So, the birth of American Comics didn’t actually happen until the 1930’s. But long before that a Swiss writer and artist presented a story in sequential words and pictures. In the year 1837 Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer produced “Les amours de Mr. Vieux Bois“.
Initially produced for friends and his own amusement “Les amours de Mr. Vieux Bois” quickly gained popularity across Europe. So in 1840 it was brought to the United States as a Newspaper supplement titled “THE ADVENTURES OF MR. OBADIAH OLDBUCK”.
The English version of the first comic book can be read from the Dartmouth web site at:
And the french version can be read at the Michigan State University website at:
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/Comic%20Art/amoursvieuxbois.pdf
Author Scott McCloud of “Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art” has given Rodolphe Töpffer the designation of “the father of the modern comic”. Sighting Töpffer’s pioneering use of bordered panels and “the interdependent combination of words and pictures.” Some say it is missing elements that make it a comic book. Read it for yourself and make your own decision.
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