Persinger (shown here in 1918) invited his barbershop customers to contribute to the scrapbook-as long as they handled it with care. At the moment, it’s bound by two spikes, which makes opening it a tricky proposition. When he filled all the pages in the original book, he started adding additional pages-to a total of over 800. Persinger began to add drawings, and sometimes he would write metaphysical observations about the universe or refer to the progress of the Depression. Some pages have messages written between or below the comics, sometimes writing directly over them. It is more than just a comic-strip collection. Courtesy Eric Oglander What makes the Persinger scrapbook one of a kind? Persinger’s scrapbook stands more than a foot tall and weighs 36 pounds. Atlas Obscura spoke with Green about this serendipitous find and the cultural significance of comics. In the Persinger scrapbook, she sees a portal to the past. The unusual artifact was acquired by Karen Green, the school’s Curator for Comics and Cartoons, whose expanding collection makes the case that the funny pages and other cartoon creations are worthy of serious study. Today, almost 100 years later, Persinger’s scrapbook has found a new home, one its creator probably never envisioned-a place among the rare books and manuscripts of the Columbia University Libraries. Soon, though, the scrapbook expanded with handwritten insights from Persinger and his customers on life during the Great Depression. Persinger, began compiling this collection of “Wash Tubbs” comics, a well-loved daily newspaper strip by artist Roy Crane, whose adventure graphics popularized the visual sound effects-Bam! Pow!-we know so well today. So begins the inscription on the spine of a hulking tome that was once a source of idle amusement for clients at the Bungalow, a barbershop in Fredonia, Kansas. Those issues are in the public consciousness.“ Dear friends of mine, Please write a line / In this little Wash Tubbs book of mine. And when they see those issues in aĬomic strip, they aren't insulted or traumatized. I now take it on faith that at least one student in myĬlass has experienced those things. Heavy-handed way about suicide, sexual abuse, and battering, students Serious topics and, in their own way, give a 1990s sense of credibility 'Wizard of Id' both try, but they're a littleĪccording to Roberts, comics provide a light introduction to very "'Beetle Bailey' tries to be ethical and fails Then there are those that make the attempt and fall short.
OtherĬomics have their moments, including "For Better or Worse," "Dilbert" is the reigningĬhamp, portraying the illogical side of the corporate world. Side," however, there isn't a leading moral vice in the comic With the demise of "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Practically a textbook on ethics in science, Campbell says. Meanwhile, Gary Larson's "The Far Side" was
Many of the daily strips mirrored classic philosophical and ethical Of formal philosophical training because the ideas and the language of Roberts and Campbell both insist that Watterson had to h ave some kind "Calvin and Hobbes" came along to rule the 1980s. Newspapers debated whether to put the Garry Trudeau strip on the comic Popularized the trend of politicizing comics to the point where many Schulz used panels pitting Snoopy against the Red Baron to make socialĬommentary on the Vietnam War. The trend began in theġ960s, Campbell maintains, when "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles These days, but it wasn't always like that. It isn't unusual for comic strips to tackle societal issues Writtenīy Bill Watterson, it no longer is a daily series, but still can be Providing examples of classic philosophy and ethical dilemmas. He and Roberts say "Calvin and Hobbes," the comic stripĪbout a young boy and his stuffed tiger, is the all-time champion for "We can hold up theseĬomic strips and look at ourselves, while not taking ourselves too Kant's primary moral law, they might, for instance, use a panelįrom "For Better or Worse." "Getting beyond the humor ofĬomic strips takes philosophical skill and a great deal of They examine "Calvin and Hobbes." To introduce Immanuel Instead of pontificating about Kierkegaard's existentialism, University, Corvallis, have come up with an innovative way of reaching Professors Courtney Campbell and Lani Roberts of Oregon State
Nietzsche and Soren Kierkegaard, and eyes begin to glaze. It's not easy to teach the MTV generation of college studentsĪbout the origins of modern philosophy and ethics.
#Comic strip library free#
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