The Comics Funny and Serious Business
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[ABCDE] VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 The Comics Funny and Serious Business INSIDE Take Me Mini- Cartoonists Closer Look To Your And-Maxi Come Under At Comic 9 Comics 12 Era 19 Fire 24 Strips December 7, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program A Word About The Comics Lessons: They entertain, educate and Comic strips, a sequence of images or cartoons, tell a story. They provoke you. An American art form, ranging from panels to continuity may provide humor, adventure or drama (similar to serialized strips, cartoons and comic strips pro- novels and soap operas). They reflect and influence American vide storytelling and self-expression, culture. business opportunities and applica- tion of freedom of speech. A 1919 strip, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, by Billy Level: Low to High DeBeck, is one of the longest-running comic strips in history. Subjects: Art, Journalism, Social It added several phrases to the American vernacular, including Studies “sweet mama,” “horsefeathers” and “heebie-jeebies.” Its earliest Related Activity: English, Career protagonist inspired a hit song, “Barney Google (With Your Education, Economics Goo-Goo-Googly Eyes).” In 1937, Al Capp introduced Sadie Hawkins Day in Li’l Abner. The comic strip (1934-1977) may have ended, but the dance is still held in many schools. Comics have gone beyond newsprint. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the comic strip, in 1995 the USPS issued 20 Comic Strip Classics in a set. These ranged from Alley Oop and the Yellow Kid to Popeye and Dick Tracy. The Peanuts ensemble and Charles Schulz were honored on the 2001 commemorative stamp. Marvel Comics, the Art of Disney and the Simpsons have also been featured. In addition, TV specials and shows have brought a number of print characters to into living rooms. Activities in this guide, encourage students to create editorial, panel and comic strips. Mort Walker, Beetle Bailey creator, sold NIE Online Guide his first cartoon when he was 12 and became cartoonist for a Editor — Carol Lange Art Editor — Carol Porter daily newspaper at 15. Some comic strip creators began in college publications, such as Gary Trudeau (Yale) and Berke Breathed Contributing to This Guide: (Univ. of Texas at Austin). Washington Post writer, blogger and editor Michael Cavna shares his Comics have been part of our legal history. The first comic-strip expertise in “Syndication Q and A” copyright court case pitted Joseph Pulitzer against William and “In the Know.” Randolph Hearst over Katzenjammer Kids. Hearst won the Available Online rights to the name, but creator Rudolph Dirks All Washington Post NIE guides may retained rights to his characters. Mayor Fiorello be downloaded at www.washpost. LaGuardia read comic strips over a NYC radio com/nie. station as a public service during a newspaper strike. The First Amendment significance of Send comments about this guide to: cartoons and comics is highlighted in “Behind Margaret Kaplow, Educational Services Manager, kaplowm@ Iranian Lines, Cartoonists Come Under Fire,” washpost.com warning readers not to take this freedom of expression for granted. CLASSIC PEANUTS 2 December 7, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program The Comics — Funny and Serious Business International Expression They entertain, educate and provoke you. An American art form, http://cartoonistrights.com/ ranging from panels to continuity strips, comics provide storytelling Cartoonists Rights Network, International and self-expression. Their lessons in composition, civics and business News and updates on international cartoonists. require creativity, critical thinking and judgment. Founded to “monitor and support the well-being of political cartoonists who find themselves in Read Sunday’s Comics Section a “day-in-the-life” or part of a trouble because of the power and influence of The comics pages contain continuing story line (continuity their professional work.” Download the “Art to a variety of approaches to strip). Die For” archive of political cartoons and the cartooning. There are single At Daryl Cagle’s Political cartoonists’ stories. Presents annual Courage panels, gags, episodes and Cartoonists Index, you can find for Editorial Cartooning award. continuing story lines. They a discussion of the best comic present different time periods strips of the past millennium http://cagle.com/ and are timeless. They aim at (www.cagle.com/hogan/features/ Daryl Cagle’s Pro Cartoonists Index different demographics. The big%20events/big-events.asp). U.S and international cartoonists’ work, daily Sunday Comics section has Cagle writes: and indexed by topic. Lesson plans and links to several cartoons that are meant “Upon viewing our selections, cartoon resources. to educate in science and history. readers may be struck by the The scavenger hunt in “Read preponderance of continuity www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/cartoons the Daily and Sunday Comics” strips. This is not coincidence. In Where to Draw the Line? will send students to the pages the decades that were the glory Editorial cartoons in Quebec, 1950-2000, of The Post to read the comics. years of story strips (that is, are collected by the Musée McCord. Lesson Teachers will need to give more the years preceding television’s plans and virtual tours to explore Canadian specific instructions; for example, entertainment hegemony and history; includes “Introduction to Interpreting may strips be used only once the cannibalization of newspaper Contemporary Editorial Cartoons” or may they appear in several markets), story strips provided answers? Answers will vary so people with characters they had http://billyhughes.moadoph.gov.au/political_ prepare students to discuss their come to know over many years, cartoons/ selections. [#7, The cartoonist and they were more emotionally Billy Hughes at War who draws more than one strip is invested in them than gag-a-day Use political cartoons as primary documents to Jerry Scott: Zits and Baby Blues.] strips allow. Their plights understand issues and attitudes of the past. The became ours; their joys, ours Museum of Australian Democracy examines Do a Crossword Puzzle too.” WWI Prime Minister Billy Hughes in four “Take Me to Your Comics” cartoons. contains more than 20 terms Read Cagle’s excellent illustrated related to comic strips. Almost review of continuity strips. www.article19.org/index.html all are in the pages of The Doonesbury, found in the front Global Campaign for Free Expression Washington Post. The one of the Style section is an example Recent developments where free expression exception (Cathy by Cathy of a continuity strip. Read Cagle’s is threatened. Article 19 is a human rights Guisewite) is no longer published comments on the Watergate/ organization for the defense and promotion in The Post. Teachers may use John Mitchell story line and the of freedom of expression and information this puzzle as an introduction death of a minor Doonesbury worldwide. to cartoon vocabulary (comics, character, Andy Lippincott, who strips), creators and characters. “transformed abstract health Wallis, David, ed. concerns into something human Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Study Story Line and Character for many readers.” Discussion of Free Expression The comic strip is a series of W.W. Norton & Co., 2007 panels providing a short, short A collection of cartoons that were censored story. It may be a slice of life, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 from publication 3 December 7, 2009 © 2009 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 incorporating his characters in their On Cartooning: Signe Wilkinson work and stating their appreciation. Doonesbury as found in Style may In late October 2009, national The Nieman Foundation at Harvard include: cartoonists joined the Hollywood University sponsored a symposium on • Who are the main characters charity Entertainment Industry cartooning. Speeches from that event in currently appearing in the strip? Foundation in “giving back” by 2004 were compiled in the Nieman Reports • Do these characters represent including the theme of community which is available online: different points of view or service in their works. (Teachers segments of society? who are using e-Replica could search http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/ • What is the current story line? for examples of these during the reportsitem.aspx?id=100672 • What is Gary Trudeau’s point of week of October 18.) Where the Girls Aren’t view? Have students brainstorm on a Signe Wilkinson, one of two females to win • Why does this strip appear concept or upcoming school event the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning, separated from the other comics? that will become the theme of reflects on the shortage of female editorial cartoons they create. Allow students cartoonists. She writes: Use the comic strips found in the to create an editorial cartoon, Sunday Comics section and the single panel or cartoon strip on the … Women spend a good portion of back of the daily Style section to theme. Advanced students might their child-rearing careers breaking up discuss character development and experiment with animation, using fights. Cartoonists spend their entire plot. “Take a Closer Look at Comic Ann Telnaes’ work as an example. careers starting them. When they aren’t Strips” in this guide focuses on These could be posted on a bulletin separating small combatants, women are basic elements of the short story — board or Web site or published in a saying, “Be nice.” Cartoonists are never character development, setting and school publication. nice. As my daughter so kindly points out, plot — that can be found in slice of “Mom! How can you look at yourself in life, episode and continuity strips. Animate with Ann Telnaes the mirror when all you do is make fun of The introduction to the activity One of two female editorial people?” gives a brief background on aspects cartoonists to receive the Pulitzer of comic strip development and Prize, Ann Telnaes provides A real woman would say, “You’re right, continuity.