For anyone interested in this conversation, our very own DC Archivist, Benamin Le Clear, had this to say about the matter:
“I think depression era youth were always the intended primary audience of the first comics, but its also clear that the first publishers were hoping that they’d be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and genders. Comic Books have their roots both in PULP Magazines (and especially) Newspaper Comic Strips. In both cases, those stories were seeking mass audiences and not just a small niche. A lot of other publishers may have just been throwing stuff out there to see what sticks, but we were founded by a romantic visionary named Major Malcolm Wheeler who had dreams about the possibilities of original content comic books and a wider audience in mind. Editor Lloyd Jacquet promoted our landmark first issue New Fun #1 by recommending trying “it on the youngsters from 2 to 90”.”
You can find his full Q&A here, and I highly recommend it! We’re only 15 minutes in and I’m already feeling nourished: