# The origins of conventions in comics/animation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips, comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [March 19, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363 "2022-03-19T23:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/41 "2022-03-21T21:01:02Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > In addition to the former above, daggers coming out of the character’s eyes as they look at the source of their ire. In that case, though, “to stare daggers at someone,” was a pre-existing English idiom for centuries before it started showing up in comics. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/42 "2022-03-21T22:23:44Z")
Ever see a cartoon racecar, that’s going so fast that it’s leaning forward? That’s actually photorealistic: Some early photographic techniques (and some modern ones, in this smartphone age) would actually make fast-moving objects appear to lean. > **[Wheels in Perspective](http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/09/wheels-in-perspective.html)** > >  Last May, the US Postal Service released a stamp honoring the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. The stamp shows the Marmon “W... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/43 "2022-03-22T01:38:42Z")
I remember “th’” (instead of “the”) being used in comics like _ **Sad Sack** _, _ **Little Lulu** _, and _ **Spooky** _ when I was growing up. It just seemed to me that was an accurate representation how how some people (servicemen, kids, tough guys) talked. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/44 "2022-03-22T13:25:10Z")
I spent longer looking for it than I should have, but I do remember their being a Bloom County(I think, anyway) strip from forever ago that (humorously) described several of the cartoon conventions. All I _really_ remember from it was that the lines coming off someone’s head from anger or frustration were toxic to breathe in. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/45 "2022-03-22T17:28:23Z")
I found it by Googling “root boozles.” [![](https://preview.redd.it/5x1feo081jp61.jpg?width=1750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d63a7bd5e1036bd2937a78e7f6d9f4220f168be) ](https://preview.redd.it/5x1feo081jp61.jpg?width=1750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d63a7bd5e1036bd2937a78e7f6d9f4220f168be) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/46 "2022-03-22T17:55:31Z")
Impressive google fu, I never would have thought of that phrase. I spent a couple hours the other day looking for that. Though it did have the benefit of spending a couple hours reading through old Bloom County strips. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/47 "2022-03-22T18:04:20Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I found it by Googling “root boozles.” Sure, go with the obvious… I like that it provides some origin info, but I’m thinking the names must be taken with a grain of salt? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/48 "2022-03-22T18:49:12Z")
Nope, look like they’re taken straight out of Mort Walker. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/49 "2022-03-23T01:04:16Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X](https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-McCloud/dp/006097625X) > > Scott McCloud’s book is indispensable to looking at visual storytelling. I don’t remember if he touches on every point asked here, but he covers the history of cartoons (pre-animation humorous stills) and comics. I have now read this (with a lot of skimming—he’s very long-winded). While this has a huge amount of info on the philosophy and structure of comics, it doesn’t really touch at all on the type of information I was curious about in the thread. I was aiming more for something like Plop take: first known instance _Thimble Theater_ January 17, 1923 (or even just _Thimble Theater_) Hat flying off head in suprise: first known instance Buster Keaton in _x_ short in 1919. (Both examples completely made up.) The _The Katzenjammer Kids_ cursing one is exactly the type of thing that I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/50 "2022-03-23T01:17:22Z")
Sorry, guess it’s been a long time since I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/51 "2022-03-23T01:28:57Z")
It is a good book, it just isn’t a good book for this question. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/52 "2022-03-23T01:35:16Z")
Mort Walker’s _Lexicon of Comicana_ might be more what you’re looking for. I don’t think it lists first appearances, but it does have definitions for a lot of the visual shorthands and puns that were common in comics, at least up to circa 1964, when the book was published. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/53 "2022-03-23T03:00:09Z")
I’ve only been able to see the sample images in the article linked up-thread, but they are very low-information. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/54 "2022-03-23T17:29:31Z")
I came across a reprint of a comic from the early 1900’s that made fun of various comic tropes. It made me think that they were established really early on or perhaps even taken from editorial cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/55 "2022-03-23T18:23:14Z")
AFAIK, speeding vehicles that kinda slanted forward were inspired by the way the shutters of cameras recorded them. The image moved across the film as the shutter fell. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/56 "2022-03-23T21:41:53Z")
Yes, that’s what I was referring to. And a lot of phone cameras read out the detector line-by-line, and so produce a similar effect. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/57 "2022-03-24T00:43:18Z")
That th’ thing is still done a lot. I think it’s more of a visual cue for the reader, indicating casualness in the speaker. I don’t think it’s really even possible for to hear “the” shortened. It’s already about as short as it can get, imo. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/58 "2022-03-24T00:44:19Z")
oops, I didn’t see yours before I posted. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/59 "2022-03-25T18:56:48Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > That th’ thing is still done a lot. I think it’s more of a visual cue for the reader, indicating casualness in the speaker. I don’t think it’s really even possible for to hear “the” shortened. It’s already about as short as it can get, imo. Another old language convention that I think has mostly faded away: having people who are foreign or stupid or very young speak in incredibly mangled English that nobody would actually use. For instance, I was just looking at _Superboy_ 102 (January 1961) which was having a flashback to Supertoddler. Toddler Lana Land says: “Clark making believe he can fly, but me know the balloons am lifting him in air”. This, to me, seems like an incredibly unlikely set of mistakes, mixed in with words too sophisticated for a toddler. (Of course, you got the same problem with television/radio of the era, except with Tonto.) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363/60 "2022-03-25T19:00:56Z")
I’ve always read th’ as “thuh” as opposed to “thee”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-origins-of-conventions-in-comics-animation/961363.md?page=4)