History is tapping some big names from marvel and dc to uncover the hidden origin stories of comics biggest heroes. The walking dead comic book creator robert kirkman stars in this documentary series that takes a deeper look into the stories, people and events that have. Filmmakers michael kantor and lawrence maslon discuss their new threepart documentary, superheroes. The awardwinning action philosophers team of fred van lente and ryan dunlavey turn their irreverentbutaccurate eye to the stories of jack. Persepolis told us about the islamic revolution, the history of iran, and the struggles of women and the veil, all in a far more accessible style albeit a more narrow focus than a weighty factual book could manage. The first monthly comic book, aptly titled comics monthly, began publication in 1922, though it also featured reprints of daily newspaper comic strips. The reason for supermans instant popularity in the late 1930s is obvious. Apr 19, 2017 history is tapping some big names from marvel and dc to uncover the hidden origin stories of comics biggest heroes.
The colorful history of comic books and newspaper cartoon strips. A journey to recover a forgotten part of canadas pop culture and a national treasure few have ever heard about, the tale of a small country striving to create its own heroes, but finding itself constantly out muscled by betterfunded and bettermarketed superheroes from the media empire next door. The origins of the medium, the evolution of superheroes and all the other genres as they born in different eras. The three eras of the modern comic book movie the artifice. Created by jerry siegel and joe shuster, superman is possibly the most. May 29, 2011 the best comic book covers of all time duration. The untold story was a reminder of the many wonderful prose books dedicated to the history. Apr 27, 2017 they are the handheld, take anywhere books filled with superheroes, classic stories, or adult dramas.
The precise era of the golden age is disputed, though most agree that it was born with the launch of superman in 1938. May 01, 2017 a twonight documentary about the history of superheroes in comic books, the movies, and on television, superheroes decoded does a good job of summarizing how we arrived at our current state. In part 3 well talk about a few of the high points of the history of comics since 1955. Threepart pbs documentary takes superheroes seriously. Comic book superheroes unmasked tv movie 2003 imdb. For the true comic fan, stan lees lame explanation for his feud with the. The history channel comic book superheroes unmasked.
In 1965, jules feiffer wrote what is arguably the first critical history of the comic book superheroes of the late 1930s and early 1940s, including plastic man, batman, superman, the spirit and. A neverending battle is the first documentary to examine the dawn of the comic book genre and its powerful legacy, as well as the evolution of the characters who leapt from the pages. Nick allder, shadi almassizadeh, velvy appleton, kevin baillie. Threepart pbs documentary takes superheroes seriously cbr. The network will air superheroes decoded, a twopart documentary on. Jun 30, 2016 in 1965, jules feiffer wrote what is arguably the first critical history of the comic book superheroes of the late 1930s and early 1940s, including plastic man, batman, superman, the spirit and. Could have used a little bit more exciting graphics however in the presentation. The film is about the history of the american comic book industry from its origins in the 1930s to the present day, and how comic books have mirrored and affected the society around them. Oct 18, 2012 last weeks release of sean howes marvel comics. How todd mcfarlane became the biggest comic book artist ever. Every comic book documentary you must watch elongated man. Youll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the platinum age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the golden age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. The documentary is hosted and narrated by liev schreiber, directed by michael kantor and cowritten by michael and laurence maslon.
With rare access to top creators at both dc and marvel, superheroes decoded uncovers how the rise of the superhero parallels americas rise as a superpower in the 20th century, evolving. The cable network will air the twopart special superheroes decoded on april 30. Pages in category documentary films about comics the following 31 pages are in this category, out of 31 total. Super heroes all died out between 1950 and 1955 with only superman, batman and wonder woman and a few smaller ones still being published. The book will be based on the documentary film and covers the comic book industry from its birth during the depression, the reinvention of the superhero genre and the publishers during the 1960s. Amc orders history of comic books documentary miniseries. Its sad because conan was ingenius in how it represented a major. Masters of comic book art eisner, kirby, ditko, adams, wrightson, miller. Ever wonder about the history behind the american comic book and how comics relate to the history of america and american culture. After the war, sales dropped dramatically and then continued to slide down throughout the 1950s. Robert kirkmans secret history of comics season 1, episode 16. Also from the hallowed halls of dramatic voices is keith david who in my opinion is in the pantheon along with james earl jones and john facenda.
The untold story was a reminder of the many wonderful prose books dedicated to the history of the comic book industry out there, telling the. But suggestions about the publishers and characters are good too, i just want to learn more about the history of it all, especially during like the 50s and the rise of the comics code. This documentary originally aired on pbs, directed by michael cantor and. In 1754, benjamin franklin created the first editorial cartoon published in an american newspaper. Dec 11, 20 this documentary produced by m etrogoldwynmayer features the whole picture of the comic book phenomenon in the united states as of 1988. The comic book history of comics by fred van lente and ryan dunlavey presents the long and storied history of the comic book and graphic novel art form and the industry that spawned it in the only format befitting the true history of comics, a comic book. History get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming. In february 1935, dc comics precursor, national allied publications. A must see for any comic book lover, er for any lover of american and indeed world history for that matter. For the first time ever, the inspiring, infuriating, and utterly insane story of comics, graphic novels, and manga is presented in comic book form. This documentary produced by m etrogoldwynmayer features the whole picture of the comicbook phenomenon in the united states as of 1988. Nov 27, 2019 comics and illustrations also played an important role in the history of the u. A complete history of american comic books shirrel rhoades. At an artists studio in a rundown part of brussels, the next chapter in belgiums rich comicbook history is being.
It featured traditional historians, people from inside the industry such as stan lee, and people who grew. Comic book superheroes unmasked is a television documentary that aired on the history channel in 2003. This week id like to feature the oversized magazinebook entitled. From my vhs recordings, here is the documentary comic book superheroes unmasked, which aired on june 23rd, 2003 with commercials. Marvel comics conan the barbarian was sadly left out of this story. It looks at 22 different important people in the comic book field.
In part 1, the history of comics from 1890s through around 1949 is summarized briefly. Comic book superheroes unmasked history channel aired. Narrated by keith david, and has a great list of comic artists and writers being interviewed. Comic book superheroes unmasked documentary youtube. Trace the humble roots of comic book history, from obscure characters to vintage art to longlost stories about creators and publish. Image caption for lemploye du moi, staying small is the key to survival. A twonight documentary about the history of superheroes in comic books, the movies, and on television, superheroes decoded does a good job. The comic strip is essentially a mass medium, printed in a magazine, a newspaper, or a book. This sixpart documentary of the secret world of comics by robert. Indepth documentary about the history of the hellboy comic book, the history of the character and the making of the 2004 movie adaptation of the same name. A neverending battle is the first documentary to examine the dawn of the comic book genre and its powerful legacy, as well as the evolution of the characters who leapt from the pages over the last 75 years and their ongoing worldwide cultural impact. Comic book superheroes unmasked history channel aired june. The definition of comic strip as essentially containing text inscribed within balloons inside the picture frame aspires to a certain orthodoxy in the united states, but it is unworkable and would exclude most strips created before about 1900 and. Comics and illustrations also played an important role in the history of the u.
History channel to decode origins of superheroes in docuseries. Comic book superheroes unmasked documentary the origin. I want to watch one, more about the history of the medium, than one about the history of the characterspublishers. Canadas forgotten comic book superheroes and their legendary creators. A neverending battle is a threepart documentary by pbs that examines the history of the comic book industry. They are the handheld, take anywhere books filled with superheroes, classic stories, or adult dramas.
This book is an updated history of the american comic book by an industry insider. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. Pulps were small 10 cent books sold on the newsstands, usually filled with action heroes going to exotic places and having adventures. A neverending battle, with cbr news before its october 15 broadcast on pbs. With peta wilson, denny oneil, jim steranko, michael chabon. A history of superheroes in comic books, from the first appearance. Xkcd is another great example of a simple style comic being used to communicate more subtle messages. Masters of comic book art eisner, kirby, ditko, adams, wrightson, miller 1987. To help celebrate this, amc networks is planning a history of comic books documentary miniseries that is tentatively titled heroes and villains. Pictures the history channel has the docuseries comic book fans have been waiting for, whether they know it or not. The book is not truly a history of comics, as it just covers the beginning of the industry, and just covers early comics, but it still well worth owning, even today. Well, wonder no more, as comic book historian and scholar andrew.
Comic book, bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The series is being produced by robert kirkmans skydance entertainment, marking yet another collaboration with the walking dead creators company. It didnt take long for marvels superhero mashup avengers. Comic book superheroes unmasked documentary 1 mostly dc and marvel, but talks about their relevancy throughout history and politics. Fredric werthham was the scariest thing to ever happen to comic books.
Crumb 1995 this relatively early comic book documentary covers the life of its namesake robert crumb. Using modern film clips, vintage comic artwork, historical archival material, and. May 17, 2016 to help celebrate this, amc networks is planning a history of comic books documentary miniseries that is tentatively titled heroes and villains. Some names include charles burns, frank miller, stan lee, will eisner, robert crumb, and harvey pekar. Comic book superheroes unmasked history channel aired june 23rd, 2003. The middle decade of the last century was not a good one for the comics industry. Some of them originally sold for ten cents, but now go for millions. He was a highly distinguished psychologist who thought comic books were bad for kids, and his efforts to have them censored had a horrible and lasting impact that still affect comic books to this day.