Mr. Skygack, from Mars
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Mr. Skygack, from Mars was a comic strip by the American cartoonist A. D. Condo. It appeared in the Chicago Day Book, a Chicago working-class newspaper, from October 2, 1907, to April 1911[1] in about 400 comic strips and single panels.[2] Like much of Condo's work in this period, the Mr. Skygack feature was syndicated and appeared in many other papers, including The Seattle Star,[3] The Milwaukee Journal, The Spokane Press, The Pittsburgh Press, The Tacoma Times and The Duluth Daily Star.
The comic followed the titular Mr. Skygack, a Martian, on his mission to study humans. Mr. Skygack's comical misunderstandings of Earthly affairs gave Condo the opportunity to comment on and criticize social norms.[2][4] Skygack subsequently appeared as a regular character in Condo's ethnic-humor comic strip Osgar und Adolf.[5] 'Osgar und Adolf' was itself the basis for a theatrical production which included Skygack as a character; it was described by Gertrude Gordon in The Pittsburgh Press as a 'rousing good comedy'.[6]
In 1914, 'Osgar Und Adolph', still incorporating Skygack as a regular character, was drawn by a cartoonist signing themselves 'Macdonald'.[7] Between 1921 and 1922 the character was revived in his own right, once again in a single-panelled strip reporting on everyday American life, by another cartoonist, 'Lavery'.[8]
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Mr. Skygack, from Mars is considered by many to be the first science fiction comic,[9] and the first in comics history to feature an extraterrestrial character. It also gave rise to the first recorded sci-fi cosplay when a Mr. William Fell was reported wearing a Mr. Skygack costume to a 1908 masquerade.[2]
In 1923, James W. Dean's syndicated column posited that 'Martian' characters with 'overdeveloped heads' played by Margaret Irving and Grant Mitchell in the film M.A.R.S. (later known as Radio-Mania) were 'evidently... influenced by the old comic drawn by Condo, "Mr. Skygack from Mars."'[10]
Between 1956[11] and 1964[12] Gladys Benthack (1906-2002)[13] wrote a column entitled 'Nuggets and Nostalgia' for the Lexington Clipper and Dawson County Pioneer in the 1950s using the name 'Skygac' [sic], explaining to readers 'it was a nickname given to me by my family when I was small'.[14]. Benthack was of the opinion that the original Skygack was 'a perfectly horrid comic strip character.'[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 274. ISBN 9780472117567.
- ^ a b c Miller, Ron (19 September 2013). "Was Mr. Skygack the First Alien Character in Comics?". io9. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ "Mr. Skygack From Mars". The Seattle Star. 15 October 1907. p. 4.
- ^ Schaefer, Fred (February 10, 1912). "Who's Who in the Comics". The Day Book. pp. 26–27.
- ^ World Wide Words: Bee's Knees, by Michael Quinion; published no later than 7 April 2010 (date of earliest version, on archive.org, of page containing relevant information); retrieved 23 February 2014
- ^ Gertrude Gordon, 'Pittsburg children, guests of the press, have grand time at Lyceum Theatre' Pittsburgh Press 23 April 1914 p. 5
- ^ 'Macdonald', 'It was an blunder to buy Mr. Skygack a piano' Fort Wayne Sentinel 11 March 1914 p. 7
- ^ Lavery, 'Mr. Skygack from Mars' Cincinnati Post 10 Dec 1921, p.1; Lavery, 'Skygack from Mars' Cincinnati Post 30 Aug 1922 p.7
- ^ Mr. Skygak, From Mars, at the Filson Historical Society, by Michael Veach; published 28 September 2010; retrieved 9 December 2013
- ^ James W. Dean, 'Film Martians Recall Skygack of that Ilk' Springfield Evening Union, 8 January 1923 p. 11
- ^ 'Skygac', 'Nuggets and Nostalgia' Lexington Clipper and Dawson County Pioneer 2 Feb 1956. p. 12
- ^ 'Skygac', 'Nuggets and Nostalgia' Lexington Clipper and Dawson County Pioneer, 14 May 1964. p. 11
- ^ 'For the Record' Kearney Hub 30 Nov 2002. p. 10
- ^ 'Skygac', 'Nuggets and Nostalgia', Lexington Clipper and Dawson County Pioneer 17 Sep 1959 p.2
- ^ 'Skygac', 'Nuggets and Nostalgia', Lexington Clipper and Dawson County Pioneer 2 February 1956 p.12
External links
[edit]- Mr. Skygack, from Mars at Barnacle Press
- Sampling of "Mr. Skygack" strips, at Chronicling America
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