In the first of a two-part series, Andrew Selth explores the relationship between conflict and comics in yesterday’s Myanmar.
In his 2011 study, British Comics, James Chapman wrote that comic books were ‘a valuable but neglected source of social history that provided insights into the societies and cultures in which they were produced and consumed’. Like other forms of popular visual culture, such as movies, comics are not only a reflection of the tastes and social values of consumers, but also play an important role in influencing their attitudes and behaviours. Chapman went on to state; ‘The fact that the main consumers of comics have been children make them an even more potent form of popular culture’.
In this regard, George Orwell’s views remain pertinent. In an essay on ‘Boys’ Weeklies’ first published in 1940 he wrote that:
Most people are influenced far more than they would care to admit by novels, serial stories, films and so forth, and from this point of view the worst books are often the most important because they are usually the ones that are read earliest in life. It is probable that many people who consider themselves extremely sophisticated and ‘advanced’ are actually carrying through life an imaginative background which they acquired in childhood.
Orwell was writing about children’s story papers like Gem (1907-39) and Magnet (1908-40), but his comments could apply equally to comics.
With these thoughts in mind, it might be instructive to survey the development of comic books in key English-speaking countries and to look at the way in which Burma (formally known after 1989 as Myanmar) has been depicted in them.
Comics can be traced back to the 19th century and the use of cartoons, usually consisting of a single panel and caption, to amuse and inform adult audiences. These illustrations developed into sequential frame-enclosed pictures with captions and speech balloons. By the early 20th century, comic ‘strips’ were a regular feature of most major newspapers. The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies, was released in the US in 1933. While read by adults, they were aimed mainly at juveniles. The name ‘comic’ derived from their original satirical and humorous content, but they embraced a wide range of subjects.
Please click here to read the full “Wars and rumors of wars” article in the New Mandala by Griffith Asia Institute Adjunct Associate Professor, Dr Andrew Selth.
