Huston McKenzie Huston Ms.

Bell English IV/Period 2 3 September 2013 General Comic Book History Comic Books are works that combine pictures and text in a different format from

anything else. They are truly and American innovation combining pictures placed side by side with captions or thought and speech bubbles floating above the heads of the characters presented. The comic book originally came about in about the 1800's. The first know comic book prototype was "The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck" published in 1842. The Famous Funnies created the format for comics that have been used since the first publishing in 1933. Since then the US has created the most comics including superheroes and the "Funnies". Comics have been separated into different ages or historical eras and they are separated by the years in which they were written or published. These ages include the Golden Age 1930-1950, started after the creation of Superman by Jason Siegal and Joseph Shuster. The creation of Superman opened up a whole new industry and started the superhero genre. In 1939 Detective Comics aka D.C. released Batman and continued with the theme of crime and detectives for its comic books. Superheroes became very popular in the 1930's and thus lead to the creation of more characters such as Wonder Woman, Captain America, Green Lantern, and The Flash. During World War II the comic book became even more popular because of the ideas they presented, New Deal reform and

Huston WWII Patriotism. Marvel Comics focused on the patriotism with characters such as

Captain America whose first issue displayed him punch Hitler in the face. Whereas D.C. stressed a common interest in the government and public welfare. Defense of the Normal became the primary way of writing during this time, but eventually the hype behind these ideas fizzled and thus came the death of the Golden Age. Television and persecution of comics by the Senate after WWII caused a loss of comic book readers. The Senate mostly investigated the cultural influence of "horror" comic books. Some said comics were inciting youth to violence and corrupting them. By the 1960's comic books were on a steady recovery. The Silver age was now upon us, this age started just as the last did with superhero comics concerned with the social problems of the time. When these topics no longer appealed to the readers comic book writers changed things up. Marvel revolutionized the superhero by giving them a weakness like Spiderman and The Hulk. The way these characters were presented spoke to the people of this time, by showing them as outsiders that were misunderstood. Marvel then created the Fantastic Four in response to the Justice League of America created by DC. Captain America's resignation as a reaction to the Secret Empire symbolizes the end of the Silver age. In the Bronze age the focus of comics shifted from social issues to stylistic details. Comic book artists were motivated by the criticisms that comic book art wasn't great art. Therefore comic book artists started to play with colors and the format of the

comic book and focus less on the social ideals and problems of the time period. Although the reinvention of the artistry of the comic book won critical acclaim, comics still lost sales. This came from the distribution practices of the time, comics were largely

Huston sold on newsstands but these were quickly being replaced by chain stores. In response to this problem the comic book industry created the ACBA Academy of Comic Book Arts and later the Comic Guild. These associations were created to gain more respect for the comic book in America and give comic writers more benefits and job security. Eventually the decline in comic book companies started to lease out characters for TV shows and movies. In the 1980's the Iron age came about. During this time period comic heroes

started to doubt themselves and their abilities. Instead of being the one to aid the story or resolve it they became the main focus. Iron Age heroes focused on their own mortality more than anything this is proven best by the death of Superman in Lois Lane's arms in 1992. While the heroes of this time were facing problems the publishers were making money. By increasing the price of comics and distributing only to private comics shops they were able to gain greater profits than ever before. By the end of the 1980's comic book companies wanted to recreate the comics of the Golden and Silver ages. In the 1990's they started reprinting copies of Spiderman and X-Men and began to sell them as collectors items. Though the comic book audience of the 1990's was smaller than ever they were willing to pay more and more for comics. The History of Captain America: Steve Rogers known to most as Captain America or "Cap" for short was a scrawny and frail fine arts student. He grew up during the Great Depression with and alcoholic father who died when he was a young child. His mother died from pneumonia shortly after he graduates high school. In 1940 Steve tries to enlist to fight the Nazi's who disgust him. Failing the physical requirements many times he is finally invited to

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volunteer for "Operation Rebirth" an experimental project intended to enhance soldiers to prime physical and mental capabilities. After being injected with the "Super Soldier Serum" and exposed to "Vita Rays" that stabilize and transform him from a small, frail man to a strong and muscular one, Steve becomes the first and only successful test subject. Soon after the experiment, Professor Erskine is assassinated by a Nazi operative. Steve now becomes the only heir to Professor Erskine's genius. Though the American Government tries to duplicate the Super Soldier Serum they are unsuccessful and the project is absorbed into new superhuman endeavors. Steve is eventually assigned as a counter-intelligence agent and symbolic U.S. hero to counter the Nazi propaganda created by Johann Schmidt aka Red Skull. He is given a cover identity as a clumsy infantry private at Camp Lehigh in Virginia, where he meets James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Bucky is considered the camp's mascot and eventually finds out Steve's true identity, he then promises not to tell anyone if he can become Captain America's sidekick. Cap agrees and they have many adventures throughout 1941 through World War II. When the U.S. enters World War II Cap and Bucky team up with the Human Torch, his sidekick Toro, and Namor the Sub Mariner, to create the Invaders. Toward the end of World War II Cap and Bucky were sent to break through the Nazi line to stop Baron Zemo from obtaining and launching an experimental drone plane with an explosive device. Zemo was able to launch the plane and when Bucky is trying to disarm it, it explodes and he is killed. Cap is saved by the Super Soldier Serum and thrown into suspended animation (frozen). In the following years three men tried to take over as

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Captain America with varying successes. Cap remained frozen in ice for decades until he is found by a team of superheroes called the Avengers. Once thawed out Cap is devastated to learn of Bucky's death and has lost everything he has known. After an adventure with the team Captain America is invited to join the Avengers, he accepts and forms close friendships with the team which includes Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp and the Avengers' butler Edwin Jarvis. Cap is the first recruit of the Avengers and over the years he rarely leaves the team as other members come and go. Along with being an Avenger, Cap is part of an espionage team called S.H.I.E.L.D., where he meets Sharon Carter who becomes a great love of his life and he is joined by Falcon who later also joins the Avengers. Shortly after being revived Cap is involved in a clash with the Secret Empire, which causes him to lose his faith in the US government. He now takes on a new identity as Nomad, but the death of a young man trying to fill the role as Captain America causes him to reclaim the role himself. Cap goes on to have many other adventures with the Avengers and other superheroes. The Artist: Craig Rousseau Craig Rousseau never thought of becoming a comic book artist when he was young, he liked comic books and read them but didn't think that being a comic book artist was a viable career choice. Rousseau did however want to be an artist and his parents supported him. He began in the comic book industry in the mid 1990's while graduating college with a double major in illustration and Painting. His plan was to work as a freelance artist but he landed a job at Marvel illustrating children's books and eventually comics.

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Rousseau sent his portfolio to many editors and was finally able to get a call back from DC. He was hired and assigned to the comic Impulse, he worked on this comic from issue 27 to 48 and did fill in work after that. DC was Rousseau's home throughout the 1990's here he also worked as a fill in artist on Harley Quinn, Batman Beyond and Young Justice. In 2001 he began working at Imagine Comics and from there on he worked for Beckett, Marvel, and Portal Production Studios while continuing at DC. In 2001 he also became the co-creator for a comic called Perhapanauts. They said it was part X-files, part Archie, and part Mission Impossible. During this time he had signed the comic book with Dark Horse Comics but soon left for Image because they were lacking to advertise the comic. He said that when they went to comic show people would have never heard of their comic and the Dark Horse booth wouldn't have it available. Now Rousseau works for Marvel Comics on Iron Man and the Amor Wars where Tony Starks Iron Man armors get stolen. Summary and Review of my Comic This comic starts out with the team of SHEILD scientists reviving Cap after he has been frozen in ice. Upon awakening Cap is confused and lashed out against the people trying to help him. He breaks free of the lab and ends up in modern day NY City. Very confused and somewhat disoriented he meets a young man named Rick, who cap originally mistakes for Bucky. Rick helps Cap by asking him who he is and explains that in a way that it is the future in a sense. While Rick is helping Cap SHEILD is looking desperately for him so they can give him a vita shot to stabilize his raging body when they do find him it is and evil group Hydra that tries to give him the shot and Cap fights them off. Shortly after SHEILD finds him after he has passed out. They give him the

Huston shot and he is fine. The next day he wakes up back at the SHEILD HQ where the leader

Sharon Carte tells him he is of great use to the organization and she is ready to leave him with a liaison and a historian to teach about the present day and everything he has missed. He respectfully declines and instead asks Rick to be his liaison and teach about the time he now lives in. Rick agrees and they are assigned a job catching a crook in Hollywood. This comic book was very suspenseful and action packed it definitely would get you in the mood to fight of some bad guys if you got the chance. I really like the way the characters were drawn and the colors they used to portray them. My favorite thing is the onomatopoeias used in the fight scenes and drawings they make me laugh and they're just cool. I would definitely recommend this comic to anyone.

kenziekid11@gmail.com

Huston Works Cited

"The History of Captain America ."http://www.captainamericalibrary.com/. N.p., 02 Setember 2013. Web. 3 Sep 2013. <http://www.captainamericalibrary.com/superherolibrary/captain-america/captain-america-history.asp&xgt;. "Captain America (Steve Rogers)." http://marvel.com/. N.p., 02 Sep 2013. Web. 3 Sep 2013. <http://marvel.com/universe/Captain_America_(Steve_Rogers)>. "A History of the Comic Book."http://www.randomhistory.com/. Random History.com, 08 march 2008. Web. 3 Sep 2013. <http://www.randomhistory.com/150/033comic.html>. Gray , Scott. Share Your Universe: Captain America . Dan Buekley, eBook.