Reading The Funnies

The comic strip has been a staple of American newspapers for nearly a century. It is a creation unique to cultural life and, in addition to entertainment, has commented on the way we see and view ourselves. From its high culture influence on Pop Art to its low culture appeal to children of all ages, the comic strip has had a lasting hold on the imaginations of generations. Noted writer Donald Phelps provides essays on popular classics, such as Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre (which produced Popeye), and Frank King's Gasoline Alley. His keen eye discerns the sublime qualities of this most American art form with wit and refreshing candor. Reading the Funnies offers an elegant and eloquent look into this fascinating slice of American popular culture.

Presents a collection of 129 never-before-published comics about the 1960s by 169 writers and artists, including Renâe Goscinny, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Art Spiegelman, and Gahan Wilson.

The Funnies is a great insider look at the world of the comic-strip industry blended with the mysteries of family dynamics.

This illustrated book collects Donald Phelps' essays on early 20th century newspaper strips -- the Golden Age of comic strips, when readers avidly followed the daily & weekly adventures of Flash Gordon, Little Nemo, & Krazy Kat, a time when the critic Gilbert Seldes could write, Of all the lively arts the Comic Strip is the most despised &, with the exception of the movies, it is the most popular.Ó These are celebratory literary examinations, with examples, of some of the greatest strips to have ever appeared in newspapers: James Swinnerton's Little Jimmy, E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre, Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, Frank King's Gasoline Alley, Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie, Harry J. Tuthill's The Bungle Family, & others.

The Other Kind of Funnies refutes the mainstream American cultural assumption that comics have little to do with technical communication-that the former are entertaining (in a low-brow sense) and juvenile, whereas the latter is practical and serious (to the point of stuffiness). The first of its kind, this book demonstrates the exciting possibilities of using comics in technical communication. It defines comics as a medium and art form that includes cartoons, comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels; provides conceptual and historical backgrounds on comics; and discusses the appeals and challenges of using comics-style technical communication. More specifically, it examines comics-style instructions, educational materials, health/risk communication, and political/propaganda communication. The author argues that comics-style technical communication encourages reader participation, produces covert persuasion, facilitates intercultural communication, benefits underprivileged audiences such as children and readers of lower literacy, and challenges the positivist view of technical communication. An abundance of comics-style technical communication examples, carefully selected from across cultures and times, demonstrates the argument. While the book proposes that comics can create user-friendly, visually oriented, engaging, and socially responsible technical communication, it is also quick to acknowledge the limitations and challenges of comics-style technical communication and provides heuristics on how to cope with them. The Other Kind of Funnies is unique in its interdisciplinary approach. It focuses on technical communication but speaks to design, cultural and intercultural studies, historical studies, and to some extent, education, politics, and art.

We see a lot of Archie and friends, but have you ever wondered what Mr. Weatherbee, Ms. Grundy and the Riverdale High staff do in their spare time? Wonder no more½this 100-page digital exclusive book explores just that! Read these laugh-out-loud stories starring your favorite teachers. Class is in session, and you're about to get SCHOOLED!

Sex goddess Mae West is responsible for some of the most quoted lines in film history: * Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? * When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better. * It's not the men in my life that counts - it's the life in my men. She was a performer from childhood and debuted on Broadway in a play she wrote entitled "Sex" which was a success until it was raided for immorality and Mae was jailed for ten days. This book is packed with stars from George Raft to Cary Grant and W.C. Fields, with whom she made "My Little Chickadee", the most successful film of Fields' career. Charlotte Chandler recorded Mae West over a period of roughly a month towards the end of the star's life. She was still as vital and lively as ever, and this book will convey all of Mae West's legendary attitude.