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MSA Bulletin, v. 2, issue 4, May 1940
Page 8
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Page Eight MSA BULLETIN May 1940 ANALYZING THE WORD "COMIC" -Norman F. Stanley The article (really an excerpt from a personal letter to Jim Avery) was thought to be of interest as so many so-called comic magazines have appeared in the past few months, among them a lot of supposedly stf and fantasy adventure scripts. editor. The word comic is something to watch. Philological evolution before our very eyes. Properly it is an adjective corresponding to the abstract noun, "comedy". This latter has been pursuing a leisurely and quite respectable course of evolution, so that its popular meaning is now far from that of Shakespeare. I'm not up on etymology, but I suppose these words derive from the mythical (not mythological) "Comics". But this adjective! Overnight almost, COMIC has become a very concrete noun. What is a comic? Probably the meaning hasn't yet jelled, but it seems destined to be a narrative in which the story is told principally by pictures, with conversation and a minimum of written description. The picture form creates the illusion of reality without the necessity of skillful writing and presents the story in a form readily absorbed without mental exertion. The evolution of this word is obvious. The basis is cartoon humor, which, however, telling a story in a single puncture is essentially subtle. A story told in a series of cartoons is much more obvious, and here we have the "comic strip". From a series of the short strips, delineating the exploits of a comical character, but otherwise unrelated to an interrelated series and to the continued story in cartoon form are the next steps. The Serialized cartoon with its more complex plot, allows the use of more serious themes not adapted to the very short cartoons. Hence the indefinitely drawn out adventure strip, or, comic strip comes into its own. It's the "comic section" and what would one expect to find in such a section? COMICS of course! BUT, just now the tendency seems very much toward deadly seriousness in the comic stories; but from their early heritage they're all still "comics". This nominative use of the word is now well-nigh universal and seems likely to continue for lack of a more suitable synonym. ******* THE "SAINT" You've all heard of the "Saint", or seen him in the movies; this swash-buckling hero created by Leslie Charteris. But, so you know that he once became interested in "The Man Who Liked Ants"? This was in the December 2nd, 1937 issue of Munsey's Double Detective Magazine. This was a story written in the approved fantastic manner. Man plans to rule the world -- creates man-sized ants to do the dirty work-- Hero meets girl, meets villian -- villian shows Hero plans -- Hero doesn't approve -- Hero returns & upsets applecart -- villian doesn't get to rule world So what! And the Saint goes merrily on his way. gwm
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Page Eight MSA BULLETIN May 1940 ANALYZING THE WORD "COMIC" -Norman F. Stanley The article (really an excerpt from a personal letter to Jim Avery) was thought to be of interest as so many so-called comic magazines have appeared in the past few months, among them a lot of supposedly stf and fantasy adventure scripts. editor. The word comic is something to watch. Philological evolution before our very eyes. Properly it is an adjective corresponding to the abstract noun, "comedy". This latter has been pursuing a leisurely and quite respectable course of evolution, so that its popular meaning is now far from that of Shakespeare. I'm not up on etymology, but I suppose these words derive from the mythical (not mythological) "Comics". But this adjective! Overnight almost, COMIC has become a very concrete noun. What is a comic? Probably the meaning hasn't yet jelled, but it seems destined to be a narrative in which the story is told principally by pictures, with conversation and a minimum of written description. The picture form creates the illusion of reality without the necessity of skillful writing and presents the story in a form readily absorbed without mental exertion. The evolution of this word is obvious. The basis is cartoon humor, which, however, telling a story in a single puncture is essentially subtle. A story told in a series of cartoons is much more obvious, and here we have the "comic strip". From a series of the short strips, delineating the exploits of a comical character, but otherwise unrelated to an interrelated series and to the continued story in cartoon form are the next steps. The Serialized cartoon with its more complex plot, allows the use of more serious themes not adapted to the very short cartoons. Hence the indefinitely drawn out adventure strip, or, comic strip comes into its own. It's the "comic section" and what would one expect to find in such a section? COMICS of course! BUT, just now the tendency seems very much toward deadly seriousness in the comic stories; but from their early heritage they're all still "comics". This nominative use of the word is now well-nigh universal and seems likely to continue for lack of a more suitable synonym. ******* THE "SAINT" You've all heard of the "Saint", or seen him in the movies; this swash-buckling hero created by Leslie Charteris. But, so you know that he once became interested in "The Man Who Liked Ants"? This was in the December 2nd, 1937 issue of Munsey's Double Detective Magazine. This was a story written in the approved fantastic manner. Man plans to rule the world -- creates man-sized ants to do the dirty work-- Hero meets girl, meets villian -- villian shows Hero plans -- Hero doesn't approve -- Hero returns & upsets applecart -- villian doesn't get to rule world So what! And the Saint goes merrily on his way. gwm
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