MDBCs 25 Sep 2023

September 25 is Comic Book Day. The holiday celebrates the art and science behind comic books and encourages people to read and share comic books.

A comic book is a book that tells stories through pictures or illustrations and text. The story is usually divided into sequential panels and dialogs and thoughts of the characters are presented in a stylized graphic called a speech bubble or balloon.

From Strip to Book

While stand-alone and series comic strips have been around for a very long time – the earliest recorded comics can be traced back to 113 AD on Trajan’s Column located in Rome – historians believe that the first comic book ever published was in 1837 in Europe. Called The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck, the book was written by Swiss writer, Rudolphe Töpffer.

Superheros

By the 1930s comic books had become a big business in the United States. Known as the Golden Era of comics, the late 1930s and 1940s saw a surge in the genre of superhero comics starting with the publication of Superman in Action Comics #1 in 1938. This period saw the debut of other comic book heros that we are all very familiar with today. Some examples include: Wonder Woman, Batman and Captain America. During and after World War II, the popularity of superhero comics took a hit. It was only in 1956 when a more modern version of Flash made his debut that the Silver Age of Comics was ushered in.

The 1970s and 1980s are known as the Bronze Age of Comics. Comics became darker and plot lines included real world problems like corruption, environmental disasters and alcoholism. This trend has continued in recent years. Comic historians also sometimes call it the Dark Age of Comic Books.

How to Celebrate?

Have a favorite comic book character party where guests come dressed as their favorite comic book character.
Visit your local comic book store and pick out a new comic book to read.
Lend your favorite comic books to your friends so they can also get interested in reading them.

Did You Know…

…that the Incredible Hulk, a comic book character known for growing in size and becomes more powerful when he is angry, was originally drawn as a gray by its creator Stan Lee? However, because of printing issues, Marvel, the publisher of the comic decided to change him to green.

***

We disbar lawyers and we defrock clergy, so why don't we:
Delight electricians?
Derange cowboys?
Depose models?
Debark tree surgeons?
Depress dry cleaners?

***

‘Where is everybody?" the cowpoke asks.

"They've all gone to see Brown Paper Pete hang," says a bystander.

"Why do they call him that?" the cowboy asks.

"Well, he always wears a brown paper hat, a brown paper shirt, and brown paper trousers."

"Really?" says the cowboy. "And what are they hanging him for?"

"Rustling."

***

The gladiator was having a rough day in the arena—his opponent had sliced off both of his arms. Nevertheless, he kept on fighting, kicking and biting as furiously as he could. But when his opponent lopped off both feet, our gladiator had no choice but to give up, for now he was both unarmed and defeated.

***

The checkout clerk at the supermarket was unusually cheerful even though it was near closing time.

“You must have picked up a ton of groceries today,” a customer said to the checker. “How can you stay so pleasant?”

“We can all count our blessings,” the clerk replied.

“The hardest part of this job is the turkeys and the watermelons. I just thank God that Thanksgiving doesn’t come in July.”