Ground-Breaking Comic Heroes Before the 1950s
Far before the 1950s, the first comic strips about heroes were published and many readers were delighted. A new phenomenal kind of story-telling was about to gain a huge fanbase. The artful paintings of the creators helped to understand the powers and qualities of the unusual and extraordinary characters by literally depicting them. It arose to a magic form of art that seduced masses of young and later even old readers - and from today's point of view also the audiences in cinemas.
Today the artwork of the comics is transported to movies by CGI-effects, which enable to show the full virtual power of those comics that seduced so many, in reality-like movies. We take a look at the oldest characters, which set a big stone in motion.
Which of these comic heroes of the 1940s and earlier do you think had the biggest impact on the whole genre or is the most interesting for you? (If you want, you can click the IMDb and Wikipedia links to read more about them.)
Tell us here.
__________________________________________________________
For your interest: List of superhero debuts (wikipedia)
All researches for this poll were done in February 2022
Today the artwork of the comics is transported to movies by CGI-effects, which enable to show the full virtual power of those comics that seduced so many, in reality-like movies. We take a look at the oldest characters, which set a big stone in motion.
Which of these comic heroes of the 1940s and earlier do you think had the biggest impact on the whole genre or is the most interesting for you? (If you want, you can click the IMDb and Wikipedia links to read more about them.)
Tell us here.
__________________________________________________________
For your interest: List of superhero debuts (wikipedia)
All researches for this poll were done in February 2022
Liste d’activités
340 vues
• 2 cette semaineCréer une nouvelle liste
Énumérez vos choix de films, d’émissions et de célébrités.
- 26 titres
- AdministrateursFrederick StephaniRay Taylor étoiles Buster CrabbeJean RogersCharles MiddletonFlash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Alexis Zarkov visit the planet Mongo to thwart the evil schemes of Emperor Ming the Merciless, who has set his planet on a collision course with Earth.In 1934 Flash Gordon was first released as comic strips. After the huge success the TV-series was made and the further success followed. In 1984 a legendary, but also somehow trashy movie containing the soundtrack made by Queen was released. Flash Gordon was also mentioned in another "trashy" - in the intro song (yt) of the legendary cult rock musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
- AdministrateursLambert Hillyer étoiles Lewis WilsonDouglas CroftJ. Carrol NaishLe prince Daka, maître espion japonais, exploite une organisation d'espionnage secrète située dans le Petit Tokyo de Gotham City, aujourd'hui désert, qui transforme les scientifiques américains en zombies dociles.The first Batman comic was released in 1939 by Detective Comics (DC). After the release of The first movie, the stories around the winged vigilant had many successors in movies and TV-series. In 1989, Tim Burton's Batman renewed the interest of many people about the lead character Bruce Wayne. Christopher Nolan's trilogy about Le chevalier noir (2008) gave the hype around Batman a new peak. Today the interest in the stories continues and new productions are in sight.
- AdministrateursLynn Shores étoiles Rod La RocqueAgnes AndersonJames BlakeleyLamont Cranston assumes his secret identity as "The Shadow", to break up an attempted robbery at an attorney's office. When the police search the scene, Cranston takes on an impersonation of the attorney.In 1930 "The Shadow" was a new radio play. It rapidly turned to one of the most popular radio plays in the USA. in 1931, the first comics of the shadow came on the market. They were adressed as pulp magazines, but had many fans. Detective Comics released a twelve-parted comic series in the mid 1970s. Over the decades some movies about the stories were released. In 1994 The Shadow was rebooted newly. Some users may remember it. There is a new reboot planed with Sam Raimi as the director.
- AdministrateursFord BeebeSaul A. Goodkind étoiles Buster CrabbeConstance MooreJackie MoranA 20th Century pilot named Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade awake from 500 years in suspended animation to find that the world has been taken over by the outlaw army of Killer Kane.Buck Rogers was one of the more earlier ground breaking comics which first was published in 1928 in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories and then by comic strips in news papers. After its first success, Buck Rogers appeared as a serial movie, TV-series and then in 1940 as a comic book. In 1979 another TV-series was produced by Universal Pictures. In 2021 a new Buck Rogers TV-Series with George Clooney as lead actor was announced.
- AdministrateursAndrew Stanton étoiles Taylor KitschLynn CollinsWillem DafoeTransporté à Barsoom, un vétéran de la guerre civile découvre une planète stérile, habité de barbares de 4 mètres. Emprisonné par ses créatures, il s'échappe et rencontre Woola et une princesse dans le besoin désespéré d'un sauveur.In 1941, John Carter was first released as a comic strip on December 7th, the very day of the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. It was made after the novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Later in 2012 the story was released as John Carter (2012). Some more info: comics.org
- AdministrateursElmer CliftonJohn English étoiles Dick PurcellLorna GrayLionel AtwillSuperhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.In 1941 the first Captain America comic was released. It has a huge list of titles from then until today. Cap is one of the most popular heroes since the comics were published. After the TV-series in 1944, several productions of the material have been released, like TV-movies, short movies, TV-series and at last the huge success of Cap America in the MCU movie series, which started in 2008.
- AdministrateursMichael Anderson étoiles Ron ElyPaul GleasonWilliam LuckingDoc and the Amazing Five battle Captain Seas and "the green death" for control of a fabulous resource.The first comic was published in 1933. Some early film productions were loosely based on the material. After projects like 'The Thousand-Headed Man' were canceled, there was a first movie released, Doc Savage arrive (1975). A new movie with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is planned, simply called: Doc Savage
- AdministrateursB. Reeves Eason étoiles Tom TylerJeanne BatesErnie AdamsThe Phantom's clan has ruled the jungle tribes for centuries. He battles Dr. Bremmer who plans to build an airfield and gets greedy when Professor Davidson and his niece Diana arrive to search for the treasure of the lost city of Zoloz.In 1936 The Phantom was first published as an adventure comic strip. At its peak, the strip was read by over 100 million people daily. It was a part of the TV-series Les defenseurs de la terre (1986) and later the movie Le fantôme (1996) was released.
- AdministrateursDave FleischerSteve Muffati étoiles Bud CollyerJoan AlexanderJackson BeckThe Man of Steel fights a mad scientist who is destroying Metropolis with an energy cannon.The first Superman comic was published in 1938. From 1940 to 1952, a radio play about Superman was very popular. From 1941 to 1943, a series of short movies was broadcasted on TV. Superman was and is surely one of the most successful heroes beside DC's Batman and Marvel's Captain America. In the late 1970s and 1980s a Superman film series which started with Superman - Le film (1978) was made and today the saga continued with a new reboot of the franchise by the movie Le retour de Superman (2006), and later again with another reboot: L'Homme d'acier (2013).
- CréateursDanny BilsonPaul De Meo étoiles John Wesley ShippAmanda PaysAlex Désert"Barry Allen, un médecin légiste de la police, combat le crime en tant que super-héros ultra-rapide nommé ""The Flash""."In 1939/1940 The Flash was published as comic and the character was also a founding member of the JSA. Then his name was Jay Garrick. The original members of the JSA were Green Lantern, Doctor Fate, Hourman, The Spectre, Atom, Sandman and The Flash. In 1956 DC Comics reinvented The Flash and gave him the name Barry Allen. Basically it was the same guy. After the release of the TV-series The Flash (1990) and The Flash (2014), his character was also a subject in the DCEU movies Batman vs Superman: L'aube de la justice (2016), L'escadron suicide (2016), La ligue des justiciers (2017) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). Another movie is announced: The Flash (2023)
- AdministrateursVincent McEveety étoiles Cathy Lee CrosbyKaz GarasAndrew PrineA super-hero uses her powers to thwart an international spy ring.Wonder Woman was probably the first superheroine in comics. The first time one of her stories was published in All Star Comics #8 1941/1942. The character was so popular that famous painters took notice and created their own artworks of Wonder Woman. One of them was Andy Warhole. Over the years there was made a TV-movie, a TV-series and a live action-show. Recently there was a very successful reboot with Gal Gadot as the lead character: Wonder Woman (2017).
- AdministrateursRobert Altman étoiles Robin WilliamsShelley DuvallRay WalstonLes aventures du célèbre marin et de ses amis dans la ville balnéaire de Sweethaven.Who doesn't know Popeye, the spinach addicted seaman? His first appearance was in the New York Journal in 1929. The stories were sent as radio play broadcasts from 1935 to 1938. Robin Williams played the iconic seaman in 1980.
- AdministrateursWilliam Berke étoiles Morgan ConwayAnne JeffreysMike MazurkiPolice detective Dick Tracy must identify and apprehend a serial killer known as Splitface.Dick Tracy is one of the characters, people who are older than 40 years of age surely heard of. The stories were published first time in 1931. In 1937 the launch of a series of 15 movies was initiated. In the 1950s a TV-series was broadcasted and later Warren Beaty played Dick Tracy in the movie Dick Tracy (1990). I guess some people are waiting for a dignified reboot.
- AdministrateursNorman DemingSam Nelson étoiles Warren HullDoris WestonAl KikumeMandrake and his assistant Lothar are working the cruise lines and make the acquaintance of Professor Houston who has developed a radium energy machine, which is much coveted by a masked Crime Lord known as "The Wasp".In the summer of 1934, the first Mandrake the Magician comic was released. First it was published in comic strips of newspapers. In 1935 the first comic book was published. The last creator retired in 2013. There was a 15 minute series on The Mutual Broadcasting System from November 1940, until February 1942. Two movie productions about the stories were made: Mandrake, the Magician (1939), Mandrake the Magician (1954). In 2007, Baldwin Entertainment Group purchased the rights and since then the fans of Mandrake wait for a modern adaption of the movie.
- étoiles Irish McCallaChristian DrakeNeal the ChimpThe adventures of a woman who grew up in the jungle as she protects the beasts and the natives while encountering white hunters, native Africans, wild animals and slave traders.Sheena, Queen of the Jungle was first published in 1938. The original comic played in Africa, but in the 1980s the makers set the playground to South America. Irish McCalla first portrayed the spear wielding amazon-like woman in the TV-series of the 1950s. There was a movie made in 1984 and another TV-series in 2000.
- CréateursBill Everett étoiles Bernard CowanDon MasonJack CreleyThe prince of the sunken city of Atlantis protects his home from all enemies both above and below the surface of the sea.Namor The Sub-Mariner was first published in 1939 in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly & Marvel Comics #1. Last one was the first comic book of Timely Comics, which was the predecessor of Marvel Comics. From the 1950s until 2013, Namor had several apperances in different TV-productions. Universal holds the copyrights, so Namor wasn't released by Disney. But according to the Wikipedia article, Kevin Feige keeps the possibility open to make another MCU movie of it.
- AdministrateursMichael Schultz étoiles Sam J. JonesNana VisitorBumper RobinsonA legally dead police detective decides to battle crime as a masked superhero.In June 1940 another masked crime-fighter entered the stage. The Spirit was published by Register and Tribune Syndicate as a 16 page tabloid-sized comic book insert, distributed in the Sunday edition of newspapers. The were also comic strips about The Spirit in newspapers and a TV-movie made in 1987. The latest reboot was Le Spirit (2008).
- AdministrateursJean-Jacques Vierne étoiles Jean-Pierre TalbotGeorges WilsonGeorges LoriotTintin et le capitaine Haddock tentent de découvrir ce qui est si désirable dans leur vieux navire apparemment sans valeur.Tintin is one of the oldest candidates on the list. The comic Tintin in the Land of the Soviets is the first published comic with Tintin. It was published in 1929 in Belgium. The conservative Belgium newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle first published the comic strip. Later it became one of the most popular comics in Europe, known as The Adventures of Tintin. There were several radio plays and movies in cinema. Steven Spielberg directed the last movie by using modern techniques like motion capturing in Les aventures de Tintin: Le secret de la Licorne (2011).
- AdministrateursJohn EnglishWilliam Witney étoiles Tom TylerFrank Coghlan Jr.William 'Billy' BenedictTo protect a magic talisman from being used for evil, a teenage boy named Billy Batson is given the power to become an adult superhero, Captain Marvel, with a single magic word: "Shazam!"First published by Fawcett Comics in 1940, it became so popular that it beat Superman to the big screen when Captain Marvel starred a movie serial in 1941, Adventures of Captain Marvel. After a legal battle with DC Comics due to a copyright case. Captain Marvel publication ended, until Fawcett lended and then sold the character to DC. In the 1970s there was a live action TV-series and a cartoon, and today he was made famous again in the film Shazam! (2019) from the DCEU. More movies with Shazam are comming.
- AdministrateursJames Wan étoiles Jason MomoaAmber HeardWillem DafoeArthur Curry apprend qu'il est l'héritier du royaume sous-marin d'Atlantis et qu'il doit prendre les mesures nécessaires pour diriger son peuple et devenir un héros pour le reste du monde.Aquaman first appeared in 1941. He appeared from time to time in cartoons and had a failed pilot for a tv series, he finally starred in a big production when Jason Momoa played him in the DCEU-movie Aquaman (2018). It was a big success. More movies with Aquaman will come soon.
- CréateursGreg BerlantiMarc GuggenheimAndrew Kreisberg étoiles Stephen AmellKatie CassidyDavid RamseyOliver Queen, un jeune homme milliardaire gâté est porté disparu et présumé mort lorsque son yacht est perdu en mer. Il réapparaît cinq ans plus tard, déterminé à nettoyer la ville en tant que justicier armé d'un arc.Green Arrow first appeared in 1941, and he has become an important character in the comics. He never was in television until he was a guest star in Smallville, and finally in 2012 he starred in his own show, Arrow, which gave origin to the CW Arrowverse. In 2014 there was also a TV-mini-series released. I guess there is more on the way.
- AdministrateursWilliam Witney étoiles Kane RichmondMarguerite ChapmanSam FlintAlan Armstrong, aka Spy Smasher, battles a Nazi villain known as The Mask, who heads a gang of saboteurs determined to spread destruction across America.With Spy Smasher, another Fawcett character appeared in comics in 1940 and got a movie serial in 1942. He is mostly forgotten today, but according to the user Pencho15, who was a very big help in the making of this poll, the series is probably one of the best there are. It's a honourable mention.
- AdministrateursAlexandre Coffre étoiles Monsieur PoulpeCharlotte GabrisVincent DesagnatSpirou and Fantasio have to team up when Count Pacôme de Champignac is kidnapped by the men of Zorglub.in 1938, Spirou & Fantasio were published for the first time. The comics from France were a huge success in whole Europe and translated into several languages. In the next decades until the 2010s, countless stories were published, followed by a TV-series from 1993 to 1995. In the 1960s, radio plays were broadcasted. A movie was released in 2018: Les aventures de Spirou et Fantasio (2018)
- AdministrateursSpencer Gordon BennetFred F. Sears étoiles Kirk AlynCarol FormanJohn CrawfordBased on a successful comic book that began in 1941, the Blackhawks were seven fliers who banded together during WWII to fight the Nazis. After the war, they continued to fight evil where ever they find it. In this movie, they are battling a group of spies and saboteurs bent on destroying democracy. The Blackhawks foil a succession of plots, with a cliff hanger ending in each episode.Blackhawk, another group of DC Comics military heroes, debuted in 1941 and they had their serial in 1952.
- étoiles Joe BakerMichael BellMelendy BrittThe adventures of the original stretchable superhero and various other characters.Plastic Man, a comic character first published in 1941 by Quality had a cartoon tv series in 1979.
