As the hugely successful movie versions of Superman, Batman, Dick Tracy and many others have demonstrated, comic-book characters have an enduring grip on the popular imagination. The maturation of the comics constitutes a fascinating journey, from the early cartoon strips in daily newspapers to the exalted "graphic novels" sold in comic-book shops.
Now video can lay claim to one of the most exhaustive surveys of the form with the arrival of the four-volume "The History of the Comics" (90 minutes each, $19.95) from White Star Video, the popular-arts division of Kultur International, a video company known for its opera and ballet tapes."History" was produced in Spain several years ago under the original title "Comics, the 9th Art." Its European flavor will surprise unsuspecting viewers - especially the interviews with artists and editors from other countries that have been subtitled for English speakers - but its international perspective must be counted a plus.
How else would insular U.S. audiences gain an appreciation for such otherwise widely celebrated figures as Asterix the Gaul or Tin Tin?
With the generous running time of six hours, very little escapes the producers' attention, and much of the program is devoted to panel after panel by the artists under discussion.
There is such extensive use of background music while the camera browses through the archives that some segments are virtual music videos.
Fans will be constantly pressing their VCRs' still-frame buttons to study the dreamscapes of Winsor McCay's Little Nemo, the battles of Prince Valiant, the ripe curves of Vampirella and the feuding of the Fantastic Four.
Scores of comics characters are sampled in these tapes, which are arranged chronologically. I watched Volume 1, concerning the origins of comics and the earliest works, and Volume 3, focusing on the spirit of '60s radicalism, the launch of Marvel, the underground movement and the "punk" influence reflected in Heavy Metal. It's a dizzying experience in one sitting.
The strength of the program lies in its sheer scope. Few comics histories are inclined to give Betty Boop or Mandrake the Magician as much space as Superman, and nowhere else would we learn of the criticism of the Argentine government contained in the strip "Mafalda."
But the size of the task works against a thoughtful treatment of any one character or artist.
In addition, I found the older material to be more heavily narrated and generally more enlightening than the contemporary period.
This may be because the first volume relies more on authorities such as France's Maurice Horn and England's Denis Gifford than the latter tape, which is mostly content to let today's working artists, such as the crew behind Heavy Metal, glorify themselves.
The producers do an effective job of relating the developments in comics to the larger trends of society. "Krazy Kat," for instance, is linked to the avant garde arts movement just before World War I. In the Roaring '20s, with the rise of the independent modern women, there was an interest in so-called girl strips, of which "Blondie," "Little Orphan Annie" and "Betty Boop" are all examples.
The Depression years, bringing a supposed desire to escape daily misery, produced far-flung adventures with "outsider" heroes such as the Phantom and Tarzan. (Phantom creator Lee Falk is heard to grumble that Batman is just a Phantom imitation.)
One of the comics' eternal crosses to bear, lamented here, is their supposed association with childish tastes.
But a visit to a comic-book store today would persuade anyone that children might need some protection from what the contemporary comic book offers in the way of drugs, sex and violence.
In that vein, parents who want to share their appreciation of comics with their children through "The History of the Comics" should review the tapes first, especially the latter volumes.
Mickey Mouse these ain't.