Don't worry, it is not necessary to know all of the names of the crew members from "Battlestar Galactica" to continue reading. The knowledge of how Wolverine acquired his adamantium claws need not accessed here, nor does one need to know what adamantium is in the first place to appreciate what is to come. \nOn campus, there can be found a glimpse into the medium's history, while off campus the industry faces challenges and new avenues of evolution.\nFrom now until Sept. 8 in the main gallery and lounge of the Lily Library, a history of comics and cartoons is available to the public, free of charge. Arranged by curator Michael Cagel, this walk through the very beginnings of cartooning to its present day status can be viewed during the museum's open hours. \nThe exhibit's breadth provides historical pieces such as one of the first comic books in the United States, the 1906 hit "The Katenjammer Kids." Original printings of pulp classics, and pre-printed first-hand sketches of such famous works as "Felix the Cat," "The Amazing Spiderman" and the late Charles M. Shultz's "Peanuts" are all on display. \nFor the historically inclined, there are the war cartoons of Bill Maudlin. For the superhero fanatics, a proud original first print of Jack Kirby's "Fantastic Four No. 1" is on display. The span of genres puts the irreverent Harley Kurtzman's "Mad Magazine" along side of 18th century political cartoons. Even the risqué is on hand, as Jack Cole's illustrations can be viewed. Cole was the inventor of "Plastic Man," and thus appropriately went on to create cartoons for Playboy. \nLily Library docent Johnnie Brantley said the legitimacy of comics as an art form and medium for the exchange of ideas truly emerges when viewed out of their historical settings and in comparison to their ancestors and predecessors. \n"Comics were socio/politico references to the times," Brantley said. "They change with the ages."\nThe popular female comic character "Blondie" can be seen evolving from her subordinate and domestic role in the 1950s to a more independent woman of the new century. And the evolution of the media itself is on display; from comics as inserts in textbooks, to bound editions of separate images, to the sequential story telling medium that we know today.\nThe exhibit proves that comics are not all fun and games. The wacky antics of "Dennis the Menace" led to the estrangement of artist Hank Ketcham from his son, on whom the comic was loosely based. And our nation's darkest hours are seen through the blatant racism in the 1937 comic "Doodlebug," showing what the masses accepted as an appropriate depiction of African Americans at that time. \nStill, comics do not exist solely in the past. Superheroes and Sunday strips have only taken the industry so far. Today, new forms are emerging that are capturing audiences and transcending venues. \nBorders Books and Music's resident comic expert Jaz Williams points out that the comic industry is at a "sink or swim" nexus in its life-time. He said the traditional domination since the 1950s of muscle-powered crusaders has only been able to progress to a point. New alternative story lines and companies are emerging that offer a new take on how comics are viewed and operate in today's society. \n"There is an old-school-boy's-club mentality about superhero fans, and it's hurting the industry," Williams said. "Mainstream comics alienate females and the very young."\nWilliams, who leads a comic discussion group every second Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at Borders, said surprising sellers are newer Japanese titles and more real-life oriented material found in such recent successes as "The Smartest Kid on Earth" and the recently adapted to film "Ghost World."\nIn fact, these reality-based comics have Hollywood's ear listening closely. "From Hell" and recent blockbuster "Road to Perdition" were both adapted from alternative comics.\nYet, the big budgets and press are still going to the established powerhouses such as The Hulk, Daredevil and the X-Men, who will star in more movies in the next few years. \nA similar dilemma faces the artists of the newspaper strips. The old faces from comic days' past appear to be losing their clout. Dan Killeen, former IDS cartoonist currently searching for syndication of his work in New York, said for the last six or seven years, the comic strip industry has been "quiet."\nKilleen, whose IDS credit includes the popular series "College," currently produces a strip entitled "The Life of Steve" through his Web site at www.dankilleen.com. \n"Of course we'll always be dominated by the standards like 'Dick Tracy,'" Killeen said. "But there's a place for newer stuff. I'm hoping to be a part of something like the grunge revival of music in the early 90s. It's time for something new."\n
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