Pulp fiction magazines sorted themselves out by genre, although the heroes of these stories were mostly drawn from one archetype.
Eventually, magazines emerged that only published stories about one particular fictional hero. From there, it was only a few short steps to superhero comic books.
- Listen now:
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening War Theme
Overture to William Tell
Composed in 1829 by Gioachino Rossini. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Corps Band. Public domain recording. Source.
Closing War Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Another enlightening episode
Really enjoyed this episode as the backdrop to what for me and many other Europeans is the most important comic book character, that is Donald Duck. In the late 30s and 40s Carl Barks is just getting started on a career that probably made him the best known comic book artist/writer in Europe, even though I know that a lot of Americans have never heard of him. I’m sure something intelligent has been written about cultures where the every-man that always eventually fails at everything became the most popular character rather than superheroes, detectives, or other super-accomplished ones.