National Comic Book Day – September 25, 2022, history significance why we celebrate
National Comic Book Day soars into a community near you this September 25. The genre has grown to include full-length books, or graphic novels, and inspire countless movie adaptations. While they were first typically humorous in nature, it didn’t take long for authors to apply the comic style to all genres of storytelling.
History of National Comic Book Day
While Obadiah Oldbuck was considered to be the first comic, in 1933 the publication known as Famous Funnies is often considered to be the first actual comic book, though it didn’t actually use the name “comic book” at the time. This comic book was produced in the United States from a collection of comic strips that had appeared earlier in newspapers.
While the term ‘comic’ implies that the tone of these strips are always humorous, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Comics have been used as a medium for telling stories of all kinds. From funny strips to darker styles, comic books encompass humor, drama, mystery, fantasy, crime and so much more.
While the debate raged for a long time as to whether or not comics could be considered literature, it seems to have been the 1980s publication of Maus that settled that argument once and for all.
Maus was published by the American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, and was originally published in a serialized form for 11 years from 1980-1991. This comic book combined art and words to act as a recounting of the experiences of his father as a Polish Jew and a survivor of the Holocaust.
The story covered the era from the years before World War II in the 1930s, straight through to the liberation of his parents from the Nazi Concentration camps at the end of the war in the mid-1940s.
Maus is often considered by some people to be one of the most important texts on the Holocaust and a painfully real retelling of the struggle and survival of Jews through these dark times. It has also stood as a shining example of the fact that comic books could cover incredibly difficult subjects in a real and approachable way.
NATIONAL COMIC BOOK DAY TIMELINE
1842
First prototype comic book released
It was called The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck
1933
First modern comic book released
It was called Famous Funnies
1938
Superman invented
It ushered in the Golden Age of comic books
1960s
Marvel creates some of its major superheroes
Among them are the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man
Late 1960s
Underground comix developed
They reflected youth and drug counterculture
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3 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COMIC BOOKS
The Incredible Hulk was originally meant to be gray
Ink problems with printing created the mean, green monster as we know him today.
There was an actual comic book superhero named the Green Lama
He was a Buddhist whose powers included reincarnation.
Stan Lee got his start by writing obituaries
They were for celebrities in New York.
How to Celebrate National Comic Book Day
Whether a person grew up glued to the pages of comic books, or they have never really experienced the wonders that lie between their pages, National Comic Book Day encourages all people to get out and embrace this incredible storytelling medium.
Read Some Comic Books
This day presents a great opportunity to read a comic and truly appreciate this form of story-telling and illustration. It’s the perfect day to grab a comic that you have never read before! Even for those who are not a massive comic fan, there’s the possibility to find a new appreciation for the art of comics once you give yourself a few quiet moments to read one.
This isn’t a day to simply peruse the funny pages in the newspaper, but to head out to that local comic book shop and remember or discover the amazing tales that lie between the pages of comic books. Whether choosing a classic superhero comic book character, like Spiderman, or a Japanese manga series like One-Punch Man, this is a great day to explore. For those who don’t have a local comic book store, see what the library might have on offer!
Enjoy a Movie Based on Comic Book Characters
As mentioned previously, a lot of comics have been transformed into different films, television shows, and even video games that can be watched, played and enjoyed on this day. Therefore, it’s possible to make the most of different forms of entertainment when anyone is celebrating National Comic Book Day.
Try out some of these popular comic book movies and shows:
- The Dark Knight (2008). This very dark representation of Gotham City in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy features the legendary performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker.
- Daredevil (2015-2018). The blind Matt Murdock acts as a vigilante in this retelling of the original 1964 Stan Lee character who is a lawyer by day and cleans up New York City crime at night.
- Riverdale (2017-2021). Recreating a noir version of the comic books The Archies, this teen drama was originally meant for the big screen but was adapted for television and ran on the CW.
