The first comic book was created in 1837 by Swiss author Rudolph Töpffer.
It wasn’t until 1933 that the first American comic book was created and from there, the world of comics only grew.
In honor of National Comic Book Day, here are eight of the most popular comic book series ever printed.
1. ‘Micky Maus’ was created by Egmont Ehapa in 1951, and stars all of the classic Disney characters. It has sold over 1 billion copies.
2. The release of the ‘Superman’ series in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave birth to a classic superhero and has sold over 600 million copies.
3. Released in 1939, the ‘Batman' series was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and has sold a total of 460 million copies.
4. The ‘Spider-Man’ series was released by Marvel in 1963 and has sold over 350 million copies.
5. ‘Peanuts’ was created by Charles M. Schulz in 1950, and ceased printing in 2000. It sold 300 million copies.
6. The ‘X-Men’ series, released in 1963 by Marvel, has sold 270 million copies and led to multiple film adaptations.
7. The ‘Dragon Ball’ series, created by Akira Toriyama, was first released in 1984 and ceased printing in 1995. It sold 240 million copies.
8. Jim Davis's ‘Garfield’ series began in 1978 and has sold 135 million copies.
9. 'One Piece' by Eiichiro Oda began in 1997 and has sold over 454 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling manga series in history.