Comical comics
Comical comics |
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Page 20 of 34  Examples from Mad (EC Comics, 1953 and 1964), a comic that marked a defining moment not just in the history of comedy comics, but of modern satire in general. Art/script for 'Superduperman' The age range took a marked tumble with the rise of the funny animal genre in the 1940s. Of course, anthropomorphic characters had existed since the beginning of newspaper strips, but now one publisher, Dell, made the genre its own by arranging a licensing deal with the Disney studios. Its main comic, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories (1940) ran for twenty-two years and featured original yarns starring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse et al. It was immensely successful, partly because sales were boosted with every release of an animated film, and partly because it featured some of the best artwork in the business. Two creators in particular were outstanding. The first was Carl Barks, who wrote and drew many of the duck stories between 1942 and the mid-1960s, and who created several new characters to boot, notably 'Uncle Scrooge', a 'fowl miser'. His stories were witty and well structured, while his rendering style was beautifully fluid and upbeat - perfect for its purpose. Meanwhile, mouse duties were performed by the talented Floyd Gottfredson, who adapted his splendid Mickey Mouse newspaper strip for the comic. Both creators are today credited with producing the 'definitive' versions of their characters, though neither was given any recognition at the time (see below). |