Scott, Elaine. Funny Papers: Behind the Scenes of the Comics. Photographs by Margaret Miller. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1993. 1993. 90pp. ISBN 0-688-11575-6 (cloth).
Introduction . . . 1
  1. Jokes, Gags, and Stories . . .9
  2. In Their Opinion . . . 21
  3. A Bright Idea . . . 29
  4. Funny Pictures . . . 41
  5. Finishing Touches . . . 49
  6. Getting Syndicated . . . 57
  7. Sunday Funnies . . . 65
  8. Comic Books for Fun and Profit . . . 73
  9. Of Rings and Things . . . 83
Afterword . . . 87
Index . . . 89

Review by Gene Kannenberg, Jr.:
For a book designed as an introduction to comics for children, Funny Papers covers a lot of ground: the history of comic strips (and, with far less detail, comic books) in America, along with creator interviews (Schulz, the Brownes, Ketcham, and more), tips on drawing, syndication practices, merchandizing, even techincal information on art reproduction.
Of course, along with such an attempt at comprehensiveness in only ninety (large) pages, a good bit of this information is skimpy, misleading, or downright incorrect. Most of the book's mistakes can probably be attributed to Scott's role as "series book producer": this volume is only one of several such "behind the scenese" books which Scott has produced, and she apparently has relied upon a good deal of previously published material (or perhaps the recollections of people familiar with such material); common mistakes such as spelling Fredric Wertham's first name incorrectly and an inaccurate etymology of "yellow journalism," as well as a discussion of how the Comics Code no longer exists, represent the types of factual errors which creep up with some regularity in the text.
Still, for the most part the book presents a wealth of information for children first learning about the comics field; I can't immediately think of another book directed at this age group which manages to cover such a wide range of territories. The Afterword even lists all of the Reuben award winners up through 1992. As long as one reads with an understanding that many of the book's "facts" need to be double-checked, Funny Papers can represent a serviceable introduction or children to a wide range of information about comics.

ComicsResearch.org is Copyright © Gene Kannenberg, Jr., Gene@ComicsResearch.org. 
All Reviews are Copyright © Their Respective Authors. 
These documents may be reproduced only in full and only for personal or academic research. This Page Last Updated 20 July 2000.