Week 4: The Comic Book

I can't help but feel a little sad when I think about how I completely missed out on comic books as a child. By the time I was old enough to be consciously consuming media, comics were simply not accessible to me. The cartoons I encountered during my elementary school years were all on television, rather than in print. I wouldn't have even known where to buy one if I'd been interested. I image it must have been very cool for kids in earlier decades to rush to the store and pick up the lasted issue of their favorite superhero comic. The idea seems to have a very classic American feel to it. I'd be curious to know just how mainstream comics were to young people during that era? Was just about everyone reading them? Or where they still somewhat niche?

This week I was very excited to get to look at some real comics. I'd actually never read a literal comic book before. First, I read Donald Duck The Hard Loser by Carl Barks. This was actually a really fun experience! I image it might have been hard for Barks to write so many of these stories while also managing to keep the Donald and his friends so consistently in character with all their other appearances in the Disney universe. However, as I was reading the comic, I could almost see the story as if it were animated, and straight out of a classic Disney cartoon.

I also read some excerpts from EC Comics, like Tales from the Crypt. These were obviously directed towards a more mature audience than Donald Duck (which is not to say adults can't appreciate it, but EC is just clearly not for young children). I found the stories within to be interesting and creepy, and overall very fun to read. I love when art forms that society usually dictate as "for children" are made for people of all ages to appreciate. I wish there were more pieces of work being created with this wider audience in mind today.