Week 3 - Comic Strip

            After reading the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics I did not realize that newspaper comics were looked down upon for some time. It was only until many years later that they were taken seriously. Newspaper comics in their earlier development like in Little Nemo were very surreal and often depicted fantastical happenings. The author of Little Nemo also utilized panel space very uniquely. Newspaper comics were often single cells moving linearly across the page but in Little Nemo he was innovative by outstretching panels or spanning them across a page. They had no particular organization sometimes. He also played with perspectives quite a bit and drew characters themselves stretched out with the panel or walking along walls, sometimes making it difficult to follow. Another interesting thing about the Little Nemo comics were how he chose to end them. The last panel of the Little Nemo in Slumberland comics all ended with a panel of Little Nemo in bed showcasing that it was clearly only a dream.

            Comics from early on in their development specifically the early 1900’s and so on had lots of humour elements that no longer make a lot of sense to audiences from today’s era. Though this does not mean they are not still enjoyed. Many people, and plenty that I know, still read newspaper comics and enjoyed them from their own child despite the introduction of a lot of new mediums. Calvin and Hobbes, the Peanuts, and many others are still widely sold and enjoyed.