Line #1 MediaNotes/TheInterregnum


1	The time between MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks and MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks. {{Superhero}}es were at their lowest ebb here; the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII meant that people were tired of hearing about individuals fighting to save the world, and other genres of comic book took over -- [[HorrorTropes horror]], [[CrimeAndPunishmentSeries crime]], {{Funny Animal}}s, and so on.
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3	By the end, only a few [=superhero=] comics were still going, ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' and ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' chief among them. ComicBook/PlasticMan was the last non-DC superhero left before being bought out. Apart from a few scattered and failed attempts at revivals such as Atlas Comics' ComicBook/CaptainAmerica (which was later retconned in the 1970s as the adventures of an imposter soon driven insane by a flawed copy of Project: Rebirth) and ComicBook/SubMariner, and Creator/JackKirby and Creator/JoeSimon's disguised attempt with ''ComicBook/FightingAmerican'' and ''Comic/StuntMan'', the genre seemed to have no life in it. However, they did kickstart the [[RomanceArc romance comic genre]] with ''ComicBook/YoungRomance'', which proved a big success.
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5	The big exception to the general lack of interest in superheroes was Superman, whose popularity was healthy enough that his franchise actually ''expanded'' in 1954 when his supporting character ComicBook/JimmyOlsen was spun off into a comic of his own. The reason Superman did so well was probably thanks to the much loved TV show ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' with George Reeves which kept the Last Son of Krypton in the public eye even among non comic readers.
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7	This was the era when MediaNotes/TheComicsCode was enacted, and it may have been what ultimately brought [=superheroes=] back. Though the hearings that led to it put some of the blame on [=superheroes=], they were especially unkind to [[CrimeAndPunishmentSeries crime]] and [[HorrorTropes horror]], and those genres were pretty much gutted by the Code. Meanwhile, [=superheroes=] were easy enough to retool to follow the Code, and experienced a resurgence in popularity that led to MediaNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks.
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9	The end of the age is pegged at different points, depending on who you talk to; the most common is the {{Revival}} of Franchise/TheFlash by Creator/DCComics in 1956, but some say it happened before that, with the introduction of the ComicBook/MartianManhunter in 1954, though many agree that it didn't kick into high gear until the appearance of [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel's]] ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' in 1961.
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11	It is also sometimes referred to as the Atomic Age (because of the nuclear paranoia in the 1950s affecting comics). Opinions differ on whether it should be considered part of the Golden Age or whether it counts as a separate age.
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13	The Interregnum is often a case of BrieferThanTheyThink. It can be argued to be only five years (from the last appearance of the Golden Age Flash in ''All-Star Comics'' to the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash in ''Showcase''), and even cherry-picking dates far apart is unlikely to make it more than ten years.
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15	[[AC:Notable series of the Interregnum:]]
16	* ''Adventure Comics'': A long running DC AnthologyComic starring ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and also home to Golden Age survivors ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, ComicBook/GreenArrow, and Johnny Quick.
17	* ''Captain Flash'': One of the few superhero holdouts of the era. Both featured [[ComicBook/CaptainFlash the titular character]] and ''ComicBook/{{Tomboy\|Sterling}}'', one of the first kid superheroes to get her own strip.
18	* ''Detective Comics'': DC's namesake title kept running through the 1950s, not only continuing the adventures of Franchise/{{Batman}} but also introducing Comicbook/MartianManhunter in 1955 (in his own backup feature) and Batwoman in 1956.
19	* ''ComicBook/RawhideKid'': Western title from Atlas Comics (previously Timely, later Marvel), later taken over by Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby.
20	* ''Strange Tales'': A sci-fi/fantasy AnthologyComic from Atlas that served as a springboard for budding Marvel greats Creator/StanLee, Creator/JackKirby, Creator/SteveDitko, Don Heck, Dick Ayers, and others.
21	* ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'': Besides appearing in ''Adventure'', Superboy was popular enough to hold down his own series.
22	* ''Western Crime Busters'': A Western comic from Trojan Publications, featuring such heroes as ComicBook/KBarKate.
23	* ''ComicBook/YellowClaw'': Another Atlas publication, this one only ran for four issues in 1956. The title starred Jimmy Woo, one of the first Asian American comic heroes, fighting against the titular Literature/FuManchu knockoff, the Yellow Claw. Notable for the first issue by Joe Maneely, who died unexpectedly young (and according to his Atlas contemporaries would probably have been a major force at Creator/MarvelComics had he lived), and the latter three both written and drawn by Creator/JackKirby.

Context MediaNotes / TheInterregnum