Invention of the Superhero genre Qu

[HOTROD1988]

..........

 

[SenseiofCheese]

Pre-teen to teens?

 

[Doc Destruction]

Most definately kids. I would venture to say young kids. Like 8-14. The original Superman cartoons are very kidsy.

 

[The Question]

Kids and young teenagers. But adventure fiction for kids and young teenagers was a bit more mature than it is today. You had The Shadow shooting people left and right and Doc Savage labotomizing bad guys.

 

[Darthphere]

All ages really. Considering that a lot of these heroes started out as strips in the newspaper.

 

[Kebab gud]

Superman was originally an adult aimed title.. but by the time Action Comics happened it was an all age book...

Detective Comics was more teens and up (until Robin came around :/ )

 

[Aristotle]

All ages really. Considering that a lot of these heroes started out as strips in the newspaper.

As The Question notes, "children's" fiction was a lot more mature then than it is now. There were no arbitrary separations of what was acceptable for kids and what was not. Mickey Mouse tried to commit suicide a bunch of times in a row. Batman was shooting mo'fackies, with a gun.

However, I would say that the format quickly gravitated toward kids with the switch from newspaper strips to comic books. With comic books, you quickly begin to see kid sidekicks showing up, very transparent as plot devices designed to appeal to childrens' vicarious fantasy.

 

[Aristotle]

BRING BACK VIBE!

Wait...why?

 

[HOTROD1988]

Yeah,maybe they did try to please kids in certain aspects( when they realised kids were the chief buyers of the comics due to its cheap price )but Superman actually did deal with a case of spousal abuse right in Action Comics #1.Personally,I think that's a very mature theme.He even threw some gangsters down to death.

 

[HOTROD1988]

Kids and young teenagers. But adventure fiction for kids and young teenagers was a bit more mature than it is today. You had The Shadow shooting people left and right and Doc Savage labotomizing bad guys.

..........

 

[Kitsune]

I've heard tell that the original Grimm Fairy Tails were a lot more violent than the ones that we read as kids. Just on a related note.

 

[Xofenroht]

That's true I think. If I remember correctly, the original "Little Red Riding Hood" didn't have a woodcutter, so the story ends with the wolf devouring the grandmother and Little Red.

 

[Kitsune]

That's true I think. If I remember correctly, the original "Little Red Riding Hood" didn't have a woodcutter, so the story ends with the wolf devouring the grandmother and Little Red.

Yep... Grimm was a good description for them.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The original version of Cinderella featured Cinderella's step-sisters hacking off bits of their feet to fit into the glass slipper, too.

 

[Anubis]

Man, I wish they made a Disney movie with that scene in it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Heh, that would've been awesome. It'd be really cool if the original Grimm Fairy Tales were made into a series of Pan's Labyrinth-esque movies.

 

[Kebab gud]

Wait...why?

it would be AWSOME!!

 

[Damiean Dark]

I think DC never really got out of its 30s/40s roots in regards of its heros most of them still seem simple characters with unamaginative powers with villains that are transparent and only a threat to the city they reside in the culture change in the 60s and Marvels entrance into comics is the reason comics are still around today IMO.

 

[Anubis]

That's nice.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I think DC never really got out of its 30s/40s roots in regards of its heros most of them still seem simple characters with unamaginative powers with villains that are transparent and only a threat to the city they reside in the culture change in the 60s and Marvels entrance into comics is the reason comics are still around today IMO.

You don't read many DC comics, do you?

 

[Anubis]

Of course he doesn't. Otherwise he wouldn't have posted such tripe, but hey, it's in his opinion, so I guess we can't really say anything about it.

 

[yenaled]

Wow, multi-thread echo.

Edit:
I should explain that comment.

 

[Anubis]

Bet that wont be the last time we see such tripe from this guy. (I hardly ever get to use that word.)

 

[vms7591]

probably kids i dont think adults read comics back then

 

[Kevin Roegele]

probably kids i dont think adults read comics back then

On the contrary, comicbooks were immensly popular with soldiers during World War II.

Action Comics was outselling Time Magazine.