Even though I complained about the downward spiral that current day animation and the channels that put them on seem to be going through, I do have to admit that, at the moment, it's not half bad if you happen to be a comic book fan as well (like myself). Along with old re-runs of shows like the classic Batman animated series and the Justice League, Marvel and DC both have two shows out that are, at least if you ask me, some of their strongest animated programming offers to date: Batman - Brave and the Bold, and The Spectacular Spider-Man. These two shows truly embrace their source material, having both the story lines and the characters adhere closely to the comics, yet also presenting them in a new, unique matter that is exclusive to their respective shows. Gone are the days of the X-Men and Spider-Man 90's cartoons and their stiff animations and plots that catered more toward the adults who read the comics, rather than the kids they were intended for.

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A while ago in class we talked about what comics are worth analyzing - Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Marvel Zombies (?) - and out of curiosity I typed Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series into a literary criticism database. A few reviews came up, and some overviews of the series, along with a small handful of analytical essays, all focused on two particular issues: The ones that featured Shakespeare.

This made me giggle at how something has to have Shakepeare to be literature, and then I kind of forgot about it.

But the other day I was at the bookstore and I noticed their comic section had a shelf divided into "Literature" and "General." In Literature, most of Alan Moore's comics were shelved alongside comic versions of famous books: Shakespeare, Dickens, HP Lovecraft, the Iliad, Picture of Dorian Grey, the Constitution. (Seriously, a comic Constitution.) Scott McCloud's Making Comics was also Literature. So were Alien Hunters and GI Joe.

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For those who are uninitiated, "Invincible", by Robert Kirkman, is what I and many others (including the author himself), consider one of the best modern comics being released at the moment. It takes a hero who is as powerful as Superman, but gives him the origin story of Spider-Man, letting the reader grow and understand the character as extensively as they can with such characters as Peter Parker. Though you may be thinking, "What's so special about Superman growing up?", well... if you'd let me finish, you'd understand better.

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In class last Thursday, we defined a comic as a sequence of images intended to convey information or produce a response in the reader. We also recognized, though, that that meant that the Family Circus cartoons were not comics as many of them are only one image, not a sequence. However, not all the Family Circus cartoons were single-paneled. A few were, in fact, a sequence of images intended to convey information or produce a response in the reader. Is it possible for some of them to be comics, and some not? Is it logical?

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    In Setting the Record Straight it mentioned that comics can be traced back all the way to the 1500's. Hieroglyphics are a lot like comics, they tell a story with pictures. By deciphering egyptians hieroglyphics we could learn more about their culture, and day to day lives. This made me wonder if in the future a distant culture with a different language will do the same with our comics. However, they would get a completely inaccurate impression of our society. Unlike our comics, our society does not consist of superheroes flying around catching masked villains. 

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When you think of the way a child starts his/her day, what do you think? Their parents wake them up, they eat cocoa puffs in their pajamas while they watch cartoons, and then get ready for the rest of the day. Over many years, that scenario has stayed the same with most average households that have children. One thing, however, has sadly been changed to fit the new modern world. The TV. A child's day used to begin almost identically to the previous scenario with one difference. Instead of watching cartoons, they would go ask their parents for the comic section of the newspaper. I myself even did this not to long ago, before i was consumed with Power Rangers and Captain Planet.

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One thing is for sure about comics: they're an institution embedded in American culture. They've progressed from the funnies in the Sunday paper to graphic novels to being adaptated for  film (ex: Sin City). Personally I was never that into comics, but for one notable exception. ARCHIE!

Archie made his debut in 1941, drawn by "Montana" and written by Vic Bloom, according to Wikipedia. Supposedly the writers wanted to appeal to movie fans of Andy Hardy, starring Mickey Rooney (Wikipedia, Archie Comics). The slew of characters in Riverdale include the main redheaded mischevious teenager Archie, his two girlfriends Betty (all American blonde girl-next-door type) and Veronica (rich, spoiled brunette), his best friend with a monstrous appetite Jughead, and the antagonist and charmingly good-looking Reggie, among others.

Reggie

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As many of us did when we were children, I had my areas of the library all picked out and knew exactly where I would spend my time. My most visited areas where the stacks of Asterix and Tin-Tin Comics, which always were plentiful and came in a variety of languages for all you multilingual people out there. Asterix, a series of French comic book strips written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, follows the trail of 2 chipper Gauls who were members of the one town of rabble that has not fallen to the might of Julius Caesar. They spend a majority of their time drinking Magic Elixer, which endows them with magical strength, beating on Romans, and eating Boar. A simple group, with some seriously outrageous adventures. Tin-Tin, a series of comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, follows the adventures of a young Belgian reporter, who always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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      I've never been a huge fan of "serious" comics - graphic novels, manga, the Marvel stuff, and so on. I know that this sub form of comics enjoys a strong following and is still a vibrant sect of the comic world. I'm more familiar with the standard comic strips that have always appeared in newspapers, "the funnies." Having looked at the dazzling visual displays of Windsor McCay's Little Nemo for the first time, and also having some familiarity with the surreal, otherworldly qualities of George Herriman's Krazy Kat, I'm struck by how much the medium of newspaper comics has declined since the golden age of the early 20th century.

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