This weblog post began when my son, Alasdair, posted some illustrations of the new Belgian passports, originating with Belgian comics. Following this, I read that comics were the ninth art. Immediately, I wondered what the eight earlier arts were, and if there was anything after the ninth art.
Here is the official list of arts in numerical order: 1. Architecture; 2. Sculpture; 3. Painting; 4. Music; 5. Dance; 6. Poetry; 7. Film; 8. Television; 9. Comics.
The list was devised by Claude Beylie (1932 – 2001), a French film critic. The term was used in an article he wrote for the magazine, Lettres et Medecins in 1964. He built that list up from some earlier writings by an Italian film theoretician, Ricciotto Canudo (1877 – 1923).
Of course the lingua franca/ bridge language of comics is French. This may surprise Americans, but it is the Belgians that represent the gold standard when it comes to the 9th art. Unfortunately, my French is not good enough to understand nuances in the wording of une bande dessinée. I think a literal translation would be: a band drawn, referring to: a comic strip (figuratively). But I don’t understand the limits of the words. Is a graphic novel, with its many illustrations and accompanying text on a grid part of this drawn band? When I ask Google for a translation, it replies roman graphique. If I use cartoon, it replies un dessin animé, which seems more like animation.
The article I was reading asked about radio, and its placement on the list. The article provided a definitive answer. Radio was not on the list, and never could be put on it. The future did not seem to be bright for games, computer or otherwise. They were not on the list either.
A series of articles written for the Spirou Journal recounting the history of comics popularized the phrase, the 9th art. Maurice De Bevere (1923 – 2001) wrote that series. He is better known under his pen name, Morris, with which he created western gun slinger, Lucky Luke. Pause here to reflect on Luke’s occupational title. He is not a rancher, implying ownership of land, nor is he a ranch employee, a cowboy, transporting herds of cattle, nor is he in law enforcement with a recognizable title like sheriff, marshal or even deputy. None of the other titles found in the wild west seem to apply either: bartender, blacksmith, gambler, shopkeeper or even wagoneer with a mule team, transporting borax across a desert. His gender eliminates a couple of occupations reserved for women making a living in the wild west, of which for proprietary’s sake only school teacher will be mentioned.
Here I will attempt to use neuvième or 9ème/ ninth or 9th art as a standard term. It will be difficult, because the previous sentence was added while editing a final draft of this text, necessitating up to numerous changes. Of course I have a relationship with the 9th art from my childhood. In general it was, they were not allowed, although I remember being with our neighbours, the Cimolini family at the Hotel Vancouver, when Primo (1912 – 1976) bought me a Classic Comic.
Comics, as a descriptive term, has its limitations. It implies something with humour, The weekend supplement that came on Saturday mornings with the Vancouver Province, in the 1950s were referred to in our household as the funny papers, but few of them were funny. The difficulty seventy years later is remembering content details. Some names ring bells, but those bells may be misplaced. Here is my fantasy version of some of these works.
One of the strips I remember was The Katzenjammer Kids, created by Rudolph Dirks (1877 – 1968) in 1897. It was later drawn by Harold Knerr (1882 – 1949) from 1914 to 1949, by Doc Winner (1885 – 1956) from 1949 to 1956, and by Joe Musial (1905 – 1977) from 1956 to 1977. I had left home in 1972, so that is my cutoff date. It continued until 2006, making it the longest running strip in the US. I found this series overly violent. The twin brothers, Hans and Fritz, rebelled against authority, particularly in the form of their mother, Mama, who showed tough love with a rolling pin.
In contrast, but equally misunderstandable in its own way, were the teenagers found in Archie, originally drawn by Bob Montana (1920 – 1975). These comics appeared from 1941, and featured fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and others.
The British Andy Capp comic strip created by Reg Smythe (1917 – 1998) deserves a special mention because of its location, Hartlepool, in County Durham, in north-east England, the birthplace of my maternal grandfather! The title of the series is a pun on the local pronunciation of handicap, related more to horse racing rather than an infirmity. The surname Capp also signifies how Andy’s cap/ head gear always covers his eyes, restricting, at least metaphorically, his vision in life. My son, Alasdair, comments that he found the Norwegian version, published in Trønderavisa, impenetrable, because of its use of some distant dialect, not to mention British preoccupations with pigeon racing, snooker, pubs and cheating at poker.
Hal Foster (1892 – 1982), was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He created Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, in 1937. It is an epic adventure that told a continuous story stretching for more than 4 500 Sunday episodes (so far). Prince Valiant is the son of Aguar, exiled king of Thule who has taken refuge in the Fens during the days of King Arthur. Foster places this kingdom of Thule in Norway, near Trondheim. Some Norwegians imagine Aguar’s castle was a previous incarnation of the Leirfoss electrical power station, on the Nid river. The old spelling was Lerfoss. The fact that the power station was only build in 1910, is immaterial, if one’s mind can accept it as a repurposed castle. It is located 121 km south of Cliff Cottage. It is a recreational location that I enjoy, while visiting Trondheim.
The strip I found most appealing was Gasoline Alley (1918 – present). Chicago Tribune publisher Robert McCormick (1880 – 1955) wanted a feature that would appeal to people learning how to take care of their cars. These were becoming increasingly available to a middle class public. Frank King (1883 – 1969) developed this strip in response. Bill Perry (1905 – 1995) took over in 1951 and continue to create the strips until about 1976. It is the longest running current strip. Except during the 1970s and 1980s the strip progresses in real time. Characters age and some die.
I am always attracted by the names of people in Gasoline Alley. Some of my real life relatives also have unusual names, such as cousins with the surname Pickup. However, Wallet is so unusual that I have never met anyone by that name. In the beginning, the most notable character was Walt Wallet. Joseph Patterson (1879 – 1946) was concerned that the strip as it was developing, had limited appeal to women. His solution was to have Walt Wallet, find Skeezix on his doorstep in 1921. After this, Walt could marry Phyllis Blossom in 1926. Skeezix subsequently grew up, and ran the Gasoline Alley garage. He married Nina Clock in 1944. Their children are Chipper (1945 – ), who ends up marrying Amy, and Clovia (1949 – ), who ends up with Slim Skinner. By this time, I had given up reading Gasoline Alley. Other intimate relationships can be discovered looking at the illustration, below.
Are comics art? Unfortunately, referring to the topic as the 9th art, already answers that question positively, hence the wording. Some will answer with an emphatic yes. The more enthusiastic will regard the question as naive. Yet, unfortunately, the answer is not so clear. Some argue that combining words with artwork is the essence of modern expression, providing narrative and visual richness, use a direct yet spontaneous language. It integrates literature with painting and cinema. Others, view its limitations, popular among children, youth and less mature adults. Mature people do not use comics.
Many readers see the 9th art as a springboard to other more serious, mature types of literature. What relationship do people have with: Alfred E. Neuman, Ariel, Asterix, Bugs Bunny, the Little Mermaid, Snow White, Tintin or Wonder Woman? Are any of them more mature than the others.
George Herriman (1880 – 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for Krazy Kat (1913–1944) that was more influential than popular. Krazy Kat was notable for its poetic, dialect-heavy dialogue, its fantasy laden, but shifting backgrounds and its experimental page layouts. In it, Ignatz Mouse pelts Krazy with bricks, interpreted by Krazy as symbols of love. Later, a love triangle developed between Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp. Pupp’s mission was to prevent Ignatz from throwing bricks at Krazy. These efforts were impeded because Krazy wanted to be struck by these bricks.
More importantly, Gilbert Seldes (1893 – 1970) wrote The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself appearing in The Seven Lively Arts (1924). It is the earliest example of an art critic giving serious attention to a comic strip. The Comics Journal placed Krazy Kat first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman’s work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such as Elzie C. Segar (1894 – 1938), Will Eisner (1917 – 2005), Charles M. Schulz (1922 – 2000), Robert Crumb (1943 – ), Art Spiegelman (1948 – ), Bill Watterson (1958 – ), and Chris Ware (1967 – ).
My mind temporarily focuses on Snow White. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785 – 1863) and Wilhelm (1786 – 1859) provided the world with one version in fairytale #53, originally published in 1812 as Sneewittchen. Wikipedia lists: about 10 books, including Donald Barthelme’s (1931 – 1989) post-modernist novel (1967); 20 films including one featuring Betty Boop (1932) made by Max Fleischer (1883 – 1972) and Dave Fleischer (1894 – 1979) and another made in 1937 by Walt Disney (1901 – 1966); There is music, including a soundtrack from the Disney film, released as an album in 1938. Other uses of the term refer to a horse, an industrial design language used at apple, a 1970s government-infiltration and information-suppression effort by the Church of Scientology, a dwarf planet, a fictional hockey team, a brand of sugar, and the first name of a Swedish visual artist.
Sometimes, the 9th art only reaches its potential when it appears as an animation film. Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, being a good example. They first appeared in 1949 and were created by Chuck Jones (1912 – 2002). In these videos a devious and hungry coyote attempts to catch a roadrunner, but is always unsuccessful. He deploys complex schemes and devices that always backfire, injuring the coyote. Many of the devices used are from Acme Corporation.
Being born on Halloween, I have no problem with people dressing up as manga characters or superheroes. I appreciate many different varieties of punk from steampunk through dieselpunk and electropunk to cyberpunk, on a theoretical level. Unfortunately, I have not found an appropriate persona to match my personality, so I have no costume at this moment, although I will assure readers that any garments made will incorporate pink and purple fabric.
Comics are not the only art form that has had this problem. Let us recall that cinema, from its beginnings in 1895, was not considered an art. At best it was a momentary attraction. This has changed and it is now classified into genres to differentiate films on issues such as quality and audience. The same was true for comic strips, which gradually took their place in mass culture.
Comics emerged as entertainment that combined illustration and caricature with text in order to present a situation, express an idea or tell a story. Yet, as Wile E. Coyote shows, sequence is an essential ingredient. Will Einsner (1917-2005) called comics a sequential art. They have momentum.
The adult reader
Between 1960 and 1970, cultural studies emerged, which reflected new philosophies or ways of thinking regarding art. There was a change of mindset, allowing for an emergence of theorists of the ninth art. This meant that these works could no longer by regarded as a reading medium intended for children. Underground comics (1968-1979) introduced adult content. This trend can be found in the works produced in San Francisco by Robert Crumb (1943 – ), as well as Trina Robins (1938 – 2024) who produced the first all-woman comic book, It Ain’t Me, Babe. These works examined meanings power relationships, signs, discourses as well as social and cultural products.
To this consideration of the author as an artist and of the comic strip as an object of study is added a third factor, which is the emergence of the adult reader. Or, if you prefer, the public has grown up and expects its comics to be more sophisticated and complex. This is the audience that the Underground genre is aimed at.
Comics are therefore beginning to be taken as a starting point for social criticism or to show a reality. Thus, for example, we can cite the exercise of historical memory in the Paracuellos cycle by Carlos Giménez (1943 – 2020), the story of the Holocaust in Maus by Art Spiegelman (1949 – ) or the post-cyberpunk comic Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis (1968 – ).
In the 1970s, graphic designers and writers such as Moebius = Jean Giraud (1938–2012), Enki Bidal (1951 – ) and Alejandro Jodorowsky (1929 – ) brought comics closer to erotic and social themes, thus renewing them in Europe to give them a more adult character and a higher quality. Authors such as Jean-Claude Forest (1930 – 1998) with Barbarella, Guido Grepax = Guido Grepas (1933-2003), author of Valentina, Eleuteri Serpieri (1944 – ) with Druuna and Milo Manara = Maurilio Manara (1945 – ) are further examples of an erotic genre.
But, in addition, Graphic Novels and Limited Series appear which, due to their characteristics, constitute another attempt to give dignity to comics, since they are conceived as works in which the same author writes and writes, or those who write and draw are renowned authors, without fixed periodicity – which makes it easier to build a more elaborate plot – and a better drawing printed on better quality paper. Comics from the 1980s such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen and V for Vendetta, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns or Neil Gaiman’s Black Orchid are examples of this type of comic.
Alan Moore (1953 – ) provides an example of a writer, not an graphic artist or illustrator. He has written several works, including Watchmen (1987) with artist Dave Gibbons (1949 – ) and colourist John Higgins (1949 – ). Here, contemporary anxieties are deconstructed while superheros are satirized to construct a political commentary. The work presents an alternate history in which superheroes emerge in the 1940s to 1960s, changing modern history. By 1985, USA is edging toward World War III with the Soviet Union. Freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most former superheroes are in retirement or working for the US government. The focus is on personal development and moral struggles. In 2009, a feature film, Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder (1966 – )was released, along with an episodic video game, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh.
The 9th art was forced to consider: ideology, nationality, ethnicity, gender, society generally, as well as in terms of economics, politics, communication, sociology, cinema, anthropology, philosophy and semiotics and everything else that could be considered culture.
One of the most important theorists of comics is Umberto Eco (1932 – 2016), in Apocalípticos e integrados (1964) = Apocalypse Postponed, 1994, available in English in a partial translation. It reflects on mass culture by analyzing the following comics: Steve Canyon (1947 – 1988) by Milton Caniff (1907 – 1988), Superman (1938 – ) by Jerry Siegel (1914 – 1996) and Joe Shuster ( 1914 – 1992) from Toronto, and Peanuts (1950 – 2000) by Charles M. Schulz (1922 – 2000).
Terenci Moix (1942 – 2003) wrote a social history of the 9th art in Spanish: Los cómics, arte para el consumo y formas pop (1968). It has not been republished since. It is now regarded as cult book. Moix analyses this 9th art from a social and ideological point of view, considering them, along with films and songs, as suitable fodder for political, moral and religious manipulations by those in power. It must be remembered that Moix was living in a dictatorship under Francisco Franco (1892 – 1975). Particular attention should be paid to the works of post-war Spanish author/ illustrators including José Escobar (1908 – 1994) who created: Carpanta (1947 – ), a symbol of post-war Spain’s misery; Zipi y Zape = Zipi and Zape Zapatilla, two young, mischievous, energetic, football-obsessed twins who do poorly in school (1947 – 2000). José Peñarroya (1910 – 1975) created Gordito Relleno (1948), a single man, lacking a permanent job. His good intentions always ended in catastrophes. He is a frequent victim of scams and frauds of all kinds by heartless people. Moix’ analysis and demystification of Flash Gordon (1934 – 2003) created by Alex Raymond (1909 – 1956) and Li’l Abner (1934 – 1977), created by Al Capp (1909 – 1979) are also worthwhile.
Roman Gubern (1934 – ) in El lenguaje de los cómics (1972) wrote about the language of these works and their functions in society.
M. Thomas Inge (1936 – 2021) was an American professor of humanities who taught and wrote about Southern literature, especially William Faulkner (1897 – 1962) and culture, American humor and comic art (Dadism especially), film and animation and Asian literature.
It was then in the 1960s that comic strips began to build bridges with art thanks, among others, to artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, who made pop art the main motif of his works. That however is another topic to be explored at some later, unspecified date.
The 9th art will continue to be examined next week, looking especially at how some theorists have used the comic strip to explain comics. This will be followed by a more in depth examination of Tintin.