Almost 20 years after his death, legendary cartoonist Milton Caniff's influence on comic art and the comic strip lives on.
Underground cartoonist Frank Stack said he believes Caniff is the "key figure in the development of storytelling and artistic development of the comic strip" and he raised the bar for what a comic strip could be.
Caniff, an Ohio State alumnus and master cartoonist who won the Cartoonist of the Year Award twice, will be remembered and honored at OSU Cartoon Research Library's 9th Festival of Cartoon Art Oct. 25-27, beginning at 11 a.m. More than a dozen of the nation's top cartoonists, scholars and comic professionals will gather in downtown Columbus to celebrate Caniff's life and his work. Cartoonists such as Stack, Arnold Roth and Mort Walker will speak of Caniff and their own successes and failures in the world of comic art.
Caniff is best known for comic strips "Terry and the Pirates," "Male Call," Steve Canyon" and "Dickie Dare." Many cartoonists point to Caniff's works as an influence on their own work and his impact on the comic strip as a form of art.
Founding curator of the Cartoon Research Library Lucy Shelton Caswell said Caniff "changed the history of American comic strips because before him, most of the characters were one dimensional."
Caswell said Caniff is one of the reasons the library exists. As the founding donor and a goodwill ambassador for the library, he persuaded other cartoonists to donate their work.
The library, which was founded in 1977, is home to the National Cartoonists Society archives and is the nation's largest and most comprehensive research facility of cartoon art. The library currently has more than a quarter of a million original editorial cartoons and work from popular comic strips like "Charlie Brown," "Cathy" and "Terry and the Pirates," she said.
Stack, who is a professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, has been credited by many in the field as the creator of the first underground comic book, "The Adventures of Jesus." Unlike Caniff's work in mainstream comics, in underground comics Stack could express opinions and views without censorship, free from society's moral standards, he said.
"When you make a joke about anyone or anything, it means that can be hurtful. I've given some thought to it (political correctness) and what they really mean is shut up," Stack said. "In comics and comedy you get what you deserve and so does everyone else. A pompous ass doesn't get killed, he gets embarrassed."
The first festival was held in 1983 to draw people from around the nation to see the "treasures of the Cartoon Research Library," Caswell said. The festival now includes speakers from all genres of storytelling, including comic book and comic strip people, editorial cartoonists and graphic novelists.
Jenny Robb, associate curator of the library and assistant professor, said students from all backgrounds will enjoy the festival - from those interested in art and literature to those interested in graphic design or popular culture.
Tickets for the three-day event, which will be held at the Columbus Renaissance Hotel, are $25 for students and include the academic pre-conference, the reception at Thurber Center Gallery, all presentations and food and drink. Besides the food and vibrant speakers, Caswell said limited enrollment will add to the personal environment of the festival.
"When you stand up to ask a question, the speaker can look you in the eye and respond to you as a person," Caswell said.
Caswell said she wants people to leave with a new appreciation of comic art and of the importance of the communicative power of words and pictures together.
"Students sometimes take comics for granted and we haven't valued them as a cultural artifact," she said. "Comic strips are a part of our cultural experience that we don't want to forget about."
For registration or more information about speakers and the Cartoon Research Library, go to cartoons.osu.edu.
Jenna McGuire can be reached at mcguire.165@osu.edu.
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