Curtis (comic strip)
| Curtis | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Ray Billingsley |
| Website | comicskingdom |
| Current status/schedule | Running |
| Launch date | October 3, 1988 |
| Syndicate(s) | King Features Syndicate |
| Genre(s) | Humor |
Curtis is a nationally syndicated comic strip written and illustrated by Ray Billingsley, with a predominantly African American cast. The comic strip started up on October 3, 1988, and is syndicated by King Features.[1]
The comic strip portrays the daily life of a middle-class family living in a large American city, especially that of Curtis, the eponymous main character. It frequently chronicles aspects of African American culture and history.[2]
Curtis has been compared to Li'l Abner, which Billingsley cites as his favorite comic strip, in style.[3]
Themes
[edit]A recurring theme is Curtis' efforts to convince his father to try give up smoking, a personal issue for Billingsley, who is a prominent advocate for public health and the dangers of smoking.[4] For his efforts in educating young people about smoking, Billingsley has earned multiple awards from the American Lung Association.[5]
Though a fundamentally humorous comic, Curtis frequently addresses serious themes. Examples include bullying,[6] drug addiction[6] and gentrification.[7] A storyline in 2020 involved the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
During the holiday season, Billingsley sometimes deviates from his usual characters to present special two-to-three week stories celebrating the Festival of Kwanzaa. Once an annual tradition in the strip, these specials became irregular in the mid-2010s, with Ray Billingsley citing declining reader interest in them.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Dean Mullaney, Bruce Canwell and Brian Walker, King of the Comics : One Hundred Years of King Features Syndicate. San Diego : IDW Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781631403736 (p. 259)
- ^ "Editor's Dispatch: A Conversation with Ray Billingsley, America's Leading Black Cartoonist". www.comicskingdom.com. 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ a b Dueben, Alex (2017-02-28). "INTERVIEW: Ray Bilingsley reveals the hard lessons Will Eisner and the comics industry taught him". The Beat. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ Tobin, Suzanne (2001-05-25). "Comics: Meet the Artist - Ray Billingsley". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ "Comic Strips & Panels | King Features Syndicate". 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ a b Feller-Cohen, Julian (2011-02-08). "'Curtis' and cartoonist Ray Billingsley confront bullying and other real-world problems". masslive. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ Kramer, Staci D. (1993-03-29). "Comic strip gets serious". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ Edwards, Gavin (2020-04-27). "A Pandemic Gives the Funny Pages a Jolt of Reality". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-21.