Comic Book History

Comic Book History Key Moments in Comic Publishing

Eastern Color 1933

Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics #1

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Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics #1
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Second published comic book in a modern-sized format, previous comics were published in larger tabloid-sized formats
This comic was a 64-page one-shot of reprinted newspaper comics strips distributed through department stores
Funnies On Parade published prior to this issue is considered the first modern format comic book but was only eight pages of reprinted newspaper comic strips
Fiction House 1938

Jumbo Comics #1

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Jumbo Comics #1
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$3.1K
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First professionally published interior art by Jack Kirby, as Jack Curtiss
1st appearance of Sheena Queen of the Jungle
First adaptation of the Count of Monte Cristo in a U.S. publication - reprinted from Wags (UK, 1938)
Timely 1940

Red Raven Comics #1

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Red Raven Comics #1
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Debut artwork by Jack Kirby at Timely (Marvel) Comics
1st appearance and origin of the Red Raven and the Eternal Brain
1st appearance of Mercury, later becomes Hurricane then retconned to be Makkari from Kirby’s ‘Eternals’
1st appearance of Pluto who is later retconned to become Kro from Kirby's 'Eternals'
1st appearance of Magar the Mystic
This issue is the first appearance of a number of classical mythology characters but later appearances do not connect with these versions therefore they are not considered the mainstream Marvel depictions of the Olympians
1st appearance of Mercury (Hermes), Pluto (Hades), Jupiter (Zeus), Minerva (Athena), Vulcan (Hephaestus), Aeolus, Diana (Artemis), Apollo
EC 1942

Narrative Illustration: The Story of Comics

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Narrative Illustration: The Story of Comics
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$250
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30-page pamphlet that includes a text essay about the evolution of storytelling and sequential art or graphic storytelling, originally published in Print: A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts
Written by M. C. Gaines, the founder of EC Comics and pioneer of the early modern comic book format
Two stories accompany the essay: a four-page war bond promotion titled 'The Minute Man Answers the Call' and an 8-page excerpt from 'Picture Stories from the Bible'
Gilberton 1943

Classic Comics #13

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Classic Comics #13
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$120
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First comic book to feature a horror story throughout
Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comic Code Authority
Reason: Mr. Hyde beats a little girl to death with his cane
HRN stands for Highest Re-order issue Number on back cover - the lower the number the earlier the printing. Generally a first printing will have an HRN that matches the issue number on the front
All Negro Comics 1947

All Negro Comics #1

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All Negro Comics #1
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First comic book produced in full by black creators including writers, artists and the publisher
As quoted by editor Orrin C. Evans "every brush stroke and pen line in the drawings on these pages are by Negro artists"
Inside back cover has an advertisement for #2 but it was never published
EC 1956

Shock Illustrated #3

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Shock Illustrated #3
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Final EC comic published, with the exception of Mad Magazine
Considered the rarest EC publication, this issue had an extremely limited circulation of approximately 100 copies, most of which were distributed to staff and subscribers
Due to financial difficulties exacerbated by the widespread adoption of the Comics Code Authority, EC could not afford to bind (staple) the printed pages
As a result, nearly the entire print run of approximately 250,000 copies was destroyed
Although Shock Illustrated #4 was produced, it was never published until 2006, when all four issues (#1–#4) were released in a hardcover collection
DC 1970 VOL 2

Green Lantern #76

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Green Lantern #76
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$85
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$260
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$850
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1st appearance of Appa Ali Apsa, a Guardian of the Universe
Retitled Green Arrow/Green Lantern
Issue considered by many to mark the end of the comic book Silver Age
Introduction of controversial social themes in comics - Green Lantern is reprimanded by a black man which was an expression of frustration by the creators for the lack of accurately presented black people in comics
Last Gasp 1970

It Ain't Me Babe #1

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It Ain't Me Babe #1
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First comic book produced entirely by women
36-page one-shot by various female cartoonists who were frustrated by the misogyny that was a cornerstone of the adult-themed underground comics
Prolific and enduring publisher, Last Gasp purchased the rights to the issue for $1,000
20,000 copies of the first print run were sold and an additional 20,000 split between the second and third printings
The title, 'It Ain't Me Babe' is a snub to the Bob Dylan song of the same name due to its anti-female lyrical content
The success of this issue led to a follow-up, all-female liberation project called Wimmen's Comix Collective
Editor, writer and cover artist Trina Robbins died of a stroke on April 10, 2024 at the age of 85
Last Gasp 1972

Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary #1

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Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary #1
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$5
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44-page one-shot considered to be the first autobiographical comic wherein the creator utilizes the medium to confess deeply personal traumas resulting from a Catholic upbringing clashing against a post-publication diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Inspired creators including Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb and Jim Woodring
First printing approximate copies: 55,000
Subsequent printings can be identified from the first by the absence of an illustration of the virgin Mary in the background behind a full text panel on page 23 (tap cover and swipe for clarification)
Quality 1972

G.I. Combat #155

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G.I. Combat #155
Mark Jewelers
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The earliest known Mark Jewelers variant
On-sale June 6 1972
4-page interior Mark Jewelers advertisement, printed on paper stock and bound into the centerfold
Distributed to stores near military bases or on-site
Approximately only 5% of the print run included these advertisements
Value unknown
Marvel 1973 VOL 2

Jungle Action #6

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Jungle Action #6
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$300
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1st appearance of Erik Killmonger, T'Challa's most persistent rival for the throne of Wakanda
Preview of Venomm, a villain introduced in Jungle Action #7
Part 1 of a 13 issue story titled "The Panther's Rage," the first Black Panther solo story arc

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