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Comic book reading and collecting are popular hobbies and pastimes to numerous people around the world; however, this form of storytelling is much older than people know. In fact, the first surviving narrative illustration dates back to AD 110 with Rome’s Trajan Column — although, this stone carving wasn’t something you could take home. It would be several centuries before anything resembling the comics available today would become available.

The Evolution From Cartoon Drawings to Comic Books

With the creation of the printing press, comics started to take on a new life. While drawings were originally religious in nature, they started to tackle political and social life in the 17th and 18th century. It was also during this time period that the speech balloon was first created to tell the readers what the characters were thinking or saying.

comicsAs printing techniques developed, comics grew to form a series of images that would tell a story, usually using satire or caricature. The speech bubble also evolved into running dialogue beneath the image panels. These comic strips would appear more frequently throughout magazines in the 19th century, and by 1867, weekly characters started to appear.

Finally, in 1884, popular British comic Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday became the first to receive its own comic magazine — an eight-page, black and white issue printed at tabloid size. These comic anthologies, as they were then called, started to take off in the early 19th century. By 1938, publishers recognized the market for comic books and began printing original material especially for them. This would result in the release of Action Comics #1, which would introduce the world to numerous heroes, including Superman®, and go on to become the most expensive collectible comic ever sold.

 

A great way to see the history and evolution of comic books is to visit a comic shop. At Comics Elite in Indianapolis, IN, they get new issues in every week, but they are also the largest online dealer on Facebook and for CBCS. Visit their shop today or call them at (317) 755-2533 for more information. You can also visit their website to see their latest inventory and pre-sale selection.

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