The Art of Comic Books

Next Week: A kids’ 2016 calendar! Issue 52, 2015 Founded by Betty Debnam Reading and collecting Most comic books are printed on a The Art Mini Fact: monthly basis, but some are also released In 2014, online. Fans may choose to read this way readers because the books pile up and take up of Comic bought more space, or because they want to conserve than 82 paper and trees. million comic Comic book collectors may keep a books. fi rst edition of a comic that they believe Books will one day be a big hit. But an expert says: “Buy something you’ll like to read. Are you a fan of comic books? Do you Disney comic characters, It’s hard to guess in advance what will be eagerly wait for a new issue to arrive so you especially Donald Duck and valuable. Collect comic books because can fi nd out what happens next? Uncle Scrooge in the 1950s, you like them.” Comic books have been thrilling fans since were some of the most A future in comic art? the mid-1930s. This week, The Mini Page successful subjects of comic As printing technology has improved, talked with the curator at the Cartoon Art books. artists have gained even more control over Museum in San Francisco about comic books. Comic book art how comic books look. The ability to A successful start Most early comic book Enterprises, 2006 Disney Copyright All rights reserved. Inc., DELL 1958. color images using a computer has made Before the 1930s, comic books were mostly artists were hopeful newspaper comic strip characters and backgrounds more lifelike reprinted comics from newspaper pages. artists. Writing and drawing a comic strip and interesting. Newspaper comics were very popular, but for a newspaper was a dream job, but with “If you want to pursue comic book publishers soon realized they were running out the popularity of comic books came new art, make your own comic books. The of material. opportunities. more you work, the better you’ll get,” In 1938, one In the 1940s, artists such as Jack Kirby, who says an expert. publishing company co-created characters including Captain America, “But don’t be discouraged if your fi rst produced Action the Fantastic Four, X-Men and the Hulk, and efforts aren’t as polished as what you see Comics, which included Will Eisner, who created The Spirit, started in comic books. The artists and writers Superman. It was an thinking about comic strip art as a separate form work very hard” to produce the fi nal immediate hit with of expression. They began to use the whole page products. readers. Other companies for their art and to pace the story differently. As began printing superhero each new generation of artists comes along, styles stories, and kids were of Jerry the estate from Ray, Fred Art by © DC Entertainment Robinson, and techniques change the look of comic books. Artist Fred Ray Resources huge fans. created this Comic books today Soon publishers Superman cover in With the recent release of the fi lm “Star realized that adults 1942. On the Web: Wars: The Force Awakens,” Star Wars comic • dccomics.com/characters were reading comic books, too. Some started books are wildly popular now. Other favorites releasing comic books more suited to adults, • marvelkids.com/characters include the Avengers and Spider-Man, Batman • archiecomics.com/characters with crime or horror stories. During World and Justice League. War II, soldiers were an important audience Starting in the 1980s, more strong female At the library: for these more adult-themed comic books. characters appeared in comic books, and • “Making Comic Books” by Michael Later, other types of stories appeared, today the bigger publishers actively seek not Teitelbaum including wacky comedy, teenage high jinks only female characters, but also female writers (such as the Archie comics) and romance. and artists. The Mini Page® © 2015 Universal Uclick Try ’n’ Find Mini Jokes Words that remind us of comic books are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, Paige: What would and some letters are used twice. See if you can fi nd: you get if you stacked up thousands of pizzas? ACTION, ARTIST, Peter: A leaning tower of pizza! BOOK, CHARACTER, R S R E H S I L B U P G B C R C E T E W E U S S I V J N O O COLLECTOR, COLORING, O S P O T A L P I R T S O M T COMIC, COMPUTER, L C D A R C R R E X M N I P C FANS, ISSUE, KIDS, O Q O I P Y A T E R J A T U E Eco Note NEWSPAPER, R C Z M K S H R I A H F C T L Americans use 90 million PUBLISHER, READ, I R E T I R W N A S D E A E L N K O O B C Y E K H T U R R O tons of paper every year, STORY, STRIP, G U V Y G O L O N H C E T O C about 600 pounds for each person. SUPERHERO, To make all that paper, we use more TECHNOLOGY, WRITER. than a billion trees! Recycle all kinds of paper — cereal boxes, note paper, bags, newspapers, etc. — and comic books! adapted with permission from “The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Cook’s Corner Earth” by The Earthworks Group, Andrews McMeel Publishing (andrewsmcmeel.com) Good Luck Black-Eyed Pea Salsa You’ll need: • 1 cup mild chunky Thank You • 1 (15.5-ounce) can black-eyed peas salsa • 1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans • 1 medium green The Mini Page thanks • 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans pepper, chopped Andrew Farago, curator of the Cartoon • 1 (11-ounce) can white corn • 1 packet powdered Italian dressing Art Museum in San Francisco, for help • 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt with this issue. olives 2015 Universal Uclick What to do: © Teachers: 1. Drain and rinse cans of peas, beans, corn and olives. Place in large bowl. For standards-based activities to 2. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. accompany this feature, visit: 3. Serve with multigrain chips. The Mini Page® bbs.amuniversal.com/teaching_guides.html * You’ll need an adult’s help with this recipe. need an adult’s * You’ll Puzzling Unscramble the words below that remind us of comic book characters. efamle pwreusoepsr eymne kacyw Answers: female, superpowers, enemy, wacky. enemy, superpowers, female, Answers:.

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