History of Comic Books

History of Comic Books

The history of comic books has been eventful, with numerous changes occurring over the last decades. The changes have been transformative with the content and art of comic book evolving with each passing generation of artists and writers. The popularity of comic books has grown tremendously, and this has been attributed to several factors that have influenced the evolution of the industry. The main factors behind the popularity of comic books include advancements in technology, the natural evolution of comic characters, and the necessity to meet the evolving preference and tastes of the audience (Retromash). Comic books have evolved through different ages from the early golden age up to the modern age, with each age having key influential comic artists whose work stands out. The focus of this paper is to analyze the history of comic books by comparing and contrasting the works and ideas of two different artists from different ages.

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby is among the golden age comic artists who revolutionized the comics industry. He was an American comic book writer, artist, and editor who was widely recognized as an influential innovator and among the genres most prolific and accomplished creative minds. He nurtured and developed his skills as a comic artist by drawing cartoon figures from comic strips and by tracing editorial cartoons. He began his career in the nascent comics industry in the early 1930s, drawing comic features for various comic enterprises such as the Marvel Comics and DC Comics (Barnett). His initial accomplished creations include ‘Captain America,’ the highly acclaimed superhero character he drew for Marvel Comics. He is credited for creating the ‘New Gods’ which has continued to be a significant franchise item of the DC Universe. He also ventured into television animations and created features as an independent comic.

Kirby’s Greatest Creations

There is a huge catalogue of comic creations that have been accredited to Jack Kirby. His creative style was best described as dynamic, explosive, full of pomp, and energy. The characters he created in the golden and silver ages continue to dominate pop culture in the modern age. His greatest creations include Captain America, X-Men, Incredible Hulk, mighty Thor, Black Panther, The Avengers, and the New Gods (Marston). In the productions mentioned above, Kirby collaborated with Stan Lee to create a dynamite collection of superheroes with ingrained powers that distinguish them from the rest of the world. These creations have become a mainstay of Marveldom in both the books and films comic medium. The incredible Hulk stands out as his most emblematic comic character and his most recognizable classic design. Kirby partnered with Jack Simon to create Captain America, a pioneering sci-fi based silver age comic creation that captured adventure and patriotism in its audience.

Yanick Paquette

Yanick Paquette is among the most influential comic artist of the modern age. He is an award-winning Canadian comic artist who specializes in North American comics. He began his comics career in the mid-1990s and has worked for established enterprises in the comic industry such as Topps, Marvel, and DC Comics. His most notable comic creations include work in several issues of the Wonder Woman, and Batman Incorporated for the DC Comics enterprise(Gustines). His other acclaimed works include Justice League of America, Space: Above and Beyond. He has featured as a regular guest artist on the creation of Ultimate X-Men and the first issues of Young X-Men. In recent times, he has partnered with Scott Snyder to create a new initiative referred to as ‘The New 52’ in which they have created the Swamp Thing series.

Role of Technology

In the evolution of the history of the comic books, the team effort between the writer and the artist remains the same as has been illustrated with the collaborative partnerships between Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, and Yanick Paquette and Scott Snyder. However, advancements in technology have widened the spectrum of options available for illustrators and artists. The main change in the history of the comic industry has been the adoption of styluses instead of pencils and inks. New technology has also revolutionized the role of artists to enhance their artistry, creativity, delivery speed, and output (Gustines). In the nascent years of comics development, artists such as Jack Kirby began their art form with the aid of pencils and inks while in the modern age, Paquette and his ilk have founded their art on the use of computer software and a technological tool such as styluses. The advancements in technology have made it possible to complete an entire comic issue on a Macintosh, including colouring and 3-D rendering (Gustines). Modern age artists rely on tablets such as the Cintiq to draw their comic creations directly on the screen eliminating the need to buy erasers and inks.

In conclusion, there has been tremendous growth in the comic art industry, which has been witnessed over the past decades. Golden and silver age artists relied heavily on pencils and inks to draw their creations.  Artists such as Jack Kirby have a huge collection of comic creations that have stood the test of time even though they were created in the ages before technology. The evolution of technology has changed the way artists create their comic work as it has improved on artistry, delivery speed, and output.

Works Cited

Barnett, David. “Comic Book Artist Jack Kirby Finally Gets the Recognition He Deserves.” The Independent, 18 Mar. 2018, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/jack-kirby-new-gods-marvel-comic-book-artist-recognition-a8259236.html.

Gustines, George Gene. “Superhero or Supervillain? Technology’s Role Changes Comic Books.” The New York Times, 13 Nov. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/arts/comic-books-computers-dc-marvel.html.

Marston, George. “Hail to The King: JACK KIRBY’s 10 Greatest Creations.” Newsarama, 28 Aug. 2019, https://www.newsarama.com/30816-hail-to-the-king-jack-kirby-s-greatest-creations.html#s5.

Retromash. “How Comic Books Have Evolved Over the Years.” 19 Jan. 2018, http://retromash.com/2018/01/19/how-comic-books-have-evolved-over-the-years/.