History of Comic Books Written by the Losers
History of Comic Books Written by the Losers
Around a century after their inception, comic books remain popular due to the ardor of their fans and the hard work of writers, artists, and editors. But in the vast universe of graphic literature, there exists an oft-overlooked group of dedicated individuals who devote their ample free time to collecting, debating, and publishing the minutiae of the funny book genre. They are the losers who write sequential art’s rich and storied history.
28-year-old Carstairs Bagly, Jr spends a Friday night cataloging his comic book collection on a computer spreadsheet.
"Charlton comics are about more than just a third rate, mob-connected publishing grind-house and it's certainly about more than Steve Ditko or early Jim Aparo and John Byrne artwork," said Bagly, Jr., a comic book historian. "The blasted heath where once stood the ancient presses in Derby, CN. is full of history, but Charltons are still vibrant right now on ebay. Someone needs to record all the amazing things that went on, even if it means that person will never have a social life."
For Bagly, Jr., comic books are the only topic of conversation and the only form of entertainment. While other men his age go on dates or enjoy the sunlight, Bagly, Jr. haunts the rear corners of local comic shops like Things Your Mother Threw Out, where he squats alone, hunched over long boxes of old and mildewy comics. During the day, he works in his windowless bedroom compiling facts about comic book history for his web site, CavalcadeOfCrap.com.
"Comic books are so important to me," Bagly, Jr. said, gesturing to a mountain of boxes where he files his comics. On a table next to him is a large stack of notebooks of all the internet forums he regularly post on and detailed transcriptions of interviews with artists and writers whom he has met at comic conventions. "If I couldn't write about comics and collect comics, I have no idea what I'd do instead."
The social misfits who chronicle comic books seek not only to log facts, but also to influence public opinion about obscure comic book issues, something most people care little about.
"Joe Lunchpail would say Action #1 by Siegel and Shuster was the first real comic book, but that's dead wrong," said Pfaf Hufnagel, a line cook in Salisbury, MD, who occasionally writes for Geek magazine and has a collection of more than 10,000 comics. "Action #1 just brought the comics to the mainstream. Anyone who knows anything will say the first comic was either Obadiah Oldbuck or The Yellow Kid.
Added Hufnagel: "Old Mother and her Funny Kitten was actually printed earlier but due to a distribution problem, was released later, in case you didn't know."
From covering comic books for a local newspaper to distilling comic book's history into an 800-page book, the historians of comic books soldier on, despite their negligible impact on the direction or quality of comics itself.
"When you're writing comic book history, you have to make some hard choices," said Mulchrome Ditweiller, one of the editors of …For Your Oddball, Weirdo Needs. "Do you give equal space to influential artists like Dan DeCarlo, Herb Trimpe and Mort Lawrence, even though they're not as well known as L. B. Cole, Matt Wagner and Nick Cardy? Making a decision like that can take an entire weekend of soul-searching."
"I don't mind, though, because I love comic books," added Ditweiller, slipping a Dotty Dripple and Taffy just to the right of Double Action Comics in the Golden Age section of his comic book collection. "Comic books are just so spontaneous and full of life."
Not all comic book history is comprehensive. Many comic book historians choose to focus on individual artists who can barely tolerate the authors when they meet. In-depth comic book bios have been written about artists ranging from Pat Morisi to Nicholas Alascia, with biographers desperately trying to attain coolness by association with their subjects.
"Young Romance was a crucial comic for its time," said Ochiltree Jark, author of Pin-ups, Girl Reporters, Wimmin’s Libbers and Riot Grrrlz: The Adventures Of Women In The 20th Century. In romance comics, the most a woman could aspire to was the position of nurse, private secretary or model. And they always gave it up anyway to get married and become housewives. If you have a couple hours, I'd be happy to talk at you about it."
Although comic book historians provide a valuable service to comic book fanatics, Princeton sociology professor Hutchcock McDolphus said that their focus on comic books hinders their accumulation of knowledge in other areas.
"From discussing long-defunct comic book publishers to analyzing the impact of a comics personnel changes, comic book historians cannot see beyond their acne-scarred noses to realize that there are interesting subjects in the world besides comic books," said McDolphus, a self-professed "ex- comic book-nerd." "If you ask them who the U.S. attorney general is, or what's going on in the park around the corner, you'll get a blank stare. But ask which philosopher Steve Ditko worshipped at the feet of or who Joe Tuska punched out in the artist’s bullpen, and you'll have to dodge all the flying spittle from everyone trying to be the first to answer."
Added McDolphus: "It was Ayn Rand and some prankster…I forget."
Around a century after their inception, comic books remain popular due to the ardor of their fans and the hard work of writers, artists, and editors. But in the vast universe of graphic literature, there exists an oft-overlooked group of dedicated individuals who devote their ample free time to collecting, debating, and publishing the minutiae of the funny book genre. They are the losers who write sequential art’s rich and storied history.
28-year-old Carstairs Bagly, Jr spends a Friday night cataloging his comic book collection on a computer spreadsheet.
"Charlton comics are about more than just a third rate, mob-connected publishing grind-house and it's certainly about more than Steve Ditko or early Jim Aparo and John Byrne artwork," said Bagly, Jr., a comic book historian. "The blasted heath where once stood the ancient presses in Derby, CN. is full of history, but Charltons are still vibrant right now on ebay. Someone needs to record all the amazing things that went on, even if it means that person will never have a social life."
For Bagly, Jr., comic books are the only topic of conversation and the only form of entertainment. While other men his age go on dates or enjoy the sunlight, Bagly, Jr. haunts the rear corners of local comic shops like Things Your Mother Threw Out, where he squats alone, hunched over long boxes of old and mildewy comics. During the day, he works in his windowless bedroom compiling facts about comic book history for his web site, CavalcadeOfCrap.com.
"Comic books are so important to me," Bagly, Jr. said, gesturing to a mountain of boxes where he files his comics. On a table next to him is a large stack of notebooks of all the internet forums he regularly post on and detailed transcriptions of interviews with artists and writers whom he has met at comic conventions. "If I couldn't write about comics and collect comics, I have no idea what I'd do instead."
The social misfits who chronicle comic books seek not only to log facts, but also to influence public opinion about obscure comic book issues, something most people care little about.
"Joe Lunchpail would say Action #1 by Siegel and Shuster was the first real comic book, but that's dead wrong," said Pfaf Hufnagel, a line cook in Salisbury, MD, who occasionally writes for Geek magazine and has a collection of more than 10,000 comics. "Action #1 just brought the comics to the mainstream. Anyone who knows anything will say the first comic was either Obadiah Oldbuck or The Yellow Kid.
Added Hufnagel: "Old Mother and her Funny Kitten was actually printed earlier but due to a distribution problem, was released later, in case you didn't know."
From covering comic books for a local newspaper to distilling comic book's history into an 800-page book, the historians of comic books soldier on, despite their negligible impact on the direction or quality of comics itself.
"When you're writing comic book history, you have to make some hard choices," said Mulchrome Ditweiller, one of the editors of …For Your Oddball, Weirdo Needs. "Do you give equal space to influential artists like Dan DeCarlo, Herb Trimpe and Mort Lawrence, even though they're not as well known as L. B. Cole, Matt Wagner and Nick Cardy? Making a decision like that can take an entire weekend of soul-searching."
"I don't mind, though, because I love comic books," added Ditweiller, slipping a Dotty Dripple and Taffy just to the right of Double Action Comics in the Golden Age section of his comic book collection. "Comic books are just so spontaneous and full of life."
Not all comic book history is comprehensive. Many comic book historians choose to focus on individual artists who can barely tolerate the authors when they meet. In-depth comic book bios have been written about artists ranging from Pat Morisi to Nicholas Alascia, with biographers desperately trying to attain coolness by association with their subjects.
"Young Romance was a crucial comic for its time," said Ochiltree Jark, author of Pin-ups, Girl Reporters, Wimmin’s Libbers and Riot Grrrlz: The Adventures Of Women In The 20th Century. In romance comics, the most a woman could aspire to was the position of nurse, private secretary or model. And they always gave it up anyway to get married and become housewives. If you have a couple hours, I'd be happy to talk at you about it."
Although comic book historians provide a valuable service to comic book fanatics, Princeton sociology professor Hutchcock McDolphus said that their focus on comic books hinders their accumulation of knowledge in other areas.
"From discussing long-defunct comic book publishers to analyzing the impact of a comics personnel changes, comic book historians cannot see beyond their acne-scarred noses to realize that there are interesting subjects in the world besides comic books," said McDolphus, a self-professed "ex- comic book-nerd." "If you ask them who the U.S. attorney general is, or what's going on in the park around the corner, you'll get a blank stare. But ask which philosopher Steve Ditko worshipped at the feet of or who Joe Tuska punched out in the artist’s bullpen, and you'll have to dodge all the flying spittle from everyone trying to be the first to answer."
Added McDolphus: "It was Ayn Rand and some prankster…I forget."
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