Comics

Matthew P. McAllister & Shannon Kahle

Comics, also known as comic strips, funnies, printed cartoon art, or comic(s) art, have been a key element of the newspaper business since the end of the nineteenth century. They are an important reason for the economic success of many newspapers entering the modern age, a socialization device for both newspaper reading and social mores, an economic and cultural force outside of the newspaper industry, and currently viewed as a way to attract and maintain a youth readership. The future of the comics, similar to the future of the newspaper medium, is unclear. Comics have long been part of the fabric of American culture and everyday life. Newspaper editors face a serious dilemma when dropping or adding a strip, given the loyalty readers may feel—and express—toward particular comics. Many Sunday family rituals involve reading the color comics section, and the continuing exposure to daily comics characters have touched successive generations ...

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