THE MODERN CITY STREETS

Abstract

This chapter explores the way in which early comics established a legacy emphasizing urban street life. It begins by detailing the connection of comics with urban environments, themes and circulation patterns in eighteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth-century London, England, Geneva, Switzerland, and New York, USA. For this discussion, A Harlot’s Progress by William Hogarth, the caricature and urban themes of Rodolphe Töpffer, and Richard F. Outcault’s The Yellow Kid and Hogan’s Alley serve as paradigmatic examples. Attention then turns to Winsor McCay’s vibrant Sunday-page color Little Nemo comics, which harnessed suburban dreams at the dawn of the twentieth century. Finally, an example from the twenty-first century demonstrates how these earlier themes are important for understanding the continuing legacy of urban comics. Contemporary Canadian artist Sophie Yanow’s War of Streets and Houses recalls the graphic and stylistic innovation and spatio-historical context of Töpffer’s comics production.