COMICS COMIX THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Don

COMICS, COMIX, & THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen 1

The first comic book appeared in 1933. Little Lulu appeared in the 1930 s. • The cost of each comic book was a dime (10 cents). • You can tell the age of a comic book by looking at the price. • However, now the early comic books are rare and cost a lot of money. • There is a huge discrepancy between the price on the cover and the actual price of the comic book. 2

Super Heroes D. C. Comics: The Justice League 3

Captain Marvel: Shazam! 4

Marvel Comics The Fantastic Four 5

Marvel Comics: Wolverine—Comic Book vs. Movies 6

The Avengers vs. The X-Men 7

Early Comics: World War II Everybody hates Hitler! 8

Even the Fantastic Four are after Hitler! 9

Today’s Comics • “There are dozens of humorous comic strips ranging from simple domestic humor such as ‘The Family Circus’ to the sophisticated social and political satire of Gary Trudeau’s ‘Doonesbury’ and Aaron Mc. Gruder’s ‘The Boondocks. ’ Strips like ‘Cathy’ take on the problems of single professional women, ‘Tank Mc. Namara’ goes after big time sports in America, and strips like ‘BC, ’ ‘The Wizard of Id, ’ ‘Broom Hilda, ’ ‘Zippy’ and many more offer a combination of simple amusement and allegorical meaning. ” (Mintz in Raskin [2008] 290) 10

UNDERGROUND COMIX • The term “comix” is a co-mix of image and words. • Underground comix deals with the underbelly of society as they make fun of drugs, sex, violence, racism, elitism, blasphemy, risque music, bodily functions, and crude language. 11

• Robert Crumb is known as “the Father of Underground Comix. • The shrunken head and enlarged feet of Crumb’s “Keep on Truckin’” series came from his L. S. D. -distorted view of people and symbols. 12

• Gilbert Shelton is another drug-inspired underground comix writer of the 1960 s. • Shelton’s “Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers” featured three dope-and-sex-hunting heroes. • This was a well-received parody of the 1960 s hippie drug culture, and was designed not to preach, but to entertain. • Shelton also created “Wonder Wart-Hog” as a parody of superhero comics. 13

ABOVEGROUND COMICS • At the opposite end of the spectrum from underground comix are the coffee table comic books: – Joe Anderson’s Bugs Bunny: Fifty Years and Only One Grey Hare – Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County Babylon: Five Years of Basic Naughtiness – Walt Kelly’s Pluperfect Pogo – Bill Watterson’s The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book 14

Parodies of Batman 15

MIDDLEGROUND COMICS • Between the underground comix, and the coffee table comics, there are some mainstream collections: – Scott Adams’s The Dilbert Principle – Charles Schulz’s Happiness Is a Warm Puppy, Home Is on Top of a Dog House, I Need All the Friends I Can Get, and Security is a Thumb and a Blanket 16

JOHN CALLAHAN’S DISABILITY CARTOONS • John Callahan was paralized in an automobile accident shortly after his 21 st birthday. His cartoons about disabilities are quite controversial. • One of his cartoons shows a dark-skinned street beggar carrying a sign that reads, “Please help me. I am blilnd and black, but not musical. ” 17

• In another Callahan cartoon there is a man in a bar with two prosthetic hooks in place of hands. • The bartender is saying, “Sorry Sam, you can’t hold your liquor. ” • Another Callahan cartoon is entitled “The Alzheimer Hoedown. ” It shows confused couples at a square dance trying to follow the instructions, “Return to the girl that you just left. ” • Callahan got an angry letter from the St. Louis chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. ” 18

HALL OF FAME Members of the International Museum of Cartoon Art’s Hall of Fame include: • • • Dik Browne: Hi and Lois, & Hagar the Horrible Milton Caniff: Terry and the Pirates, & Steven Canyon Al Capp: L’il Abner Roy Crane: Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy, & Buzz Sawyer Billy De. Beck: Barney Google Rudolph Dirks: The Katzenjammer Kids & The Captain and the Kids Budd Fisher: Mutt and Jeff Harold Foster: Tarzan & Prince Valiant Chester Gould: Dick Tracy Harold Gray: Little Orphan Annie 19

Dik Browne’s “Hagar the Horrible” 20

Milton Caniff’s “Terry and the Pirates” 21

Al Capp’s “L’il Abner” 22

Billy De. Beck’s “Barney Google” 23

Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids 24

Budd Fisher’s “Mutt and Jeff” 25

Harold Foster’s “Tarzan” 26

Chester Gould’s “Dick Tracy” 27

Harold Gray’s “Little Orphan Annie” 28

• • • George Herriman: Krazy Kat Walt Kelly: Pogo Winsor Mc. Cay: Little Nemo in Slumberland George Mc. Manus: Bringing up Father (Maggie and Jiggs) Richard Oucault: The Yellow Kid & Buster Brown Alex Raymond: Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Secret Agent X-9 & Rip Kirby Charles Schulz: Peanuts Elzie Segar: Thimble Theater & Popeye Jimmie Swinnerton: Little Bears, Mr. Jack, & Canyon Kiddies Mort Walker: Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Boner’s Ark Chic Young: Blondie and Dagwood 29

George Herriman’s “Krazy Kat and Ignatz” 30

Walt Kelly’s “Pogo” 31

Walt Kelly’s “Simple J. Malarkey” alluded to Senator Mc. Carthy. When newspapers said they would no longer show Malarkey’s head, Kelly placed a brown paper bag over his head. 32

Winsor Mc. Cay’s “Little Nemo in Slumberland” 33

George Mc. Manus’s “Bringing Up Father” “Maggie and Jiggs” 34

Richard Oucault’s “The Yellow Kid” and “Buster Brown and Tide” 35

Alex Raymond’s “Flash Gordon” 36

Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” 37

Elzie Segar’s “Popeye” 38

Mort Walker’s “Beetle Bailey” 39

Chic Young’s “Blondie and Dagwood” 40

JOHNNY HART CARTOON • When the following Johnny Hart strip was run in The Arab News, both the feature editor and the editor-inchief were sentenced to lashing and prison terms for failing to recognize the blasphemy. • Their sentences were reduced after the incident caused an international furor. 41

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Arizona’s Governor Evan Meacham • In Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury there is a Mecham-like character who reacts to claims that he is insensitive: • “Lies! Lies spread by queers and pickanninies. ” 43

THE GRAPHIC NOVEL • People are also starting to respect the power of the graphic novel. • In 1986, Art Spiegelman won the Pulitzer Prize for his Maus. 44

Art Spiegelman’s “In the Shadow of No Towers” 45

Art Spiegelman’s “In the Shadow of No Towers” 46

COMIC ANIMATION WEB SITES: XKCD http: //xkcd. com Perry Bible Fellowship http: //pbfcomics. com/ ART SPIEGELMAN: http: //lambiek. net/artists/s/spiegelman. htm 47