American
cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some
argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation.
Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the
development of this underappreciated art form.
8.22.1880: George Herriman, who gave the world Krazy Kat (1913-1944), is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Comics Journal has ranked Krazy Kat the greatest comic of the 20th century.
8.22.1902: George Clark, who created The Neighbors and Side Glances, is born in the Oklahoma Territory. The strips explored middle-class humor.
8.22.1966: Peppermint Patty, who has a crush on Charlie Brown and calls him Chuck, makes her first appearance in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts.
8.22.1971: Merrill Blosser's Freckles and His Friends draws to a close with its final Sunday strip. The comic launched in 1915.
8.22.1902: George Clark, who created The Neighbors and Side Glances, is born in the Oklahoma Territory. The strips explored middle-class humor.
8.22.1966: Peppermint Patty, who has a crush on Charlie Brown and calls him Chuck, makes her first appearance in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts.
8.22.1971: Merrill Blosser's Freckles and His Friends draws to a close with its final Sunday strip. The comic launched in 1915.
8.22.2022: In a story commemorating the 50th anniversary of Funky Winkerbean, The Washington Post reports that creator Tom Batiuk’s comic has become “the darkest strip on the comics pages” because of Batiuk’s willingness to realistically tackle such topics as terminal illness, suicide and abuse, among others.
 |
| Krazy Kat |
Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.
No comments:
Post a Comment