Week Two: Comics

Comics: A medium for children or adults? A brief history.


Comics, as a medium, began to emerged in early 20th century America, usually appearing in newspapers and offering humourous subject matter. Initially, it was comic relief aimed at adults. Due to the form itself, comics held an essential attractiveness for children. The funny drawings and colours were aspects that would capture childrens attention, even if the children in question might not fully understand the content. Comic artist Hilary Price was quoted as saying "I think people understand that a newspaper isn't a child's medium, after all, the rest of the paper is full of death and destruction" (1). Despite the intended audience for these comics, parents quickly reacted to their children accessing adult material (although, this was roughly 1900 so the term "adult material" might be quite different to what this term suggests today), and subsequently, editors implemented a "family friendly" set of guidelines that comic writers and artists would have to adhere to.

Through the 20's and 30's, the comic market had extended across the globe. Publishers in America began releasing collected editions of newspaper comics, and eventually this led to original material being published in volume format. In 1938, Action Comics #1 arrived on the scene. The first thirteen pages of said book were dedicated to a new hero by the name of Superman, and this book is widely credited as kickstarting the superhero genre. Within one year, Batman had also arrived, as had Marvel Comics, which would later spawn X-Men and the Avengers. Superman's overwhelming popularity led to his defining of the American comics industry. Perhaps it was this that led many in Western cultures to believe comics were a child's medium; the fantastic strong man of alien descent punishing evil-doers and the like. On it's surface, the very concept of Superman is one easily dubbed "childish" by more mature readers.

Due to the superhero genre gradually becoming more violent, the Comics Code Authority was established in 1954, as a tool for the American comics industry to self-regulate. The idea of the CCA was to remove violence and sexual innuendo from the books, maintaining a more "family friendly" approach to the stories contained therein, obviously a move made under the presumption that comics are for children. Interestingly, the initial head of the association was an expert in juvenile deliquency. In the early 1970's, the Code was revised to allow more realistic depiction of certain themes (such as criminal acts, corrupt politicians, so long as "the culprit is punished"). This was a move towards more realistic content in comics, which, in turn, invited more discerning and perhaps grown up readers. By the 1980's, violence and sexual references had become more acceptable. In this period, DC comics published some dedicated adult comics by the likes of Allan Moore, Frank Miller etc. In the 90's, several of the main comic companies had established adult imprints (DC's Vertigo, Marvel's Epic) publishing without the CCA stamp of approval, and receiving great critical response. By 2000, virtually all comics companies had abandoned the CCA for their own, internal rating systems, where they could exercise a more case-by-case basis for what is acceptable in which title published for what demographic. Also, several companies have started up since the 90's that only publish comics for adults.


Comics historian R.C. Harvey went on record as saying "There are still legions of people who believe the comics are for children, even though they didn't start out that way and certainly aren't that way now" (1).

The question - are comics for children or adults? - is a bit like asking whether movies are for children or adults, to which most people would reply, "it depends on the movie". And of course, they would be correct.


1) O'Brien, K. (2005, August 15). Are comics for kids or adults? The Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2002439056_comicsaudience15.html

Week 1/2 Hergé, a racist propagandist?

The Japanese are portrayed in quite a stereotypical manner, with most major Japanese characters possessing the sort of pronounced teeth and pig noises... are these racist caricatures? Why would Hergé opt to present one nationality like that? I mean, I can understand why the Japanese are the bad guys in this story, but it seems disappointingly racist to revert to such a stereotypical display.

If the intended audience for Tintin's adventures are children, then what is the impact of this ugly representation on their developing brains?  I would say propaganda, children will not only have a negative perception of Japanese but this insight will remain on them for long time. Were these Hergé intentions?

Hergé that in two early Tintin adventures portrayed Chinese as sinister pig-tailed torturers, now changes his position to defend Chinese and go against Japanese. Farr (1991) says that all started when the author met Chang Chong-Jen, a young Chinese student of Fine Arts that helps him understand the reality of this country and its culture and to recreate the scene of the city of Shanghai during the Japanese occupation between January and April 1932. Hergé, outraged by this event, takes a position clearly contrary to Japan. In the other hand, we must add that at the time the western media was at the Japanese side, Hergé, adopted favorable position to the Chinese cause, appears to be opposite to “the official” position, in my view a sign of rebellion of his part.  In short, The Blue Lotus by Hergé is nothing more than a linked reality of his time, racism? definitively,  propaganda? no, only coincidence. 

Week 1/2 Tintin: Children vs. Adults

Personally I have a great distaste for Tintin in general. This is more likely because a.) it is a comic and b.) it was created largely for a young male target audience. However, I can appreciate the detail, elements and themes that Herge portrayed within it.

I suppose my first point to be argued is that while Tintin was originally created for children and published in a Christian newspaper, it can now be evaluated and assessed as something more in depth. As a children’s genre, one can evaluate the appeal of Tintin’s adventures and the character himself.

Tintin is a young boy (envisioned by Herge to be about 14 years old) whose appeal is largely in the universality of his character and the plainness of his face allowing for the audience to identify with him. His characteristics include heroism, loyalty, naivety and acceptance of everyone – along with a never-ending curiosity and sense of adventure – so what young boy (or girl) would dislike Tintin? This storyline coupled with Herge’s artistic ability make for a classic mix which transcends time and era – as Varnum (2001) points out: ‘Images seem more direct, more attractive, and more seductive than written texts’, especially where (in general) most young boys would rather be out seeking adventure than reading. Herge creates the perfect mix of language, adventure, image and story which portrays a reality to the reader that may be interpreted or mediated through his/her own experience of the world (p. x. Varnum, R. 2001).

On the flipside, as interpreted to a more mature audience, Tintin may be appreciated for his political satire, adult themes and artistic attention to detail and accuracy which Farr (p. 8. 1991) states has a ‘rock solid foundation in reality’ because his stories are based on fact with Herge using is reporting abilities to anticipate world events making for subjects and adventures that do not date as they are historically sound.

As mentioned before, Tintin can be appreciated for Herge’s attention to detail in representation locations and culture relationships at the time. One also needs to consider Orintalism, propaganda and racial attitudes of the time but I will discuss this in another post. But mostly I would like to point out what Barry states – in Varnum’s (2001) introduction – that it is images, not words, that communicate most deeply’. I feel this is so because as time goes on, words adapt and meanings change however a picture is static and cannot change. It reflects the exact attitudes and intentions from when and where it was created – much like a photograph (sans photoshop manipulation) does.

To sum up, Tintin is appreciated by children for its exotic locations, adventure and character, whereas adults will understand and interpret the politics, adult themes, comments and satires. 

Week 2

I've always had fond memories of the Tintin series as a child, although I don't quite remember Blue Lotus. The exotic nature of Tintin always appealed to me and helped to create a world that visually was always very captivating. The Blue Lotus plays on stereotypical views of the eastern world to create a visual landscape that is both alluring and dangerous.

It's much easier to bypass the racial elements of Tintin because you  can tend to read comic books in a very passé way. This casual attitude is representative of the less PC time that book was created, and existed in. But once you start to analyze the narrative and studied the pictures more carefully you start to realize how Tintin's narrative relies so heavily  on racial stereotypes and the such.

As a child I didn't absorb those elements of the Tintin comic books, but how can one tell wether the racial attitudes haven't infiltrated through? But going back to the comics at this age and with a much larger cultural awareness the racial elements are much more glaring. It does pose the question about the suitability of texts like these for children and how racist stereotypes are instilled from such a young age.

Tintin

Interesting to note that Herges' attitude towards the Chinese only changes upon meeting a like-minded individual who happens to be Chinese. Would Herges' mindset towards the Chinese have stayed the same if he had not met Chang Chong-Chen? Would his portrayal of the Chinese in his comics taken on a whole other agenda? Chang gave him a new realism and understanding of the Chinese and played a monumental role in Herges' concepts and portrayals of the Chinese people in his comics. Michael Farr writes in his article 'Tintin, an imaginary hero' that upon meeting Chang his prejudices about the Chinese were "swept away". It goes to show how easy it is to make assumptions about other cultures and race without any full understanding of how their system or values function.

How is propaganda shown in Tintin and the blue lotus?

Propaganda can be seen  in the comic as well as the cartoon through racial representation of characters. Mr Mitsuhirato, a Japanese double agent has been portrayed as having an animal like face with a pig nose and rabbit teeth. From a Childs perspective it is questionable whether they would see through this  form of  propaganda despite the fact that this image is used throughout,showing this to be what a Japanese person looks like. The face of this character is made to distinctively distinguish from any other nationality shown in the comic and his characteristics and actions show him to be evil. These actions included destroying a railway and blaming made-up Chinese rebels to create a conspiracy as well as using poison to make people go crazy.I think this was the intention of the writer, through repetition of Mr Mitsuhirato actions, as a stigma is created with a negative racial representation of the Japanese as he is the head figure of the Japanese in both comic and cartoon .

Week 1/2: Tintin - The Blue Lotus.

DRUGS.
Lots and lots of drugs (Opium).

That aside I see Tintin as a character created by Hergé that can be identified with by many audiences (perhaps children, adolescents and adults both males and females.) The life that Tintin leads is one that is full of adventure and for that reason enviable.

As discussed in class, Tintin has a rather simple face with two black dots for eyes, a simple nose and a small mouth. This is like a canvas that the reader can project themselves onto so they can enjoy the story as if they were part of it.

Political correctness, or its definition has changed since this book was first written in 1936, today it is completely inappropriate to show children drug use in the form of comic. Especially the frame where Tintin himself, a boy who Hergé suggested is about fourteen years old, is smoking opium (Was this even okay back then?)

- Megan (:

How does Farr (1991) justify Tintin's appeal to adults?

Farr (1991) justifies Tin Tin's appeal to adults not just for the comedic aspects, but for the political satire, the parody, puns and foreknowledge in which the comics establish. Farr says 'read the stories any number of times and still discover something new; they bear repeated re-reading'. Tin Tin began as a weekly Thursday illustration for children then gained universal appeal. It was in Herge's ability to stretch Tin Tin from a birthplace in Brussels, to the four corners of the world, with stories anchored firmly in fact with topics relevant to the current events of the stories. Not to mention the compelling narrative and well illustrated stories. Tin Tin offers many levels of adventures which can be appreciated by all from childhood, to adulthood to parenthood. 'The adventures, like their hero, are inexhaustible' (Farr, 1991)

Do you think comics are a children's or adult genre/media?

I find it is hard to specify if comics are for adults or children, it is like saying books are only for adults. There are so many comics out there with a range of subjects, some more suited to adult, some more suited for children. I think in regards to Tin Tin it can be for children to read and enjoy especially the illustrations and slap stick, and there for adults to enjoy and analyse further such as one theme, the tolerance of cultures. So to conclude, I feel it is impossible to specify whether the comic genre is for adults or children solely.

Shay