Fantasy comics

Fantasy comics
Fantasy comics
	Forbidden Worlds a common example of 1950s fantasy anthologies
Authors	Steve Ditko; Frank Frazetta; Wally Wood; Gaylord Dubois;
Publications	Elfquest; Tarzan; House of Mystery;
Subgenres
	Wuxia comics; Fairy tale comics; Science fantasy comics;
Related genres
	Horror comics;

Fantasy comics have been around as long as the medium itself.

History

In the US market, early years of fantasy comics began in the Golden Age of Comic Books and were populated with such notable works range from All-American comics' (and later DC comics') Greek myth inspired super hero Wonder Woman to Dell's Tarzan.

Starting in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s Horror-themed fantasy anthologies gained prominence, the most famous of these includes EC Comics' Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Fear, and Vault of Horror; and lesser notable titles such as American Comics Group Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds though this trend saw its prevalence cease with the publication of Dr. Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent which directly led to a Senate hearing of the influence of comics on juvenile violence. Though fantasy comics were able to survive in this new atmosphere though in a diminished capacity compared to its much stronger output in these early years.

Fantasy themed super heroes would continue to populate comics through the 1950s and regained popularity in 1960s with such characters as Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange published by Marvel comics and Jack Kirby's Thor both appearing in two of Marvel's Fantasy Themed anthologies Strange Tales and Journey into Mystery.

In the 1970s, Conan the Barbarian, created by Robert E. Howard, became one of the most popular publications of Marvel Comics. After some changes of publishers, it continued to be published in the 2010s.

In the 1990s, The Sandman, created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg was popular.