1732 Hogarth publishes A Harlot's Progress William Hogarth's sequential engraved narrative is often treated as an important precursor to later comics storytelling. 1837 Topffer publishes Histoire de M. Vieux Bois Rodolphe Topffer's picture-story narrative becomes a foundational work in the history of modern comics. 1865 Max and Moritz is published Wilhelm Busch's illustrated story of mischievous boys helps shape later comic-strip humor and visual storytelling. 1895 The Yellow Kid popularizes the newspaper comic Richard F. Outcault's Yellow Kid becomes a landmark in the rise of mass newspaper comics. 1897 The Katzenjammer Kids debuts One of the earliest enduring comic strips begins publication and becomes a newspaper staple. 1933 Famous Funnies launches comic-book format Famous Funnies helps establish the modern American comic book as a commercial format. June 1938 Superman debuts in Action Comics Action Comics no. 1 introduces Superman and launches the superhero era of comic books. May 1939 Batman makes first appearance Detective Comics no. 27 introduces Batman, one of the defining characters of global comics culture. March 1941 Captain America enters wartime comics Captain America Comics no. 1 becomes an emblematic superhero publication of the World War II era. 1954 Comics Code Authority is created The American comics industry adopts the Comics Code Authority amid moral panic and congressional scrutiny. 1956 Silver Age begins with the Flash revival Showcase no. 4 reintroduces the Flash and is widely treated as the start of the Silver Age of American comics. 1961 Fantastic Four launches Marvel's new era The Fantastic Four helps inaugurate the Marvel age of character-driven superhero comics. 1967 Zap Comix helps define underground comix Robert Crumb's Zap Comix becomes a symbol of the underground comix movement. 1970 San Diego Comic-Con is founded The creation of Comic-Con marks the growing fan culture and commercial significance of comics. 1978 A Contract with God popularizes the graphic novel Will Eisner's A Contract with God helps legitimize the graphic novel as a major literary-comics form. 1986 Watchmen redefines superhero storytelling Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons publish Watchmen, a landmark in mature and formally ambitious comics. 1992 Image Comics is founded Star artists leave Marvel to create Image Comics, reshaping creator ownership in the U.S. comics industry. 2001 Persepolis begins publication Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis becomes a major work in the international rise of autobiographical and literary graphic na… 2005 xkcd exemplifies the webcomic era The launch of xkcd reflects the growing importance of web distribution for comics creators and audiences. 2014 Webtoon expands global digital comics distribution The growth of the Webtoon platform helps normalize vertically scrolling digital comics for international audiences.