An exhibition of rescued comic strip art

Bill Blackbeard was something of a superhero. During his lifetime, he collected and preserved 2.5 million ephemeral artifacts of comic strip art, including newspapers and Sunday color sections dating as far back as 1893. Treasures from his collection are now featured in a new exhibit, "Man Saves Comics," at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University. Correspondent Luke Burbank reports.
#comicstrips #cartoons
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[@louisereinhart1149]

I am so thankful for people who care enough to save such a wonderful part of our history. One of my fondest memories is waking up Sunday morning to read the funnies.

[@joeybaseball7352]

They still publish them every Sunday in most newspapers.

[@JodyY808]

@@joeybaseball7352 But how many people subscribe to newspapers these days?

[@DBe-kb7xb]

Will be 55 years old tomorrow just a Oregon white boy red neck and this is the last of true Americana decor in broadcast T.V.

[@joeybaseball7352]

@@JodyY808 it's honestly terrible, because these newspapers are now suppressing information. You need a subscription to read articles online. If I'm doing research and want to read a NY Times article from 1923, I can't. There's a paywall. Articles written 100 years ago should be public domain.

[@WilliamByronIs]

Utterly fantastic. Mr. Blackbeard was a fantastic historian and Caitlin McGurk is a wonderful curator.

[@RogerioPereiradaSilva77]

Not all superheroes wear capes. Thank you very much, Mr. Blackbeard!

[@chrisfinch8637]

There was always something special, humorous, emotional, and educational, about the comic strips, that we’ve grown to cherish in our lifetimes.

[@CFGossettAbbasHealingArts]

I grew up reading the Sunday comics and along with the daily funny page in my hometown newspaper. That was always the best part of the whole paper to me. I am grateful that someone has preserved those great comics over the years for the generations to come.

[@Tiggerozzy]

I use to save circle of life and Calvin and Hobbes … this gentleman did an awesome job…🙏

[@steveconn]

With the internet and Marvel Film Studios either rendering the strip form obsolete or vacuuming it of all content, they are indeed museum ready pieces. Radioactive Rabbi a great unsung one!

[@albertcscs]

I met Bill in 1995 when I was looking for the American Weekly covers painted by Edmund Dulac. I didn't realize at the time that he had the only complete collection left in the US. Bill let us remove all the Dulac covers (106 of them) and have them professionally photographed. I finally managed to publish them as an ebook so other Dulac and AW collectors would have a full color record of this artwork. You can check it out wherever you buy ebooks. The hardcover version is coming along, I just need a little more editing.

[@nitronick]

RIP Bill Blackbeard, and much respect for all his hard work. I'd love to see this exhibit someday!

[@bobsturgis4674]

Even at my young age of 66,i still read the comics everyday. With the craziness in the world,usually there is humor in the comics.Stay safe everyone.🤣🤣

[@Theomite]

This man deserves his own library named after him, or at least an entire wing. A posthumous Pulitzer might also be worthwhile.

[@richardlisiura3025]

The early 1900's was the real golden age of comics. This video at least did a little justice to Bill Blackbeard's compulsion and that forgotten era. Hope there will be more.

[@mprest10]

Just incredible. What a hero.

[@DBe-kb7xb]

I've been watching this show for 41 years

[@sharone.langley2923]

I used to love Blondie, Dagwood and Baby Dumpling....both in the cartoon strip and the movies. So glad these treasures have been preserved.

[@NintendoThumb]

Cool to see Caitlin McGurk on here, she's always great on Shaturday Morning Cartoons.

[@maxlinder5262]

More than ... Amazing 🤩..!!!!

[@NealKlein]

The segment gave me a serious lift. Thank you.

[@dondoyle8474]

WOW what a genus!!!!🤔

[@mygrammieis]

Awesome

[@DanKidsYouNot]

Incredible collection--so glad this man was around to do what he did!

[@margo3367]

I used to cut out McCall Paper Dolls from the newspaper when I was a child in the 1950’s.

[@mikehughes4969]

Comics are, at their least, an amusing diversion, and at their best, incredible works of art.

[@blockygamer1]

Bill Blackbeard is the archivist definiton of "someone had to do it".

[@electrojones]

This is an amazing treasure to have preserved for all those years.

[@shawnrobinson5912]

I'm 60 years old and I still enjoy reading the comics ❤

[@lizabetx483]

Amazing what one man (and his two helpers) did. Living in the house was probably a tight squeeze though!

[@kathysanchez5945]

Wow!!! Such forethought, ...What a Blessing he achieved for the everyone!!!

[@hinthegroove9740]

Good stuff 😊

[@zlatko216]

Famous Comic Art collection,Respect to Bill...

[@keithscott1926]

During the 40s, we lost a lot of comic books, because of paper drive because of the war effort.

[@truthhurts3524]

Always looked forward to the Sunday paper for the color Calvin & Hobbes comic as a kid, which led me to all of Bill Wattersons Calvin & Hobbes books.

[@_S-O-S_]

Incredible!!!

[@josephwatts314]

Mr. Blackbeard : Are you looking down to see the beauty you left us! Thanks

[@fandomdomination3071]

This is an amazing story. Make this a movie!

[@Paul-dg1ri]

I hope the library is digitizing the comics also.

[@jackieheidorn5875]

I still remember the POGO strip where Pogo misquotes Admiral Perry " we have met the enemy and he is us". This saying is still so true.

[@Anonymouthful]

In the age of everything going digital its individuals like Blackbeard that should be hailed as heros and looked upon as inspirations to preserve physical media to the best of our ability. Something corporations dont seem to fond of as they would rather you just forget everything to focus on the new products.

[@lauren6509]

Msy God eternally bless Bill Black beard. Some may have thought he was crazy, but he knew his collection would be important for generations to come 💖

[@thejeep2000]

it shows the issues of micro film verses the real thing very revealing...thanks Blackbeard...loving Popeye by Segar..thanks to you..little nemo etc.

[@johnd8167]

Blackbeard was fortunate that he was able to find an acquirer of his collection before he was booted from his home. The landlord would have tossed it all, and there would be nothing for Ohio State, or the comic fan public, to enjoy.

[@anthonyperdue3557]

🤗Heaven for this comic strip fan , heaven!!!

[@Mr.Monster1313]

I for one would like to say thankyou to bill..goodjob... not all heroes wear capes..

[@RichardFriendartist]

amazing collection. I'd love to interview some of the people who work with this project.

[@marvinmartin4692]

Wow!

[@kevinvh2964]

Now I want to read all the Blondie strips, starting at day one.

[@hwilcox]

mask is so cool bless this guy Fabulous! wish they had email list where they send you a comic daily

[@boxingandbulldogs6341]

The curator has 'Librarian hot' look down to a T!

[@jeanneblondewomanstamping9788]

I sure hope they are scanning these materials as they are processing them, so that they can be shared & enjoyed digitally.

[@sanford943]

that is going to take for ever.

[@atomic66]

Thats why wr need the national endowment for the arts. With a grant, perhaps they could get more staff

[@RetroFreak35]

Great story, bravo!

[@ampdesign]

The stacks of newspapers remind me of the movie Unstrung Heroes (1995)

[@stevenng5836]

Bill Blackbeard was immensely dedicated to comic strip preservation. In this field, better than the libraries who discarded their treasures.

[@johnbiela9442]

The first comic book was a compilation of Sunday comics. 128 pages for a dime. Was supposed to be a one off, but proved to be too popular.

[@84paratize]

Amazing!

[@_Slice_and_Dice]

INCREDIBLE!!!

[@markboyd9275]

Cool, it’s Caitlyn!!!

[@helenarose580]

Sunday comics😍😍

[@mandyblush]

This is incredibly neat!

[@catbeck2038]

Funny l love the funnies💕🎶

[@gerrydooley951]

I had been to his house and it was incredible

[@treborretsnom6186]

Very cool, i hope that exhibit travels

[@alopezcepero]

Wonderful!!!!

[@joeybaseball7352]

I'm guessing this was before Peanuts and Garfield made newspaper comics mainstream.

[@ebybeehoney]

Always ran for the comics ronget my Calvin and Hobbes. I cut a lot out, too, and had them in my lockers, on my walls, pasted on all sorts of surfaces.

[@coreymasoy7034]

Great episode ❗💯👍

[@lp-xl9ld]

And my mother called me crazy for saving stuff...okay, it wasn't at THIS level, but still...

[@Coffeecup.0110]

Very cool! 😊

[@MrTibbs96]

Amazing

[@michelleyamamotoart]

So cool❤️

[@babybro70]

Wow! A Pack Rat with Purpose!

[@krunkle5136]

Comics and manga will always be superior. Hand crafted visual stories vs artists that make themselves the story itself.

[@RobertBeerbohm]

It started with Bob Beerbohm. More or less. He started looking for his old friend and the search led to the obituaries. For the last 6-8 months, Beerbohm had been feeling that he ought to go see Bill Blackbeard. It was an old habit gnawing away at him. It was, he said later in his tribute on this site, “an intense need to see Bill.” And if he hadn’t had that feeling we might not have found out for a much longer time that Blackbeard, “the man who saved the comics,” had slipped away from us on March 10. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmTdnJdmj9x7eNE

[@BeeHatGuy]

I love me some Blondie & Dagwood

[@EdKazO-Vision]

This guy must’ve had silverfish the size of tomcats.

[@dplj4428]

I see a road-trip!

[@davidlong1786]

Is CBS having issues mixing their sound in the videos today? I notice sound levels not matching well between the scene cuts at times. Having to turn up the volume at the low levels then wincing when the next scene blares out too loud..........Now the art work is amazing and a lot of the comics sure rival or surpass so called famous artists by a long shot. Thanks for showing this wonderful collection.

[@yvonneplant9434]

Their videos are always lacking wrt sound(??).

[@CarlosMendez-yd7ut]

It is a shame Hugo Hercules did not get a longer run.

[@inuwaters]

wow

[@hankvandenakker4271]

FROM MY YOUTH UNTIL I JOINED THE NAVY AT 20, WHENEVER A RELATIVE OR FRIEND WAS GOING ON A TRIP, I'D ASK FOR THE SUNDAY COMICS FROM WHERE EVER THEY WENT. NO T-SHIRTS OR SNOW GLOBES FOR ME FRIENDS, JUST THE COMICS.

[@antiquebeast]

Anyone know the name of the black time-travellers comic??

[@caitlinmcgurk9919]

That was a storyline from Bungleton Green by the great Jay Jackson!

[@poopesure]

4:20 I see some manga. Looks like Shonen Jump

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

Somebody borrow me the money so l can finance the future TV cartoons projects, let them these gorgeous Comics turn back to life because they worth a fortune, mostly because so harmless innocent, mostly abroad for you to have further partnerships in 190 countries world wide, watching funny cartoons we all turn back kids, in fact we never grow up at all

[@glennfleming]

😲😲😲😲

[@electrojones]

You knew they were going to get around to mentioning super heroes.🙄

[@titusgreatness1130]

Seems znotoiz finds out.

[@donna.mckirdy1514]

T

[@Mario500NOW]

(note: certain parts of the audio of this video found to had been unnecessary, unobjective, and unprofessional (specifically ones between these points of its length: 0:23 - 0:28 and 5:45 - 5:50))

[@BobPagani]

Why?

[@Mario500NOW]

@@BobPagani (answer: findings of opinionated language)

[@Zooby19]

Really can't help yourselves can you? You needed to find the liberal feminist comic artist and make sure you highlighted her!

[@ybmagpye]

Poor little troll. Are you lost?

[@john-smith.]

Go cry in your pillow.

[@sanford943]

do you have a problem with that?

[@Zooby19]

@@sanford943 yeah. I do actually. This show used to be good now it's just political propaganda

[@sanford943]

@@Zooby19 thaf is so ridiculous. They have always run at least one segment that was political.

[@sanford943]

Luke did get one thing wrong. Blondie started Sept 8th 1930. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blondie_(comic_strip) For those of you who might not know the history of the strip. Blondie was kind of a flapper. Dagwoods family was qute rich. They did not approve of Blondie When Dagwood and Blondie Dagwood was disowned. It would take years to 93 years of strips. Probably less for me since I have been reading it for quite a while. But I would like to read the first 5 years or so.

[@catlover34fl]

Fascinating history of Blondie. I remember Penny Singleton playing Blonde in old movies.