The first recorded use of the term "Golden Age" was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article, "Re-Birth", published in issue one of the fanzine Comic Art in April 1960.

[9] Although DC and Timely characters are well remembered today, circulation figures suggest that the best-selling superhero title of the era was Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel Adventures with sales of about 1.4 million copies per issue.

Patriotic heroes donning red, white, and blue were particularly popular during the time of the Second World War following the Shield's debut in 1940.

[11] Many heroes of this time period battled the Axis powers, with covers such as Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941) showing the title character punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

[12] As comic books grew in popularity, publishers began launching titles that expanded into a variety of genres.

[13] The publisher featured licensed movie and literary characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Roy Rogers and Tarzan.

The term Atomic Age of Comic Books is sometimes used to describe a brief time period, starting with either the end of World War II in 1945 or in 1948 with the first outcry of Fredric Wertham,[19][20] and lasting until the mid-1950s.

To retain reader interest, comic publishers diversified into other genres, such as war, Westerns, science fiction, romance, crime and horror.

Comic books focused on space, mystery, and suspense that television and other forms of media were turning to in the march toward scientific progress.

[31] According to historian Michael A. Amundson, appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power.