Celebrity comics

Celebrity comics are usually written and drawn for commercial purposes.[1] Publishers try to cash in on the fame of a well known radio, TV, film star or series by launching a comic book or an entire comic book series about these media stars.[1] Comics about sports champions or theatrical actors fall in the same category. The line of thought behind these works is that the audience will be more likely to buy something they already recognize from theatre, film, radio or TV than a brand new series about an original creation.

Despite the commercial potential few of these celebrity comics last long. Their sales are usually based on the amount of attention a certain celebrity receives during a certain period. If the media craze or fad dies down the comic version usually fizzles out as well.[1] Another reason why many of these comics fail in the long run has to do with the fact that companies usually pass both the writing and drawing to less skilled artists, many of which don't have much experience in their profession. Apart from that the artists in question are put under pressure of a TV channel, company or the media star himself to follow their own demands and expectations as much as possible.[1]

Celebrity comics should not be confused with satirical comics or political comics, which lampoon celebrities. While these can sometimes be made to play-off the fame of a celebrity, they usually tend to be less respectful towards the media stars in question and are seldom made with their own participation.

Despite the fact that celebrity comics are considered pure pulp some people have interest in these titles as a mere nostalgic or historical curiosity, of which they enjoy the campiness.

Dan Leno's Comic Journal, Issue No. 1, February 26, 1898

Celebrity comics have existed since the late 19th century. The earliest example was the magazine Dan Leno's Comic Journal (1898), based on the popularity of British music hall comedian Dan Leno. The paper was primarily aimed at young adults and featured a fictional version of Leno. He personally wrote most of the gags and stories, while Tom Browne contributed many of the illustrations.[2] The comedian retained editorial control of the paper, deciding which items to omit.[3][4] After a run of nearly two years the novelty wore off, and Leno lost interest. The paper shut down on December 2, 1899.[2][3] Another early example was a comic strip drawn between 1909 and 1913 about the local village eccentric Robert W. Patten by John Hager, which was published in the Seattle Daily Times.[5] When Hollywood started making slapstick films many comics series were made about popular film comedians. E.C. Segar's Charlie Chaplin's Comic Capers is perhaps the most famous example and ran for a solid two years, between 1916 and 1918. Between the 1920s and early 1960s the British magazines Radio Fun and Film Fun were even completely based around comics about radio and film celebrities. In the mid-1930s American artists like Alfred Buescher,[6] Clifton H. Crittenden,[7] Roland Jack Scott, and Arthur J. Palmer also made text comics based on the lives of celebrities who made headlines at the time. When television became popular in the 1950s and 1960s it opened the door for a whole stream of comics based on popular TV shows and stars. In every country with a comics industry examples of celebrity comics can be found.

The longest-running celebrity comic in the world made by the same two creators is the Belgian series Urbanus by Urbanus and Willy Linthout. It was in constant production from 1982 up until 2022.[8]

A subgenre is celebrity animated cartoon series, based on the popularity of a well known musical artist (Hammerman), band (The Beatles, The Jackson 5ive, The Osmonds, New Kids on the Block), film stars (The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show, Jackie Chan Adventures, Amigo and Friends, Laurel and Hardy, Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action, Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, The New Three Stooges,...), TV star (The Gary Coleman Show, Partridge Family 2200 A.D., Mr. T, Laverne & Shirley in the Army, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang) and/or sports champion (Harlem Globetrotters, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Ronaldinho Gaucho's Team,...).