It's a bird, it's a plane...

With the new Avengers movie coming out, I thought I would talk about the kind of art that got me interested in all other art forms as a child, comic books. Comic Books have long been associated with children and fantasy, and although they sometimes break the mold, most people I talk to still beleive them to be a childish collectors hobby. Yet, there is a growing number of people that respect the large number of comic books that are actually well written and backed up with strong artwork.

Some believe comic books to have begun as early as the mid eighteenth century! Yet most would agree that the big push towards popularity came with a special superhero called Superman. Superman and later the cast that created the Justice League would create a fury of young people wanting to find escape in a world that hadn't invented video games yet. Some felt a sever flaw with these characters eventually. Superman himself would go through several transitions as he was originally so powerful he seemed to have no limits. In the 50's and 60's a few new names would change the comic book scene again....

When Jack Kirby and Stan lee collaborated on creating a bunch of new characters for their everchanging label, they knew a new audience was being born. Towards the end of the 50's older generations were beginning to show interest in the comic book field. This led the Jack and Stan to create characters with more depth. Characters now had a personal life, romantic problems, issues with how they dealt with their powers in a modern world. Marvel comics opened the door for endless possibilities and gave birth to the idea of comics being equivalent to both the art world and the literary world.

American Splendor by Harvey Pekar

Underground comics also began to emerge in the sixties, dealing with themes beyond the "fantasy" world. The artist and the writers began gaining strong recognition for their artistic abilities. Lets flash forward to the eighties where two of my favorite comic books, or graphic novels emerged. These would be the "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and "The Watchmen."

Both of these comics are very well written, with twists and turns that would make even the average comic book fan excited. Yet they also reflect a decade of fear. Fear of nuclear retalitaon from our northen enemies the U.S.S.R. During the eighties, the cold war was still going on, and people from both nations feared that if they did not attack first, a nuke would destroy them. These two comics both dealt with that panic and fear in different ways, and it is interesting to see such a big social theme in something originally believed to be a childs colored picture book.

Comic books have come a long way over the years, and they continue to be celebrated by kids and adults alike. They also reflect my view on art due to their wide arc of interest. Whatever you are into, there is a comic book for it: Superheros (The Fantastic Four) humor (Calvin and Hobbes) even zombies (the Walking Dead). So check out the Cartoon Art museum sometime, and then browse through your local comic book store. It may be the cheapest access to some great artwork!