Early Comics

After reading earlier comics such as Little Nemo, early Charlie Brown, and Krazy Kat. You can really see the way that comics have evolved both visually and in writing over time. I found trying to read the some of the earlier comics to be quite the task, especially with Krazy Kat. Sometimes trying to understand what words are being said can be quite difficult in such small word bubbles and with hand written text. After reading 20 or so strips I understood the premise of the comic, but the humor was still sometimes a little lost.  It may be because I am not fluent with the popular culture of the time.

            Yet from the other comics I read Krazy Kat was the only one that did not have children as the main characters. I am not totally sure why this is, or if there is a reason, but I do know that there is some appeal to seeing animals and children placed in such crazy situations.  It may be that using Children and animals in comics may bring about a sense of innocents that can seem comical when juxtaposed with serious topics.

            In Charlie Brown we see a cast of children going though everyday anecdotes with no set theme or context between one strip or the next. This is different then Krazy Kat or Nemo, as in those comics we see that there is already a set foundation on how the story of the comic will normally traverse, but in Charlie Brown it was unique every time. You can see many of the same qualities and sense of humor that is communicated through Charlie Brown comics in many of Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes, which comes many decades later.