share-blog: #007. The History of Comic Books & comics versions of classical books

A Tidbit of Comic Book History
In 1754, Benjamin Franklin created the first editorial cartoon published in an American newspaper. Franklin's cartoon was an illustration of a snake with a severed head and had the printed words "Join, or Die." The cartoon was intended to goad the different colonies into joining what was to become the United States.

Richard Outcault's Yellow Kid was the first comic strip to use balloons.
According to many experts, the precursors to modern comics were the satirical works of artists like Rudolph Töpffer, Wilhelm Bush, Christophe, or Angelo Agostini (first Brazilian comic artist).

Rudolph Töpffer - Birth of the Graphic Novel
In 1827, Switzerland's Rudolphe Töpffer created a comic strip and continued on to publish seven graphic novels. In 1837, "The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck" was published by Rudolphe Töpffer and it is considered the earliest known comic book. In 1842, "The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck" became the first comic book published in the United States. "Obadiah Oldbuck" was a forty page book. Each page had several picture panels with accompanying text underneath.

Wilhelm Bush
In 1859, German poet and artist, Wilhelm Bush published caricatures in the newspaper Fliegende Blätter. In 1865, he published a famous comic called "Max und Moritz".

Yellow Kid
The 1895 "Yellow Kid" created by Richard Outcault has often been cited as being the first comic strip. The reason being is that Richard Outcault was the first artist to use the balloon, an outlined space on the page where what the characters spoke was written. However, comic strips and comic books were published before "Yellow Kid" debuted in the New York City newspaper "The World".

Are Comic Books Funny?
Around 1900, the terms "comics" and "comic strip" came into common use in the United States. Where did the word come from? The strips of pictures being printed in magazines and newspapers at that time were all funny or comic. At first newspaper comic strips were called "the funnies" and later the term comics became more popular. Early American comic books were often collections of reprints of newspaper comic strips.

Brenda Starr
On June 19, 1940, "Brenda Starr" the first cartoon strip written by a woman was published in Chicago.

The comics versions of these classical books were published as MC Comics. In this series 36 comics were published, but I have 30 only.

20000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

ARABIAN NIGHTS - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

BLACK BEAUTY by Anna Sewell - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

DR JEKYLL & MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

DRACULA by Bram Stoker - Book; MC Comics;

FRANKENSTEIN by Mary W Shelley - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

GULLIVER'S TRAVELS by Jonathan Swift - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

IVANHOE by Sir Walter Scott - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

MOBY DICK by Herman Melville - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

ROBIN HOOD by J. Walker McSpadden - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

ROBINSON CRUSOE by Daniel Defoe - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

SHE by H. Rider Haggard - Book; MC Comics;

THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON by H G Wells - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE FOOD OF THE GODS by H G Wells - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE ILIAD by Homer - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE INVISIBLE MAN by H G Wells - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS by James Fenimore Cooper - Book; MC Comic; CI Comics

THE MASTER OF THE WORLD by Jules Verne - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE MOONSTONE by William Wilkie Collins - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE ODYSSEY by Homer - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER by Mark Twain - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE PRISONER OF ZENDA by Anthony Hope - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE TIME MACHINE by H G Wells - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H G Wells - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

TOM SAWYER by Mark Twain - Book; MC Comics;

TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

WHITE FANG by Jack London - Book; MC Comics; CI Comics

Most of them and some more (total 169) were published by "Classics illustrated" too.

Source of information: Link

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Updated (July 2009): 6 more Marvel Classics Comics. Now this set (total 36) is complete.