Breaking the fourth wall

[NP]

Are there any examples of comic characters acknowledging the readers directly?

In my 'Harry Hill' page in the Dandy, Harry address the readers almost all the time. it was a fairly standard ruse in pre war comics too, but again especially when it was the adventures of a real-life person. The example of this that gives me the saddest jolt is in the movie 'How I Won The War' when Private Gripweed is mortally wounded and looks straight to camera and says: "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" In the light of what did happen to the actor playing that part 32 years ago today, it seems particularly bleak.

[stevezodiac]

Reviving an old topic as I spotted this example in the American Sparkler comic:



and here's the cover (from June 1951) for the curious:



All of the Nancy cartoons in this comic do not have Ernie Bushmiller's name on the strips so it was included on that one just for the gag. I was just wondering if it was ever reprinted in the Topper. DC Thomson never acknowledged the names of artists back then but they did have Ernie's name in the heading.

[Lew Stringer]

. Are there any examples of comic characters acknowledging the readers directly?
.

I've only just noticed this topic now you've bumped it. Yes, it's happened loads of times over the years. Dare-A-Day-Davy in Pow! springs to mind, with Davy often looking directly at the readers and talking to them. Happened in lots of other Odhams humour strips too, and I've used it myself in more strips than I can remember.

"Eh, readers?"

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/sca ... ckman1.jpg

[philcom55]

I don't think Thomson's rule about not crediting writers and artists in their comics (apart from Watkins and Morley) applied to foreign reprints. For example Stan Lee was credited on Millie the Model.

[suebutcher]

Sue Day, as the narrator of the story, nearly always addressed the readers directly in "Happy Days". And the fourth wall can also be broken in the other direction, eg 'Reader's voice:"Oh no! It's that sort of cartoon ending!"' But The Reader is almost never seen.

Off the topic, a real oddity of unseen things in British comics is the "presence of absence", where you get a sort of flash in the shape of a missing object with the legend "NOT THERE!". I'm sure I've seen this, but I've not been able to find an example.

[philcom55]

Of course, Topper's Smart Art made sophisticated use of the interaction between the main character and his artist 'Art' - as well as showing objects being conjured in and out of existence by a giant pencil and eraser.

[DJDogfart]

Cheeky (from Cheeky Weekly & Krazy Gang) always addressed the reader on his daily walkabouts. I used to love it, it was like you were in his world.

[stevezodiac]

NOT THERE was usually just the word GONE! with lines coming out of it.

[suebutcher]

Carol tells me that a "NOT THERE!" occurred in a Three Bears strip where Pa buys some spaghetti, and Ma mistakenly takes it and knits it into a pullover, forcing Pa to eat his own jumper for dinner.

[Kashgar]

Oor Wullie and his English counterpart Ginger both addressed the reader especially at the end of strips.

[Lew Stringer]

Not forgetting Clark Kent's wink to the readers at the end of some 1950s Superman stories of course, usually after he'd thwarted Lois from discovering his identity.

It's been such a common thing in comics, Steve, especially UK humour comics, for decades. I'm surprised you weren't aware of any examples.

[stevezodiac]

I was more interested in examples from tv and film but I suppose I confused matters by puting this in the general comics thread. Its so common in comics it hardly warrants a mention but in films and tv its almost taboo. Of course in the theatre actors have recently been known to admonish audience members who's mobile phones ring but is that breaking the fourth wall?

I'm sure Buster Keaton did something like get up from his cinema seat and step into the film which sounds like the reverse of the subject matter.

[stevezodiac]

My film buff mate Steve has just informed me it happened in Sherlock Jr.

[Lew Stringer]

I was more interested in examples from tv and film but I suppose I confused matters by puting this in the general comics thread.

Now you tell us! (Gives an Oliver Hardy expression of exasperation to the camera.)

[philcom55]

I always liked the style of the TV series 'My World And Welcome To It', based on the cartoons of James Thurber. As I recall the hero regularly addressed the viewer in the animated introduction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5MU7CPMtqE