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Quotes and facts about comics which are distributed to many countries and people groups, including syndicated comic strips which are published in multiple languages. (Also includes some quotes and facts about the popularity and use of comics and cartoon art in general.)
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COMICS in MULTIPLE COUNTRIES and LANGUAGES
"Mail Order Ninja, the latest manga comic [strip] from TokyoPop and Universal Press Syndicate, has launched globally and will run on Sundays through July 8 in more than fifty U.S. and international newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, and papers in Australia and China. The first Universal Press/TokyoPop manga release was Peach Fuzz, which chronicled the adventures of a girl and her precocious ferret with quite the princess complex! That release was followed by Van Von Hunter, featuring the humorous exploits of an unlikely hunter of all things evil." (From the TOKYOPOP Corporate Newsletter, April 2007)
The Blondie comic strip is celebrating its 75th anniversary this summer. The strip, which features one of the most famous married couples in the world in [one of] the most widely read strip[s] in comics history, reaches about 250 million readers in more than 2,000 newspapers in 55 countries, is translated into more than 30 languages, and ranks among the top five most popular strips in newspaper comics surveys year in and year out. The characters have been depicted on a U.S. postage stamp, featured in a Library of Congress exhibit and inspired movies and a TV series. (From an AP news story, July 2005)
"[Christian cartoonist] Jack Chick [is] responsible for some 400 million copies of cartoon booklets in 70 languages ... It would be easy to dismiss [Chick tracts] as an aberration except for the reception of these booklets. Catholic scholar Mark S. Massa notes that one Chick comic touches more people than most theologians and preachers hope to reach in a lifetime." (Quoted in a Books and Culture e-newletter feature article by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, excerpted from their book "Is the Reformation Over?", June 2005)
"Until 2001, the record [for world's most syndicated comic strip] was held by Peanuts, by American cartoonist Charles Schulz (1922–2000). First published on October 2, 1950, Peanuts appeared in 2,620 newspapers, in 75 countries, and 26 languages, reaching 355 million readers." (From the Guinness Book of World Records, 2005)
"When Beetle Bailey comic creator Mort Walker asked fans for their input on the creation of a new computer technician character, he received 84,324 replies, mostly e-mails, of course... The character, 'Army Specialist Chip Gizmo' [appeared] July 4 at Camp Swampy... This is not the first time Walker has introduced new characters or injected timely story lines into Beetle Bailey. Lt. Jack Flap made his appearance in 1970, a time when blacks were not seen in white comic strips. The last new addition was Cpl. Yo, an Asian character, who debuted five years ago... Walker started drawing the strip in 1950... [which] now appears in 1,800 newspapers worldwide." (From an AP story, June 2002)
"Garfield, created by Jim Davis and circulated by Universal Press Syndicate, is the world's most syndicated comic strip appearing in 2,570 journals worldwide, according to the Guinness World Records. After conducting a thorough investigation, Guinness World Records recently notified Universal Press of the distinction and presented a certificate to Davis. Garfield, the lasagna-loving and cynical fat cat, will celebrate its 25th year in syndication in 2003 ... (the strip began) in 41 U.S. newspapers. The comic strip is now read by some 263 million newspaper readers in 111 countries around the globe." (From a Business Wire Features story, Jan 2002)
"Psyops [Psychological Operations] units [of the U.S. military] use a wide array of communications media - including radio and TV broadcasts, loudspeakers, newspapers, magazines, leaflets and even comic books - to help win or prevent wars... The 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) researched and developed over 29 million copies of 38 different leaflets [including ones using cartoons and comics] for use in the Persian Gulf war ... DC Comics [was contracted] to produce special versions of Superman and Wonder Woman comic books - in the languages of the Balkans, Central America, Africa and Southeast Asia, among others - teaching the dangers of land mines ... This has proven to be a successful mine awareness tool that may be replicated in the future for use in South America." (From articles on the National Defense Magazine website, Nov 1997 and Feb 2001)
"For the past 30 years the fun and entertaining Donald Duck Pocket Books have been one of the absolute favorites for German pocket book readers. With the latest edition no. 273 of the Donald Duck Pocket Book sales have reached 200 million copies in Germany. To celebrate the occasion Egmont Ehapa made a special edition out of no. 273 where the readers can amuse themselves with Donald Duck postcards with interesting motives and what Donald's name is in a variety of countries. For examples his name is Donal Bebek in Indonesia, Battouta in Arabic and Tang Lao Ya in China." (From the Egmont web site, 2001)
"The Library of Congress is opening a show... devoted to one of the oldest surviving American comic strips - Chic Young's Blondie... [which]... appears in 2,000 newspapers in 55 countries and 35 languages... 'International readers were often surprised when they found out that the comic strip did not originate in their own country,' [a show curator] wrote perhaps an indication of how the American middle-class way of life has become familiar to the world." (From an AP story, June 2000)
"[The] Peanuts [comic strip]... ran in more than 2,600 newspapers, reaching millions of readers in 75 countries." (From a May 2000 AP article)
"The Garfield comic strip is distributed to over 2,600 newspapers worldwide. An estimated 263 million readers see Garfield each day in 63 countries with translations in 23 languages." (From a PRNewswire release, May 2000)
The popularity of comics worldwide is evidenced by the number of comics conventions held each year - in Asia, the US and Europe - and by the number of people who attend these events. The Comic Con International in San Diego, USA attracts 40,000 visitors every year. Festival International de la BD in Angouleme, France has 160,000 attendees annually. Comiket in Tokyo, Japan has two shows a year with 400,000 comics fans at each show. There are many other conventions. comics festivals, and cartoon competitions in such diverse locales as Legnica, Poland (Satyrykon), Beirut, Lebanon (Festival of Comics), Sydney, Australia, and Istanbul, Turkey, as well as in Italy, England, Belgium, Romania, Scotland, Korea, Brazil, and numerous other countries. (Compiled from various sources, 1998-2000)
"If you were to name the most widely read Christian of our time, who would it be? C. S. Lewis? Frank Peretti? Billy Graham? Well, the real answer is someone who has more readers than all of these men combined. But don't look for his books at your local Christian bookstore. He's in the newspaper, on, of all things, the comic page. I'm talking about Johnny Hart, the most widely syndicated cartoonist in the world. He draws two well-known comic strips, B.C. and Wizard of Id, which reach some 100 million readers worldwide every day. About 20 years ago, Hart underwent a conversion experience and became personally persuaded that Christianity is true. [Since then] Hart has begun to weave Christian themes into his strip." (From an July '99 "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" column)
"Marvel Comic's Spider-Man [is] one of the world's most recognizable and celebrated Super Heroes. Fifteen million Spider-Man comics are sold each year in 75 countries and in 22 languages, and a comic strip... is syndicated... in 500 newspapers worldwide." (From a Dec '98 PRNewswire story)
A comic book entitled Al Asesino Escondido ("The Hidden Killer") instructs children in Central America about the threat of land mines. The comic book, starring Superman and Wonder Woman, was produced by the US Department of Defense (DoD) in an effort to protect children in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. It is designed to teach children to stay away from mines and unexploded ordnance, to recognize areas where mines may be located and to take certain action if they find a mine. It also encourages children to share their understanding of the land mine threat with friends and family members, and teaches them that people removing mines in their country are working to protect them from the dangers of land mines. Six hundred fifty thousand copies of the book - 560,000 in Spanish and 90,000 in English - were published in the second partnership of DoD, UNICEF and DC Comics. A similar comic book was published in English and Eastern European languages to promote mine awareness in Bosnia-Herzegovina. "From the Bosnia experience, we know that comic books are a successful tool to educate children about the dangers of mines in their areas," said a DoD representative. A third version of the comic book is already being considered, to be published in Portuguese for the children of Angola - which the United Nations estimates has 15 million land mines, more than any other country. (From the US Department of Defense "Defense Link" web page, with American Forces Information Service News Article, June '98)
"Japan's comics, or manga... are increasingly popular in the United States and Europe... Proponents predict the country's comic books and animation styles will form the backbone of 21st century world pop culture... [and] will challenge Western pop culture." (From a July '97 AP story)
Since beginning their comics program in 1982, the United Bible Societies have distributed approximately 100 million copies of 13 titles in over 100 languages worldwide. (From a United Bible Societies source in the mid-1990s)
"After you read the front page of your Sunday paper, where do you turn? If it's to the 'funnies,' you along with thousands have discovered the 'drawing power' of cartoons. Their innocent format and lovable characters disarm us as they depict a humorous antic or deliver a potent message... In 1983 Ron Wheeler initiated discussions with American Tract concerning a line of cartoon tracts... (now) Ron has twenty-two cartoon titles ... in print, and nearly 3 million of his tracts are purchased from American Tract every year. Since 1984 over 30,000,000 of these humorous gospel messengers have been scattered literally around the world. Translations of Ron's best-selling tract, 'The Light,' are now available in French and Swedish, with a host of requests for other languages also. The French version, 'La Lumière,' was used in Paris, France by street evangelists who actually performed the tract as a skit and then gave it away afterwards to the audience. Last summer 100,000 of the Swedish version, 'Ljuset,' were used by Swedish Christians to share the gospel in their country." (From an article in American Tract Society's On the Right Tract publication, Volume 7, No.1)
GENERAL QUOTES & FACTS ON COMICS
Famous Austrian/German/American filmmaker and screenwriter Fritz Lang (1890-1976) said he learned English and American culture by reading US comic strips. (From 'Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood' on PBS, January 2009)
In the 1980s a team of nuclear physicists, linguists, engineers, and psychologists was appointed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to devise warnings for proposed burial sites for radioactive garbage. They had to devise signs which would "survive the inevitable evolution of language for 10,000 years, the expected duration of the radiation danger." Noted author and professor of anthropology, linguistics and semiotics Thomas Sebeok proposed a system which would begin with the posting of durable danger markers or signs containing words and cartoon pictures. (From an LA Times obituary, Dec 2001)
"Most newspapers have comics pages for good reason: they're popular - they are the first pages many readers turn to. Internet publications and websites often embrace comic strips as well, and the online world presents a promising marketplace. But most of tomorrow's internet comic strips won't look like those in newspapers. Instead of static images in black and white, comic strips online will be animated, interactive and colourful." (From the Guardian Unlimited web site, May 2000)
"No one is seriously proposing that a cartoon strip version of the Bible is going to replace the real thing, and the minority of educators who have deplored this treatment have missed the point. Research has shown that the visual memory, far from being a barrier to assimilation, can heighten awareness and consolidate learning processes. The Bible strip simplifies and visualizes the written word - children facing a blockage when they come to reading the text can be made familiar in advance with the action and moral of Biblical narrative. In fact, the Bible adapts to the medium with startling success, particularly the Old Testament... Again, the comic books are not intended as replacements of the originals. Children who might have been put off by grey type read the strips and have their appetites whetted. If an adaptation has succeeded the plot will retain its shape and the action will rivet the child who, if his curiosity is to be satisfied, will seek out the book itself and meet it as a friend rather than a cold stranger." (From The Penguin Book of Comics, 1971)
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