POW! KAPOW! The Art of the Comic Book with Comic Book Enthusiast Bob Hundhausen

Sporting his favorite t-shirt, fellow optimist member Bob Hundhausen brought a lot of humor and heart to our club meeting on May 22 as he spoke about the history of comics and his comic book collection. He began by saying his wife would say he has two PhD's, one in comic books and a second in Star Trek. His interest in comics began in 1974 when he was seven years old watching TV shows such as Superman, Aquaman Action Hour, and the 1960s Batman on a 13" black and white TV. At that young age, he didn't know they were comedies until he noticed his mom laughing at the shows.

Comic books are a form of sequential art which has origins in cave art that go back 40,000 years. Modern comics began in the 1920s and were written for children. The original comic books cost $0.10 and were bound compilations of Sunday comic strips. By the mid-1940s, 80-100 million comics were sold on a weekly basis. Sidekicks, such as Robin and Tonto, were added and contributed to ~10,000 additional copies sold per week.

In the 1950s and 60s, came the rise of crime comics and controversy. The "Comics Code Authority" (CCA) came into play in 1954 in response to a widespread public concern over graphic violence and horror imagery in comic books. The code was voluntary, as there was no law requiring its use, although some advertisers and retailers looked to it for reassurance. Before the CCA was adopted, some cities had already organized public burnings and bans on comic books. The Catholic Church even banned Wonder Woman for several years. According to Bob, there was probably some justification given the background of the creator. The code was revised a number of times in the early 1970s and throughout the 80s and 90s, there was a break away from the CCA. More changes were made in 2001 and the code was discontinued without any announcements regarding its abandonment in 2010.

In 1996, Marvel comics declared bankruptcy and was purchased for $4 billion by Walt Disney. Bob also shared that he met the iconic comic book writer, editor, and publisher, Stan Lee, in 2015 when he was 93. Stan died in 2018 at age 96. Bob also shared that the most recognized symbol in the world is the crucifix. The second most recognized is the "S" for Superman.

Comic books don't make money any longer as kids have too many other options. However, Marvel movies continue to sell the trademarks. Bob's collection began with a Christmas gift from his father in 1974 and a book that cost $0.15 at the time. It was likely the cheapest, but most expensive gift. His collection grew to over 40,000 books over the decades. Regardless of the "value on paper" or current market value, these books are priceless to Bob and comic book enthusiasts.