146-802: Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by the British Comic Art Convention . Comic Mart began in London , eventually expanding to Birmingham , Manchester , and Liverpool , among other locations. The first few Comic Marts were organized and produced by Rob Barrow and Nick Landau ; eventually they split up to produce competing versions of
292-627: A tabloid form. Underground comics and "small press" titles have also appeared in the UK, notably Oz and Escape Magazine . The content of Action , another title aimed at children and launched in the mid-1970s, became the subject of discussion in the House of Commons . Although on a smaller scale than similar investigations in the US, such concerns led to a moderation of content published within British comics. Such moderation never became formalized to
438-636: A black artist or writer allowed in a major comics company." Asian characters within comic books encountered similar prejudiced treatment as black characters did. They were subjected to dehumanizing depictions, with narratives often portraying them as "incompetent and subhuman." In a 1944 edition of the publication United States Marines , there was a story titled The Smell of the Monkeymen . This narrative portrayed Japanese soldiers as brutish simians, and it depicted their concealed positions being betrayed by their repugnant body odor. Chinese characters received
584-511: A cartoonist included both newspaper strips and comics, almost entirely for British publishers. His first published work was Magical Monty for All-Fun Comics (1942) at the age of 14, with a contribution to The Dandy the same year, and briefly worked as junior cartoonist for the newspaper Reynold's News (1944–45). He collaborated on comics writing and drawing with school friend Bob Monkhouse while they were still pupils at Dulwich College together. After his National Service, Gifford drew
730-627: A comedy act in the south east of England in the late 1940s with Ernie Lower's West Bees Concert Party, giving charity performances with Monkhouse as the 'straight man'. Gifford continued drawing during National Service in the Royal Air Force (1946-8), in which he served in the clerical position of 'AC1 Clerk/Pay Accounts', and went on to draw the Telestrip cartoon for the London Evening News . Gifford's prolific career as
876-473: A company named Comics Guaranty (CGC) initiated the practice of "slabbing" comics, which involves encasing them within thick plastic cases and assigning them a numerical grade. This approach inspired the emergence of Comic Book Certification Service . Given the significance of condition in determining the value of rare comics, the concept of grading by an impartial company, one that does not engage in buying or selling comics, seemed promising. Nevertheless, there
1022-542: A drawing style [in which] "[h]is likenesses could approach very close to the American ones produced by Harry Parks", consistent with Gifford's busy, comical style in other genres. Gifford and Monkhouse contributed cartoon strips to various magazines in the 1940s and 1950s, including Galaxy magazine (1946) (not to be confused with Galaxy Science Fiction ). Gifford drew the cover for Classics Illustrated #146 (British series), Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1962),
1168-458: A famous example of the British comic annual. DC Thomson also repackages The Broons and Oor Wullie strips in softcover A4-size books for the holiday season. On 19 March 2012, the British postal service, the Royal Mail , released a set of stamps depicting British comic book characters and series. The collection featured The Beano , The Dandy , Eagle , The Topper , Roy of
1314-586: A five chapter spy genre tale written by Otto Binder and drawn by Al Carreno. It is readable online in the Digital Comic Museum . The magazine never reached a second issue. In 1950, St. John Publications produced the digest-sized , adult-oriented "picture novel" It Rhymes with Lust , a 128-page digest by pseudonymous writer "Drake Waller" ( Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller ), penciler Matt Baker and inker Ray Osrin , touted as "an original full-length novel" on its cover. "It Rhymes with Lust"
1460-628: A government ran program, the Writers' War Board, became heavily involved in what would be published in comics. "The Writers' War Board used comic books to shape popular perceptions of race and ethnicity..." Not only were they using comic books as a means of recruiting all Americans, they were also using it as propaganda to "[construct] a justification for race-based hatred of America's foreign enemies." The Writers' War Board created comics books that were meant to "[promote] domestic racial harmony". However, "these pro-tolerance narratives struggled to overcome
1606-427: A less superior race and cannot believe they bested his men."The Tuskegee Airmen, and images of black aviators appear in just three of the fifty three panels... the pilots of the 99th Squadron have no dialogue and interact with neither Hop Harrigan nor his Nazi captive." During this time, they also used black characters in comic books as a means to invalidate the militant black groups that were fighting for equality within
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#17328025851121752-492: A lesser extent the US: "Curiously, only Great Britain, where the comic paper was born, takes its comics for what they superficially seem – ephemera to be discarded as soon as read." Although enthusiastic about comics of every era, Gifford had a particular passion for vintage comics, "earlier in the medium's evolution, when it was a chaos of one-offs, irregular schedules, and a comic historian's nightmare of inept publishers operating from
1898-412: A lifelong passion for the stories within comics, often focusing on specific superheroes and striving to gather a complete collection of a particular series. Comics are assigned sequential numbers, and the initial issue of a long-lasting comic book series tends to be both the scarcest and the most coveted among collectors. The introduction of a new character might occur within an existing title. For instance,
2044-418: A mass market of children. As far as the people who produce Action are concerned, the children are simply a market and moral considerations do not apply." Despite 2000 AD (#1 published in 1977) producing iconic characters and innovative and critically acclaimed storyelling and art, Gifford had similar reservations about its violent content: "Whether children would actually enjoy living in [the future] ...
2190-444: A modern readership had an awareness of early comic history. The Ally Sloper magazine was not a commercial success and lasted only four issues, but the innovation of Gifford's tone in the title was acknowledged by one cultural historian as "[w]ith his accurate spoof of the style of traditional British humour comics ... anticipat[ing] Viz by nearly three years." He produced artwork for advertisements for an Ally Sloper T-shirt, which
2336-477: A more comedic and cartoon-like rendering than was conventional for the title's covers, which tended to be classically heroic and often painted. Gifford went on to produce several strips for the highly popular humour comic Knockout , including Our Ernie (1950), Stoneage Kit the Ancient Brit and his own creation, the gags and puzzles strip Steadfact McStaunch . He later revived Steadfast McStaunch for
2482-431: A nuisance of themselves). The largest of the two events took up 6,700 square feet and featured 110 dealer tables. Meanwhile, Rob Barrow (using his corporate entity Fantasy Domain, established in 1972), returned to the "mart scene" in mid-November, organizing a separate "more intimate" mart, entitled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace," at Lyndhurst Hall. Landau staged seven London Comic Marts in 1977, in such locations as
2628-1126: A number of strips in several titles in the Marvelman stable, and created the light-hearted backup features Flip and Flop and The Friendly Soul . He also wrote an editorial piece, Founding a Family , on the history of Marvelman Family for a 1988 reprint of the strip in Miracleman Family #2. When Anglo took on US reprint series Annie Oakley , Gifford was one of the staff of British and Spanish artists used to create new strips (1957–58). Gifford went on to provide Western strips for Anglo Features title Gunhawks Western (1960–61) and humour strip Our Lad for Anglo's Captain Miracle (1961) contributed several humour strips for Anglo's anthology of Silver Age DC reprints, Super DC (1969–70), as well as reprints of his humour strip The Friendly Soul from Marvelman in Superman Bumper Book (1970) and Super DC Bumper Book #1 (1971). Later in
2774-519: A run in IPC's new title Whizzer and Chips (1969), which itself merged with Knockout in 1973. After working with Mick Anglo on the ABC science-fiction title Space Comics (1953–54), Gifford began work for Anglo Studios when it was set up in 1954, including a long stint writing and illustrating early Marvelman , the superhero reinvented in the 1980s with a darker vision by Alan Moore . Gifford worked on
2920-600: A small group of fellow comics dealers rented out the upstairs room of The Eagle pub in Clerkenwell on a Saturday and called it a "Mini-con." Dobson emigrated to Australia soon afterward, bequeathing Fantasy Advertiser to 19-year-old fellow comics enthusiast Dez Skinn . As inheritor of Dobson's interests, Skinn planned another mart for 9 December 1972 — dubbing it the "Christmas Comic Mart" — but discovered that Rob Barrow and Nick Landau had already arranged one, scheduled one week earlier than Skinn's. (Landau had produced
3066-555: A special fascination for Gifford: he was an active figure in horror fandom of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, including the Gothique Film Society, and in the 1970s he had regular columns in Dez Skinn 's House of Hammer magazine, first a serialised Golden History of Horror and later History of Hammer . However, Gifford had been deeply critical of Hammer Studios , especially the productions of its later years, preferring
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#17328025851123212-497: A surge of creativity emerged in what became known as underground comix . Published and distributed independently of the established comics industry, most of such comics reflected the youth counterculture and drug culture of the time. Underground comix "reflected and commented on the social divisions and tensions of American society". Many had an uninhibited, often irreverent style; their frank depictions of nudity, sex, profanity, and politics had no parallel outside their precursors,
3358-502: Is also available to read online in the Digital Comic Museum. In 1971, writer-artist Gil Kane and collaborators applied a paperback format to their "comics novel" Blackmark . Will Eisner popularized the term "graphic novel" when he used it on the cover of the paperback edition of his work A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Stories in 1978 and, subsequently, the usage of the term began to increase. In 2017,
3504-458: Is an ongoing debate regarding whether the relatively high cost of this grading service is justified and whether it serves the interests of collectors or mainly caters to speculators seeking rapid profits, akin to trading in stocks or fine art. Comic grading has played a role in establishing standards for valuation, which online price guides such as GoCollect and GPAnalysis utilize to provide real-time market value information. Collectors also seek out
3650-451: Is another matter, for as depicted ... the future is a world of unrelieved violence." Gifford was clear that his preferences in comics writing and art were informed by his nostalgia for UK comics of the 1930s, reflecting that "I look back to the days of my youth ... when comics were things of joy and pleasure, rather than blood and guts." However, Gifford's concerns were limited to comics intended for children and adolescents, and he
3796-662: Is generally considered the beginning of the modern comic book as it is known today. The Silver Age of Comic Books is generally considered to date from the first successful revival of the then-dormant superhero form, with the debut of the Flash in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956). The Silver Age lasted through the late 1960s or early 1970s, during which time Marvel Comics revolutionized the medium with such naturalistic superheroes as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby 's Fantastic Four and Lee and Steve Ditko 's Spider-Man . The demarcation between
3942-625: Is largely set in Britain and starring the magician John Constantine , paved the way for British writers such as Jamie Delano . The English musician Peter Gabriel issued in 2000 The Story of OVO which was released in a CD-booklet-shaped comic book as part of the CD edition with the title " OVO The Millennium Show ". The 2000 Millennium Dome Show based on it. At Christmas, publishers repackage and commission material for comic annuals , printed and bound as hardcover A4 -size books; "Rupert" supplies
4088-459: Is no point [in the history of comics] where we can pick up a paper and declare it Comic Number One." He identified the first comedic narrative periodical, as an antecedent to the comic as The Comick Magazine (1796) which although all text included a single William Hogarth print per issue, which Gifford suggested when combined formed a "narrative sequence ... [so that] they could be described as an early form of comic strip." Gifford identified
4234-505: Is recommended reading in these disciplines. Along with several other pioneering film archivists, Gifford's 'encyclopaedic work' was recognised by the Institute of Historical Research as having "provided thoroughgoing maps of British film personnel and production histories". Gifford compiled a comprehensive reference work of British-made films, The British Film Catalogue, 1895-1970: A Reference Guide , listing every traceable film made in
4380-597: Is used in South Korea to refer to both comics and cartooning in general. Outside South Korea, the term usually refers to comics originally published in the country. Manhwa is greatly influenced by Japanese Manga comics though it differs from manga and manhua with its own distinct features. Webtoons have become popular in South Korea as a new way to read comics. Thanks in part to different censorship rules, color and unique visual effects, and optimization for easier reading on smartphones and computers. More manhwa have made
4526-627: The Guinness Book of Records as a comics expert, Gifford had to qualify his recommendation that The Dandy be regarded as the world's oldest comic (first issue December 1937) after the entry was challenged in 1999. The first issue of Italian comics magazine Il Giornalino was cover dated 1 October 1924, US comic book Detective Comics (March 1937) began nine months earlier, and the Belgian comic magazine Spirou had more issues. Gifford admitted that "[i]t may be that we will have to insert
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4672-823: The Bluecoat Chambers concert hall. (The organizers claimed that this was their 10th year producing comic marts in Liverpool.) Zephyr produced three more Liverpool Comic Marts in 1978, on 19 August, 21 October, and 16 December, again all held at Bluecoat Chambers. In 1979, Peter Lennon took over management of the Birmingham Comic Mart, which was held on 10 March of that year. The Comic Mart phenomenon spread to Manchester in 1980, with Bob Smart and Graham Holt producing five events that year, all held at Piccadilly Plaza Exhibition Hall. These shows had no connection with previous Manchester comic marts. By
4818-1065: The Royal National Hotel . In 1976, Barrow expanded his operation regionally, hosting a September 12 comic mart in Birmingham at the Imperial Centre Hotel. In 1977, he produced four marts in Birmingham and one in Kingston upon Hull (held at the Hull Centre Hotel on 26 February). He returned to Birmingham in 1978, putting on two Comic Marts at the Birmingham Centre Hotel, held on 11 February and 20 May. Meanwhile, in 1977 in Liverpool , Zephyr Magazines produced two Liverpool Comic Marts, one held on 1 August and one 8 October both at
4964-522: The Telestrip cartoon for the London Evening News , continuing in Rex magazine (1971–72), and on bubblegum and cigarette sweet packets. Other newspaper strips were produced by Gifford for Empire State News and Sunday Dispatch . Gifford's early work was with D.C. Thomson and the majority of his work was for humour strips, but he went on to cover various genres and styles, including adventure, detective, science fiction, Western and superheroes. Gifford
5110-530: The archetype of the superhero . According to historian Michael A. Amundson , appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power. Historians generally divide the timeline of the American comic book into eras. The Golden Age of Comic Books began in 1938, with the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, published by Detective Comics (predecessor of DC Comics), which
5256-513: The "visual conventions" of comic art, informed by an intense awareness of the cultural heritage of the medium. In the period Gifford drew for them, D.C. Thomson and most British comic publishers had a strict policy that artists could not sign their work but exceptionally, he was allowed to clearly sign his art. Gifford created at least three of the earliest British Golden Age superheroes, Mr Muscle for Dynamic Comics (1945), Streamline , whose #1 tagline proclaimed him "The speediest fighter in
5402-583: The 1902 French trick film A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès and the 1918 Danish A Trip to Mars up to contemporary films such as the 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still , screen shots from recent science fiction films The Man from Planet X , Rocketship X-M , The Day the Earth Stood Still and When Worlds Collide . Astronomical facts and diagrams of imagined spacecraft and spacesuit, drawn by Gifford, were also included. Horror held
5548-554: The 1930s – and through really to the 1950s and 60s – these comics were almost the only entertainment available to children." Dennis the Menace was created in the 1950s, which saw sales for The Beano soar. He features in the cover of The Beano , with the BBC referring to him as the "definitive naughty boy of the comic world." In 1954, Tiger comics introduced Roy of the Rovers ,
5694-470: The 1930s, including D.C. Thomson's The Dandy (4 December 1937), The Beano (30 July 1938) and Magic (22 July 1939) and Amalgamated Press's Jingles (1934), Jolly (1935), Golden (23 October 1937), Radio Fun (15 October 1938), Happy Days (8 October 1938) and Knockout (4 March 1939). The start of the Second World War in 1939, and the resulting paper shortages, marked the end of many of
5840-414: The 1940s meant that many issues and even titles were lost without effective records, no university courses were dedicated to the study of the medium, and serious research and debate had not taken place into the origin and development of the comic as a form. Gifford was determined that the comic should gain a credibility in mainstream culture and academia which it already possessed in continental Europe, and to
5986-422: The 1940s there was a change in portrayal of black characters. "A cursory glance...might give the impression that situations had improved for African Americans in comics." In many comics being produced in this time there was a major push for tolerance between races. "These equality minded heroes began to spring to action just as African Americans were being asked to participate in the war effort." During this time,
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6132-629: The 1950s and 1960s, he directed and photographed a number of short films, most of which were publicity and public information films commissioned by the British Government. He also produced and directed the Pathe newsreel Highlight: The Singing Cinema (1964), a compilation of extracts from British musical films from 1929 to 1964. While at Pathe, Gifford married Angela Kalagias, a fellow Pathé employee. The couple, who later divorced, had one daughter, Pandora Jane, born in 1965. Gifford scripted
6278-533: The 1950s, which he regarded as the period in which the genre gained maturity in the cinema: "it was the 1950s before sci-fi really got started, first with George Pal 's astounding semi-documentary Destination Moon pipped at cinematic post by Robert L. Lipert 's B-movie Rocketship X-M . Where the cinema led, comics followed." He had attempted to spur early science fiction 'fandom' with his 1952 Space Patrol Official Handbook , an introduction to science fiction that included an index of 'films of future fantasy' from
6424-612: The 1960s, Gifford also produced the one-off News of the Universe Television Service and regular humour strips Dan Dan the TV Man and the collection of one or two-panel gags, Jester Moment for TV Tornado (1967–68) where Mick Anglo was editor. Although Gifford did not have an academic background, he was an acknowledged authority on film history who is respected by academics in film studies, media studies and social and cultural history. Much of his reference work
6570-560: The 1990s, changed the format and distribution of their comics to more closely resemble non-comics publishing. The " minicomics " form, an extremely informal version of self-publishing , arose in the 1980s and became increasingly popular among artists in the 1990s, despite reaching an even more limited audience than the small press. Small publishers regularly releasing titles include Avatar Press , Hyperwerks , Raytoons, and Terminal Press , buoyed by such advances in printing technology as digital print-on-demand . In 1964, Richard Kyle coined
6716-399: The 20th century, with the first comic standard-sized comic being Funnies on Parade . Funnies on Parades was the first book that established the size, duration, and format of the modern comic book. Following this was, Dell Publishing 's 36-page Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics as the first true newsstand American comic book; Goulart, for example, calls it "the cornerstone for one of
6862-459: The 21st century and which Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini adapted into a 2003 film . Some independent comics continued in the tradition of underground comics. While their content generally remained less explicit, others resembled the output of mainstream publishers in format and genre but were published by smaller artist-owned companies or by single artists. A few (notably RAW ) represented experimental attempts to bring comics closer to
7008-831: The 5th annual British Comic Art Convention — which originated comics conventions in the UK — earlier in the year; Barrow was publisher of the fanzine Comic Fandom Bulletin .) Held on 2 December 1972, at Lyndhurst Hall , in Camden Town , Landau and Barrow's event was the first "official" Comic Mart, attracting over 250 attendees. Volunteers and sponsors of the first Comic Mart included Skinn, Phil Clarke, Mike Higgs , Stan Nichols, Derek Stokes, Richard Burton , Alan Austin, Colin Campbell, Dave Gibbons , Compendium Books , IT, Candida, Electric Cinema Club, Better Books , and Virgin Records . Barrow and Landau's second London Comic Mart
7154-465: The Black Lagoon . The 1974 edition of Comicon , again organized by Barrow (on his own), was held 20–21 July at London's Regent Centre Hotel, and was jointly billed as the "Comic Mart Summer Special 1974." Denis Gifford , a key figure in British comics fandom, was the only "industry guest" at this combined Comicon/Comic Mart, providing the introductory presentation. (From that point, Barrow took on
7300-867: The Charlton Comics character Mr. Muscles , created by Jerry Siegel . Tiger-Man should not be confused with Tiger Man, the Street & Smith Golden Age hero, Tigerman, the Fiction House Golden Age hero, Tigerman or Trojak the Tiger-Man, the Marvel/Timely Golden Age heroes, or Tiger-Man, the Atlas/Seaboard character. Gifford created, wrote and edited several comics in the 1940s and 1950s. These included detective title Ray Regan (1949), with art by Ron Embleton ,
7446-590: The Comic Marts on his own. That year he produced three editions — in June, August, and November — with the August event being a two-day affair, held at Central Hall Westminster . Landau staged two Comic Marts in 1976, in early October and late November, both at London's Regent Centre Hotel. For the 3 October Comic Mart, an admission charge of 10 pence was levied (largely to discourage petty thieves, who had been making
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#17328025851127592-688: The Comics Magazine Association of America. The CMAA instilled the Comics Code Authority in 1954 and drafted the self-censorship Comics Code that year, which required all comic books to go through a process of approval. It was not until the 1970s that comic books could be published without passing through the inspection of the CMAA. The Code was made formally defunct in November 2011. In the late 1960s and early 1970s,
7738-536: The Fast Fiction table with all proceeds going to the creator. The Comic Mart Fast Fiction table lasted at least through the 1987 show. The Comic Mart of 16 October 1982, featured a "Teach-In and Work-In" sponsored by the Society of Strip Illustration , with a number of creators from 2000 AD talking and presenting about their work. The 1983 London Comic Mart, held October 15 again at Central Hall Westminster,
7884-546: The Griffin Hotel. Six Birmingham "Comic Mart & Film Fair" events were held in 1989 at the New Imperial Hotel: on 18 February, 1 April, 3 June, 29 July, 23 September and 25 November. They were produced by Golden Orbit of York . That same year, Golden Orbit put on four Sheffield Comic Mart & Film Fair events: on 25 February, 27 May, 22 July, and 18 November, all held at Sheffield Polytechnic . By
8030-454: The IPC comic Action , Gifford controversially drew parallels with the Wertham censorship of the US comics industry in the 1950s, remarking that "Perhaps its time we had another outcry against products like Action . Action is a new kind of comic geared to the lowest form of behaviour in children. Just as pornography caters for a mass market for adults, stuff like this provides violence for
8176-658: The Incredible Hulk and the X-Men . The best-selling comic book categories in the US as of 2019 are juvenile children's fiction at 41%, manga at 28% and superhero comics at 10% of the market. Another major comic book market is France , where Franco-Belgian comics and Japanese manga each represent 40% of the market, followed by American comics at 10% market share. Comic books heavily rely on their organization and visual presentation. Authors dedicate significant attention to aspects like page layout, size, orientation, and
8322-565: The Innocent (1954). This critique led to the involvement of the American Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency , which launched an investigation into comic books. Wertham argued that comic books were accountable for a surge in juvenile delinquency and posed a potential impact on a child's sexuality and moral values. In response to attention from the government and from the media, the US comic book industry set up
8468-661: The Magician , and the Phantom . Several reprint companies became involved in repackaging American material for the British market, notably the importer and distributor Thorpe & Porter . Marvel Comics established a UK office in 1972. DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics also opened offices in the 1990s. The repackaging of European material has occurred less frequently, although The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix serials have been successfully translated and repackaged in softcover books. The number of European comics available in
8614-715: The Regent Centre Hotel, Old Town Hall , and the Royal Horticultural Society 's Old Hall in Vincent Square . Barrow, meanwhile, staged two of his name-branded marts, both at Lyndhurst Hall. In 1978, Landau left the mart business when he found a job in the editorial offices of IPC Magazines . He "bequeathed" the Comic Mart name to retailer Mike Conroy , who put on three editions of his "New Original Comic Mart" in 1978, all held at
8760-561: The Rovers , Bunty , Buster , Valiant , Twinkle and 2000 AD . Denis Gifford Denis Gifford (26 December 1927 – 18 May 2000) was a British writer, broadcaster, journalist, comic artist and historian of film, comics, television and radio. In his lengthy career, he wrote and drew for British comics ; wrote more than fifty books on the creators, performers, characters and history of popular media; devised, compiled and contributed to popular programmes for radio and television ; and directed several short films. Gifford
8906-762: The Royal Horticultural Society's Old Hall. For his part, Barrow put on two London "Comicbook Marketplace" events in 1978, both at Lyndhurst Hall. 1979 belonged to Barrow, as Fantasy Domain put on seven Comicbook Marketplace events that year, all at his favorite venue, Lyndhurst Hall . In late November 1979, however, Landau returned full-time back into the world of commerce; having left IPC Magazines, he and his company Titan Distributors took back Comic Mart from Conroy, staging one show at Central Hall Westminster . Landau/Titan Distributors and Barrow/Fantasy Domain basically alternated months in 1980, with Titan Distributors staging five Comic Marts — including
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#17328025851129052-597: The Silver Age and the following era, the Bronze Age of Comic Books , is less well-defined, with the Bronze Age running from the very early 1970s through the mid-1980s. The Modern Age of Comic Books runs from the mid-1980s to the present day. A significant event in the timeline of American comic books occurred when psychiatrist Fredric Wertham voiced his criticisms of the medium through his book Seduction of
9198-458: The Space Race spoof Carry on Spaceman in 1962, but although scheduled, the film was not shot. Gifford was regarded by many as the UK's pre-eminent comics historian, particularly of early British comics. The British Library provides catalogues and reference works written by Gifford as assistance to researchers of its British Comics Collection , and indeed most of the reference works on
9344-426: The U.S. "Spider-Man 'made it clear that militant black power was not the remedy for racial injustice'." "The Falcon openly criticized black behavior stating' maybe it's important fo [ sic ] us to cool things down-so we can protect the rights we been fightin' for'." This portrayal and character development of black characters can be partially blamed on the fact that, during this time, "there had rarely been
9490-507: The UK has increased in the last two decades. The British company Cinebook , founded in 2005, has released English translated versions of many European series. In the 1980s, a resurgence of British writers and artists gained prominence in mainstream comic books, which was dubbed the " British Invasion " in comic book history. These writers and artists brought with them their own mature themes and philosophy such as anarchy, controversy and politics common in British media. These elements would pave
9636-484: The UK market and creators, and do not acknowledge key differences in British comics of the period, notably the preponderance in Britain of humorous anthologies rather than the genre titles, most especially superheroes, that predominated in the US. Gifford observed that the "Thirties were the Golden Age of British comics" due to the profusion of successful, high quality and specifically British humour comics beginning in
9782-409: The UK with any regularity in the early 1970s. As the marts became more popular, however, British comics professionals began to congregate and socialize at the shows and afterward in pubs nearby (such as The Westminster Arms). The first so-called London comic mart was held in 1970, organized by "Godfather of British fandom" and publisher of the fanzine Fantasy Advertiser , Frank Dobson . Dobson and
9928-451: The UK, including short films generally omitted by film catalogues, with detailed entries including running time, certificate, reissue date, distributor, production company, producer, director, main cast, genre and plot summary. It was a labour of many years, as Gifford tracked down retired industry professionals and researched back issues of trade publications, fanzines and directories. The Catalogue's third (1994) edition revised all entries and
10074-558: The United States. They were the ones painted as intolerant and disrespectful of the dominant concerns of white America". Manga (漫画) are comic books or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, though the art form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art . The term manga is used in Japan to refer to both comics and cartooning in general. Outside Japan,
10220-432: The back rooms of run-down bookshops on a shoe string budget." Gifford provided the first reliable, detailed account of early comics in works such as Victorian Comics (1976) and The British Comics Catalogue, 1874–1974 (1974), with a detailed overview in his International Book of Comics (1984). He also advanced debate on the origins of comics, including what the first comic and comic characters were, arguing that "there
10366-687: The comic book market size for North America was just over $ 1 billion with digital sales being flat, book stores having a 1 percent decline, and comic book stores having a 10 percent decline over 2016. The global comic book market saw a substantial 12% growth in 2020, reaching a total worth of US$ 8.49 billion. This positive trajectory continued in 2021, with the market's annual valuation surging to US$ 9.21 billion. The rising popularity of comic books can be attributed to heightened global interest, driven significantly by collaborative efforts among diverse brands. These collaborations are geared towards producing more engaging and appealing comic content, contributing to
10512-463: The comic book market. The rarest modern comic books include the original press run of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #5, which DC executive Paul Levitz recalled and pulped due to the appearance of a vintage Victorian era advertisement for "Marvel Douche ", which the publisher considered offensive; only 100 copies exist, most of which have been CGC graded. (See Recalled comics for more pulped, recalled, and erroneous comics.) In 2000,
10658-545: The comics all together. There was a comic created about the 99th Squadron, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen , an all-black air force unit. Instead of making the comic about their story, the comic was about Hop Harrigan. A white pilot who captures a Nazi, shows him videos of the 99th Squadron defeating his men and then reveals to the Nazi that his men were defeated by African Americans which infuriated him as he sees them as
10804-433: The coon stereotype but had some subtle differences. They are both a derogatory way of portraying black characters. "The name itself, an abbreviation of raccoon, is dehumanizing. As with Sambo, the coon was portrayed as a lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon." This portrayal "was of course another attempt to solidify the intellectual inferiority of the black race through popular culture." However, in
10950-637: The debut appearances of iconic characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman , the Flash , Captain Marvel , Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk , Iron Man , Captain America and the Mighty Thor are regarded as priceless treasures within the comic book world. Many early iterations of black characters in comics "became variations on the 'single stereotypical image of Sambo'." Sambo was closely related to
11096-652: The early 1950s which published reprints of other Golden Age superheroes such as Captain Might and Masterman . Only Streamline Comics #1 had story and art by Gifford, although he contributed the one-page humour strip Inky the Imp of the Inkpot and the adventure strip Search for the Secret City in #4. Mr Muscle should not be confused with the later DC character Mister Muscle of Hero Hotline , created by Bob Rozakis , or
11242-632: The end of 1980, Smart was going it alone, adding Liverpool to the Comic Mart mix. In 1981, Smart produced six Comic Marts in Liverpool and five in Manchester. The city of Leeds joined the Comic Mart trend in 1981, with four marts being staged at the Griffin Hotel on Boar Lane , and three more held there in 1982. A Birmingham "Comic, Film & Fantasy Mart" was held at the New Imperial Hotel on 16 August 1986. Two Leeds Comic Marts were held in 1988, on 30 July and 26 November, both at
11388-420: The eradication of Asian invaders." There was "a constant relay race in which one Asian culture merely handed off the baton of hatred to another with no perceptible changes in the manner in which the characters would be portrayed." "The only specific depiction of a Hispanic superhero did not end well. In 1975, Marvel gave us Hector Ayala (a.k.a. The White Tiger)." "Although he fought for several years alongside
11534-461: The event, and were joined by other regional organizers. Unlike comic book conventions , which typically featured publishers, creators, panel discussions, and other activities, Comic Marts (which were generally one-day affairs) were primarily organized around dealers selling comics to individual customers. The emphasis tended to be on hard-to-find American comics: Golden Age and Silver Age comics , as well as new titles, which were not distributed to
11680-556: The events were titled "Rob Barrow's Comic Book Marketplace;" from that point forward they were titled simply "Comicbook Marketplace." As opposed to the Westminster Comic Marts, these events were usually held on a Sunday. Retailer/wholesaler Bob Smart's events in Manchester and Liverpool . Comic book A comic book , comic-magazine or simply ' comic' , is a publication that consists of comics art in
11826-413: The extent of promulgating a code, nor did it last long. The UK has also established a healthy market in the reprinting and repackaging of material, notably material originating in the US. The lack of reliable supplies of American comic books led to a variety of black-and-white reprints, including Marvel's monster comics of the 1950s, Fawcett's Captain Marvel , and other characters such as Sheena , Mandrake
11972-648: The film, television and comics industries. The Denis Gifford Collection is held as part of the BFI National Library. The BFI ran a Denis Gifford Tribute Evening at the National Film Theatre in January 2001 to mark his work on film history. As well as vintage comedy, Gifford had a particular interest in genre films, favouring the origins of those genres and the lower-budget B-movie output. He had written for science fiction fanzines since
12118-501: The first appearance of Spider-Man took place in Amazing Fantasy #15. New characters were frequently introduced in this manner, waiting for an established audience before launching their own titles. Consequently, comics featuring the debut appearance of a significant character can sometimes be even more challenging to locate than the inaugural issue of that character's standalone series. Some rare comic books include copies of
12264-508: The first appearance of Superman , both sold privately through online dealer ComicConnect.com in 2010, and Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman , via public auction. Updating the above price obtained for Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman , the highest sale on record for this book is $ 3.2 million, for a 9.0 copy. Misprints, promotional comic-dealer incentive printings, and issues with exceptionally low distribution tend to possess scarcity value in
12410-466: The form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Comic Cuts was a British comic published from 1890 to 1953. It was preceded by Ally Sloper's Half Holiday (1884), which is notable for its use of sequential cartoons to unfold narrative. These British comics existed alongside
12556-459: The form, such as the speech bubble, while it had accompanying text for each image. Debate continues, but Gifford's research and conclusions into the origins of comics as a medium have gained considerable academic acceptance. Ally Sloper was championed by Gifford as the world's first ever comic character, and became a totemic figure for him, being revived and sometimes drawn by him in a number of comics and other publications that sought to ensure
12702-477: The groundwork for their academic study, and his reference works remain key texts in the fields. Gifford was also a cartoonist and comic artist who worked for numerous titles, mostly for British comics in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Although these were largely humour strips, he worked in a range of genres including superhero , Western , science fiction and adventure . Gifford was born in Forest Hill , London,
12848-422: The growth in adult readership of comics since the 1970s was due to nostalgia, but did not foresee the potential for a development of the medium. When children's comics began to reflect changes in cinema and mass culture, he was unafraid to speak out, even where this might involve constraints on the comics industry and creators. After media outrage at the 1976 Look Out for Lefty strip about football hooliganism in
12994-590: The hugely popular football based strip recounting the life of Roy Race and the team he played for, Melchester Rovers . The stock media phrase "real 'Roy of the Rovers' stuff" is often used by football writers, commentators and fans when describing displays of great skill, or surprising results that go against the odds, in reference to the dramatic storylines that were the strip's trademark. Other comic books such as Eagle , Valiant , Warrior , Viz and 2000 AD also flourished. Some comics, such as Judge Dredd and other 2000 AD titles, have been published in
13140-426: The industry's continued growth. The 1970s saw the advent of specialty comic book stores . Initially, comic books were marketed by publishers to children because comic books were perceived as children's entertainment. However, with increasing recognition of comics as an art form and the growing pop culture presence of comic book conventions , they are now embraced by many adults. Comic book collectors often exhibit
13286-471: The influence of the Francophone "Franco-Belgian" comics but have their own distinct style. Although Ally Sloper's Half Holiday (1884) was aimed at an adult market, publishers quickly targeted a younger demographic, which has led to most publications being for children and has created an association in the public's mind of comics as somewhat juvenile. The Guardian refers to Ally Sloper as "one of
13432-483: The late nineteenth century, tracing development through various stages that included Judy - The London Serio-Comic Journal (1 May 1867) featuring Ally Sloper , the first recurring character in a text and picture serial. He observed in Victorian Comics that Sloper "was the first to appear in comic book format ... a paperback reprint collection ... the first to have his own comic paper ... and
13578-437: The likes of much more popular heroes such as Spider-Man and Daredevil, he only lasted six years before sales of comics featuring him got so bad that Marvel had him retire. The most famous Hispanic character is Bane, a villain from Batman." The Native American representation in comic books "can be summed up in the noble savage stereotype" " a recurring theme...urged American indians to abandon their traditional hostility towards
13724-560: The manga market in Japan reached a new record value of ¥612.5 billion due to a fast growth of digital manga sales as well as an increase in print sales. The comic book market in the United States and Canada was valued at $ 1.09 billion in 2016. As of 2017 , the largest comic book publisher in the United States is manga distributor Viz Media , followed by DC Comics and Marvel Comics featuring superhero comics franchises such as Superman , Batman , Wonder Woman , Spider-Man ,
13870-531: The mid-1990s, the London Comic Marts became overshadowed by the annual United Kingdom Comic Art Convention , as well as the penetration of the Internet , which made it easier to buy old comics at more reasonable prices. Titan Distributors was sold in 1992, at which point the original "Comic Mart" faded away. Barrow continued to hold Comicbook Marketplaces sporadically, even up into 2011, but without
14016-405: The more understated examples of early British and Hollywood horror. He found Hammer's relatively explicit use of blood-letting and sexuality to be cynically exploitative, noting in his 1973 A Pictorial History of Horror that "The new age of horror was geared to a new taste. Where the old films had quickly cut away from the sight of blood, Hammer cut in for a closeup." A Pictorial History of Horror
14162-501: The most lucrative branches of magazine publishing". In 1905 G.W. Dillingham Company published 24 select strips by the cartoonist Gustave Verbeek in an anthology book called 'The Incredible Upside-Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo'. The introduction of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster 's Superman in 1938 turned comic books into a major industry and ushered in the Golden Age of Comic Books . The Golden Age originated
14308-556: The name Foolbert Sturgeon, has been credited as the first underground comix; while R. Crumb and the crew of cartoonists who worked on Zap Comix popularized the form. The rise of comic book specialty stores in the late 1970s created and paralleled a dedicated market for "independent" or " alternative comics " in the US. The first such comics included the anthology series Star Reach , published by comic book writer Mike Friedrich from 1974 to 1979, and Harvey Pekar 's American Splendor , which continued sporadic publication into
14454-504: The only son of William Gifford, a printer, and Amelia née Hutchings. He grew up in the prosperous South London suburb of Sydenham , but was evacuated during the war to Tonbridge, Kent. Gifford attended the South London private school Dulwich College (1939–44), and while a pupil there was an avid comic collector and cartoonist. He produced a comic, The Junior , using heated gelatine and hectograph ink, which he sold for 1d around
14600-408: The original artwork pages from comic books, which are perhaps the most rarefied items in the realm of comic book collecting. These pages hold unparalleled scarcity due to the fact that there exists only one unique page of artwork for every page that was printed and published. The creation of these original artwork pages involves a collaborative effort: a writer crafts the story, a pencil artist designs
14746-433: The pantomime-themed Panto Pranks (1949), which Gifford wrote and drew, Fizz Comics (1949) and Star Comics (1954), which he drew and edited with Monkhouse, featuring strips of contemporary entertainers Morecambe and Wise , Bob Monkhouse himself, Jill Day and movie character Tobor The Great . These titles created by Gifford often ran for just a single issue, to take advantage of a loophole in postwar paper rationing, but
14892-499: The popular and widely understood negative tropes used for decades in American mass culture...". However, they were not accomplishing this agenda within all of their comics. In the comic series Captain Marvel Adventures , there was a character named Steamboat who embodied a collection of highly negative stereotypes prevalent during that period. The Writers' War Board did not request any alterations to this character despite
15038-437: The popular lurid " penny dreadfuls " (such as Spring-heeled Jack ), boys' " story papers " and the humorous Punch magazine, which was the first to use the term "cartoon" in its modern sense of a humorous drawing. The first modern American-style comic book , Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics , was released in the U.S. in 1933 and was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips , which had established many of
15184-428: The pornographic and even more obscure " Tijuana bibles ". Underground comics were almost never sold at newsstands, but rather in such youth-oriented outlets as head shops and record stores, as well as by mail order . The underground comics encouraged creators to publish their work independently so that they would have full ownership rights to their characters. Frank Stack 's The Adventures of Jesus , published under
15330-736: The positioning of panels. These characteristics are crucial for effectively conveying the content and messages within the comic book. Key components of comic books encompass panels, speech bubbles (also known as balloons), text lines, and characters. Speech balloons generally take the form of convex containers that hold character dialogue and are connected to the character via a tail element. The tail comprises an origin, path, tip, and directional point. The creation of comic books involves several essential steps: writing, drawing, and coloring. Various technological tools and methods are employed to craft comic books, incorporating concepts such as directions, axes, data, and metrics. Following these formatting guidelines,
15476-472: The pre-World War II era. As he was to attempt with the history of comics, Gifford sought to correct inaccuracies in cinema history that gave undue credit to the US industry, citing Dudley Buxton "who [in 1915] first animated the sinking of the Lusitania in all its terrifying drama, three years before Winsor McCay tackled the same subject in the United States. Yet according to film history, McCay's version
15622-617: The problematic portrayal. The removal of Steamboat from the series only came about due to the persistent advocacy of a black youth group based in New York City." Originally their request was refused by individuals working on the comic stating, " Captain Marvel Adventures included many kinds of caricatures 'for the sake of humor'." The black youth group responded with "this is not the Negro race, but your one-and-a-half millions readers will think it so." Afterwards, Steamboat disappeared from
15768-488: The process unfolds with writing, drawing, and coloring. In the United States, the term "comic book", is generally used for comics periodicals and trade paperbacks while " graphic novel " is the term used for standalone books. Comics as a print medium have existed in the United States since the printing of The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck in 1842 in hardcover, making it the first known American prototype comic book. Proto-comics periodicals began appearing early in
15914-688: The responsibility for the British Comic Art Convention, organizing that show for at least the next four years.) Subsequent 1974 Comic Marts were held in September, October, and December, also taking place at Holborn Assembly Hall. Publisher/editor Martin Lock timed early issues of his fanzine Bemusing Magazine (later known as BEM ) to coincide with Comic Mart, and sold each new issue to Comic Mart customers. With Barrow focusing his energies on Comicon, in 1975 Landau continued
16060-662: The same fanfare. In 2012, Barrow was given a one-year prison sentence (suspended) for possession of child pornography . Event originated by Nick Landau and Rob Barrow, eventually becoming solely run by Landau/ Titan Distributors . By the early 1980s, the events (which were generally held on a Saturday) became known as the Westminster Comic Marts . These events, produced by Rob Barrow's corporate entity, Fantasy Domain, were for many years held at Lyndhurst Hall, Kentish Town ; at some point they moved to Camden Centre on Bidborough Street in Camden Town . In 1976–1977
16206-452: The same for Asian people. However, "Japanese and Filipino characters were visually indistinguishable. Both groups have grotesque buckteeth, tattered clothing, and bright yellow skin." "Publishers depicted America's Asian allies through derogatory images and language honed over the preceding decades." Asian characters were previously portrayed as, "ghastly yellow demons". During WWII, "[every] major superhero worth his spandex devoted himself to
16352-455: The same treatment. "By the time the United States entered WWII, negative perceptions of Chinese were an established part of mass culture...." However, concerned that the Japanese could use America's anti-Chinese material as propaganda they began "to present a more positive image of America's Chinese allies..." Just as they tried to show better representation for Black people in comics they did
16498-483: The school, but had published comics art by the time he was 14 (1942). Gifford became friends with Bob Monkhouse , a Dulwich schoolmate, fellow schoolboy cartoonist and later TV comedian and presenter, who studied in the year below and also had cartoons published while at the school. Gifford and Monkhouse collaborated on comics writing and drawing, a partnership that was to continue for many years in various forms, including as radio scriptwriters. The two toured together as
16644-427: The second one of 1973. In 1974, Barrow and Landau expanded Comic Mart to become a more frequently held affair. The first Comic Mart of the year was held in January, followed by one on Saturday, 27 April, at Holborn Assembly Hall , John's Mews, in central London. The free show featured an evening fantasy film marathon, including showings of the serials Blackhawk and Flash Gordon , and the 1954 film Creature from
16790-551: The sequential panels on the page, an ink artist goes over the pencil with pen and ink, a letterer provides the dialogue and narration through hand-lettering, and finally, a colorist adds color as the final touch before the pages are sent to the printer. When the printer returns the original artwork pages, they are typically returned to the artists themselves. These artists sometimes opt to sell these pages at comic book conventions, in galleries, and at art shows centered around comic book art. The original pages from DC and Marvel, featuring
16936-507: The shortlist. All editions of the Catalogue omitted animated films, but Gifford's British Animated Films, 1895–1985: A Filmography provided a similarly completist approach. Over 1200 films were detailed, attempting to include every British animated film of the period with a cinema release, whether full-length feature, short, public information film or advertisement. Gifford also provides an historical overview, giving particular attention to
17082-546: The significant stage of "the first continuing cartoon hero" as Rowlandson 's Dr Syntax in the serial The Schoolmaster's Tour in The Poetical Magazine (1 May 1809). He argued that "in Europe, perhaps the world" the first caricature magazine, an important prototypical form of the comic, was Hopkirk 's The Glasgow Looking Glass (11 June 1825). Gifford located the origin of the modern graphic narrative in
17228-630: The special April "convention" — at their favored location, Central Hall Westminster; while Fantasy Domain staged seven Comicbook Marketplace events at Lyndhurst Hall. In 1981, bi-monthly Comic Marts were being held in Central Hall Westminster, with Barrow's Comicbook Marketplace taking the alternating months. Paul Gravett began his career managing the Fast Fiction table at the bimonthly Comic Marts. Gravett invited artists to send him their homemade comics, which he would sell from
17374-452: The status of fine art . During the 1970s the " small press " culture grew and diversified. By the 1980s, several independent publishers – such as Pacific , Eclipse , First , Comico , and Fantagraphics – had started releasing a wide range of styles and formats—from color-superhero, detective , and science-fiction comic books to black-and-white magazine-format stories of Latin American magical realism . A number of small publishers in
17520-558: The story-telling devices used in comics. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone; however, this practice was replaced by featuring stories of all genres, usually not humorous in tone. The largest comic book market is Japan. By 1995, the manga market in Japan was valued at ¥ 586.4 billion ( $ 6–7 billion ), with annual sales of 1.9 billion manga books ( tankōbon volumes and manga magazines ) in Japan, equivalent to 15 issues per person. In 2020
17666-486: The subject provided by the British Library were written by Gifford. Comics scholarship, still relatively undeveloped in comparison to other media, was almost non-existent in 1971, when Gifford published his first book on comics history, Discovering Comics . At that time, no comprehensive archive of British comics existed, no fully researched cataloguing had been attempted, the mass pulping of comics in Britain in
17812-749: The succession of short projects suited Gifford's diverse interests as it enabled him to flit from genre to genre. Gifford drew and often wrote a number of Western comics strips in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, including ' Ace High' Rogers versus Redmask (1946), Bill Elliott in Republic's Old Los Angeles in The Sheriff #3 (1948) and strips for Annie Oakley (1957–58) and Gunhawks Western (1960–61). Gifford provided art for movie adaptation strip Roy Rogers in Western comic The Sheriff Comics (no date, 1950s), signing himself 'Gus Denis Gifford' and offering
17958-750: The switch from traditional print manhwa to online webtoons thanks to better pay and more freedom than traditional print manhwa. The webtoon format has also expanded to other countries outside of Korea like China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Western countries. Major webtoon distributors include Lezhin , Naver , and Kakao . France and Belgium have a long tradition in comics and comic books, often called BDs (an abbreviation of bandes dessinées , meaning literally "drawn strips") in French, and strips in Dutch or Flemish . Belgian comic books originally written in Dutch show
18104-406: The term " graphic novel ". Precursors of the form existed by the 1920s, which saw a revival of the medieval woodcut tradition by Belgian Frans Masereel , American Lynd Ward and others, including Stan Lee. In 1947, Fawcett Publications published "Comics Novel No. 1", as the first in an intended series of these "comics novels". The story in the first issue was "Anarcho, Dictator of Death",
18250-503: The titles, a definable end to the era and the beginning of what Gifford termed the "Dark Age". Gifford's The British Comics Catalogue, 1874–1974 (1974) was the first comprehensive index of British comics, and his later British Comics, Story Papers, Picture Libraries, Girls Papers, American Reprints, Facsmilies, Giveaways Price Guide (1982) the first attempt to offer a price guide for British comics (US comic books had been covered by The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide since 1970). It
18396-496: The unreleased Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 from 1939. Eight copies, plus one without a cover, emerged in the estate of the deceased publisher in 1974. The "Pay Copy" of this book sold for $ 43,125 in a 2005 Heritage auction. The most valuable American comics have combined rarity and quality with the first appearances of popular and enduring characters. Four comic books have sold for over US$ 1 million as of December 2010 , including two examples of Action Comics #1,
18542-584: The way for mature and "darker and edgier" comic books and jump start the Modern Age of Comics . Writers included Alan Moore , famous for his V for Vendetta , From Hell , Watchmen , Marvelman , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ; Neil Gaiman with The Sandman mythos and Books of Magic ; Warren Ellis , creator of Transmetropolitan and Planetary ; and others such as Mark Millar , creator of Wanted and Kick-Ass . The comic book series John Constantine, Hellblazer , which
18688-417: The word is typically used to refer to comics originally published in the country. Dōjinshi ( 同人誌 , fan magazine ) , fan-made Japanese comics, operate in a far larger market in Japan than the American "underground comix" market; the largest dōjinshi fair, Comiket , attracts 500,000 visitors twice a year. Manhwa (만화) are comic books or graphic novels originating from South Korea . The term manhwa
18834-673: The world", co-created with Monkhouse for Streamline Comics (1947) and Tiger-Man, debuting in Ray Regan #1 (1949). Gifford himself credits "the first British superhero in the American comic book style" to Derickson Dene by Nat Brand in British anthology comic The Triumph in 1939, but both Mr Muscle and Streamline were early attempts to introduce British characters in a characteristically American genre, prompted by severely limited imports or reprints of US superhero titles due to wartime paper rationing and import restrictions. Gifford and Monkhouse set up their own publishing company, Streamline, in
18980-609: The world's first iconic cartoon characters", and "as famous in Victorian Britain as Dennis the Menace would be a century later." British comics in the early 20th century typically evolved from illustrated penny dreadfuls of the Victorian era (featuring Sweeney Todd , Dick Turpin and Varney the Vampire ). First published in the 1830s, penny dreadfuls were "Britain's first taste of mass-produced popular culture for
19126-457: The young." The two most popular British comic books, The Beano and The Dandy , were first published by DC Thomson in the 1930s. By 1950 the weekly circulation of both reached two million. Explaining the enormous popularity of comics in the UK during this period, Anita O'Brien, director curator at London's Cartoon Museum, states: "When comics like the Beano and Dandy were invented back in
19272-476: Was also a keen Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, and was a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society, writing various reviews and articles on films featuring the detective. Gifford wrote numerous articles on film and popular entertainment, both professionally and for fanzines. Although a highly respected film historian, Gifford's professional involvement in cinema was relatively limited. However, in
19418-514: Was also a major comics collector, owning what was perhaps the largest collection of British comics in the world. Gifford's work in the history of film and comics, particularly in Britain, provided an account of the work in those media of previously unattempted scope, discovering countless lost films and titles and identifying numerous uncredited creators. He was particularly interested in the early stages in film and comics history, for which records were scarce and unreliable, and his own vast collection
19564-517: Was an influential work for a generation of film and horror enthusiasts, described in The Paris Review by author and journalist Dave Tompkins as "the most important book of my childhood". Gifford was a lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy , and founded 'Film Funsters', the first British branch of the Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society, as well as writing several articles on the duo. He
19710-404: Was an invaluable source. Gifford produced detailed filmographies of every traceable fiction, non-fiction and animated film ever released in the UK, and of early animated films in the US. He compiled the first comics catalogue attempting to list every comic ever published in the UK, as well as the first price guide for British comics. His research into the early development of comics and cinema laid
19856-477: Was billed as an "Escape Event," and featured the creators of Escape magazine, including Eddie Campbell , Glenn Dakin , Phil Elliott , Hunt Emerson , Rian Hughes , Ed Pinsent , and Savage Pencil . Both Titan Distributors and Fantasy Domain were still going strong in 1989, when they continued to host competing marts on alternating months. At some point before 1989, Barrow moved his Comicbook Marketplaces from Lyndhurst Hall to Camden Centre. They later moved to
20002-475: Was held 24 February 1973, again at Lyndhurst Hall. Next up on the "convention schedule" was the British Comic Art Convention ("Comicon"), scheduled for the weekend of 21–22 July, at London's Regent Centre Hotel. Comicon, however, was abruptly canceled shortly before it was scheduled, but was salvaged by Landau and Barrow, who managed to put on a one-day version of the show on 22 July at Comicon's usual location of London's Waverley Hotel. A November Comic Mart made it
20148-519: Was most productive as a comics artist in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. By the early 1970s Gifford's writing career, mainly on the subjects of comics and film history, began to take over from his work as a cartoonist in his own right. Gifford had a distinctive, simple drawing style with a light-heartedness evident even in more action-orientated strips. Panels were often bustling and dynamic, with individual characters vying for attention. His humours strips were dense with conspicuously labelled puns and 'sight gags',
20294-581: Was published in several Alan Class Comics titles in 1976, to promote the Ally Sloper magazine. Gifford also initiated the Ally Sloper Awards in 1976, an annual prize for veteran comic artists. At a summit on comics history convened by the 1989 Lucca Comics Festival in Italy, Gifford was invited to be one of the eleven 'international specialists' to sign a declaration that The Yellow Kid
20440-486: Was published in two volumes, The Fiction Film, 1895–1994 and The Non-Fiction Film, 1888–1994 . It became a seminal work for British film historians, acclaimed by The British Film Institute (BFI)'s curator of Moving Image in a Sight & Sound magazine shortlist of the best ever film books: "The nearest we have to a British national filmography was created not by any institute or university but by one man." Gifford's popular work A Pictorial History of Horror also made
20586-646: Was the antecedent of works such as the Official Comic Book Price Guide for Great Britain (1989). Gifford had a particular interest in children's comics. Although his collection included 1960s underground comics , the alternative comics of the 1970s as well as the more experimental mainstream of comics' Modern Age , he was not initially convinced by changing conceptions of comics as a medium suited to addressing adult themes such as sexuality, violence and storytelling techniques influenced by literary fiction, cinema and art. He recognised that
20732-409: Was the first comic character having been first published in 1895. Gifford signed, but pointedly did so in the name of Ally Sloper, first published in 1867. Gifford sought to draw a distinct definition for British comics history, as the Golden Age and other historical eras of comics were first defined to describe US comics history. These eras relate to UK comics only as a result of American influence on
20878-694: Was the host convention for the Eagle Awards , which were presented by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons . (The British Comic Art Convention disappeared after the 1981 show, and the United Kingdom Comic Art Convention didn't start up until 1985, so there were no actual comic book conventions being held in London during this time.) Comic Marts held in 1984 included the 2 June event; guests included John Ridgway , Gary Russell , and Richard Marson . The 8 December 1984, Comic Mart
21024-461: Was the longest lived [character] in comic history." He suggested a key contender as the first comic as being the paper Funny Folks (12 December 1874), which had an unprecedented half-picture, half-text per page layout. Sloper's debut was certainly a series of panels, but it lacks "interdependence as a sequential narrative strategy" with images each relaying a single joke without forming a narrative with other panels, and it lacked some key features of
21170-515: Was the world's first dramatic cartoon film!" Gifford's writing also included biographies of cinematic figures, including Karloff : The Man, The Monster, The Movies and The Movie Makers: Chaplin , with his meticulous research and detailed knowledge well suited to the form. Gifford was a judge at the Sitges 1977 International Festival of Fantasy and Horror. The BFI holds an extensive archive of interviews recorded by Gifford of various figures in
21316-410: Was well aware of a development of the medium for an adult audience. He collected and was able to appreciate the content of underground and Modern Age comics, offering sophisticated and sometimes sympathetic analysis. Gifford's own Ally Sloper comic (1976) offered a combination of vintage and alternative strips for an adult audience, although the nostalgic strips were his primary interest. Working for
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