The Comic Book History of the Comics (3 points)

    Before really reading the history of comics I thought that I may have a passable understanding of comic history and comic books in general, but this was a perfect read to prove me wrong. From the introduction alone, it reminded me of a period of time in my sophomore year where I had chosen to write a short brief about comic book history. I recognized terms like the golden, silver, and bronze age of comics from the multiple books I had checked out from the library but after reading The Comic Book History of the Comics, I’m not sure if they even can compare. For one, I really appreciated the narrative of storytelling within this book, not only by telling it in a comic book art style but also in a comic book story type of way. With other history books, it often felt like one long drag of info-dumping on a straight axis timeline rather than a flow of events displaying the multiple impacts of individual people and companies. One of the two most prominent features I tend to notice when reading about comic book history is that of superheroes and old-timey comic strips. While I do not necessarily dislike reading about these topics, I can’t ignore the somewhat overwritten feeling that those writers seem to implement over and over again, especially in today’s time with the appeal of superheroes in film and television. What felt interesting to me was how Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey managed to focus on these moments while also telling about other impactful history points such as the first animation productions and the stories of certain industries rising to fame. Because of this, it gives me a broader scope as to what comics have actually contributed to the art world not only socially, but economically and sometimes politically as well. Throughout the reading, I also was surprised to learn how early the concept of rotoscoping was in animation. I had sometimes paused reading to try and find some of these animations online and it really helped display a wonder of the methods used back then coupled with the amazement of what can be accomplished in a few years time with the increased quality of animation over time. As for comics, this holds true as well. Even though it appears the media seems to be expanding more in the digital aspect of pop culture, I at least can now recognize the charm and passion that went into the physical world of comics.