If it was the larger than life characters which inspired my last post, today, it is those forever-been-there characters of my life which inspires this post. Comics, the word itself invokes so many happy memories and vivid characters that I wonder if I will ever get over them! I am sure that I am not the only one who won’t miss reading a comic clip, not just from a newspaper or a magazine but even from some torn, rumpled packing paper used by my local store to wrap stuff with. Whenever anyone is watching a show of my favorite comic characters, I can never resist watching it again as if it is for the first time. So, you can imagine how tough it was for me to pick the list for today. Finally, I chose three of my favorite comics which I started reading as I grew from a child to a teenager to a adult:
1. Dennis the Menace
Be honest, didn’t you just smile reading that header? Isn’t he adorable, of course, as long as you are not his neighbor, Mr. Wilson or his parents or his teachers, because this neighborhood hurricane, Dennis Mitchell spares no one with his antics. Dennis the Menace comic strip made its debut in the daily newspapers of U.S in March, 1951 and continues being published till today. Originally created by American cartoonist, Hank Ketcham, Dennis the Menace was drawn and written by him till his retirement in 1994. Today, his youngest son, Scott Ketcham continues the legacy.
Hank Ketcham created the character Dennis Mitchell, inspired by his four year old son, Dennis Ketcham, and his boyish pranks. Very soon, the mischievous, freckle-faced five-and-a-half-year-old character with the blonde cowlick became a brand by itself. Hundreds of books compilations, comics series have been translated into multiple foreign languages across the years, creating worldwide popularity for Dennis the Menace. So also followed numerous adaptations of the character in television as well as the silver screen.
As a kid, Dennis was one of the first comic characters I remember sketching all over the place. I bought a lot of the merchandise too. I read every little comic strip I could find as well as tons of the comic books and could never get enough of it. So, you will understand when I tell you that I also watched many of the cinematic adaptations too, though not all, as there are way too many. So, from all the ones that I have watched so far, I would rate the first adaptation as still the best. This was a TV series which ran for four seasons from 1959 to 1963. The series starred Jay North as Dennis Mitchell and though it is a pretty old black and white version, it sure is as entertaining as the actual comics. The actors have done such a good job. I love the expressions Dennis (aka Jay North) has on him when he is up to some mischief, equally matched by the always irritated look on Mr. Wilson (played by Joseph Kearns.) Yes, this really old series still endures. So, do check it out.
2. Archie Comics
If you were / are a fan of Archie and his gang, it would have sure made up for any kind of fun that you ever missed out in your own high school. Every character of this comic series helped build up the popularity of this comic series. I mean, every teenager’s friend circle always has a forever hungry Jughead Jones, a geeky Dilton, a big Moose…well, I can go and on with every character.
Archie, set in the fictional small town of Riverdale, made its first appearance in December, 1941. Writer, Vic Bloom and artist Bob Montana, built up a story of a college romance between Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper along with tales of friendship and loyalty which appealed to the imagination of teenagers around the globe. Supporting characters like Jughead Jones and Sabrina started a cult following too and so many parallel comic series came up around them. Guess, this is how legends are created! Archie comics is easily one of the most popular American comics across the world for years now. Nevertheless, it also led to the highest number of inspirations for TV series, animation movies as well as movies. Can’t help but also add this trivia here — beginning of this month, the royal baby was named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Archie Comics paid a tribute to the baby via Twitter, saying: “I’m Baby.” Immediately. the name, “Archie” climbed to the top rank for baby names, worldwide.
For a long time, as a teenager into adulthood, Riverdale High was the dream school / college for me. I would save every month to buy the latest Archie digest and read them again and again. So, I have been a avid watcher of almost every major adaptation of movies as well as TV series. Sadly, I haven’t like any of them. Even the latest versions of modern Archie did not appeal to me. So, I stay disappointed and won’t make a mention of any of the adaptations and / or inspirations of Archie comics. I never lose hope though. I have read about plans for a Broadway show being written especially for Archie and won’t that be a treat, worth waiting for!
3. The Adventures of Tintin
Tintin is considered the most popular European comic brand across the world. Created by Belgian cartoonist, Herge, the series first appeared in French in January, 1929 in a youth supplement to a Belgian newspaper. Across the years, it became so popular that it inspired Herge to produce and distribute the iconic Tintin albums which got translated to 70 languages, worldwide from 1950. The series, set in the background of the 20th century, starred Tintin, a brave young Belgian reporter and adventurer as the protagonist. Tintin and his faithful dog, Snowy solved several mysteries with the help of the skeptical Captain Haddock and their adventures took the readers to places around the world. Haddock’s “blistering barnacles” and “thundering typhoons” made readers howl with laughter and ask for more! As expected, with the rise of popularity came innumerable cinematic adaptations. But we had to wait for another legend to do justice to Tintin when Steven Spielberg’s directorial movie, “The Adventures of Tintin” released in 2011. This is my choice of the best adaptation ever.
My fascination for Tintin started in high school and has stayed with me since. The album books were always expensive and I found a like-minded group of friends who used to buy in turns and share. I still hold my copies as treasures of my library. I had watched a TV series on Tintin way back in school which was created by Herge himself and is a must watch for every fan. It ran for three seasons in 1991 and every episode was as best as it could have been done by the creator himself.
However, 10 years later, Spielberg decided to contribute and he created history. The best part of Spielberg’s movie is that he kept the original characters intact, looks, mannerisms, everything and worked his magic with the help of the latest technology on the other aspects of the movie, like cinematography, special effects etc. That made the old generation fans happy and attracted new generation fans to these lovable characters all over again. This movie is also a must watch for every Tintin fan.
I would also like to recommend a visit to the Herge Museum, if you are someone who can never have enough of Tintin. I visited this museum in 2015 and the original artworks remain etched in my memory. The beautiful museum building is quite a drive from Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, set in a beautiful forest, but the drive and the effort, both will be worth it, I promise!
I stop here for today, but I hope I have rekindled the kid in you with today’s list. Yes, you are never too old for a comic book or a movie or a TV series, I am a living proof of it and proudly claim so. These endearing characters are classic yet can adapt to modern avatars and enthuse generations across generations. Thank you for stopping by. I will love to know about your favorite comics and why you still love them so much, so please leave me your comments below. Keep reading, keep watching, till next time!
Watch What You Read! 