Author: Kerr

Comic books have produced criminals who have become almost as well known as the superheroes who have battled to counter the dastardly acts these characters have been producing. Some of these villains are never quite vanquished, often reappearing in later story lines with new ways and methods of terrorizing ordinary citizens. A character that has been featured for years sending shivers of fear through Batman fans has been the Joker. Created in 1940 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson for DC Comics, the permanently grinning criminal was in the first issue of Batman the comic. The character...

Comic books over the years have unearthed female characters that have proved to be just as popular as their male counterparts. They have the added attraction as being glamorous and always being the underdog as they have attempted to overcome the power of their powerful enemies. When girls first started appearing in comics they were subject to gender stereotyping. Characters such as the Nellie the nurse, Tessa the typist and Millie the Model, played secondary roles supporting the main male characters. One of the first female super-hero’s was Invisible Scarlet O’Neill. Appearing in a comic strip that was first...

There are daily comic strips published in every newspaper and they can be divided between what is run in the general pages, and what is drawn within the editorial comment. The founding of Punch magazine in 1841 was the start of using cartoons to express opinions on 19th century social conditions and the political atmosphere at the time. Each newspaper has its own political slant which will appeal to its readers and in the UK this bias is clear to see. Some papers will clearly favour one party while another paper will favour another. Some papers will change allegiance...

Comics have played a significant in role during wars. Comics represent current events in society so it impossible for them to ignore war.  In their own way they have a vital role in helping to educate the young why a war has started and what actually happens. War also has an effect on comic books when the Second World War began there were 15 million comic books that were being sold each month in the States but after two years of war this figure had increased to 25 million per month. The single biggest purchaser was the US Army...

There are many different types of characters that can be found in comics but one of the most popular group of characters are those that can make people laugh. With comics having a huge younger audience the ability to bring a smile to people’s faces has always been a priority for comic writers. Whether the characters are based on real people, or whether they stand out on their own, the comic book environment gives the writers the opportunity to pen stories that can be even more surreal than the ones that occur in real life. One of the most...