Philosophy
Kerry was talking about a book he's been reading, The Ten-Cent Plague, which discusses the suppression of the comic book. The culture warriors of the McCarthy period saw comics as a threat to American society giving rise to an industry-wide clamp down on subject matter and expression.
Conversation turned to the underground comics of the 60s. R. Crumb and folks who took the medium in another direction commensurate with those times. Later in a completely different setting, comic strips of the 80s became a source of discussion. It truly was a time of great riches. Doonesbury in its prime, Bloom County ("pear pimples for hairy fishnuts" makes me giggle to this day), Calvin and Hobbes, and the incomparable Far Side. There was a snide, smart in comics.
I've fallen away, I'm ashamed to say. Are there high quality comics, either in strip or book form today?
Political cartoons, of course, are alive and well -- Judi's Truth, Justice, and Peace is my daily stop for good political cartoonage. Mark Fiore's on-line work is magnificent. The New Yorker stuff is always magnificent. What else is alive in the cartoon world these days?
- Comic Bookstores Going The Way Of Regular Bookstores?
"Will Amazon Do To Comic Shops What It Did To Book Stores?" by Lauren Davis April 10th, 2014 io9 Big news today in the comics publishing world: Amazon has purchased Comixology, the largest retailer of digital comics. So what does that mean for your local...
- Deceased--joe Simon
Joe Simon, right, and fellow comic book industry pioneer Jack Kirby created Captain America in 1941 and went on to become "the first superstar creators of comics." Joe Simon October 11th, 1913 to December 14th, 2011 "Joe Simon dies at 98; co-creator...
- Deceased--les Daniels
Les Daniels October 27th, 1943 to November 5th, 2011 "Les Daniels, Historian of Comic Books, Dies at 68" by Dennis Hevesi November 14th, 2011 The New York Times Les Daniels, one of the earliest historians of comic books — from the launching (off the...
- Batman Is Now Leading
A Superman comic sold for a million bucks and now a Batman comic triumphs. "Comic showing Batman's debut sells for $1m" A comic showing the debut of superhero Batman has been sold for more than $1m (£655,000) at an auction in Dallas. February 26th,...
- Superman Comic Sold For A Million Bucks
Super hero, super powers, super price--one million bucks. Why do we collect things? Is there a human gene that drives some to spend millions for fine art or one million for a comic book. Well, someone did spend $1, 000, 000 for a fine copy of Action...
Philosophy
Comics and Culture
Kerry was talking about a book he's been reading, The Ten-Cent Plague, which discusses the suppression of the comic book. The culture warriors of the McCarthy period saw comics as a threat to American society giving rise to an industry-wide clamp down on subject matter and expression.
Conversation turned to the underground comics of the 60s. R. Crumb and folks who took the medium in another direction commensurate with those times. Later in a completely different setting, comic strips of the 80s became a source of discussion. It truly was a time of great riches. Doonesbury in its prime, Bloom County ("pear pimples for hairy fishnuts" makes me giggle to this day), Calvin and Hobbes, and the incomparable Far Side. There was a snide, smart in comics.
I've fallen away, I'm ashamed to say. Are there high quality comics, either in strip or book form today?
Political cartoons, of course, are alive and well -- Judi's Truth, Justice, and Peace is my daily stop for good political cartoonage. Mark Fiore's on-line work is magnificent. The New Yorker stuff is always magnificent. What else is alive in the cartoon world these days?
- Comic Bookstores Going The Way Of Regular Bookstores?
"Will Amazon Do To Comic Shops What It Did To Book Stores?" by Lauren Davis April 10th, 2014 io9 Big news today in the comics publishing world: Amazon has purchased Comixology, the largest retailer of digital comics. So what does that mean for your local...
- Deceased--joe Simon
Joe Simon, right, and fellow comic book industry pioneer Jack Kirby created Captain America in 1941 and went on to become "the first superstar creators of comics." Joe Simon October 11th, 1913 to December 14th, 2011 "Joe Simon dies at 98; co-creator...
- Deceased--les Daniels
Les Daniels October 27th, 1943 to November 5th, 2011 "Les Daniels, Historian of Comic Books, Dies at 68" by Dennis Hevesi November 14th, 2011 The New York Times Les Daniels, one of the earliest historians of comic books — from the launching (off the...
- Batman Is Now Leading
A Superman comic sold for a million bucks and now a Batman comic triumphs. "Comic showing Batman's debut sells for $1m" A comic showing the debut of superhero Batman has been sold for more than $1m (£655,000) at an auction in Dallas. February 26th,...
- Superman Comic Sold For A Million Bucks
Super hero, super powers, super price--one million bucks. Why do we collect things? Is there a human gene that drives some to spend millions for fine art or one million for a comic book. Well, someone did spend $1, 000, 000 for a fine copy of Action...