American comic books
| American comics | |
|---|---|
| Earliest publications | c. 1842 |
| Languages | English |
An American comic book is a thin (typically 32-page) periodical containing primarily comics content.
While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics, which included the debut of the superhero Superman. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II. After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the comic book industry rapidly expanded, and genres such as horror, crime, and romance became popular. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority. The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival, and superheroes remain the dominant character archetype in the 21st century.
Since the later 20th century, comic books have gained note as collectable items. Comic shops cater to fans, and particularly valuable issues have fetched in excess of a million dollars. Systems of grading comic books have emerged with plastic sleeves ("bags") and cardboard backing ("boards") available to maintain the condition of comic books.
Standard comics are 6.625 inches (16.83 cm) × 10.25 inches (26.0 cm) and about 32 pages long.
While comics can be the work of a single creator, the labour of making them is frequently divided between a number of specialists. There may be a separate writer and artist, or there may be separate artists for the characters and backgrounds.
Particularly in superhero comic books, the art may be divided between:
The process begins with the creator coming up with an idea or concept, then working it into a plot and story, and finalizing the preliminary writing with a script. After the art production, letters are placed on the page and an editor may have the final say before the comic is sent to the printer.
The creative team, the writers and artists, may work with a comic book publisher for help with marketing, advertising, and other logistics. A distributor like Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest in the U.S., helps to distribute the finished product to retailers.
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