Review: The Comic Book History of Animation #4

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey’s The Comic Book History of Animation is just the type of history we love to read in graphic novels. A nice dose of animation history and a massive topping of gossip. The book follows the path of animation on television from smaller doses of theater cast-offs in the 50s to the eventual duel rise of Japanese influences and toy aisle tie-ins.

All of this is done with a silly parodying art style that brings a whole other layer of personality. Walt Disney is a smoking half-mouse half-man, Barney and Fred pop pills, Superman phones up Skeletor. The visual gags fill the book along with so many small asides discussing how creators were wonderfully or villainously petty.

The parody style by Dunlavey along with all the historical minutiae do rob the book of some of the nostalgia that usually draws in readers. The strongest focus is on how business and finances shape the reality of what we saw and continue to see on our screens. As much as we love these characters and as much as their iconography has surpassed their early beginnings, television animation has always been less about artistry and more about closely weaved commercials.

This issue repeatedly focuses on efforts of corporations to get animation on the cheap and with a premium on any ancillary profits. That being said it has enough glib humor and strange tidbits about big name creators in animation that it’s worth the more cynical tour of the animated universe. And at the end of the issue you’ll find yourself flipping back through at the pure fun of seeing characters you love interacting in small ways in each panel.

Writing: 3.5 of 5 stars
Art: 3.6 of 5 stars
Colors: 4.0 of 5 stars

Overall: 3.7 of 5 stars

Writing: Fred Van Lente
Art: Ryan Dunlavey
Colors: Adam Guzowski
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Author Profile

M.R. Jafri

M.R. Jafri was born and raised in Niagara Falls New York and now lives with his family in Detroit Michigan. He's a talkative introvert and argumentative geek. His loves include Star Wars, Star Trek, Superheroes, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, GI Joe, Films, Comics, TV Shows, Action Figures and Twizzlers.