Random Comics News Story Round-Up

* the Supreme Court will hear arguments in US v. Williams this morning. At issue is an element of anti-pornography law that not only goes after child pornography but goes after any and all depictions of the same, which I believe means any sort of representation of such an act, even for literary or satirical purpose, could be prosecuted on the same level as someone having a empty warehouse filled with cameras where they keep children in a cage and ritually abuse them, primarily through a gateway argument, the use of which in itself has troubling implications. Here's an analysis being sent around by the American Constitution Society that appeared on their blog. I don't envy anyone having to safeguard First Amendment rights through such an unpleasant, but I think on balance it's an admirable and necessary task.

* I enjoyed the American Masters television program on Charles Schulz that ran on PBS last night -- and may have yet to run in your area -- if only for the wonderful archival footage unearthed that I'd never experienced, including a lot of footage of the Schulz Family at home, several moments of Schulz drawing, and a really late television interview (with Al Roker -- who talked about the experience here) where Schulz broke down. Some of the comics analysis was pretty good, too, such as Jules Feiffer recalling how refreshing it was to see actual little kid behavior on the page, the notion that the strip captured the separate world that kids live in, and something I hadn't thought of before but that seems really obvious now in that the strip played as a quiet counterpoint to a lot of busier, more aggressively illustrated features on the same page.

I imagine there will be a lot of people that will point to this as another example of a treatment of Schulz that concentrates far too much on the melancholy aspects of Peanuts and his personal character at the expense of the sunnier qualities in the comic strip and in its creator. I sympathize, especially with the family, who must carry a level of insight, expectation and disappointment that the rest of us can never truly understand. At the same time, I think that the sadness in Peanuts has been correctly identified as a lot of what made it great -- perhaps the single thing that most distinguished it from every strip before or since -- despite the elements of universal craft that Schulz showed as a gagmaker and an evocative cartoon artist. It might be one thing if this poignant element were somehow masked in the strip, or such a complete 360 from what we know of the cartoonist's personal life, but it's right out there in the open for both and supported by statements from those who knew them best. I hope that there is a deeper appreciation at some point that more closely looks at how the humor worked in relation to those elements, and I'm all for a continuing element of high regard for Schulz's chops, but I don't blame anyone for exploring a general subject that seems glaringly obvious in the strip and from the man's own testimony.

* speaking of Schulz, he continues to be one of the most effective money-makers among dead celebrities.

* the retailer advocacy organization ComicsPro has sent out a press release declaring its devotion to high standards when it comes to anti-collusive practices, including incorporating "an antitrust compliance policy into its by-laws outlining the parameters within which independent retailers can confidently deal with each other." This is important because the potential membership base for a group like ComicsPro has real trust factors involved with things like sharing information because of the possibility that by fostering an atmosphere of support they are planting the seeds for nearby competition to spring up.
 
posted 10:10 pm PST | Permalink
 

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