Comic Tastic

The Insightful Cartoons Of Benjamin Franklin

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Benjamin Franklin’s Cartoons – Tools of Political Satire
The Pennsylvania Gazette was the first newspaper to publish Benjamin Franklin’s political cartoon “Join or Die” in 1754. Benjamin Franklin was an American with many “firsts.” His interest in politics was borne of his passion for the new world he lived in. Through his cartoons, Benjamin Franklin effected a confrontation of issues he considered important to fellow colonists. In the early colonial days, Benjamin Franklin used cartoons to encourage colonists to break from British rule. Cartoons provided a way to send this message without appearing to be blatantly treasonous to King George. Political cartoons were an effective method of using humor and satire to punctuate important political issues.

Benjamin Franklin – Publisher and Revolutionary
Benjamin Franklin published the Pennsylvania Gazette and later, Poor Richard’s Almanack. He used the literary pseudonym, Richard Saunders. Many of the poems and sayings included in Poor Richard’s Almanack were accompanied by short illustrations and cartoons that added a whimsical commentary. Whenever Benjamin Franklin produced news articles, he accompanied them with a supporting cartoon that offered readers additional inspiration to consider issues. Today, political cartoons are found in newspapers and magazines in the same style of Benjamin Franklin.

A Brief History of Batman

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Modern day Batman fans may not realize that the Batman character has been around for more than 70 years – before Cable Television even existed. His first appearance came during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the pages of Detective Comics 27 in May 1939. Around a year later, Batman 1 was published. It was at this time that Catwoman, the Joker and Alfred Pennyworth were created, as well.

During the Silver Age of Comic Books (1956-1970), the Batman comic series added some science-fiction flavor to its story, introducing characters like Mr. Freeze, Betty Kane and the original Bat-Girl. In 1966, Batman made its transition to the TV with Batman: The Movie in 1966 and Batman (TV series) from 1966-1968. During the 1970s, writers Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams gave Batman somewhat of a makeover, giving the comic book series more of the darker tone that it had during the 1940s. In addition to recreating the Joker as an unpredictable killer who would murder people at the drop of a hat, the pair also created a new villain, Ra’s al Ghul. By October 1986, the Batman title reached its 400th issue and had become a tremendously popular brand.

Today, there are more than a dozen movies and animated films based on the Batman series. Additionally, the Batman series – having earned a total of 1,449,683,452 – is the fourth highest-grossing film series in North America.

The Fascinating History Of Mad Magazine

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Mad magazine made it’s debut in 1952 originally as a comic book. It was almost written in its by Harvey Kurtzman, an editor and cartoonist who was best described by the New York Times as “being one of the most important figures in post-war America.” It was later upon his insistence that MAD be switched over to a magazine format. By doing this it removed them from the CCA, or Comics Code Authority, which policed comics to make sure the “code of ethics” was maintained, thus censoring comics greatly.

MAD magazine, free of the CCA, was now able to become the innovators of print parody. With the use various media outlets, popular characters, and even historical moments they brought laughter into an age of turmoil, civil unrest, and a nation trying to rebuild from war. Mad taught us to question or become skeptical of not just everyday life but of our beloved cartoons too. Apart from America had publications in 17 other counties, however just reaches six other countries aside from America now. MAD magazine has faced many ups and downs, lawsuits, acquisitions, loss of editors, and of course inspiring a nation through print, television, theater, and even an old Commodore 64 video game.

Brenda Star The First Women Of Comics

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Brenda Starr, ace reporter and one of the original comic book heroines first appeared in 1940. Created by writer Dale Messick, the comic was initially published under the name “Brenda Starr, Reporter” and told the story of the fearless red-head and her many adventures as a journalist for the fictional newspaper “The Flash”.

A far cry from the ‘damsels in distress’ women featured in the comics at that time, Brenda was the prototype of today’s working woman. During her long run in the comics, Brenda traveled to exotic locales, had many romantic misadventures and eventually married the mysterious eye-patched lothario Basil St. John, although later that relationship ended in divorce. True to her free-spirited roots, Brenda remained fiercely independent and willing to do whatever she had to in order to get the story. Eventually, the character received a promotion of sorts and moved from reporter to editor. After Dale Messick retired from writing the comic in the early ’80s, various writers and artists continued Brenda’s adventures through the life of the comic.

Brenda finished her syndicated run in January 2011. But even as the strip ended, Brenda will still be remembered as one of the most daring heroines in comics.

Yellow Kid And The Word Bubble

admin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Yellow Kid was an American comic strip, starring the first real comic character in U.S. newspapers. The series, also known as Hogan’s Alley, was drawn by Richard F. Outcault.

The Yellow Kid was set into the ghetto of turn of the century New York City. The titular “Kid” was an unnamed bald, snaggle-toothed child who wore an oversize yellow nightshirt and interacted with various other quirky characters. The series was popular for taking conventions that had previously been used in stand alone political cartoons and adapting them to a storytelling format.

Among those conventions was the word bubble. Similar graphics had been used for speech as early as the 1700s, which were in turn based on “word scrolls” that emerged from the subjects of medieval portraits. Yellow Kid, however, modified their appearances. Before, speech bubbles generally trailed off as long as needed or possible, and the bubble itself came from the character’s mouth without a definitive tail. Yellow Kid made the bubbles rounder and less elongated and introduced clear tails. This form proved very influential. (Ironically, the Yellow Kid himself did not use word bubbles; instead his dialogue appeared on his shirt, possibly as a parody of advertising billboards.)

Influences In The Life Of Wilhelm Bush

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

“It’s easy to become a father, but being one is harder rather” is a quote from Germany’s posthumously coined, “Grandfather of Comics”, Wilhelm Bush. If you have never heard this name, but love comics, it’s time for a meet and greet, because you have the famous artist, drawer, sculptor, poet and vegetarian, Wilhelm Bush, to thank for every chuckle and grin. Born in 1832, Wilhelm Bush is often referred to as one of the inventors of the modern comic strip because he drew characters and then added clever and wildly funny satirical musings. But if you are amongst the first at something, then who influences you to do what you do?

Wilhelm Bush, who had initially been studying engineering, became interested in pursuing art after he had experienced the works of painters Frans Hals and Paul Rubens. Then there was the comic guru who came before him, who influenced him greatly as well, Rodolphe Tpffer. (Rodolphe Tpffer’s ‘Obadiah Oldbuck’ (translated from his ‘M. Vieuxbois’), was the first comic book ever published in America, in 1842). Which makes total sense, because he was the only other one who produced comics before him, so doesn’t it make you wonder who influenced Tpffer?