Canadian 1890 Aboriginal Wit
We continue our Native American Heritage Month coverage, with cartoons & comics by whites, revealing the attitude of white society towards the Americas’ original inhabitants. Above, from the July 12th, 1890 issue of the Canadian comic weekly, Grip, comes Ab-Original Wit — A Brantford Fact. The strip plays on the stereotype of Indians as drunkards, [...]
“Colonial Slavery”, 1830: African American History Month & Pre-YK Talkies
WARNING: The below comic strip contains racist imagery and slurs. Above, Colonial Slavery, by artist William Heath, from issue #8, August, 1830, of the British cartoon monthly, The Looking Glass. This comic strip parodies the hypocrisy of logic used by the British government, to exonerate the actions of British slave owners in their colony of [...]
Pre-YK Talkies: Parrots, Telephones, and Phonographs
Now that I’ve begun a series of articles intended to reveal all (that I’ve found) appearances of Livingston Hopkins’ recurring comic strip character, Professor Tigwissel (plus Hopkins’ Tigwissel-prototypes), it’s time to resume another Super I.T.C.H. series, Pre-YK Talkies. One major reason I’ve been offended by the insistence in published books & articles, that the comic [...]
Pre-YK Talkies (not): The “Horrid Hellish Popish Plot”
Welcome to Super I.T.C.H.’s first Post-Apocalyptic blog! (For those who weren’t paying attention, the world ended yesterday. But don’t worry, if you missed it, you’ll get a second chance when the world ends again next year!) Those of us not Raptured to safety yesterday, are now to endure Hellish Torment (from Heaven). So, let’s begin [...]
Pre-YK Talkies: White-Bait, by William Heath, 1830
For today, a quick example of yet another “Pre-YK Talkie”. I.e., multi-panel sequential cartoons, told via a combination of pictures plus in-panel dialogue/word balloons, in which the story would not be understood without either the pictures or the in-panel dialogue. Like Donald Trump making claims without evidence or bothering to do research, numerous respected “comics historians” [...]
Pre-YK Talkies: More Advertising Strips
Resuming our series on Pre-YK “Talking” Comic Strips (sequential cartoons wherein the story is conveyed via pictures combined with in-panel dialogue, published prior to the supposed “invention” of same format in the October 25th, 1896 episode of The Yellow Kid), we return with some more examples found amongst Victorian Age cartoon advertising strips. Above, the [...]
Pre-YK Talkies: Robert Seymour’s 1830 “The Heiress”, Part 1
In today’s twin-themed installment of Women’s History Month and Pre-Yellow Kid “Talking” Comic Strips (multi-panel sequential comics conveyed via pictures combined with in-panel dialogue), we present Part 1 (of 6), of artist Robert Seymour’s March 1st, 1830 comic graphic novelette, The Heiress. Consisting of six over-sized plates/pages, each containing five+ cartoons, The Heiress at first [...]
Pre-YK Talkies: Women’s Domestic Advertising Strips
Returning to both the themes of Women’s History Month, and Pre-YK “Talking” Comic Strips (sequential cartoons wherein the story is conveyed via pictures combined with in-panel dialogue, published prior to the supposed “invention” of same format in the October 25th, 1896 episode of The Yellow Kid), we have a few cartoon advertising strips, each aimed [...]
“The Flight of Abraham” (Lincoln), March 9th, 1861
Continuing our series of American Civil War cartoons, we present — on the 150th anniversary of its first publication — The Flight of Abraham, by cartoonist John McLenan. Appearing on the rear outside page of the March 9th, 1861 issue of Harper’s Weekly, this cartoon parodies how President-Elect Abraham Lincoln (on February 21-23, 1861) snuck into Washington, D.C., [...]
