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Comics and magazines
Apparently comics and magazines have been around for centuries. They can be traced back as far as 17th century Japan. They were first used as a form of media to update adults about battles and explorative events that had taken place. They were predominantly used as a form of propaganda. How the enemy was beaten back etc.
Comics ...
Everyone needs a hero and that is why the 1930's depression in America needed something to take their minds off the hard times they were going through. This is when, in 1938, the Superman comic was created. Superman was to set a standard for comic book heroes that persist to this day.
Magazines ...
Magazines however, were created for the wealthy to air their views, inform other wealthy individuals about society events and promote their businesses. Poor people read newspapers but the sophisticated rich read magazines.
Due to their popularity, and the introduction of superior printing machinery, magazines were widely distributed to admonish those who were about to meet their end at the gallows. To give warning to those who would follow the ways of a convicted criminal. They would paint a very nasty picture of events that had led to the person about to be hanged. It was also a way to earn some real money. Here is a mass audience baying for blood and what they really want to know is, how this person was captured and what did he/she actually do – all the gory details.
One of the most famous magazines to grace the shelves of many a newsagent was the Punch magazine, which began life in 1841.
The name Punch was decided upon at an early meeting. Someone remarked that the magazine should be like a good Punch mixture – nothing without Lemon (referring to Mark Lemon, the magazine's first editor). And so Punch magazine was born.
World War II saw the birth of magazines we all know today. It was rich with gossip and pictures. They were promoted as light reading for the person who wanted a light-hearted view of current affairs but without all the hard facts and drudgery that came with reading it. A picture paints a thousand words.
