Today we feature several examples of
The Gumps from 1937. This was a classic family strip created by artist Sidney Smith that was, according to comics historian Maurice Horn, the most popular strip of the 1920s.
Unfortunately, Smith died in an automobile accident in 1935, and these examples are the work of his successor Gus Edson (who kept the strip going for another 25 years). Some might say Edson wasn't a match for Smith, but these are fun in a kind of sit-com-ish way.
They kind of remind me a bit of Blondie and Dagwood, though Andy Gump wasn't quite such a dim bulb (at least not all the time like Dagwood), and Min was hardly as glamorous as Blondie. Son Chester rounded out the regular cast, and was a pretty typical kid (though in earlier sequences, he was almost a rival to Milton Caniff's Terry for the adventures he got caught up in). This is a good example of a cultural phenomenon (there were movies, novels, toys, etc. at the strip's peak) that's somehow been mostly forgotten today-- it makes one wonder what will last from among today's many pop culture fads.
Today we feature several examples of The Gumps from 1937. This was a classic family strip created by artist Sidney Smith that was, according to comics historian Maurice Horn, the most popular strip of the 1920s.
Unfortunately, Smith died in an automobile accident in 1935, and these examples are the work of his successor Gus Edson (who kept the strip going for another 25 years). Some might say Edson wasn't a match for Smith, but these are fun in a kind of sit-com-ish way.
They kind of remind me a bit of Blondie and Dagwood, though Andy Gump wasn't quite such a dim bulb (at least not all the time like Dagwood), and Min was hardly as glamorous as Blondie. Son Chester rounded out the regular cast, and was a pretty typical kid (though in earlier sequences, he was almost a rival to Milton Caniff's Terry for the adventures he got caught up in). This is a good example of a cultural phenomenon (there were movies, novels, toys, etc. at the strip's peak) that's somehow been mostly forgotten today-- it makes one wonder what will last from among today's many pop culture fads. 
No comments:
Post a Comment