Celebrity comics are comics based on the fame and popularity of a celebrity. [1] They are a byproduct of merchandising around a certain media star or franchise and have existed since the mass media and comics came into existence in the 19th century. Celebrity comics are usually not held in high esteem by critics, because of their purely commercial nature. They are solely created to capitalize on media trends and therefore published so quickly and cheaply that drawings and narratives tend to be of very low quality. [1]
Celebrity comics are usually written and drawn for commercial purposes. [1] Publishers try to cash in on the fame of a well known radio, TV, film star or series by launching a comic book or an entire comic book series about these media stars. [1] Comics about sports champions or theatrical actors fall in the same category. The line of thought behind these works is that the audience will be more likely to buy something they already recognize from theatre, film, radio or TV than a brand new series about an original creation.
Despite the commercial potential few of these celebrity comics last long. Their sales are usually based on the amount of attention a certain celebrity receives during a certain period. If the media craze or fad dies down the comic version usually fizzles out as well. [1] Another reason why many of these comics fail in the long run has to do with the fact that companies usually pass both the writing and drawing to less skilled artists, many of which don't have much experience in their profession. Apart from that the artists in question are put under pressure of a TV channel, company or the media star himself to follow their own demands and expectations as much as possible. [1]
Celebrity comics should not be confused with satirical comics or political comics, which lampoon celebrities. While these can sometimes be made to play-off the fame of a celebrity, they usually tend to be less respectful towards the media stars in question and are seldom made with their own participation.
Despite the fact that celebrity comics are considered pure pulp some people have interest in these titles as a mere nostalgic or historical curiosity, of which they enjoy the campiness.
Celebrity comics have existed since the late 19th century. The earliest example was the magazine Dan Leno's Comic Journal (1898), based on the popularity of British music hall comedian Dan Leno. The paper was primarily aimed at young adults and featured a fictional version of Leno. He personally wrote most of the gags and stories, while Tom Browne contributed many of the illustrations. [2] The comedian retained editorial control of the paper, deciding which items to omit. [3] [4] After a run of nearly two years the novelty wore off, and Leno lost interest. The paper shut down on December 2, 1899. [2] [3] Another early example was a comic strip drawn between 1909 and 1913 about the local village eccentric Robert W. Patten by John Hager, which was published in the Seattle Daily Times. [5] When Hollywood started making slapstick films many comics series were made about popular film comedians. E.C. Segar's Charlie Chaplin's Comic Capers is perhaps the most famous example and ran for a solid two years, between 1916 and 1918. Between the 1920s and early 1960s the British magazines Radio Fun and Film Fun were even completely based around comics about radio and film celebrities. In the mid-1930s American artists like Alfred Buescher, [6] Clifton H. Crittenden, [7] Roland Jack Scott, and Arthur J. Palmer also made text comics based on the lives of celebrities who made headlines at the time. When television became popular in the 1950s and 1960s it opened the door for a whole stream of comics based on popular TV shows and stars. In every country with a comics industry examples of celebrity comics can be found.
The longest-running celebrity comic in the world made by the same two creators is the Belgian series Urbanus by Urbanus and Willy Linthout. It was in constant production from 1982 up until 2022. [8]
A subgenre is celebrity animated cartoon series, based on the popularity of a well known musical artist ( Hammerman ), band ( The Beatles, The Jackson 5ive, The Osmonds, New Kids on the Block ), film stars ( The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show, Jackie Chan Adventures, Amigo and Friends, Laurel and Hardy, Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, The New Three Stooges ,...), TV star ( The Gary Coleman Show, Partridge Family 2200 A.D., Mr. T, Laverne & Shirley in the Army, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang ) and/or sports champion ( Harlem Globetrotters, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Ronaldinho Gaucho's Team ,...).
Mutt and Jeff is a long-running and widely popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched tinhorns". It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. The concept of a newspaper strip featuring recurring characters in multiple panels on a six-day-a-week schedule had previously been pioneered through the short-lived A. Piker Clerk by Clare Briggs, but it was Mutt and Jeff as the first successful daily comic strip that staked out the direction of the future trend.
Marcel Honoree Nestor (ridder) Neels, known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian cartoonist. He was mostly known for his comic The Adventures of Nero and Co., but also created gag comics like Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, De Lustige Kapoentjes, Doris Dobbel, Oktaaf Keunink and De Ronde van Frankrijk.
Notable events of 1962 in comics. Starting January, most companies raise their comics from 10 to 12 cents.
Urbain Servranckx, better known as Urbanus, is a Belgian comedian, actor, singer and comic book writer. Although he is most famous as comedian, some of his songs became hits, such as Bakske vol met stro (1979), Madammen met een bontjas (1980) and Hittentit (1982). He is one of the most popular and famous entertainers in Flanders and the Netherlands.
Jan Lööf is a Swedish illustrator, author, comic creator, and jazz musician.
Notable events of 1971 in comics.
Notable events of 1994 in comics.
Notable events of 1945 in comics.
This is a timeline of significant events in comics prior to the 20th century.
Notable events of 1974 in comics.
Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker. His son Boris Kousemaker has been the owner since 2007. From 1968 to 2015, it was located in the Kerkstraat, but in November 2015, the store moved to Koningsstraat 27. As of 2018, Lambiek is the oldest comics store in Europe, and the oldest worldwide still in existence.
Notable events of 1983 in comics.
Notable events of 1967 in comics.
Peter de Wit is a Dutch comics artist and cartoonist. He is best known for his comics series De Familie Fortuin, Sigmund and his collaborations with Hanco Kolk with whom he created the series Gilles de Geus and S1NGLE.
Hanco Kolk is a Dutch cartoonist and comics artist. He is best known for his collaborations with Peter de Wit, with who he made Gilles de Geus and S1NGLE
Sjef van Oekel was a TV comedy character created by Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers and played by Dutch comedian, singer and actor Dolf Brouwers (1912–1997). Van Oekel started as a side character in De Fred Hachéshow in 1972 but became such a cult figure that he gained his own television show, Van Oekel's Discohoek, songs and even a comic strip, all written by Schippers.
Barend is weer bezig was a Dutch television show written and directed by Wim T. Schippers with Wim van der Linden, Gied Jaspars, and Ruud van Hemert and broadcast by the VPRO in 1972-1973. The show was produced by Ellen Jens. Four regular episodes and a Christmas special were made. The series caused considerable controversy, particularly because of a scene in which the then-reigning Queen Juliana of the Netherlands was mocked.
Text comics or a text comic is a form of comics where the stories are told in captions below the images and without the use of speech balloons. It is the oldest form of comics and was especially dominant in European comics from the 19th century until the 1950s, after which it gradually lost popularity in favor of comics with speech balloons.
Charlie Chaplin comics have been published in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Charlie Chaplin comic strips first appeared in 1915 in the U.S. and the U.K., cashing in on the tremendous popularity of the comedian at the time; they were some of the earliest comics inspired by the popularity of a celebrity. Although Charlie Chaplin comic strips didn't enjoy enduring popularity in the U.S., a Chaplin comic strip was published in the U.K. from 1915 until the late 1940s, while in France there were Chaplin comics published for more than 50 years.