I was poking around in 1973, looking to see what Easter cartoons might have run a half century ago, but found they were pretty much the same as what was running this Easter.
And then I stumbled over this fascinating package from the Los Angeles Times, a pair of articles about comics by two very qualified writers.
Roy Paul Nelson was a giant among cartooning, advertising and design experts, with several books on those subjects — including The Art of Cartooning — and a history of teaching to go along with them.
Donald Bremner didn’t have as prominent a reputation in the cartooning world, but his obituary reveals an enviable track record for a journalist.
Together, they put together an LA Times package on the state of the comics a half century ago that the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (1912-2010) ran as a full page on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1973.
Normally, I’d excerpt it and link to the rest, but I can’t find a non-paywall version. Please consider this a promotional announcement to encourage you to buy Roy Paul Nelson’s books, to subscribe to the LA Times, to donate to the Sierra Club on behalf of Donald Bremner and to purchase a membership in Newspapers.com
And to take comics as seriously as they did.
Happy Easter to all, and a message to newspaper owners: If you want to see something rise from the dead, try offering your readers the kind of packages that were featured in newspapers a half century ago. I miss those “second pot of coffee” features that once graced the Sunday edition.