Comic Book Heroics -- Mensan leads effort to preserve key American comics

The first comic book known to be produced entirely by African-American artists and writers had limited distribution in the Philadelphia area. (1947)

The X-Men, Professor X and Magneto debut. (1963)

The earliest known female superhero, Magician from Mars, appears three years before Wonder Woman. (1939)

This comic marks the first Wonder Woman series. (1942)

Mickey Mouse gets his first comic book cover. (1941)

Spider-Man makes his first appearance, with his origin detailed. (1962)

By the mid-1950s this title was the best-selling comic book in the United States, with a monthly circulation of more than 3 million. (1940)

Supergirl makes her first appearance. (1959)

Superboy makes his first appearance. (1946)

Captain America, Bucky Barnes and the Red Skull debut. (1941)

This cover was made famous for its scandalous — and visually confusing — depiction of a classic good girl missing her bra. (1947)

The Human Torch appears on his second cover on what’s considered the rarest of Marvel Mystery comics. (1939)

Tarpe Mills, one of the earliest female comic book writers and artists, developed Miss Fury. This particular comic featured paper dolls with cut-out costumes. (1942)