I just want everyone to take a moment and appreciate Krazy Kat.
for context: Krazy’s unrequited crush is a pillar of the strip, Ignatz Mouse is being unusually patient here, and Joe Stork is literally the magic stork who delivers babies
all these characters are canonically male
Joe Stork’s only objection to this potential romance is “what if the kids turn out like Ignatz”
this was published in newspapers in 1920
Krazy Kat is actually canonically genderfluid! The pronouns change constantly.
I’ve definitely gone through multi-year collections of strips that only ever refer to Krazy as “he.” Can’t think offhand of any examples that use “she”.
(People have used it when writing essays aboutthe series, but that’s different from it being inthe series, and tbh seems to be driven by “this is undeniably romantic, so it must actually be m/f, how could any other gender combo make sense??” than anything else.)
Can you point us to some sources?
@erinptah I’m editing my original reblog of this, since “pronoun” was a semantic specific, but I stand by Krazy Kat being canonically genderfluid, even if the pronouns don’t shift- every other determiner shifts!
I would really like to see the full strips that go with the individual panels you linked!
I’m not trying to pick a fight, honest – trans & nonbinary characters are important, I have other canon favorites that I love and support – but characters who are joyfully unconcerned about stepping outside their gender’s socially-mandated roles/determiners are important too, you know?
I just want everyone to take a moment and appreciate Krazy Kat.
for context: Krazy’s unrequited crush is a pillar of the strip, Ignatz Mouse is being unusually patient here, and Joe Stork is literally the magic stork who delivers babies
all these characters are canonically male
Joe Stork’s only objection to this potential romance is “what if the kids turn out like Ignatz”
this was published in newspapers in 1920
Krazy Kat is actually canonically genderfluid! The pronouns change constantly.
I’ve definitely gone through multi-year collections of strips that only ever refer to Krazy as “he.” Can’t think offhand of any examples that use “she”.
(People have used it when writing essays aboutthe series, but that’s different from it being inthe series, and tbh seems to be driven by “this is undeniably romantic, so it must actually be m/f, how could any other gender combo make sense??” than anything else.)
Still on time for the east coast! In this episode, we look at some of the greats of the early years of newspaper comic strips–the Pioneers of the Funnies.
There’s a whole bunch of stuff out there on these artists–some easier to find than others. Enjoy looking around!
Books Worth Checking Out There are a lot of books on the subject, but these are the ones I like the best:
The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics, Bill Blackbeard
The Comics: Before 1945, Brian Walker
The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art, Jerry Robinson
The Art of the Funnies: An Aesthetic History, Robert C. Harvey
Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White, Michael Tisserand
Links Some of these are informational, some are links to image collections.
The AV Club’s Primer on Newspaper Comics: A grand primer! This goes beyond the early days discussed in this video, but is a good primer if you’re interested in the funny pages.
Obscure US Newspaper Comics: For every one strip that thrived during the Golden Age of Newspaper Strips, many more failed. The Lambiek Comiclopedia is a great source for tons of info, but this particular page is relevant to today’s interests.
Comic Strip Library: This site has high-res images of Krazy Kat,Little Nemo, and Dream of the Rarebit Fiend.
Comics Kingdom Vintage: King Features is the syndicate that’s home to Bringing Up Father, Krazy Kat, The Katzenjammer Kids, and The Little King. They have samples of each strip available to read.
ComicArtFans: This is a place for comic art collectors to show off their collections (and sometimes sell them. Search by title and/or author to check out surviving original art. Examples of art by Tad Dorgan, Bud Fisher, George Herriman, Rudolph Dirks, George McManus, Frederick Burr Opper, and Winsor McCay have been posted!
talking abt krazy kat on my main so uhhh here’s one of my class drawing challenges from earlier this quarter for SEQA survey! i just think it would be a cute kids cartoon…bonnie & clyde adventures with krazy kat and ignatz!!
[ID: a black and white ink drawing of the character krazy kat from the 1913 newspaper comic strip. they are a black cat with a white face, a zig-zag shaped tail, and a ribbon around their neck and are drawn in a vaguely 1930s classic animation style, driving a cartoony car and flying out of it while holding on to the wheel with stylized sweat droplets near their head. ignatz mouse is a white mouse with dark ears, tail, and legs/arms, and is holding on to their tail, looking back with an annoyed expression and holding a brick in his free hand. officer bull pupp — a light-colored dog with darker ears and tail, wearing a stereotypical police uniform jacket and hat and white gloves — is running after them, nightstick raised and other hand in a fist. the car is driving down a wavy, stylized road with dust and motion lines behind it, and in the background is the silhouette of a desert rock formation, with a stylized sun setting behind it. at the bottom right hand corner, in all capital block letters are the words, “the krazy adventures of ignatz & kat” with “krazy” “ignatz”, and “kat” in the comic title text. end ID.]
Here is another themed piece which I was asked to submit to — the theme on this one was ‘Windows and cats’, in which I pay homage to authors/artists who have created some famous graphic felines, as well as homage to Ted,The Catman, who simply moved in with us one day. How many of the cats can you recognize?
PS - I have completely forgotten one of the fifteen cats I drew thirteen years ago!
