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The GA Beginning

Started by Mr. 10%,

19 posts in this topic

Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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Posted

 

The Batman has the following characteristics in common with 'The Phantom' as well as 'Zorro'. All three are:

 

(i) Mortal men

(ii) Masked they fight the bad guys

(iii) Through human determination they háve all three acquired extraordinary skills through hard training

 

Then I thought about 'Superman'. He is:

 

(i) Immortal

(ii) Not originally from planet earth

(iii) Not masked

(iv) He was born with his special abilities

 

My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Just thought about this since 'The Phantom' as well as 'Zorro' *predates* Action 1 lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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rjpb

rjpb

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

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Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

 

 

When you answer yes and yes, - does that mean that Action #1 can still be considered the book that started "everything"?

 

I mean if there is a legit link between Bats back to The Phantom and Zorro, that kind of indicates that at least "something" (essential to our current conception of ´superheroes) starts up "before" Action 1 ? Or ... ?

 

 

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Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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Hmm ... yeah. You might have a point!

Dont know much about Lone Ranger though ... Cowboy type right?

 

I assume you indicate that we have to draw a line somwhere. So let that line be Superman! Then we are done with it. ?

 

Fine with me. If asked I couldnt tell sheeet from shinola anyway.

 

Just thought that all the cool masked bat-ninjastuff with Bruce Wayne cant really be found in Superman really.

 

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

There had been costumed heroes (Zorro), heroes with a secret identity (Scarlet Pimpernel was created even prior to Zorro) and superheros (Hercules) but so far as I'm aware Supes was the first costumed superhero with a secret identity. It was a small step but still radical enough to kick up quite a storm.

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Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

There had been costumed heroes (Zorro), heroes with a secret identity (Scarlet Pimpernel was created even prior to Zorro) and superheros (Hercules) but so far as I'm aware Supes was the first costumed superhero with a secret identity. It was a small step but still radical enough to kick up quite a storm. [/quote

 

 

Interesting that it apparently was the costume + secret ID that constituted the new move giving birth to the GA wit superman.

 

To be honest I cant remember if 'The Phantom' had an alternate identity for the real world when he was visiting his UN-employed girlfriend).

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RedFury

RedFury

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

There had been costumed heroes (Zorro), heroes with a secret identity (Scarlet Pimpernel was created even prior to Zorro) and superheros (Hercules) but so far as I'm aware Supes was the first costumed superhero with a secret identity. It was a small step but still radical enough to kick up quite a storm. [/quote

 

 

Interesting that it apparently was the costume + secret ID that constituted the new move giving birth to the GA wit superman.

 

To be honest I cant remember if 'The Phantom' had an alternate identity for the real world when he was visiting his UN-employed girlfriend).

 

Kit Walker

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aardvark88

aardvark88

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What? No love for ERB and pulp influences? (shrug) I realize Tarzan did not have a cape but how about John Carter, Warlord of Mars or more to the point, Doc (Clark) Savage as Superman pre-cursor?

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Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Yes and Yes. Also that they were the first highly successful costumed characters originally created for the comic books.

There had been costumed heroes (Zorro), heroes with a secret identity (Scarlet Pimpernel was created even prior to Zorro) and superheros (Hercules) but so far as I'm aware Supes was the first costumed superhero with a secret identity. It was a small step but still radical enough to kick up quite a storm. [/quote

 

 

Interesting that it apparently was the costume + secret ID that constituted the new move giving birth to the GA wit superman.

 

To be honest I cant remember if 'The Phantom' had an alternate identity for the real world when he was visiting his UN-employed girlfriend).

 

Kit Walker

 

Kit Walker - thats right. Thanks!

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Mr. 10%

Mr. 10%

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What? No love for ERB and pulp influences? (shrug) I realize Tarzan did not have a cape but how about John Carter, Warlord of Mars or more to the point, Doc (Clark) Savage as Superman pre-cursor?

 

Its just with all this going on "prior" to Action #1 I just cant wrap my head around the fact that Action 1 presumably is the book that starts "everything" - that the world was born anew upon the release of Action 1, etc. etc.. But thats just me I guess ... Dont get me wrong I "Love" Action 1. Its a great great book. But significant contributions to the icon of the Batman (and thus to the conception of the classic superhero as we know it today) seems to be there *prior* - prior to A1. :preach:

 

 

 

Thoughts ... ?

Bear with me if I am in someones garden :blush:

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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There was definitely an evolution prior to Superman but examples of "super" men like Tarzan, John Carter and Philip Wylie's Gladiator were not, iirc, costumed. Once you had one costumed superhero with a secret identity then loads of them started appearing.

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143ksk

143ksk

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Nothing is created in a vacuum. There are always precursors.

 

I think the genius of Superman is that he struck a chord with people that the earlier heroes clearly did not. Part of that is that the medium of comics allowed the creators to show heroic actions that until relatively recently couldn't be effectively shown in any other medium. Reading this stuff in text just doesn't have the impact that actually seeing it has.

 

Also, the idea that a hero with overwhelming powers could be secreted as someone who appeared normal in their everyday life was very much a wish fulfilling concept for many people. Who wouldn't want to be able to escape their boring (?) job as a reporter and perform super feats? What previous heroes had ever had their first image that of them lifting a car over their head and smashing it? I have to think the cover of Action 1 alone marked a sea change in people's perception of comics and heroes in general.

 

2c

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rjpb

rjpb

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Nothing is created in a vacuum. There are always precursors.

 

 

Very true, you can trace the roots of superheroes all the way back to Gilgamesh and probably further.

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Moondog

Moondog

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Nothing is created in a vacuum. There are always precursors.

 

I think the genius of Superman is that he struck a chord with people that the earlier heroes clearly did not. Part of that is that the medium of comics allowed the creators to show heroic actions that until relatively recently couldn't be effectively shown in any other medium. Reading this stuff in text just doesn't have the impact that actually seeing it has.

 

Also, the idea that a hero with overwhelming powers could be secreted as someone who appeared normal in their everyday life was very much a wish fulfilling concept for many people. Who wouldn't want to be able to escape their boring (?) job as a reporter and perform super feats? What previous heroes had ever had their first image that of them lifting a car over their head and smashing it? I have to think the cover of Action 1 alone marked a sea change in people's perception of comics and heroes in general.

 

2c

 

(thumbs u

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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My question: Has Batman more in common with 'The Phantom' and 'Zorro' than he has in common with the 'man of steel'?

Has it been the fact that superman and batman have a common publisher (DC) that have made them into 'the duo that started the GA'?

 

Just thought about this since 'The Phantom' as well as 'Zorro' *predates* Action 1 lol

 

 

A few other things to remember, that are often easily overlooked...

 

1) there was a Golden Age before Superheros and comics were already being devoured by kids before Superman was created.

2) Superman alone would not be enough to carry comics...competition is just as important to an industry as the initial push of intertia that starts the ball rolling, so characters like Batman, Captain Marvel, Sub-Mariner and the Torch (just to name a few off the cuff) all created a dynamic that caused writers, artists and publishers to make a "better" product in an attempt to capture readers and increase market share.

3) Captain Marvel outsold Superman 2 to 1 through the 1940's. :baiting:

 

End of the lesson.

 

:shy:

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