Teenagers have always been fascinated by superheroes. Before the advent of multimedia communication channels such as television, movies, and the Internet; teenagers used to derive immense satisfaction from comic books that portrayed their favorite superheroes. Comic books were more than just story books. They portrayed the immense turbulence of the times, offering a peek into the minds of society and how it perceived the prevalent economic, political, and crime scenarios. Ever since their debut, Marvel comic books have stood at the helm of the world of comic books. Marvel is still the biggest comic book publishing company.
In October of 1939, Martin Goodman hired Lloyd Jacquet’s company to publish the very first Marvel comic book. It’s not a coincidence this original was called Marvel Comics #1. This initial issue sold more that 80,000 copies. In 1941, after a boost of confidence via the popularity of their first superhero Human Torch, Marvel released their second superhero, Captain America.
The Golden Age of Comic Books ended with the end of World War II and the popularity of superhero comic books declined drastically. Declining sales of comic books featuring Wheezer, Angel, Captain America, and Miss America pushed Marvel comics to invent humor characters such as Powerhouse Pepper and Super Rabbit.
But the start of the war in Vietnam rekindled interest in comic superheroes. This made Marvel design four new such heroes who teamed up as “The Fantastic Four” in the Marvel comic books of the same name. Marvel followed this with additional characters, like X-Men, Ant-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, and the immortal Spider-Man. These figures are permanently etched in the brains of many teens and keep forming the basis for a number of Hollywood blockbusters.
Marvel comic books were educational as well as entertaining. Look at them closely and you should notice how they incorporated important issues into their story lines. Drug abuse is a good example of this. Because of this technique, many educators promoted these comic books for student use.
Collectors pay a huge price for old comic books, even millions of dollars for the rare issues in pristine condition. Ask your grandparents and parents if they have a fortune tucked in a drawer that contains the nostalgic stuff from their childhood. Even the government recognizes the immense influence of superhero comics on pop culture. In 2007, commemorative stamps featuring superhero comic characters were released.
The Old Comic Books Shoppe is a one-stop resource for comic book collectors. Shop a huge selection of Marvel comic books and superhero comics. Be sure to check out our latest finds on our blog and enjoy our videos covering all aspects of comic book collecting!
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