“David Kunzle Page” on Töpfferiana Website for Early Comics

 Michel Kempeneers 

Fig. 1. Screenshot of the “David Kunzle Page” on the Töpfferiana website. 

 

Introduction 

In order to pay tribute to comics history pioneer, David Kunzle (1936-2024), the “Töpfferiana” website takes a unique initiative and shares most of Kunzle’s writings on early comics on a dedicated “Kunzle Page,” thus making them available to scholars and researchers.

Though, in 2025, comics are widely spread and the subject of significant academic interest, “early comics” remain a field apart, and a highly specialized one.

Since Kunzle started his academic career in the 1960s, he has always remained an important voice in this field, maybe even the only one reaching a broader, not necessarily, academic audience. More importantly, Kunzle probably was the only high-profile author trying to get books on the subject published.

This has never been easy, though, not even for a researcher of Kunzle’s reputation. In his early years, because Kunzle demanded his “Early Comics” volumes be published in a huge format, (to do justice to the reproductions of broadsides), even though most of them still required a reduced format to fit them on the “early comics” pages. But even in the new millennium, Kunzle complained, among insiders, of a lack of interest by his publisher, who kept postponing the publication of, for example:  his Cham book, without ever providing a satisfactory explanation for yet another delay. Surprisingly, Kunzle was always worried that his publisher would no longer be interested in his next book, which also shows how keen he was on sharing his findings with an interested audience, even long after he had officially retired as an academic.  

David Kunzle (Tribute) Page 

The organizers of the yearly, “Platinum Meeting,” which is organized in the margin of the Angoulême “Festival de la BD,” end of January, found it appropriate to start their gathering of Platinum Age[i] scholars with a tribute to Kunzle. Participants shared testimonies and anecdotes, and one researcher wondered if anyone in the audience was aware of the status of Kunzle’s two landmark books on early comics. “Kunzle 1” (1973) and “Kunzle 2” (1990), as these are commonly tagged, had been out-of-print for ages, and nothing seemed to indicate that the University of California Press was ever going to reprint them. The answer was negative, and the meeting’s organizers promised to reach out to Mrs. Marjorie Kunzle and inquire.

They quickly found out that Mrs. Kunzle holds the rights to all of David’s articles, and, it later turned out, that the same goes for both “early comics” volumes. Mrs. Kunzle was completely in agreement with the suggestion that both volumes be spread as pdf files among the early comics community, though she would not actively participate in any concrete project to make that happen.

During these exchanges, the idea grew to grab the occasion and to really pay tribute to Kunzle’s legacy of half a century of research on early comics. And, why limit the effort to Kunzle’s first two major works, when it seemed possible to stretch it to all of Kunzle’s writings on the subject and share these on one platform? This way, scholars would have a single point of access, and, thus, be able to more easily advance with their own research projects.

As we were convinced that Kunzle himself would have loved that idea, and with Mrs. Kunzle backing it, the “David Kunzle(tribute) Page” (DKP) was born. “Töpfferiana.fr” seemed the logical place to host it, for the site shares a focus on early comics, and since, for a couple of years, it also organizes the Angoulême “Platinum Meeting.”

So, we set out to compile Kunzle’s comics bibliography. It seemed easiest to kick off with articles and book chapters, as we were already sure that there would not be any rights issues with these. Moreover, we discovered that, in February 2024, independent scholar, Hillel Schwartz, published a draft of Kunzle’s complete bibliography, all subjects included,[ii] i.e., not only comics, but also posters, arts, and even corsets(!). Schwartz imposed only one important limitation on this cv; it would not include the many reviews written by Kunzle.[iii]

From Schwartz’s overview, we retrieved all comics-related articles and book chapters, and ordered chronologically in an Excel table. Such an underlying table will allow researchers to also easily search the set for specific data, or extend their own copy with extras for personal use. That may sound trivial for a corpus consisting solely of early comics articles, as it will probably consist of little more than some 40 entries. But, if ever the list is extended to other areas in which Kunzle’s expertise led to publications, that may quickly change, so it seemed better to foresee such potential extensions in the specifics of the current table. Besides, it is not impossible that, at some point in the future, the current project scope is extended to include reviews, both by and of Kunzle.

All in all, it took less than a week to gather about 15 articles, which presumably already contained most of the essential ones. At the DKP Go Live on March 2, the counter stood at 26 articles/chapters out of 38 pieces identified, and early June (deadline for this article), these figures are 37 out of 45, i.e., almost 82 percent, with a couple more files to come. But, the real gems are the pdf versions of “Kunzle 1” and “Kunzle 2,”[iv] which were added on April 6 and, as such, can be regarded as a first highlight of the DKP.  

Structure 

All shared articles are in pdf format. We harmonized their presentation, as well as the way the corresponding files are named. Moreover, we made it a point to only share searchable files, for this characteristic is one of the prime reasons for researchers to be keen on e-versions of reference materials. We also made sure to document all such specifics in the detailed Excel table. That file is only aimed at visitors needing more details; the overview on the DKP of all articles and book chapters identified (and their download links) will be more than sufficient for most people.

On top of that, we explicitly marked every article which we have not been able to locate; this way, scholars and researchers who consult the DKP, or its Excel table, and discover that they have a pdf copy available of one of the Kunzle writings still missing in our offer, can reach out and share, so that we can add it to the DKP at the next update. In fact, this already happened almost immediately after we publicized the initiative on the Platinum discussion list. 

Fig. 2. Excerpt of the article bibliography on Töpfferiana’s “David Kunzle Page.” 

It is also worth pointing out that the overview makes no distinction between languages (English, French, Spanish, ...), and does not try either to establish a logic between articles with the same subject. Indeed, as is the case for most academics, no subjects were ever really “completed” for Kunzle. He kept reworking them, leaving out parts, updating others, and adding new finds and insights, possibly reacting to fellow researchers. Kunzle made no distinction between languages while doing so:  any journal wanting to publish his--then current--insights, was entitled to a state-of-the-art article, regardless of language. (Kunzle was fluent in four or five languages.) 

Future

 An inherent danger of any tribute initiative is that it outgrows its purpose; tribute has been paid, check. People have no obvious reason to return; they have visited the site, secured all the extras they wanted, or found the information they were looking for. Full stop.

Töpfferiana is very much aware of this pitfall and wants to avoid it by approaching the DKP as work-in-progress. In practice, the DKP team will try to add novelties on a regular basis, and will notify its core community of any such updates. In a sense, this boils down to giving the DKP some of the characteristics of a periodical. The aim is to share something bound to interest the early comics community every three months or so.

So far, the DKP has not only shared Kunzle articles; it celebrated its first update by also adding some Kunzle tributes spontaneously offered to the DKP by researchers who had known Kunzle for a long time. More tributes will be added in due time.

Furthermore, Philippe Kaenel of Lausanne University (Switzerland), a long-time friend and colleague of Kunzle, recently suggested to Töpfferiana to open up the DKP to other historic research on Töpffer, other reference articles on Töpffer which have become very difficult to find unless one has easy access to a good research library.

Rodolphe Töpffer (1799-1846) was already on the radar of Kunzle’s mentor, Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001), the influential art and culture historian, and he is probably the artist whom Kunzle studied for the longest time. And, logically, Töpfferiana itself would find it difficult to hide or deny its sympathy for this Swiss comics pioneer. Kaenel shared several of his own articles on Töpffer with the DKP team, who probably have added them already. On the other hand, chances are that the DKP will be able to share the articles of the Töpffer coffee table book, published in 1996 by (then) Swiss publisher, Skira. That book accompanied the celebrations for the 150^th anniversary of Töpffer’s death, and has been out-of-print for decades.[v]

Obviously, it would be beneficial if the missing Kunzle articles were to be added. As they are not readily available on the academic e-platforms, that may turn out to be complicated, but we are confident that researchers will contribute, because Kunzle has left a strong impression with generations of them, especially the ones who were lucky to meet him. We also hope that we will be able to add Kunzle publications in less obvious languages, e.g., German, as we have also identified some of these. That would be helpful, especially because Kunzle always had a keen interest in seeing his writings spread as widely as possible. For him, that wasn’t a matter of ego, but he was very much aware how little has been written about early comics, and how important it is to make Töpffer & Co. available to audiences who don’t know French.

The DKP team decided to also add an atypical, unusual contribution of the “early” Kunzle, which we believe tells a lot about his drive then, and, which is definitely worth pointing out.

In 1972, before “Kunzle 1,” Kunzle translated an article by the French author, Francis Lacassin (1931-2008), for the Fall issue of Film Quarterly.[vi] In this article, Lacassin argued that the “language” of the comic strip shows many similarities, and even some historical priorities, over the language of film. Curiously, it turns out that there is no genuine source article by Lacassin:  in fact, Kunzle combined a recent article and a huge chapter from a new book, both by Lacassin, directly into an English summary. In the process,  he added a couple of small footnotes, and, more importantly, extended his Lacassin summary with four more pages of comments, even adding illustrations, as he wanted to update some of Lacassin’s findings by his own, not yet published, ones. Obviously, he did so with the consent of the journal, which even publicized this unusual translation in the article’s introduction.

If similar unexpected finds pop up, we will make sure to add them to the DKP, as they definitely have historical importance. 

Opportunity 

It may not be obvious at first, but the DKP also offers a test case for “collaborative improvement” or “enrichment” of these source materials. Indeed, it seems that this specific format for a tribute page, with shared materials, has never been deployed before. The DKP offers opportunities to probe how such a project might evolve, when it appeals to its reader community, not only for them to fill holes in the current offer, but also to investigate which added value a community can offer to factually improve key works, such as “Kunzle 1” or “Kunzle 2,” and how their findings can best be shared with the early comics community. A first attempt to do so is on the DKP already, for interested researchers to discover.[vii] Similarly, it can help to offer added value to users by providing bookmarks, e.g., of the publication’s structure, or to add pagination when missing, so that these users do not have to re-invent the wheel. The point here is to see if the community feels like participating to the effort, and if it does so spontaneously, or, on the contrary, it must be stimulated and encouraged to do so.

 The DKP can be consulted here:

http://www.topfferiana.fr/2025/03/david-kunzles-bibliography.

The “Platinum Age Comics” discussion group is hosted by Google Groups:

https://groups.google.com/g/platinum-age-comics.

---

[i] Roughly anything pre-World War II, but, especially, because European comics focus is mostly on 19^th Century production.

[ii] See, https://www.academia.edu/114691723/David_Kunzle_A_Bibliography (accessed Jan. 15, 2025).

[iii] One notable exception is Kunzle’s review of Thierry Groensteen’s “M. Töpffer invente la bande dessinée” (Les Impressions Nouvelles, 2014) for European Comic Art, 7-2 (Autumn 2014). This review also contains a personal biographical account of the origins of his own interest in Töpffer. Hence, it seemed worth adding to the list.

Similarly, Kunzle’s “Review Essays” for the International Journal of Comic Art (IJOCA) have been withheld. For, indeed, as the name indicates, this particular IJOCA format is more than merely a review, and is like a lengthy article triggered by a new publication, as reviews get considerably less space in the IJOCA.

[iv] Contrary to popular belief, Kunzle’s final book, Rebirth of the English Comic Strip:  A Kaleidoscope, 1847-1870 (University Press of Mississippi, 2021), is not the last volume of his History of the Comic Strip series, which had been announced as a trilogy. Rebirth... does not contain any such reference, and the description of the would-be content of this volume in Ian Gordon’s Kunzle tribute on the IJOCA blog makes clear that this third volume, unfortunately, never materialized (see, https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2024/01/ian-gordon-remembers-david-kunzle.html, accessed on March 16, 2025).

[v] Even though, in 1996, Kunzle had already been an established international Töpffer authority for several years, he did not contribute to the Skira book. For administrative reasons, it was not possible to include an article by him.

[vi] “The Comic Strip and Film Language,” Film Quarterly. 26 (1, Fall 1972): 11-23. As hinted by Michael Connerty on the Platinum discussion list March 5, 2025.

[vii] For example, in his “Kunzle 2” (Note 19, p.109), Kunzle (notoriously) states that he did not find a copy of Gustave Doré’s Holy Russia at the French National Library (BnF), which, he found surprising. In the Internet era, it is easy to establish that Kunzle was wrong, but not really so, as it turns out that the BnF does have a copy, be it not in book format, but as loose sheets (prints). Hence, the BnF’s Holy Russia set is kept in the Prints Department.

 ________________________

Michel Kempeneers is an independent Belgian comics scholar. After several decades of comics journalism in the national press, he has turned his focus to proto-comics and 19^th-Century illustrated press, the latter especially through e-versions shared online by major reference libraries. A version of this article will appear in IJOCA 27-1.

Graphic Novel Review: Socrates by Francesco Barilli and Alessandro Ranghiasci

Reviewed by Cord Scott, UMGC Okinawa

Socrates by Francesco Barilli (w) and Alessandro Ranghiasci (a).  Miami, FL: Mad Cave Productions, 2025. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Socrates/Francesco-Barilli/Becco-Giallo/9781545821671

Any historically-based graphic novel must walk a fine line between known facts, re-creations for storytelling or effect, and the need to balance a compelling story with engaging art.  When one then includes a significant historical figure and a discipline that is often considered “deep” - such as philosophy – the likelihood of problems is compounded.  However, the story of Socrates is one that works to meld these issues into a story which sheds light on the famous philosopher that also has resonance in today’s world.

A translation of the original Italian version Socrate, which was released in 2019, also contains a historical forward by Stefano Cardini, explains the events in which we enter the story.  Socrates was brought up on charges of not recognizing the old god, as well as corrupting the youth of Athens. This was in the aftermath of the Thirty Tyrants uprising (abetted by Sparta).  The actual reasons for Socrates’ arrest and trial were probably due to jealousy and divisions within Athenian society.

One of the biggest issues with a biography of Socrates is that he did not write anything down. Much of what is known about his philosophy comes from his most famous student, Plato. Why he never wrote anything down is not discussed or speculated about in this book.  Plato’s version of his oratory skills are clearly demonstrated in the script, and the creators of this graphic novel worked to make a flowing story arc with narration and conversations borrowed from later written works. 

The story starts directly with the trial.  As the trial is taking place, chapter sections go back to past memories or aspects of Greek gods; instances in the past are presented in black and white, while the sections about Greek gods or lore are illustrated to look like a Grecian vase artwork.

Much of Socrates view on the issues of the world are applicable not only to his Athens, but still today.  One of Aristotle’s biggest complaints was that no matter what their status, everyone he talked to considered themselves an expert on a variety of subjects. He personally thought that “the wisest is he who knows he knows nothing.” (p. 29). He also noted that while many people may feel that laws benefit everyone, the prevailing truth was that the strong always dominate the weak, be it in nature or in a society of laws.  Reportedly, Socrates even predicted his own arrest and trial due to people around him.  To that end, Socrates noted that rather than being driven by power or money, he wanted to live his life pursuing the truth.  “Not to have riches or honor but to seek wisdom and truth” (p. 55) was an aspect of Socrates’ creed for a just life.

Socrates’ trial was one in which the true motives of those who opposed him or his ideals (or were simply jealous) were brought to light.  The nature of the charges was disputed through logic and reason, yet made no difference in the end.  His sentence was one of three options: exile from Athens, a monetary fine (which many of his disciples were willing to pay) or death by poison, in this case hemlock. Socrates argued that he was too old to live in exile, especially with his wife and children still in Athens, nor was he rich enough to pay any sort of fine imposed upon him.  He accepted death, and this story is relayed in a simple, yet almost dreamlike manner. 

The entire book is under 150 pages, while the last part is a section that deals with the historical basis of both the story itself, as well as discussing the art. Rough sketches are included to give insight into the process.  One passage stood out in this section, and it seems especially apt in today’s climate; Barilli writes, “a free and rigorous intellectual always makes those who hold power, in whatever way it is exercised, uncomfortable.” (p. 139).  As so many institutions of higher learning, let alone politicians, are questioned for their rigor, or lack thereof, this story from 2,500 years ago still serves as a guide for good moral governance and living.

Graphic Novel Review - Interficial ARTelligence: The Moments That Met Me by Chuck D

Reviewed by Joe Hilliard

Interficial ARTelligence: The Moments That Met Me, by Chuck D., Akashic Books 2025. 240 pages. $24.95 paperback. https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/interficial-artelligence/

While Chuck D is known as a founder and front man for the rap group Public Enemy and his outspoken politics, he also has a burgeoning career as a graphic novelist. His previous graphic novels, the three-volume Stewdio: The Naphic Grovel Artrilogy and The Summer of Hamn: Hollowpointlessness Aiding Mass Nihilism, were modern history/political theory treatises. With his newest 2025 book though, he has turned overtly autobiographical, streaked through with social and political commentary, much like a Public Enemy album.

Unlike a traditional chronological autobiography, Chuck D slings together a collage of images and time slips, much like old-school rap where the cut up of words, images, feelings, all intertwine, entangling. Functionally, Interficial is a collection of two-page spreads of reminiscences, in no particular order, of people he has met. Not simply a greatest hits collection, but the subtle hints, deep cut grooves following from the big notes we all know. The grandiose to the sublime. Mixing and matching, scratching the beat, page to page to page. Vignettes of the big moments and the small, on the stage, sharing a drink in a car, changing tires. Short meetings with the famous. From the ‘80s to his New York youth to the present, and yes, looking to the future, for those he still wishes to meet.

Some of the art is scribbled and ragged. Lines show through, as he has not erased the original preliminary sketches. He uses markers and colored pencils over his pencils. It's his notebook, copied out, the colors bleeding through page to page. There is a fierce spontaneity to the work. It has a certain rough-hewed Bill Sienkiewicz circa Big Numbers feel. Or like what John Jennings is currently producing. With that rawness. More ragged. Like a live performance caught in media res. It's Sam Cooke's Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 and not the singles that are on the radio and streaming. Throaty and raw. Each spread is a person that Chuck D has spent time with. "The moments that met me." While the art does not fall into caricature, eschewing the obvious, on the opposite spectrum, some of the sketched faces are not immediately recognizable, even while reading the text. But others are amazing in their true to life feel. Snapshots. Dick Gregory massaging Chuck D's feet. Debbie Harry in disguise, looking like Natasha from Bullwinkle. Teenage Keith Shocklee changing tires at Sears. It's the vibrancy that works so well, the immediacy. Warren Beatty working on Bulworth, the crackle of looking in from the outside into old Hollywood.

Unfortunately, some of the writing is hard to follow, falling around the margins and tumbling around the images. Circling over the drawings and enveloping them. This is particularly a product of the notebook form. Words scribbled on drawings. Rushing out in a notebook stream. A bigger issue, speaking to the production itself, is the tight paperback spine that obscures the center of each of the two-page spreads, especially as you get closer to the center of the book. The words and art sink into themselves, obscuring words and images. It's very frustrating.

Even with these faults, Interficial is compelling in short bursts. The non-linear approach lets you delve in with fits and starts. Opening at random and being surprised. Seeing the relevance to today as Chuck D's social concerns hums, lecturing with Angela Davis, lobbying in Washington DC with Anita Baker, his wish to meet Barack Obama. If it were larger format, it could easily be a coffee table book to be read over and over again. It's not perfect, but it engages. Which is what Chuck D wants. And what you expect, and want too.

Graphic Novel Review: Queen Kodiak by Christopher Greenslate and Riccardo Faccina

 Reviewed by Cord Scott, UMGC Okinawa 

Queen Kodiak by Christopher Greenslate (w) and Riccardo Faccina (a). Maverick Publishing, 2025.  ISBN 9781545821015.  $14.99 US/18.99 CAD. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Queen-Kodiak/Christopher-Greenslate/9781545821015      

    Graphic novels have evolved to serve as a way for authors to pay homage to art which has inspired them, as well as providing readers with coping skills suggestions.  These themes are front and center in Queen Kodiak as the creators show their influences, but also expand the comic to incorporate their own interests. 

    The story starts with Joey Fox, a seventeen-year-old living at home with her single mom.  Early on, we are given the information that her dad Doug is not in the picture, having left ten years ago.  Joey shows an interest in photography, as well as exploration, while her mother runs a cleaning company.  As they plan a trip north of Seattle, her mother comments on feeling ill. She soon dies of a virus, which makes her immediate burial impossible, a clear reference to the COVID outbreak in 2020.  This death reintroduces Joey’s father, a law enforcement officer on Kodiak Island in Alaska. He is also a member of one of the indigenous tribes of Alaska, but is not noted which specific clan.  The two travel by ferry up to Kodiak, where Doug hopes to reconnect with Joey and help her cope with the loss of her mother. 

    While investigating a report of a finding of bones (a fear to fuel local myths), Joey and her dad run across Queen Kodiak, an abnormally large grizzly bear, hearkening to the legend of Nanurluk, a spirit bear the size of an iceberg.  They leave the bear alone, but Joey is obsessed with seeing it, and takes her dad’s boat back to the island, where she is lost in a storm.  This gives her the chance to bond with a young “Little Bear” she finds - which turns out to be the offspring of the large immortal Queen Kodiak. Hunters come across Little Bear and kill him; Joey, hurt by this (to her) senseless killing, somehow steals the corpse, and heads back to Seattle. 

    At this point, the story turns to the supernatural. Characters are illustrated with their auras shown. The enormous mother of Little Bear follows her and begins doing damage to Seattle.  Any weapons against this kaiju-sized bear are useless.  But as a genre reader expects, in the end, the mother and cub are reunited while Joey and her dad come to recognize that they need to connect with each other and cope with the death of Joey’s mother. 

    A theme of grieving and loss comes from both from the humans as well as the bears.  While Joey mourns the seemingly senseless killing of Little Bear, her dad notes the hunters may be rich and insensitive, but it was permitted and legal.  A variety of attitudes are towards hunting, fishing, and environmentalism, which may not be for everyone, but if law and culture allow it, so be it. 

    In the interview at the back of the book, Greenslate fully acknowledges his love of kaiju movies and how they have influenced him.  He also noted how he put a lot of Easter eggs into the story, from influential bands to the local myths of the natives in Alaska. Overall, the graphic novel was an engagingly fast read although it doesn’t clearly fit into a genre. Is it a kaiju story, a ghost story, or something else?  Greenslate wrote this in such a way that it could be continued, which may in turn change how this book is perceived.