NINES Discussion: History of Comics

The Smoodin review of the three...

The Smoodin review of the three histories of comics and cartoons was interesting. I can see that they could tie in with W.J.T. Mitchell's Picture Theory. It was amusing that there were no illustrations...

Tricia,Nice job on your exhibit...

Tricia,
Nice job on your exhibit—very professional. The articles you’ve selected illustrate the historical aspect of the comic genre, and they sound very useful toward your research. I noticed that the Eric Smooden text is a book review, and I also found several useful book reviews through the NINES site. I haven’t made use of book reviews much in the past, but I’m finding that they offer a good filter toward building a reading list.

And I just have to say, the Armand Mattelart text reviewed by Smoodin, How To Read Donald Duck, sounds like a book you definitely need to lay hands on. With a title like that, it probably holds the secrets of life.

Hi Tricia – I love the cartoon ...

Hi Tricia – I love the cartoon idea. The articles you’ve chosen sound very promising. Have you been able to find any prints of cartoons? I was able to find numerous prints through the Library of Congress for slavery, so I wondered if you would be able to do the same for your topic. Just the title of the Donald Duck book sounds like a keeper and worth looking for.

Thank you, Amy, Marcy and Valer...

Thank you, Amy, Marcy and Valerie, for your respective comments.

Yes, it was wonderfully ironic that an article on comics lacked illustrations and I think it also wonderfully ironic that Donald Duck might hold the secrets to life!

I was unable to locate the particular artists and cartoonists I was searching from my initial NINES search. However, I have since explored the Library of Congress site and have found a wealth of images dating from the late 19th and early 20th century.