Cuevas 1

Leslie Cuevas Ms. Bell English IV Period 5 24 August 2013 Comic Book Comic book superheroes throughout history have marked billions of lives worldwide. In America the main purpose of the comic books and superheroes is to give the reader social, political and emotional awareness of what is going around the world and relating it to the everyday life of an American. Superheroes were created to inspire the audience to cope with adversity and never give up on dreams. There is more to comic books than what we can see with our eyes, the hidden truth behind a character and the motivation of a comic book author. History of Comic Books A comic book is a series of words and pictures that are presented in a sequential way to form a narrative that may or may not be humorous. Originating in the United States in the late 1800s, the comic book contains everyday language, slang, and idiom, as well as color and a sophisticated interplay between text and image. All serving a therapeutic, descriptive, and commercial purpose in American culture. Traditionally occupying the fringes of pop culture, the comic book is actually a valuable historical text that comments on how young people and adults alike identify with cultural and political issues. As such, a comic book is much more than just a series of words and pictures with insignificant cultural importance. Indeed, given its difficult cultural and commercial role, a definition of comic book raises an mixture of theoretical debates about sequence, narrative, image, text, genre, and art as well as its relation to other genres, such as childrens literature. At the very least, comic books can be seen as a result of

Cuevas 2

pressures by artists and consumers as well as by the historical forces acting on both groups. Much more than just a form of entertainment for kids, comic books are a serious and sophisticated art form that both feeds off of and creates cultural formulas and historical constructs. Since the 1960s the comic book industry has been dominated by the two major publishers of superhero books. Marvel and Detective Comics (DC). DCs official name for almost 50 years was National Periodical Publication; Marvel was known as Timely Comics from 1939 to about 1950, and then as Atlas Comics for much of the 1950s. Many comic book fans often use the concept of ages to distinguish periods of comic book history that share concerns, storytelling techniques, marketing strategies, styles of art and writing, and approach to type conventions. These ages can roughly be distinguished as the Golden (1938-1956), Silver (1956-1971), Bronze (1971-1980), Iron (1980-1987), and Modern (1987-present). 1938 Superman #1, created by Action Comics .Action Comics makes its first appearance, and features the first superhero ever: Superman. He can run faster than a train, leap over tall buildings, and block bullets with his chest, but isn't yet able to fly. The character is a hit, and many more superhero comics follow. 1962 The Amazing Spiderman #1 Marvel adds another two superheroes: Spider-Man and The Hulk. Bitten by a radioactive spider, Peter Parker gains the proportionate strength of a spider, and designs his own webshooters. He soon learns that with great power comes great responsibility. Dr. Banner, belted by gamma rays, turns into the Hulk, a giant green monster with matching purple pants. 1963 Marvel Comics starts its first series of mutants, the X-Men, led by Professor X. The other founding members are Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Iceman. 2011 Scheduled

Cuevas 3

for release in May, Thor, a film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, follows the adventures of the Asgard-born warrior (Chris Hemsworth) who finds himself living amongst humans on Earth. History of Batman The original concept of Batman was developed by writer/artist Bob Kane. Inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Zorro, a Leonardo Da Vinci sketch of a bat-winged flying machine, and his own imagination, Kane sketched an early version of the character. Taking his idea to writer Bill Finger, they further developed the concept. Finger himself said on more than one occasion that Kane did indeed create a version of the character before Finger got involved with the project. Kane was inspired by the flying machine of Leonardo Da Vinci, a movie he had seen called The Bat and of course, Bela Lugosi's 1931 film Dracula which featured a "man-bat" in its opening credits. However, Finger did suggest a different costume direction for "The Bat-Man." In an interview for Jim Steranko's History of the Comics: Vol. One, Finger described in detail, the extent of his suggestions about the costume. He felt the original character (The BatMan) looked too much like Superman with a mask and bat-wings. He recommended replacing the Da Vinci-inspired wings with a cape, giving him gloves, and changing the character's bodysuit from red to grey. Perhaps most importantly, Finger found a book with a picture of a bat in it and encouraged Kane to replace the character's domino mask with a more bat-like hooded cowl, complete with "ears" which would make the character distinguishable even in silhouette. It's generally agreed that Finger encouraged Kane to leave out the character's eyes when he wore the mask. Although Kane would accept many of these suggestions, one cannot escape the direct

Cuevas 4

influence of Lee Falk's character The Phantom, as Kane admitted that he studied newspaper strips on a routine basis. A family outing to the cinema ended in tragedy for young Bruce Wayne. Walking homeward, Bruce, his father, Thomas, and mother, Martha, accidentally ventured into Gotham City's notorious "Crime Alley" and were accosted by a mugger. Not content merely to rob the wealthy family, the hoodlum - whose identity was "never determined" - shot Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne dead before fleeing into the darkness. As he knelt beside his parent's bodies, Bruce swore to avenge them. After the police arrived, Bruce was comforted by Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Dr. Thompkins and Alfred Pennyworth helped arrange matters so that Gotham's Social Services would not take Bruce into care. In this way, both Dr. Thompkins and Alfred enabled Bruce to realize his dream of becoming a crusader against crime. The Young Bruce Wayne At age 14, Bruce embarked on a journey that took him to every continent as he sought to learn all the skills he would need to keep his vow. He studied criminology, forensics, and criminal psychology, and learned from manhunters and martial artists, mastering every fighting style. In time, Bruce forged himself into a living weapon to wage war on crime and injustice. On his return to Gotham, Bruce stalked street thugs as a plainclothes vigilante. Beaten by the very people he intended to protect, he barely survived his first night out. As he sat bleeding in his study at Wayne Manor Bruce knew that he had to first strike fear in the hearts of his foes. Just then, a bat crashed through the study window, giving Bruce the inspiration he needed. Batman Begins Establishing a secret headquarters in the caves beneath his mansion, Bruce became

Cuevas 5

Batman, a Dark Knight to protect Gotham and its citizens from vice and villainy. Alfred Pennyworth remained his confidant, tending to injuries and offering sage advice - whether requested or not! Batman became an urban legend, a cautionary tale that sent shivers through the city's underworld. This Caped Crusader found a friend in Captain James Gordon a Gotham cop who didn't approve of Batman's methods, but appreciated the results of his nightly crime fighting. Batman's Rogues Gallery grew to include a host of bizarre criminals, such as the Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Penguin. As his enemies increased, help arrived in the form of another young boy left parentless by brutal crime. Authors Biography Bob Kane was born in New York (1915-1988) His father was a printer at the New York Daily News. In 1936, Bob Kane penciled and inked his first comic book work, "Hiram Hick," By 1938; he was selling humorous filler stories to DC Comics. at the age of 24 he created the comic superhero Batman. This famous character made his debut in Detective Comics (DC Comics) #27 in May 1939. This is now a collector classic and can be worth $1,000,000 (in 2011.) When National Comics (eventually DC Comics) editor Vin Sullivan asked kane to create the next "Superman", he created "The Batman," who he drew in a red outfit, a mask in the style of Zorro, and a glider based on a sketch by 'Leonardo Da Vinci' and the 1932 film, The Bat Whispers (1930). He asked bill finger( the writer of the group) for advice. It was Finger who suggested giving Batman a scalloped cape and an eared cowl, and he changed the costume from red to gray. He also introduced the detective aspect to Batman's character. He wrote the first Batman comic and many more. Yet he died poor and unaccredited. Years later Kane expressed regret over this, yet he never allowed Finger to be credited as a co-creator.

Cuevas 6

Batman: Knight Fall: Part Three, Knightsend. After learning what had happened in his absences, Bruce Wayne has resolved himself to take back the Mantle of the Bat from Jean-Paul Valley. Reluctantly, Bruce asks for help from Lady Shiva. Wayne has Tim and Dick run close observation on Jean-Paul as he begins his quest to find the speculated dead Carlton Lehah. Lady Shiva sets seven masters to kill Wayne. Bruce then fought the last master and killed him, pleasing Shiva. However, it was a trick just to please her and it was time for Bruce to retake his title. Jean-Paul's quest leads him to Gordon Selkirk, who was also in the sights of Selena Kyle due to him having a device she needed. Before Jean-Paul could kill him or his men, Bruce arrived and challenges Jean-Paul. While the fight was taking place Selkirk tries to escape using his helicopter, but Jean-Paul damages the copter and it crashed by a nearby bridge. Bruce focused on stopping Jean-Paul while he was distracted, he eventually did so but only for a few minutes. However, in the process of trying to capture Jean-Paul the Batmobile explodes with Bruce still inside it. Returning to the Batcave, Jean-Paul is stunned to learn Bruce is alive and demands Bruce to leave. Bruce attempts to reason with Jean-Paul rather than leaving, but he is forced to bring him down. In a desperate gamble, Bruce gets Jean-Paul to strip himself of the costume before flooding him with sunlight, shattering Jean-Paul's mind. Bruce allows Jean-Paul to ran-away. The next night, Tim ends up aiding Bruce in taking down a heist in a museum, reaffirming their partnership.

Cuevas 7

Personal Review I have always been a fan of Batman. The whole story behind him and the villains who are psychopaths make his stories amazingly interesting. This wasnt the exception. The story was a little confusing at the beginning since I didnt read the first two comics. I really liked all the action, drama, and emotions that are described by the writer in the comic book. Furthermore, the writer does an incredible job bringing the characters to life, with real life problems that a normal person can relate too. It gives you this feeling of adrenaline and suspense of not knowing what could happened after a battle or how is going to die in one. This is the first time I read a comic and I am thrilled of the genre and context that the writer puts into his work. This was an incredible story; I cant wait to start reading another one.

Cuevas 8

Work Cited
"Batman | DC Comics." DC Comics. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2013. "Batman Biography, History." Batman History, Batman Biography, Batman Bio. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2013. http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_Publication_History http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Kane

Email: 610031788@student.musd.net