History Main / ProtoSuperhero

With ''ComicBook/ActionComics [[ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber1 #1]]'' and its introduction of ComicBook/{{Superman}} (June 1938), these new heroes would find their lasting home in comic books. But prior to this emergence of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, earlier prototypes of the genre had to blaze the trail via a wider range of media: penny dreadfuls, [[PulpMagazine pulp novels and magazines]], {{Radio Drama}}s, newspaper ComicStrips, and [[{{Theatre}} stage plays]] all preceded the explosion of comic books in the 1930s. The heroes of these works, whose adventures set the stage for the Golden Age, [[NonPoweredCostumedHero weren't always as completely "super"]] as their successors, but such prototypes demonstrate the transition by which age-old heroic folktales gave way to our contemporary genre of commercial superhero fiction. Unlike their successors these heroes, especially ones found in literature, didn't have the same restrictions placed on them by the MoralGuardians and so modern readers can find themselves surprised to find that many of these characters feel like [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructions]] of the superhero genre years [[UrExample before the genre really took off]].

* ''Literature/NansouSatomiHakkenden'' (1814-1842), Japan's first breakout SerialNovel, is often regarded as a prototype of (among other things) local-style superheroes. It kicks off with a MassSuperEmpoweringEvent (triggered by a "{{curse}} of savagery" on the incorruptible Satomi clan [[CreateYourOwnHero backfiring]]) which causes eight young men scattered across the Kanto region to be born with [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening latent]] dog-themed superpowers and [[EmbodimentOfVirtue an affinity for one of the Eight Confucian Virtues]], and then follows their exploits as their own personal quests collide with them stumbling across each other and learning of their shared origins. Each of the Dog Warriors also has distinctive skills of their own, ranging from ElementalPowers to MasterOfDisguise.

* Sexton Blake, himself a master detective, began as a more Holmesian consulting detective making his debut on December 1893, the same period readers witnessed Holmes having his fateful encounter with Professor Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls, however the character started to gain his identity. Being physically vital and a capable hand-to-hand combatant, a skill he is called upon regularly to use (something Holmes didn't often use in the Doyle Canon). As a detective Blake has many of the Holmesian traits. Blake is a chemist, a specialist in poisons, and an authority on fingerprints, inks, and firearms. Blake also several vehicles in disposal like his iconic bullet-proof Rolls-Royce, named The Grey Panther (introduced at a time when most other sleuths were still taking cabs). For a short while, Blake also flew a Moth monoplane (also called The Grey Panther and designed by Blake himself).

* ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'', created in 1936, was one of the first masked-and-costumed superheroes in comic strips.

* Literature/{{Zorro}} started in the printed word in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly'', before moving to the cinema; see under Live-Action Films, above. The Californian nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and hat. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He does so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him and the movie that the Waynes were leaving before Bruce's parents were murdered is traditionally a ''Zorro'' film.

* Sexton Blake, himself a master detective, began as a more Holmesian consulting detective making his debut on December 1893, the same period when readers experienced Holmes having his fateful encounter with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls, however the character started to gain his identity. Being physically vital and a capable hand-to-hand combatant, a skill he is called upon regularly to use (something Holmes didn't often use in the Doyle Canon). As a detective Blake has many of the Holmesian traits. Blake is a chemist, a specialist in poisons, and an authority on fingerprints, inks, and firearms. Blake also several vehicles in disposal like his iconic bullet-proof Rolls-Royce, named The Grey Panther (introduced at a time when most other sleuths were still taking cabs). For a short while, Blake also flew a Moth monoplane (also called The Grey Panther and designed by Blake himself).

* Literature/NickCarter was a pulp detective hero created in 1886. While he didn't have a costume or superpowers, he did fight many traditional comic book-style villains, such as aliens and monsters. He was a major inspiration for Doc Savage.

Of the characters that arose during this transition, most have faded from the popular imagination. The Golden Age's superhuman heroes tended to overshadow their predecessors, who seldom boasted more than a CharlesAtlasSuperpower or a signature gadget to their advantage. (See also: NonPoweredCostumedHero.) Only a lucky handful (Franchise/{{Zorro}}, Franchise/{{Tarzan}}, Radio/TheShadow, ComicStrip/ThePhantom, Radio/TheLoneRanger, Anime/GoldenBat) have remained popularly-recognized since their inception. But superpowered or not, widely-remembered or not, it's these Proto Superheroes to which later Golden, Silver, Bronze, Dark and Modern Age comic superheroes owe their success, as inspiration for their archetype and the industry that birthed them.

* ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1920}}'' (1920) shaped Franchise/{{Zorro}} as we know him. As described below in the Literature section, it was based on the first Zorro story, "The Curse of Capistrano", published just the year before, but that story featured a Zorro who wore a sombrero and threatened people with a gun. This film invented the masked swordsman that became popular, which would later greatly inspire the creation of Franchise/{{Batman}}, even moreso since canonically Bruce Wayne's parents get murdered after watching the [[Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940 1940 remake]] in theaters.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in the printed word in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly'', before moving to the cinema; see under Live-Action Films, above. The Californian nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and hat. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He does so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him and the movie that the Waynes were leaving before Bruce's parents were murdered is traditionally a ''Zorro'' film.

* Many propaganda posters and news reports from WWI evoked elements of this trope in their exaggerated portrayals of Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron". Although whether they depicted him as a gallant superhero or a WorthyOpponent supervillain, naturally, depended on which side's propaganda you examine. Richthofen himself didn't buy into the theatrics, although he did choose to paint his plane red partly as a morale-booster for the German air fleet.

* ''Literature/NansouSatomiHakkenden'' (1814-1842), Japan's first breakout SerialNovel, is often regarded as a prototype of (among other things) local-style superheroes. It kicks off with a MassSuperEmpoweringEvent (triggered by a {{curse}} on the incorruptible Satomi clan [[CreateYourOwnHero backfiring]]) which causes eight young men scattered across the Kanto region to be born with [[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening latent]] dog-themed superpowers and [[EmbodimentOfVirtue an affinity for one of the Eight Confucian Virtues]], and then follows their exploits as their own personal quests collide with them stumbling across each other and learning of their shared origins. Each of the Dog Warriors also has distinctive skills of their own, ranging from ElementalPowers to MasterOfDisguise.

* The Literature/DominoLady, another Proto Superheroine, appeared in the risque PulpMagazine ''Saucy Romantic Adventures'' starting in 1936. A masked GuileHero who left calling cards similar to The Clock's, she took her revenge for the murder of her DA father by robbing corrupt politicians and gangsters, then donating the loot to charity.

* Prince of Gamma, another ''kamishibai'' character from the early 1930s, was a street urchin who acquired the ability to fly when he donned a Literature/PeterPan-like costume and starburst hat. The first Japanese superhero with a SecretIdentity.

* Following a series of unsolved attacks upon servant-women in and near 1837 London, reports of a mysterious, [[InASingleBound leaping]], possibly-inhuman culprit "SpringHeeledJack" spread rapidly via yellow journalism and street rumor. Descriptions of "Jack" varied wildly, from a human sexual predator dressed in a bearskin to a fire-breathing, shape-shifting apparition, but many of the most popular accounts (dramatized in sensational plays and penny dreadfuls that titled him the Terror of London) portrayed him as a Proto Supervillain of sorts: a jilted lover bent on vengeance against women, with artificial WolverineClaws and spring-loaded boots. Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom's timeline ''Literature/FightAndBeRight'' has an allohistorical development of British comic books, where Victorian era penny dreadfuls about Spring-heeled Jack develop over time into comic books about a Batman-like superhero, also named Spring-heeled Jack. The [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=5410488#post5410488 chapter]] that focuses on this cultural development doubles as the timeline's 2011 [[ChristmasEpisode pre-Christmas special]], hence its more lighthearted tone and subject matter.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in the printed word in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly'', before moving to the cinema; see under Live-Action Films, above. The Californian nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and hat. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He does so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him.

* The Gray Seal (1914) was bored wealthy playboy Jimmie Dale by day, [[SecretIdentity master burglar do-gooder by night]] foiling the true evil-doers [[TheSyndicate the Crime Club]], complete with a costume (grey clothes, [[CoolMask mask]], hat and [[UtilityBelt custom lockpick storage]]), [[CallingCard calling card]] and a [[HomeBase secret lair]] (that he calls The Sanctuary even though he uses it more like Clark Kent uses a phone booth). Also something of a master of disguise as he made use of not one but two underworld personas (anticipating Batman's "Matches" Malone). He also employed a butler and a driver. The lady who had stolen his heart, Marie La Salle, is not far behind in the [[SecretIdentity investigative alter ego game]], doing her own thing guiding him as mysterywoman "the Tocsin" and underworld resident "Silver Mag".

* A modern evocation of this trope: When the ''Comicbook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' shredded DC's existing continuity, the question arose of what exactly the Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica was supposed to have been like if ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}}, and ComicBook/WonderWoman [[RetCon were never members.]] So Roy Thomas created [[{{Expy}} expies]] of them, and Superman's expy was clearly designed in the [[NotWearingTights plainclothes]] ProtoSuperhero mold, a super-strong guy named Iron Munro. Appropriately, Thomas based him on Aarn Munro by [[Creator/JohnWCampbell John W. Campell]] and Hugo Danner, the hero of the science fiction novel ''[[Literature/{{Gladiator}} Gladiator]]'' that inspired Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to invent Superman. Hugo Danner was also used, being the father of Iron Munro. The name Iron Munro had already been used in Shadow Comics in the 40s, in addition, Thomas also made a story of Hugo Danner to Marvel in the 70s.

* ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1920}}'' (1920) shaped Franchise/{{Zorro}} as we know him. It was based on the first Zorro story, "The Curse of Capistrano", published just the year before, but that story featured a Zorro who wore a sombrero and threatened people with a gun. This film invented the masked swordsman that became popular, which would later greatly inspire the creation of Franchise/{{Batman}}, even moreso since canonically Bruce Wayne's parents get murdered after watching the [[Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940 1940 remake]] in theaters.

* Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo (1844) has a pretty good claim for being a proto-hero as well as an inspiration for Franchise/{{Batman}}. He is a brooding loner, and bent on revenge. He is also [[{{Fiction 500}} massively wealthy]], a MasterOfDisguise, and has [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower picked up immense physical prowess along the way]]. The Batman villain Bane, who is an EvilCounterpart of Batman, has a backstory based off of that of Dantes/The Count.
** The association between The Count and the ProtoSuperhero concept goes back a long way. ''The Son of Monte Cristo'', an original sequel to the novel filmed in 1940, depicted Dantes's heir as a Zorro-like political vigilante, The Torch.
* Rocambole, a character from the 1844 french serial novel ''The Dramas of Paris'', influenced both ''Fantomas'' and ''Judex'' - a skilled fighter and master of disguises, he was a criminal mastermind who [[EnsembleDarkhorse quickly became the most popular character in the series]], and eventually got a HeelFaceTurn that turned him into a vigilante, complete with secret lair and cadre of sidekicks.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes, who debuted in 1887's ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', is as great a detective as the later Franchise/{{Batman}} with [[TheWatson sidekicks]], a base and impressive [[BadassNormal martial arts skills]]. Although he worked openly and his one super-villain nemesis didn't quite threaten world domination, his serialized adventures captivated a nation and were seen as a reaction to the nefarious activities afoot in what was then the world's largest metropolis.
* An early [[InvertedTrope proto-super]][[InvertedTrope villain]] is Griffin from H.G. Wells' ''Literature/TheInvisibleMan'' (1897), also one of the first to use a genuine superpower.
* Literature/TheScarletPimpernel is the MasterOfDisguise hero of a classic action-adventure story written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1901 and debuted as a play in 1903-05. A one-man UndergroundRailroad who smuggled French bluebloods out of the clutches of unforgiving revolutionaries, the Pimpernel is the likely source of the genre's SecretIdentity and CallingCard concepts.

* The Gray Seal (1914) is bored wealthy playboy Jimmie Dale by day, [[SecretIdentity master burglar do-gooder by night]] foiling the true evil-doers [[TheSyndicate the Crime Club]], complete with a costume (grey clothes, [[CoolMask mask]], hat and [[UtilityBelt custom lockpick storage]]), [[CallingCard calling card]] and a [[HomeBase secret lair]] (that he calls The Sanctuary even though he uses it more like Clark Kent uses a phone booth). Also something of a master of disguise as he made use of not one but two underworld personas (anticipating Batman's "Matches" Malone). He also employed a butler and a driver.
** The lady who has stolen his heart Marie La Salle was not far behind in the [[SecretIdentity investigative alter ego game]], doing her own thing guiding him as mysterywoman "the Tocsin" and underworld resident "Silver Mag".

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly''. The Californio nobleman Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and hat. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He did so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him.

* Ka-Zar was a Franchise/{{Tarzan}} Expy who started in pulp novels in 1936, then migrated to Marvel Comics. Unlike Tarzan, his physical abilities were acquired via a witch doctor's potion, and when he spoke to animals, he'd hear them respond in complete sentences that no one else could hear.
** Marvel has stated that their Golden Age Ka-Zar is ''not'' the same character as the Silver Age one, and per WordOfGod, the Golden Age Ka-Zar is considered not to be part of the Marvel Universe.

* ''Moon Man'' (1933) was a RobinHood type vigilante who stole from the wealthy and corrupt in order to give the money to the poor, and was secretly a policeman being hunted by his loved ones.

* The Crimson Clown (1926) was another pulp-novel RobinHood-like vigilante: a WWI veteran who used a gas gun to knock out the corrupt and undeserving, and return the profits of their misdeeds to the people they'd exploited.

While the deeper roots of the {{Superhero}} can be traced back for millennia, with superhuman warriors such as [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] populating [[OralTradition ancient mythology]] and SemiDivine Myth/ClassicalMythology heroes as well as vigilantes like RobinHood numbering among many cultures' [[FolkHero great folk heroes]], the codification of the superhero ''genre'' had to wait until the emergence of commercial fiction. Only when word-of-mouth storytelling gave way to mass-market publication did the iconic themes and qualities that make a "superhero" captivating - impressive and extraordinary abilities, secret and/or outlaw identities, defense of others without need for reward - prove appealing (and marketable) enough to meld together into a new archetype: heroism, re-imagined for the modern age and audience.

* ''Radio/TheShadow'' (1930) from radio dramas and pulp novels. Debuting as a HorrorHost narrator who introduced short tales of suspense, his signature creepy laugh and CatchPhrase (''"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"'') roused so much interest with listeners that he was expanded into an intimidating crime-fighter in his own right. Another of the main inspirations for Franchise/{{Batman}}, who admits as much in-Verse during a crossover story (see page quote).

* The first ''superpowered'' literary hero is believed to be Literature/{{Nyctalope}}, who had [[{{Cyborg}} cybernetic implants]] to [[SuperSenses enhance his vision]] as well as a cybernetic heart. He either debuted in 1911 or 1908, depending on who you ask. He was created by author Jean de la Hire.

* The best-known [[InvertedTrope proto-super]]''[[InvertedTrope villain]]'' by far, Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera was created by Gaston Leroux in 1909. A key TropeCodifier for the elegant masked criminal, complete with themed obsessions and a RedRightHand, Erik bears all the trappings of a RoguesGallery bad guy: the dehumanizing StartOfDarkness, the SupervillainLair, the ample use of DeathTrap weapons, even a RoboticTortureDevice. The idea of villain hiding a terrible disfigurement behind a mask would also inspire ComicBook/DoctorDoom. Ironically enough, the Phantom in the story actually does build [[ActuallyADoombot Doombots]], but for another character.

* Edward Teach, better known as UsefulNotes/{{Blackbeard}}, came surprisingly close to fulfilling the supervillain archetype in RealLife, holding the port of Charleston and entire small island colonies for ransom and theatrically fostering a popular image that colors PirateTropes to this day. His status as an HistoricalDomainCharacter made him even more of a legend after his death in 1718, with works such as the penny dreadful ''Marooned By Blackbeard'' (1903) making Teach himself, or his countless CaptainColorbeard Expies, a stock villain for adventure tales of many genres, ProtoSuperhero stories included.

While the deeper roots of the {{Superhero}} can be traced back for millennia, with superhuman warriors such as [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]] populating [[OralTradition ancient mythology]] and vigilantes like RobinHood numbering among many cultures' [[FolkHero great folk heroes]], the codification of the superhero ''genre'' had to wait until the emergence of commercial fiction. Only when word-of-mouth storytelling gave way to mass-market publication did the iconic themes and qualities that make a "superhero" captivating - impressive and extraordinary abilities, secret and/or outlaw identities, defense of others without need for reward - prove appealing (and marketable) enough to meld together into a new archetype: heroism, re-imagined for the modern age and audience.

* Literature/TheScarletPimpernel is the MasterOfDisguise hero of a classic action-adventure story written by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1901 and debuted as a play in 1903-05. A one-man UndergroundRailroad who smuggled French bluebloods out of the clutches of unforgiving revolutionaries, the Pimpernel is the likely source of the genre's SecretIdentity and CallingCard concepts, as well as the undisputed TropeMaker for the RichIdiotWithNoDayJob.

* The Gray Seal (1914) is [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob bored wealthy playboy]] Jimmie Dale by day, [[SecretIdentity master burglar do-gooder by night]] foiling the true evil-doers [[TheSyndicate the Crime Club]], complete with a costume (grey clothes, [[CoolMask mask]], hat and [[UtilityBelt custom lockpick storage]]), [[CallingCard calling card]] and a [[HomeBase secret lair]] (that he calls The Sanctuary even though he uses it more like Clark Kent uses a phone booth). Also something of a master of disguise as he made use of not one but two underworld personas (anticipating Batman's "Matches" Malone). He also employed a butler and a driver.

* Franchise/{{Zorro}} started in 1919, when ''The Curse of Capistrano'' appeared in the PulpMagazine ''All-Story Weekly''. The Californio [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob nobleman]] Don Diego de la Vega disguises himself in [[DarkIsNotEvil all-black clothes,]] including [[BadassCape cape]], [[CoolMask mask]] and hat. Using the [[SecretIdentity alias Señor Zorro]] -- [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing Mr. Fox]] -- he seeks to "avenge the helpless, to punish cruel politicians", and "to aid the oppressed." He did so [[NonPoweredCostumedHero without superpowers]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower except for his superb training]], [[TheCowl masked in black and operating mostly at night]], with the sole aid of his [[BattleButler faithful valet and assistant]] [[SecretKeeper Bernardo.]] To say he's one of the biggest inspirations for ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' is understating the case; in fact, it's now in-universe canon that Bruce was inspired by him.

With ''ComicBook/ActionComics [[ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber1 #1]]'' and its introduction of ComicBook/{{Superman}} (June 1938), these new heroes would find their lasting home in comic books. But prior to this emergence of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, earlier prototypes of the genre had to blaze the trail via a wider range of media: penny dreadfuls, [[PulpMagazine pulp novels and magazines]], {{Radio Drama}}s, newspaper ComicStrips, and [[{{Theatre}} stage plays]] all preceded the explosion of comic books in the 1930s. The heroes of these works, whose adventures set the stage for the Golden Age, [[NonPoweredCostumedHero weren't always as completely "super"]] as their successors, but such prototypes demonstrate the transition by which age-old heroic folktales gave way to our contemporary genre of commercial superhero fiction. Unlike their successors these heroes, especially ones found in literature, didn't have the same restrictions placed on them by the MoralGuardians and so modern readers can find themselves surprised to find that many of these characters feel like [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructions]] of the superhero genre decades [[UrExample before the genre really took off]].

* ''Moon Man'' was a RobinHood type vigilante who stole from the wealthy and corrupt in order to give the money to the poor, and was secretly a policeman being hunted by his loved ones

With ''ComicBook/ActionComics [[ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber1 #1]]'' and its introduction of ComicBook/{{Superman}} (June 1938), these new heroes would find their lasting home in comic books. But prior to this emergence of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, earlier prototypes of the genre had to blaze the trail via a wider range of media: penny dreadfuls, [[PulpMagazine pulp novels and magazines]], {{Radio Drama}}s, newspaper ComicStrips, and [[{{Theatre}} stage plays]] all preceded the explosion of comic books in the 1930s. The heroes of these works, whose adventures set the stage for the Golden Age, [[NonPoweredCostumedHero weren't always as completely "super"]] as their successors, but such prototypes demonstrate the transition by which age-old heroic folktales gave way to our contemporary genre of commercial superhero fiction.