A Two-Hour Documentary Film

for Public Television

A McDaniel College production in association with Maryland Public Television

LIFE IN THE COMICS is a two-hour documentary that critically examines how the ‘funny pages’ chronicle front-page news and have captured the essence of American culture for over 120 years. From their colorful beginning in the 1890s to the present day, comic strips have been a consistent and notable contributor to American life. Through times of strife, happiness, and social change, the comics section has addressed issues of the day in ways that provide comfort and understanding to legions of readers. Beyond the obvious gags and humor lay significantly larger stories that use a combination of visual and written messages to both reflect and shape American culture.

As it travels across time with historians and artists, LIFE IN THE COMICS interweaves past and present, telling stories that focus on four themes: immigration and poverty in the early 20th century and today; racial inequality during Jim Crow and the 1960s Civil Rights era to the present; women’s rights from 1920s Suffrage to the 1970s ERA movement, to the 2017 Women’s March; family life, with its emphasis on humor and realism in family dynamics. Compelling and unique, Life in the Comics examines how one of America’s most beloved art forms is woven into our cultural fabric.

Watch the Trailer!

Supported by Cartoonists!

For More Cartoonist Interviews go to our YouTube page!

Exploring & celebrating 

an original American art form’s impact

on American culture.