The Adventures Of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck Essay - 1201 Words

Dating back to 1841, modern comics have had a long history. Since The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck, which is generally accepted as the first American comic, comics as a genre of literature has changed both technologically and in perception (Greenberger). Throughout American history, comics have served as both an influence and a reflection of the time period. As America grew, changed, and experienced major historical events, society and the ideas within changed along with it. Many comic historians cite Genovese author and painter Rodolph Tà ¶pffer as the first modern comic artist (â€Å"Comics Theory†). Tà ¶pffer is the author of a comic titled Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, which was published in 1839. This was eventually translated in 1841 to the first American comic The Adventures of Mr. Obidiah Oldbuck (Greenberger). Though this was the first comic published in America, it cannot be said to reflect American history very well since it was not originally written in America. Instead, it was first published in Europe before gaining widespread popularity in the United States (Tà ¶pffer 2014). Years later in 1894, the first significant recurring comic strip character The Yellow Kid debuted (Greenberger). Created by Richard Outcault, The Yellow Kid was seen as the beginning of the â€Å"Funnies†, the name given to comic strips in newspapers at the time (â€Å"Comic Theory†). His debut led to an explosion of merchandising, culminating in the publication of a collection of comic strips in 1897.Show MoreRelatedThe Yellow Kid, By G. W. Cox1360 Words   |  6 Pagesfuture comic books to come, and even coined the name Comic Book on the back of the cover. But even before the Yellow Kid, comic books had existed in what has been coined the Victorian age, which started in 1837 with the comic The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck . It was published in several different European languages and even arrived in the United States in 1842. While several other comics existed in the Victorian age; such as The Brownies: Their Book, Harper s, Puck, Judge, Life , and