The document outlines the origins and growth of the American comic book industry from 1933 to the post-World War 2 era. It notes that the first comic books reprinted newspaper strips in 1933 and 1934, while the first original comic book series was launched in late 1934. National Periodical Publications (later DC Comics) published the first superhero comic, Action Comics #1, in 1938 featuring Superman. The industry saw meteoric growth throughout the late 1930s and 1940s, with monthly sales reaching 60 million by 1947. Besides superheroes, popular genres included funny animals, teenagers, crime, romance, horror, and satire such as Mad magazine starting in 1952.