History MediaNotes / TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks

** ''ComicBook/BatmanNumber1'' (ComicBook/{{Batman}})

*** The origins of Franchise/TheDCU

** ''ComicBook/SupermanNumber1''

** ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Wonder Woman Volume 1]]''

** ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsNumber27''. The comic issue that introduced the world to Batman.
** ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsNumber29And30''.
** ''ComicBook/DetectiveComicsNumber33''. The OriginsEpisode for Batman.
** ''ComicBook/RobinTheBoyWonder''. The debut issue of Robin, the comic book sidekick.

However, those who are familiar with UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks are sometimes surprised to learn that Golden Age comics are often significantly less goofy, less moralistic and less blatantly childish by comparison. The [[TheThirties 1930s]] and [[TheForties 1940s]] were in many ways a less conservative era in the U.S. than TheFifties, and UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode didn't exist yet. Creators were much less concerned about making their stories age-appropriate and portraying heroes as moral exemplars. Superman was a rougher, more aggressive, somewhat mischievous character, described by his creators as "a thorn in the side of the establishment" -- hardly the paragon of LawfulGood we have today. Batman was a dark and violent vigilante long before the Comics Code Authority turned him into a camp icon.[[note]]Although his notorious [[BatmanGrabsAGun gun usage and willingness to kill]] are a case of BrieferThanTheyThink, lasting less than two years, the stories were indeed more violent and the villains more murderous.[[/note]] Possibly as a reflection of real-life women moving into traditionally masculine roles as men left for the war, Golden Age female characters tended to be bold, assertive, fast-talking career gals, often tougher and more independent than their Silver Age counterparts. (This may also reflect the fact that a larger percentage of the comic-reading audience was female during the Golden Age than at any time after.)

The precise end of the Golden Age is vague. After World War II ended, SuperHero comics became less popular, with other genres such as funny-animal comedy (which had already been outselling it), crime fiction, teenage romance and westerns replacing it. As the 1940s moved on, more and more titles either changed genre or were canceled altogether[[note]]An extreme example is "Moon Girl", starting out under that title as a superhero comic, it changed within the span of a few issues to the more "real crime" "Moon Girl Fights Crime" and within a couple more issues to "A Moon, A Girl -- Romance!"[[/note]]. In 1950, the last Timely (later to become Creator/MarvelComics) superhero title was canceled, and in 1951 the last Golden Age adventure of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica went by. In 1954, Dr. Frederic Wertham published the book ''Seduction of the Innocent''. [[NewMediaAreEvil It argued that comic books were responsible for corrupting the youth of America, leading them to juvenile delinquency and sexual perversion]] (if comparison to [[TheNewRockAndRoll later criticisms of rock music]], [[SatanicPanic Dungeons & Dragons]], and [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 video games]] comes to mind, that's not surprising). This led to the creation of the restrictive [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code Authority]], which forbade comic book stories that included moral ambiguity, more than minimal violence, or practically any portrayal of sexuality, resulting in comics that were much more strictly and consciously kid-oriented than before. If the Golden Age wasn't already dead by that point, the Code was the last nail in the coffin.

UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks was, however, just around the corner...

*** ''ComicBook/DoctorMidNite''

*** [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC Phantom Lady, Human Bomb, Firebrand]]

** ''Adventure Comics''