Week 3 - The Smithsonian Comics Collection (4 points)

    After reading “The Newlyweds – Their Baby” by George McManus, I notice there is a common theme in the early comics of people saying the hidden thoughts they wouldn’t tell to people in public. This comic starts with family members speaking lovely things about a newlywed couple and their baby but later they deride the parents and their annoying child, detailing how much they actually didn’t enjoy the wedding. The newlyweds are blissfully ignorant of this.

    It surprises me how stylized this comic and all of the comics from the early turn of the century were. There is little focus on recreating reality and instead on creating entertaining caricatures. There is much emphasis on character’s mouths, usually making them be very large and Muppet-like.

    I anticipated that many of the comics would feature slapstick, but many also focus on mundanities that everyone goes through any may find relatable. I know I relate to this comic and it was written over 100 years ago. Everybody goes to a gathering and puts on face even though they may not want to be there.

    Slapstick reveals hidden thoughts as well as comics like this. Sometimes you may find yourself in situations where you want to smack someone but won’t because it is not proper. Slapstick comics and comics like “The Newlyweds” explore the conversations and actions hidden from “proper” society and act as an outlet for uncouth emotions, words, and actions.

    Even in the early 1900’s, it is clear that comics were an imaginative escape from reality.