Comic Books​—What They Used to Be

IT ALL began with “The Yellow Kid.” This was a humorous cartoon feature that began appearing in the New York World back in 1896. It became enormously popular. Soon newspaper readers were also amused by the antics of the likes of “Foxy Grandpa,” “Buster Brown” and “The Katzenjammer Kids.” The funnies were born!

And funny they were. The titles alone reveal the mirth embodied in these cartoon creations: “Happy Hooligan,” “Maude the Mule,” “Mutt and Jeff,” “Krazy Kat,” and so forth. These playful characters well reflected the innocence of the age before the climactic year of 1914. In retrospect, however, perhaps not everything was truly funny. The popular “Katzenjammer Kids,” for example, made readers howl at what has been called “a systematic campaign of sabotage that successfully resists spankings, threats, and promises.”

The Rise of the Superhero

Soon publishers decided to reprint some of these popular features in book form. At first, however, these comic books were merely promotional items given away by advertisers. But in 1934 publishers Wildenberg and Gaines wagered that youngsters would be willing to spend 10 cents for a comic book they called “Famous Funnies.” It, too, was a success. So, using artists barely out of high school, publishers waged a fierce competition for readers.

In 1938 a turning point came. The young team of Siegel and Shuster found a publisher for a comic-book character they had invented​—Superman! According to one of his originators, he was to be “a character like Samson, Hercules, and all the strong men I ever heard tell of rolled into one. Only more so.” This “man of steel” captured the imaginations of young and old. Soon the monthly magazine was grossing a million dollars a year. And, spurred on by this success, publishers began inventing other caped crusaders.

But the next generation of comic books descended into the realms of sex, violence and horror. Graphically violent comics, such as one entitled “Crime Does Not Pay,” actually paid their publishers quite well. And as the 1950’s rolled around, comics also began to horrify their youthful readers with titles such as “Tales From the Crypt.”

In many cases, the comics no longer were comical.

The Public Protests

In 1954, Frederic Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent indicted the comic-book industry for corrupting youth. Dr. Wertham studied emotionally disturbed children and found that many of them were avid readers of comic books. Concluded Dr. Wertham, “Comic book stories teach violence.”

Some, however, felt that Dr. Wertham’s research did not prove that comics had a bad effect on normal children. Nevertheless, at least in the United States, steps eventually were taken to “police” the comics industry by setting up a code restricting excessive violence and nudity.

Comic Books​—The Way They Are Today

COMIC books have come a long way from the crude line drawings and simplistic writing that filled early issues. Today, the artwork is even praised in some circles. And a more sophisticated writing style may send readers on an occasional scramble for the dictionary.

The biggest change, however, is the fact that the superheroes must battle not only their comic foes but also the pervasive influence of television. A recently published study entitled “Television and Behavior” reveals that TV’s power to captivate a young audience is formidable indeed. How, then, do the comics contend with this potent competitor?

One innovation was to serialize the stories​—hooking the reader into keeping up with each installment. A recent issue of Rom, for example, tells an engrossing tale and ends when the superhero, Rom, and a companion from the lost continent of Atlantis are threatened by an awesome monster. What next? You must read the next issue to find out!

To sustain the interest of today’s TV saturated youths, comics have had all but to ignore their “codes” and give readers large doses of violence. One issue of Daredevil comics (about a blind superhero who wears a devil costume) was found to be violent in 53 percent of its panels. When Daredevil fights, a realistic, blow-by-blow depiction is drawn, punctuated with ‘sound effects.’ (“Whok,” “Klugg,” “Kangg,” “Chudd,” and “Thwakk,” to name a few.) And since skintight leotards are the standard garb for superheroes, readers can gape at rippling muscles. (Female superheroes are clad no less seductively.) It should be no surprise, then, that advertisers for muscle building and martial-arts courses often pick the comics to display their wares.

The religious and the occult are also comic-book attractions. For example, one issue of Thor begins on a pseudo-Biblical note: “In the beginning was the void. As time passed, matter grew within the void, and the matter formed stars, and the stars formed planets . . . The air above the earth crackled with power and life-energy . . . until the energy itself became aware of its own awesome potency.” From here on the reader is drawn into a tale of mythological gods and goddesses.

Writers also have a way of subtly working religious ideas such as the transmigration of the soul into their story lines. In one issue of Daredevil, a dead woman is resurrected by a mysterious man who nonchalantly says regarding the miracle, “Yeah. Tricky Stuff.” Comics with names like Ghost Rider and I . . . Vampire! show that some publishers want to cash in on the current fascination with the occult.

Even promoters of pornography have found the comic medium a handy way to display nudity and erotic behavior. Many of these obscene “comics” can find their way into the hands of children.

Naturally, not all comic books and strips are degrading. Neither are they all read merely by children. Hundreds of millions of adults follow the comics in their favorite newspapers. In the Philippines many​—including adults—​rent a comic book for a few cents and read it near the sales kiosk before handing it back. In Spain it is common on the Madrid or Barcelona Metro (subway) to see adults reading comic books.

One popular French series is published as a comic book in at least 18 languages. This is “Astérix,” a diminutive and fearless Celtic warrior who gets himself involved in all kinds of adventures in his travels across the ancient Roman Empire. The Encyclopædia Britannica says: “‘Astérix,’ besides being simply humorous and adventurous, indulges in sophisticated puns, witty anachronisms, and satirical flashes that have endeared the strip to millions of adult Europeans.”

However, it is undoubtedly true that many comics are designed primarily for children and are unwholesome, dealing in occultism, sadism, horror or gratuitous violence.