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. But have such measures been effective? What are the comics like today?

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Every Newspaper Needs Comics or Cartoons

Every newspaper, small or large, should have a comic page, even if it is only one single panel cartoon. Why? Because comics are one of the most popular features in a newspaper and encourage readership. Even though publishers may not experience any immediate revenue from a cartoon feature such as they would from paid advertising, the comics still contribute to more income in the long run. The more overall interest a publisher can generate in his paper, the more readers he will have, and the more interest advertisers will have in supporting his plublication. Nobody buys a newspaper just for the comic page, but they will gravitate toward the newspapers that are the most interesting overall.

Of course the big concern most newspapers have, especially the smaller ones, is how are they going to pay for it? Syndicated cartoons are the least expensive option, however even syndicated cartoons and comics can become costly. One of the largest syndicates, King Features, has recently announced a new program, Comics Kingdom, which is designed to bring in advertising revenue for newspapers, shared with the syndicate. Currently this service is only available to the nation's largest newspapers, which doesn't help the small publisher. In fact, if you look at the syndicate's price structures, the smaller papers pay proportionately more than larger papers for syndicated content.

There are some things smaller papers can do to alleviate some of this cost and still enjoy the benefits of a comic page. Rather than compete for the most popular comics, a newspaper can publish some of the lesser known, and less expensive comics. For example, Johansen International Features offers Belvedere, a series about a mischievious little dog. This feature was created by the late George Crenshaw and has been in syndication for over 30 years. Although it is not one of the most popular features, it still has a following. There have been a couple of instances where newspapers tried to cut the feature to save money, and had to change their mind because of protests they received from their readers. Aside from it's lower popularity, one reason this feature is less expensive than most is because it is no longer being drawn and the cartoons that are published are re-runs of cartoons from the past 30 years.

There are some webcomics which may be less expensive than the larger syndicated offerings. In
selecting one of these comics, however, the publisher must make certain that the comic is in good
taste. Some of the comics you find online may be offensive to newspaper readers, or worse yet, to
newspaper advertisers.

Here is something else to consider. For a little bit more a newspaper can get custom cartoons which may be even more valuable than the syndicated comics. For example, a paper may want an editorial cartoon concerning a local issue. Another popular feature could be a weekly sports cartoon which focuses on local sports personalities -- high school or college stars, or even Little League players. By featuring a different local player each week a newspaper can generate interest that no nationally syndicated feature could match.

So how you do you pay for this, the publisher may be asking. For one thing, without a syndicated
contract a publisher is not required to publish a cartoon every single day. A newspaper could publish once or twice a week and still maintain reader interest. If the feature generates enough local interest advertisers may pay more for a premium spot next to the cartoon feature. Better yet, one of the paper's local advertisers may choose to sponsor the cartoon in return for concessions on their advertising rates.

Most cartoonists are willing to do custom local cartoons for newspapers. By shopping around
publishers can find cartoonists who offer a good price yet still offer professional quality. Most cartoonists will offer a better price to newspapers who are willing to purchase cartoons on a
regular basis or in volume.

Comics are fun. Readers love them and the newspaper publisher who adds them to his paper will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Ron Coleman has been a freelance cartoonist and writer for over 40 years. His work has appeared in hundreds of magazines, newspapers, books and on the internet. He offers more information about newspaper publishing on his website: http://newspapers.colemantoons.com/

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Comic Book History

In the United States, the first comic book was published in 1934. Ever since the first comic came out, the leading producer has been the United States. The first comics were similar to the comics found in early newspapers; however, they were published as their own books. The first comic books were mostly about adventure stories and depicted some type of superhero character. Historians break up the history of American comic books into different eras. There are four eras starting with the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the Modern age of comic books.

The Golden Age of comics is said to have last from the 1930s to the late 1940s. During this time, comics became main stream and readers were introduced to superheroes such as Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman. Superman was the first known superhero and made his debut in 1938. After Superman, almost all comics featured a superhero, and the Golden Age is classified by their appearances. World War II had a big impact on the popularity of the superhero comic books during this era. What made them so popular was showcasing that good triumphs over evil. There were even some comic books that showed characters punching Adolf Hitler.

The Silver Age of comics was more about commercial success and artistic advancement. The Golden Age proved that comics were popular and readable, and the Silver Age maintained that success. This ere lasted from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s. During this time, comics were blamed for juvenile crimes occurring more frequently. As a result of this, comic sales went down and writers had to rethink their story plot. Comics started to represent authority. The characters went through a dynamic change and the stars of the comics started to appear as aliens and other science fiction characters. Also during this time, underground comics made for adults started to emerge.

The Bronze Age lasted from the 1970s to the mid 1980s. The look of the comic book didn’t change during this era, however, the story plot changed dramatically. Although the pages and pictures were bright and colorful, the story line was more dramatic, realistic, and dark. Real world issues were brought to attention in the comics of this era. Drug use was an issue addressed. The comics became more mature and life like.

The Modern Age of comic books started in the 1980s and continues on in to the present. In addition to the characters in comics, the writers are also more recognizable. There are more publishing houses that produce comics and there are independent comic books too. The larger publishing houses became more commercialized. The characters also change during this era. They are now more complex, show self doubt, and the villains are darker.

Krystle Green is a freelance writer. Mycomicshop.com is one of the largest retailers of comic books in the world. Mycomicshop is the online presence of Lone Star Comics, a leading retailer of comic books with seven stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For more information please visit: www.mycomicshop.com .

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