More Fun Comics #73, containing the first appearances of Aquaman and Green Arrow.

Pep Comics #22 introduced Archie, Jughead, and Betty

The famous Archie first appeared in Pep Comics No. 22, offering a sharp alternative to the grim war and

Green Lantern Comics #1.

All Star Comics #8, the first appearance of Wonder Woman, as the JSA's secretary!

Sensation Comics #1, the second appearance of Wonder Woman.

superhero stories of the day. By the end of 1941, more than 50 million people A MONTH were reading comics with the majority being male. M. C. Gaines, again looking to push forward, contacted Dr. Willaim Moulton Marston about creating a female superheroine and under the pen name of Charles Moulton he created Wonder Woman, the most famous heroine of all. She first appeared in December 1941 in All Star Comics No. 8, drawn by Harry Peter. Gaines was, once again, proved right as Wonder Woman was an instant hit with female readers. She was not however, the first superheroine, that was Black Fury. She first appeared in April 1941 and, in addition, was drawn by a female artist, Tarpe Mills.

Dell's Looney Tunes an Merrie Melodies Comics No. 1 in 1941 saw the first comic book appearances of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The issue conained what is probably considered the best Bug Bunny origin story.

Fawcett's Captain Marvel Jr. appeared in December in Whiz Comics No. 25. He too proved popular and in November of the following year received his own title. In December 1942 Mary Marvel was added in Captain Marvel No. 18.

Sensation Comics No. 1 premiered in January 1942 featuring Wonder Woman. Later that year Diana would receive her own title, Wonder Woman No. 1.

Wonder Woman #1

The Spirit started in September 1942 in Quality's Police Comics No. 11. He and his sidekick Ebony, the first regular blac comic book character, received their own title, The Spirit No. 1, in 1944.

Lev Gleason Publications created their first superhero title, Boy Comics No. 3, featuring the Crimebuster in April 1942. Two months later, the famous title Crime Does Not Pay premeired after Silver Streak Comics was renamed.

Walt Kelly's Pogo made his premiere in Dell's Animal Comics No. 1 in January 1941. Army soldier George Baker created The Sad Sack for publication in the army's weekly newspaper Yank.

Humor appeared from Timely in Comedy Comics No. 9 and Joker Comics No. 1. Joker Comics premiered in April 1942. October 1942 brought Terry-Toons No. 1, a funny animal title, from Timely Comics.

Kid teams began appearing. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's Newsboy Legion, Tommy, Gabby, Scrapper, and Big Words, made their first appearance in DC's Star Spangled Comics No. 7 in April 1942. Three months later in July, The Boy Commandos, Alfy Twidget, Andre, Jan, and Brooklyn, made their premiere in Detective Comics No. 64. The receieved their own title at years end with The Boy Commandos No. 1.

Four Color #9, Carl Barks' first comic work

Dell continued to expand with the World War II comic War Heroes No. 1 and a revamped The Funnies, now called New Funnies and featuring Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker, in July 1942. Soon after Dell's Four Color (second series) No. 9 hit the stands, featuring Carl Barks first comic work in "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold." For over twenty years however he drew the ducks anonymously, until receiving credit in the 1970's.

The first funny animal superhero, SuperMouse, a animal version of Superman, appeared in October 1942 from Nedor. Another Marvel family character appeared in Fawcett's Funny Animals No. 1, featuring Hoppy the Marvel Bunny.

Archie broke out of the pages of Pep Comics with the premiere of his title, Archie Comics No. 1 at the end of 1942.

Paper shortages...

By 1943 paper shortages caused by the war were limiting expansion of comics and fewer new titles were produced. Fawcett produced Don Wislow of the Navy No. 1 and Hopalong Cassidy No. 1 in February. Timely added All Select Comics, featuring Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and The Human Torch in the Fall after giving their "Young Allies" another new title, Kid Komics No. 1 in February. Also from Timely in the Fall was the humor title All Surprise No. 1 featuring Super Rabbit. The only new title from DC was All Funny Comics No. 1 in December, containing the first appearance of their answer to Archie, Buzzy.

By the end of 1943 publishers were selling 25 million copies a month and the industry was worth $30,000,000. DC continued it's humor titles in 1944 with the release of Funny Stuff No. 1 in the summer and Buzzy No. 1 in the winter. Timely released Tessie the Typist No. 1 in Summer 1944, Junior Miss No. 1 in Winter 1944, and Miss America Comics No. 1, which latest only one issue before becoming Miss America Magazine.

1945 saw the first appearance of Superboy in More Fun Comics No. 101. In order to make the story work, some of the etails of Superman's origin were ignored including his parents being alive and discovering his powers as a child.

Max Gaines, ever the entrepreneur, left DC in 1944 and formed Educational Comics, which later became Entertaining Comics, and it today referred to as EC Comics. Gaine, looking to use comics to educate produced Picture Stories from American History No. 1 in 1946, Picture Stories from World History No.1, and Picture Stories from Science.

With the end of the war in 1945, comics were in less demand as hordes of soldier that had been buying them no longer were in the service and were able to purchase them. Fawcett trotted out another Captain Marvel related title, this one called Marvel Family No. 1, in December 1945. Marvel Comics tried moving to girl comics with the release of Patsy Walker in Summer 1945 and Millie the Model that Winter. Harvey published Joe Palooka in November 1945. DC's Fox and the Crow premiered in Real Screen Funnies No. 1 in Spring1945. Marge's Little Lulu first appeared in Dell's Four Color No. 74 in june 1945, having previously been a newspaper strip.

End of an era...

Not everyone agrees on what the last Golden Age book was, however it is generally agreed that with the war ending in 1945, so ended the Golden Age in 1945 and began the Post-Golden Era in 1946.