When I was growing up in Massachusetts the 1940s, comic books played a big part in the life of young children, lacking as we did all the other forms of diversion children today have. Yet, until I went off to college, I never heard the term "comic book.’ Everyone in my neighborhood called them “funny books.” Is this a term peculiar to my neighborhood and time or did others also use it? Were there any other terms in use?
In my raging kidhood, my folks called 'em “funny books.” This would have been in south Texas. I can only assume it’s a generalized term. Aside from “funny books,” “comic books,” or “comics,” I can’t say I’ve ever heard 'em called anything else.
Until we get to the nineties, where we came up with “graphic novels.”
Alabama in the 40’s and 50’s had “funny books” and the newspapers carried “funny pages” where the “funnies” were located. I did hear “comic strips” and “comic books” referred to, but, as best I can recall, that was always in a more formal parlance, maybe in written articles or in broadcast references. At least I was aware of other terms than “funnies” back then.
Animated color cartoons were comedies. So were the live action shorts like Three Stooges, Pete Smith, etc., but “color cartoon” was a common expression, too. There may have been some at the movies, but I can’t recall a single B&W cartoon. So why they were “color cartoons” didn’t make sense until I saw some of the really old ones on TV after I was a teenager or later. And I honestly don’t remember what we called the cartoons on the editorial pages. Probably cartoons, but I just don’t remember.
Nowadays, comics, unless the context makes it clear, can be books, strips or comedians. In fact when a thread title mentions “comics” I fully expect it to be about performers. It rarely is. Comedian seems the word of choice when that’s the point.
“Fun” appeared in the titles of the earliest American comic books. In 1933, Max Gaines (father of William Gaines of Mad magazine) published the first American comic book in the format we know today, titled Funnies on Parade. National Periodical Publications published New Fun Comics in 1935, which contained the first original characters and stories.
I should mention that there was rarely anything funny in over 70% of the comic strips, even when they were trying to be funny. Amusing yes, funny no. And I don’t remember reading “funny books” about the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Batman, Superman, Captain Marvel, True Detective Mysteries, or even Donald Duck and Mighty Mouse with the hope of finding anything to laugh at.
As the OP states, they were about it for kids’ entertainment if you ignored the Saturday morning radio shows aimed at kids and the Saturday afternoon double features at the theater that had every kid in the county present for a western, a serial, some cartoons, previews and maybe Leo Gorcey and the Bowery Boys or another western for the second show.
I’m on a message board for a comic, and the writer himself refers to them as “funnybooks” even though comedy isn’t the main idea of the series (though it is present). I think it’s probably a generational thing.
Graphic novels I wouldn’t say meant any old comic, but a something longer than your average issue. And one with a self-contained story.
“Graphic novels” as such are new to me. I’ve heard them referred to, and understand that several movies have been based on them, including those of Harvey Pekar and Frank Miller. But I’ve not read the books themselves.
Now, “Classics Illustrated” helped account for more than a few book reports before I ever knew about Cliff Notes.
And this brings up another apparently generational thing: we called them 'previews," not “trailers.” Once again, I didn’t hear that word until I went to college and then I always thought it was a pretentious term used by the artsy-fartsy crowd.
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Somehow, “trailer” makes it sound like something they cut off the end or the like.
Remember those “Prevues of Coming Attractions” and then “Also Selected Short Subjects” things they would throw up? Big old marquees and spotlights like on the 20th Century Fox logo. Speaking of which, is it just me or did they lengthen the fanfare for the 20th Century thing with the advent of CinemaScope? Nowadays when you get it at all, you get the longer version. Also, nowadays you hear it promoting all sorts of things much like the Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) theme that Elvis ripped off.
Yes, they did. The original fanfare had 16 notes. The CinemaScope title card added 12 more.
Walloon, I’ve said it before, but you are amazing. No telling how many trivial questions I’ve asked (or hinted at) that you’ve been right there with the answer.
Many thanks.
When I was a lad (north Georgia, 1970s) there was a local guy who bought and sold old comics. When he was selling they were “comic books” (as in “I have some nice vintage comic books I can sell you for $5 apiece”).
When he was buying, they were “funny books” (as in, “I’ll give you $2 for that box of funny books, kid”).
The term “trailers” is actually old and comes from the fact that the previews of coming attractions used to be shown AFTER the feature.