In the first half of the 20th century, and for many years, the publication of comic strips or full comic pages in newspapers was an attempt to engage readers and boost sales. After all, these were times when many of today’s entertainment options did not exist. Newspaper strips were generally published in two formats. The first was the daily horizontal strip in black and white. The second was the Sunday page, which appeared in a color supplement. Sunday strips usually occupied a full or nearly full page, reserving some space for another series to complete the layout. Over the years, formats changed, allowing for full-page, half-page, or one-third-page publications, depending on the needs of the newspapers that ran them.
This exhibition presents some of the most famous and important authors and characters of the genre—undeniable references for later generations. In adventure comics, we find styles ranging from the most realistic and photographic drawings (Foster, Raymond) to the most expressionistic (Caniff, Robbins), without forgetting uniquely personal styles like that of Gould. In humorous comics, we have Herriman, Bushmiller, and Schulz—distinct voices that have captivated generations of readers.
"Visitors will surely recognize and appreciate some of the characters on display. These characters and their creators continue to be published and, therefore, remain models for future professionals in the genre. Most importantly, they continue to entertain and move audiences for one very simple reason: they are classics." — Jaume Vaquer
Visitors can observe how, in the early days, comics leaned toward humor and depictions of everyday life. From the 1930s onward, however, there was a surge of adventure characters with a more realistic drawing style and diverse genres: jungle stories (Tarzan), science fiction (Flash Gordon), war epics (Terry and the Pirates, Johnny Hazard), medieval knights (Prince Valiant), Westerns (Cisco Kid), detective stories (Dick Tracy), superheroes (The Phantom, Mandrake), and more.
By the late 1940s, the industry experienced a certain decline, as distributors imposed restrictions that prevented continuity stories from lasting more than three months. This put an end to long-running narratives, which had previously spanned over a year. Additionally, they required Sunday pages to be adaptable to multiple formats to suit different newspapers' needs. These changes posed significant challenges for creators, affecting their storytelling. Despite this, new and remarkable works still emerged during those years, mostly in humor, satire, or slice-of-life storytelling. From the melodramatic Juliet Jones to the highly original Pogo, and the later enormously popular Peanuts—the strip starring Charlie Brown and Snoopy—these works continued to shape and define the world of comic strips.
