I have an obsession. I'm obsessed with newspaper comic strips. I not only love reading them, but I love to study them, to study their creators, to study their history. It's fascinating to me. Unfortunately, I feel a little weird about it. It's not something that many people really seem to know about or be interested in. I know there are people that study them. Books have been written, and I've read many of them. Somebody who was interested in comic strips must have written them. But I've never met anyone in real life who really cared. I find that not only disappointing but also frustrating, as whenever I feel like having a conversation about it I have to go back to the turn of the 20th century and begin with something as simple as "Comic strips used to take up a whole page of the newspaper!" That little bit of knowledge does tend to impress people, but it's really the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more to it! There's such a deep and expansive world! It's an important part of history!
In fact, I'd posit it's one of the most neglected but most important parts of American history.
Think about it this way: For over a century newspapers with comic strips in them have been a part of the daily routine of a majority of Americans. Basically, anyone who can even rudimentarily read has read a newspaper, and those who haven't been able to read much normally find their way to the comic page where things are a bit simpler. When I say a majority of Americans, I mean it. It transcends age. It transcends race and class. While in the 21st century newspapers have steadily been on the decline, for most of the 20th century they were a major source of news as well as a major source of entertainment. The cultural impact of newspaper comics has been enormous, so enormous in fact that we often scarcely realize it.
In a way, it's kind of interesting that people don't know the real impact that comic strips have had on culture and society. It's telling when something is so ingrained in society that not only do we not know where it came from but we don't even question where it came from.
That's why comic strips are important, though, because we should know where these things came from. We should understand that cultural cliches that we all take for granted were not always so.
So, that's what I aim to change. I'm interested in comic strips and comic strip history generally, but recently I've become more interested in the cultural impact that comic strips have had. I plan to post some of those things on this blog, because I already have a few things in mind, but I'll also post more when I find them. Also, if anyone reading this blog happens to have any ideas for things I should cover because they're as obsessed with comic strips as I am, don't hesitate to chime in.