superman comic’s how much did people know about Space?
I think i need to know…
They just expanded space exploration o.o
It’s comics they could go to another galaxy if they wanted.
Suzie Comics # 82 Golden Age Comic Book
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NICE VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE – BRINGING UP FATHER NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP LOT MAY 1924 $4.95 |
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NICE VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE – CAP STUBBS NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP LOT MAY 1924 $4.95 |
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NICE VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE – GLAMOUR GIRLS NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP LOT MAY 1924 $4.95 |
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NICE VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE – MUTT AND JEFF NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP LOT MAY 1924 $4.95 |
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NICE VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE – THE NEBBS NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIP LOT MAY 1924 $4.95 |
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21 Silver and Bronze Age Avengers Comic Books 1964 – 1972 Good to VG Condition $29.99 |
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GOLDEN AGE LOT OF 5 MINI COMIC BOOKS $21.49 |
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Marvel Comics Marvel Age Spider-man 1 2 3 4 Set $43.00 |
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Black Lightning # 1 bronze age DC comic book $6.99 |
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ARCHIE’S T.V. LAUGH-OUT #30 FN+ comic ~ w/ Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch ! $10.00 |
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MARVEL MASTERWORKS #102 GOLDEN AGE MYSTERY COMICS GOLD FOIL VARIANT LIMITED EDIT $54.99 |
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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #117 UNREAD Bronze Age Marvel Comic $11.05 |
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THE ATOM # 8 FINE FROM DC COMICS SILVER AGE $14.99 |
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The Amazing Spider-Man #30 Silver Age 1965 Marvel Comic The Claws Of The Cat $28.45 |
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Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea #15 June 1969 Gold Key RARE Silver Age comic! $0.99 |
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Looney Tunes: Golden Collection, Vol. 6 $24.36 Sufferin’ Succotash! It’s the final collection of “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” in this series, featuring 60 more unforgettable cartoons, some never before released on home video. Bugs, Daffy, and the other “All-Stars” appear in “Hare Trigger,” “Birth of a Notion,” “Dog Gone South,” “Heaven Scent,” and others; the Stars and Stripes are saluted in patriotic favorites such as “Meet John Dough… |
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Ghost World $6.47 If you’ve ever felt alienated by the world around you, Ghost World will offer laughter, tears, and reassurance that you are definitely not alone. Adapted by Daniel Clowes and Crumb director Terry Zwigoff from Clowes’s acclaimed graphic novel, the movie spends summer vacation with high school graduates Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlet Johansson). They inflict little tortures on the denizens … |
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Def Leppard – Historia / In the Round, In Your Face $18.93 In the mid and late 1980s, Def Leppard was the biggest-selling rock band around, and the two programs on this DVD collection hark back to the British quintet’s commercial heyday. Historia is an 85-minute look at the band’s videos circa 1980-1988, from its debut, “Hello America,” to its huge radio hits “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites.” These videos, either silly “concepts” or lip-synched pe… |
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Animal Yoga for Kids $5.99 … |
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Animal Yoga for Kids $1.99 … |
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My Best Friend’s Wedding [VHS] $0.01 One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, My Best Friend’s Wedding not only gave Julia Roberts a delightful vehicle for her crowd-pleasing comeback, but it further distinguished itself by avoiding the conventional plotting of the genre. Julia plays a prominent Chicago restaurant critic whose best friend (Dermot Mulroney) is a former lover from her college days with whom she’d made a binding … |
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Prince Charming Ask Princess Hand in Marriage – 36H x 35W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $50.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l… |
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The Avengers: Volume One – Heroes Assemble! (Marvel Super Hero Collection) $10.34 Join the best of the Marvel(R) Universe for the first seven episodes from Season One of the electrifying new animated series, THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES! Get ready for nonstop action as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Hawkeye and the Black Panther join forces to battle a legion of villains bent on the total destruction of humanity. Experience The Avengers … |
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DuckTales – Volume 1 $13.99 Twenty-seven episodes from the series’s debut season–including “Don’t Give up the Ship,” “Three Ducks of the Condor,” “Armstrong,” “Spies in Their Eyes,” and “Nothing to Fear”–are collected in a three-disc set. 10 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH). **27 episodes on 3 discs. 10 1/4 hrs.**… |
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Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil $6.99 Finding one’s true path is a difficult process, and Red Riding Hood is finding it doubly complicated since she’s desperate to live up to her grandmother’s reputation as a legendary Sister of the Hood. While Red Riding Hood is sequestered for some very special secret training, the Big Bad Wolf, Granny, Twitchy, and the rest of the Happily Ever After Agency (HEA) are feeling the absence of one of th… |
Tags: action age comics, bronze age comics, comic, Comics, copper age comics, dumbing of age comic, funny, guilded age comic, humor, platinum age comics, xkcd
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