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Comics

The first American comic books, such as Famous Funnies (first sold in 1934), collected popular newspaper strips. As demand for comic books increased, writers and artists created new material specifically for the new format. In 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced Superman, one of the most popular characters in the history of comic books. Superman inspired the creation of other heroes, notably Captain Marvel and Batman.

Source: McCloud, Scott. "Comics." World Book Online InfoFinder. World Book, 2009. Web. 28 Dec. 2009.

Comic Books

Masters of American Comics
An art history of 20th-century American comic strips and books.

The Comics Before 1945

100 Years of Newspaper Comics

Golden Age of DC Comics

The Marvel Comics Encyclopedia:
The Complete Guide to the Characters of the Marvel Universe

Heroes including Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men are featured in works by Marvel's finest artists, while the authoritative text is supplied by top marvel comic book experts.

Popular Cartoonists of the 1930s

Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy

Bob Kane, creator of Batman

Henry Conroy Fisher, creator of Mutt & Jeff

Jerry Siegel, creator of Superman

Harold (Lincoln) Gray, creator of Little Orphan Annie

Philip Francis Nowlan, creator of Buck Rogers

Popular Comic Strips of the 1930s

Krazy Kat

Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman

Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940
"A Brick Stuffed With Moom-bins" congregating the complete full-page comic strips, with addenda.

Popeye

Popeye, Betty Boop & More Fleischer Favorites

Popeye the Sailor
Features more than 70 cartoons starring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Bluto, Betty Boop, Gabby, Hunky & Spunky, and other favorites from the pen of Max and Dave Fleischer.

Popeye the Sailor: 12 Classic Cartoons

Dick Tracy

The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Dailies & Sundays. Volume one, 1931-1933
This first volume of the complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy includes nearly 600 comic strips, encompassing the series' beginning, from October 1931 to May 1933.

The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Dailies & Sundays. Volume two, 1933-1935
This second volume of the complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy includes nearly 600 comic strips, encompassing the series' beginning, from May 1933 to January 1935.

Dick Tracy, the Thirties, Tommy Guns and Hard Times
The Great Depression-era adventures of America's first popular detective and super-hero battling the forces of crime and evil in 15 stories reprinted from the early thirties.


The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.


The County of San Diego and the San Diego County Library disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy of the translations.