In reflecting upon which comic work first began to seep from my eager little hands into my growing brain, one has to create a certain amount of guesswork for this process, (as all memories of childhood may be), is lost or at best dim to my adult sensibilities. Still there are certain points in my life when specific comic creators clearly made their mark upon me, some of them impressing upon me into the present encounter that comics continue to exert toward my adult appreciation and continuing desire to contribute to the field.
One early comic relation that I treasured was the precocious Peanuts by Charles M. Shultz. The simplicity of this strip is one charm that is recalled, yet also the fact that the entire world is occupied by children. The minimalist surroundings of Peanuts emphasizes the characters and the lower viewpoint brings the viewer onto a similar playing field. As one gets older the dialogue involved presents an uncertain philosophy, (particularly in the early strips), and also raises the 'high anxiety' expressed by the principle players with Charlie Brown being the chief worrier. In my mind Charlie Brown and his chums will always be starkly set in black and white, (there is always a strangeness to the colorized fields surrounding the 'updated' gang).
Peanuts by Charles M. Shultz
Fortunately Fantagraphics Books has published the entire collected strips, (50 years, 25 books), so that these strips will not fade or be forgotten - http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=115&Itemid=62&vmcchk=1&Itemid=62
As pinpointing an exact age when this contact with comics began to be concrete is uncertain, certain speculation is forthcoming relating when strips such as Peanuts were poured over by an eager young lad, that was unbelievably, so unrestrained by time, and so full of the magic of comics. I do recall that Peanuts was primarily absorbed by me in the form of a collection (as opposed to the daily strip, although that was concurrently read in and around the 70's). Therefore placing or calculating this initial age when my exposure to comics began would be when I was 6 or 7.
Next to Peanuts ran all the other daily strips that brought a smile to my face each day, Blondie, Dennis the Menace, Wizard of Id, and Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker. These serial bites accompanied my morning routine, and nourished an ongoing appetite for the representation of complex ideas through the composition of simple lines.
Dennis the Menace by Hank Ketcham
Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker
One additional standout among this assembled weekly array was Tarzan, which was being penned by Hal Foster, who was aided at times by Frank Frazetta. Tarzan was the first of my adolescent novels, of which I was cutting my teeth on around the time of my eighth year, and this solid rendition by Foster struck me in its stark, yet stunning interpretation.
Tarzan by Hal Foster
In addition to these early exposures there was a further bound relation that was digested by me at an early age, that was the collected comic capers of Archie. While there have been many artists and writers involved in the eternal adolescent existence of the residents of Riverdale, it is in the hands of Dan Decarlo that captured the exclamatory expressions and subtle slouches that continue to carry my admiration. For it is through his range of facial and body shifts that I began to notice how a vast amount of information and emotion may be conveyed in a simple comic. One current cartoonist who shares a similar view and is influenced by Decarlo's cheesy yet churlish characters is Jaime Hernandez who has also brought his own brand or street smarts into his sequential exploits called Locas.
Archie by Dan Decarlo
Archie by Dan Decarlo
According to my recollection these initial inkings are then stained upon my memory, and set-up further excitement and enticement to explore and expand my comic horizons. For as I was to discover while there was much to mine in the time of my own youthful dawning upon comics in the 70's, there was a treasure trove of comic delight and golden lands that were as yet undiscovered country that awaited to be shown.
