Potrzebie
Monday, July 02, 2012
Death of Newspapers #25: Evolution of the daily comics page
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We often read that Mutt and Jeff was the first daily comic strip (November 15, 1907), but how did the daily newspaper comics page of stacked strips come about? Bill Blackbeard and Martin Williams (in The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics) traced the evolution:
Weekday comic strips in black and white were initiated in the Hearst morning and afternoon papers across the country in the early 1900s. At first these were miniaturized versions of the Sunday strips… Some might appear for as many as ten successive weekdays, but that was accidental; the average frequency was three days a week, and the editorial purpose was to provide daily variety in strips, not daily duplication of the same features… On January 31, 1912, Hearst introduced the nation’s first full daily comic page in his New York Evening Journal, adding it to his other afternoon papers from coast to coast a few days later. Initially made up of four large daily strips, including Herriman’s Family Upstairs and Harry Hershfield’s Desperate Desmond (a continuing cliff-hanger), the Hearst page expanded to five, then six, and finally nine daily strips through the teens and early twenties. Other papers emulated the Hearst example, and by the 1920s the phenomenon was to be found in hundreds of newspapers around the country, fed by dozens of daily strips distributed by a multitude of small syndicates. From these early small syndicates emerged the giants of the thirties, such as Hearst’s King Features, Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, the Associated Press and United Features from United Press. By the 1930s, comic strips by the daily pageful and Sunday color section collections were to be found in most American and Canadian newspapers.
--Bill Blackbeard and Martin Williams
August 12, 1926
We often read that Mutt and Jeff was the first daily comic strip (November 15, 1907), but how did the daily newspaper comics page of stacked strips come about? Bill Blackbeard and Martin Williams (in The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics) traced the evolution:
Weekday comic strips in black and white were initiated in the Hearst morning and afternoon papers across the country in the early 1900s. At first these were miniaturized versions of the Sunday strips… Some might appear for as many as ten successive weekdays, but that was accidental; the average frequency was three days a week, and the editorial purpose was to provide daily variety in strips, not daily duplication of the same features… On January 31, 1912, Hearst introduced the nation’s first full daily comic page in his New York Evening Journal, adding it to his other afternoon papers from coast to coast a few days later. Initially made up of four large daily strips, including Herriman’s Family Upstairs and Harry Hershfield’s Desperate Desmond (a continuing cliff-hanger), the Hearst page expanded to five, then six, and finally nine daily strips through the teens and early twenties. Other papers emulated the Hearst example, and by the 1920s the phenomenon was to be found in hundreds of newspapers around the country, fed by dozens of daily strips distributed by a multitude of small syndicates. From these early small syndicates emerged the giants of the thirties, such as Hearst’s King Features, Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, the Associated Press and United Features from United Press. By the 1930s, comic strips by the daily pageful and Sunday color section collections were to be found in most American and Canadian newspapers.
--Bill Blackbeard and Martin Williams
December 20, 1940
May 30, 1953
The pages above show the increase of strips in the stack from six to eight to ten. Note the episode titles above strips in the 1940 page, later dropped to squeeze more strips into the stack. Today, Bill Griffith's Zippy continues the tradition of centering a title above each daily strip.Labels: bill blackbeard, bill griffith, death of newspapers, hearst, martin williams, puck, smithsonian, zippy
¶ 9:51 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Death of Newspapers #24: A George McManus Gallery
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June 19, 1949
May 29, 1938
1953
Note George McManus' signature initials on his cuff. Bringing Up Father had an 87-year run (January 12, 1913 - May 28, 2000). McManus and his assistant Zeke Zekley collaborated on the strip from 1935 to 1954, when McManus died. In 1941, McManus replaced his topper strip Rosie's Beau with Snookums. Robert Leckie (James Badge Dale) is shown reading Snookums in the final episode of HBO's The Pacific (2010).
January 12, 1936
November 28, 1953
1949
1995
1940
1928
1919
October 23, 1921
Labels: buster keaton, death of newspapers, george mcmanus
¶ 3:46 PM 0 comments
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Death of Newspapers #23: Stripped
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Some of the 60 cartoonist interviews in Stripped discuss the end of newspapers.
This is the in-progress documentary by Dave Kellett and Fred Schroeder. For more clips, go here.
Some of the 60 cartoonist interviews in Stripped discuss the end of newspapers.
This is the in-progress documentary by Dave Kellett and Fred Schroeder. For more clips, go here.
May 9, 1937
Labels: bill griffith, dan piraro, death of newspapers, r.c. harvey, richard thompson, stripped
¶ 11:39 AM 0 comments
Monday, September 12, 2011
Death of Newspapers #22: Jan Eliot's Stone Soup
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In June, Stone Soup cartoonist Jan Eliot and voiceover performer JoJo Jensen experimented to create an audio comic strip. To experience this, use control-click to enlarge the strip above in a new window and then read along while listening at the Stone Soup blog.
Sarah Wagner interviewed Jan Eliot in 2008 for viz. Eliot objects to strip reruns and she discusses strip shrinkage: "The smaller the space, the less interesting the art, the less interested the reader, the less the newspaper cares, the smaller the space."
Below is an excellent Oregon Art Beat video of Jan Eliot and her teenage assistant Olivia White working on Stone Soup. Watch full screen for close-ups of Eliot drawing. How come other cartoonists don't have informative videos with classy production values like this?
In June, Stone Soup cartoonist Jan Eliot and voiceover performer JoJo Jensen experimented to create an audio comic strip. To experience this, use control-click to enlarge the strip above in a new window and then read along while listening at the Stone Soup blog.
Sarah Wagner interviewed Jan Eliot in 2008 for viz. Eliot objects to strip reruns and she discusses strip shrinkage: "The smaller the space, the less interesting the art, the less interested the reader, the less the newspaper cares, the smaller the space."
Below is an excellent Oregon Art Beat video of Jan Eliot and her teenage assistant Olivia White working on Stone Soup. Watch full screen for close-ups of Eliot drawing. How come other cartoonists don't have informative videos with classy production values like this?
Labels: death of newspapers, jan eliot, jojo jensen, olivia white, stone soup
¶ 10:35 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Death of Newspapers #21: Bela Zaboly
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In 1929, E.C. Segar introduced Popeye in his Thimble Theatre comic strip. After Segar died of leukemia in 1938, the Popeye strip was scripted by Tom Sims, who lived in Ohatchee, Alabama. Doc Winner (1884-1956), who worked in the King Features bullpen, illustrated the strip until the 1938 arrival of Bela Zaboly, aka Bill Zaboly (1910-1985). Sims and Zaboly teamed on the strip from 1938 to 1955. Zaboly continued until 1958 when Bud Sagendorf (1915-1994) took over. The current run of the strip consists of Sagendorf reprints. Zaboly also continued Segar's Sappo topper strip. For more Sappo, go to Stripper's Guide. Zaboly's illustrated signature used the initials "BZ" with the "B" formed by the wings of a bee.
In 1929, E.C. Segar introduced Popeye in his Thimble Theatre comic strip. After Segar died of leukemia in 1938, the Popeye strip was scripted by Tom Sims, who lived in Ohatchee, Alabama. Doc Winner (1884-1956), who worked in the King Features bullpen, illustrated the strip until the 1938 arrival of Bela Zaboly, aka Bill Zaboly (1910-1985). Sims and Zaboly teamed on the strip from 1938 to 1955. Zaboly continued until 1958 when Bud Sagendorf (1915-1994) took over. The current run of the strip consists of Sagendorf reprints. Zaboly also continued Segar's Sappo topper strip. For more Sappo, go to Stripper's Guide. Zaboly's illustrated signature used the initials "BZ" with the "B" formed by the wings of a bee.
December 2, 1951
July 1, 1947
In 1941, Zaboly gave demonstrations
and showed students how to draw Popeye.
Labels: death of newspapers, popeye, sagendorf, tom sims, zaboly
¶ 7:46 PM 2 comments
Monday, August 29, 2011
Death of Newspapers #20: Jimmy Murphy
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Here's how King Features introduced Jimmy Murphy's Toots and Casper in July 1919 to newspaper editors in Editor & Publisher. The strip began seven months earlier in Hearst's New York American.
The Sunday strip began July 1920.
Here's how King Features introduced Jimmy Murphy's Toots and Casper in July 1919 to newspaper editors in Editor & Publisher. The strip began seven months earlier in Hearst's New York American.
The Sunday strip began July 1920.
August 17, 1930
(l to r) Jimmy Murphy, William Randolph Hearst,
Rube Goldberg and George McManus lunch at
Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel in the late 1930s.
Rube Goldberg and George McManus lunch at
Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel in the late 1930s.
June 22, 1930
Bud Duncan as Casper in Smile, Buttercup, Smile (1929)
Labels: death of newspapers, george mcmanus, hearst, jimmy murphy, king features, rube goldberg, toots and casper
¶ 10:32 AM 0 comments
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Death of Newspapers #19: The washable e-sheet
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Only 15 years ago, people talked about how computers would not replace reading materials because you couldn't read a computer in the bathtub.
Only 15 years ago, people talked about how computers would not replace reading materials because you couldn't read a computer in the bathtub.
Labels: death of newspapers
¶ 10:37 AM 2 comments
Friday, September 03, 2010
Death of Newspapers #18: More 1927 Barney Google strips
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As newspapers vanish week after week, we can look back at the Golden Age of Print Newspapers. Giant presses rolled. Color comics were being perfected. Trucks rumbled through the night. Bundles of newspapers landed at dawn on street corners. While Barney Google features familiar stereotypes of the period, it also brings back the magic and romance of that era when newspapers had both morning and afternoon editions. Barry Schiffman analyzes the situation.
As newspapers vanish week after week, we can look back at the Golden Age of Print Newspapers. Giant presses rolled. Color comics were being perfected. Trucks rumbled through the night. Bundles of newspapers landed at dawn on street corners. While Barney Google features familiar stereotypes of the period, it also brings back the magic and romance of that era when newspapers had both morning and afternoon editions. Barry Schiffman analyzes the situation.
March 6, 1927
March 13, 1927
March 20, 1927
March 27, 1927
April 3, 1927
April 10, 1927
April 17, 1927
April 24, 1927
May 1, 1927
May 8, 1927
May 15, 1927
May 22, 1927
May 29, 1927
June 5, 1927
June 12, 1927
Labels: barney google, billy debeck, death of newspapers
¶ 2:12 PM 0 comments
Friday, July 30, 2010
Death of Newspapers #17: Barney Google in 1927
We pick up where we left off at the end of 1926. Note the arrival in St. Petersburg in the February 13 strip. DeBeck began working in St. Petersburg in the late 1920s and eventually moved there, living on Coffee Pot Bayou.
Billy DeBeck self-portrait
We pick up where we left off at the end of 1926. Note the arrival in St. Petersburg in the February 13 strip. DeBeck began working in St. Petersburg in the late 1920s and eventually moved there, living on Coffee Pot Bayou.
February 27, 1927
February 20, 1927
February 13, 1927
February 6, 1927
January 30, 1927
January 23, 1927
January 16, 1927
January 9, 1927
January 2, 1927
Labels: barney google, billy debeck, death of newspapers
¶ 8:04 PM 10 comments
