Major Spoilers
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch Discord RSS
    Major Spoilers
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Random Access Memory
      • Retro Review
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Podcasts
      • Critical Hit
        • Critical Hit House Rules
        • Critical Hit World Building
      • Dueling Review
      • Finally Friday
      • Geek History Lesson
      • The Legion Clubhouse
      • Major Spoilers Podcast
        • MSP TPB for 2019
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2013
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2012
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2011
      • Munchkin Land
      • Top Five
      • Wayne’s Comics
      • Zach on Film
    • Features
      • Casual 60
      • Comic Casting Couch
      • Comics Portal
      • Did You Hear?
      • Editorials
      • Features
      • Gamer’s Corner
      • Hero Histories
      • Let’s Get Nerdy
      • Major Spoilers Adventures
      • Random Access Memory
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Movies
      • Did You Hear
      • Movies
      • Television
    • Comic Previews
    • Patreon
      • Patreon
      • Store
    Major Spoilers
    Comic Book History of Animation #5 Review
    Review

    The Comic Book History of Animation #5 Review

    Ingrid Lind-JahnBy Ingrid Lind-JahnApril 30, 20215 Mins Read

    The history of animation catches up to computer graphics and the anime revolution. What fascinating facts lie behind the medium so many of us love? Find out in The Comic Book History of Animation #5 from IDW Publishing!

    Comic Book History of Animation #5 Review
    You can purchase this issue via the comiXology affiliate link

    THE COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF ANIMATION #5

    Writer: Fred Van Lente
    Artist: Ryan Dunlavey
    Colorist: Adam Guzowski
    Letterer: Ryan Dunlavey
    Editor: Riley Farmer
    Publisher: IDW Publishing
    Cover Price: $3.99
    Release Date: April 28, 2021

    Previously in The Comic Book History of Animation: We have followed the growth of animation from its start in the early days of film to the early days of shorts and the first feature length films. We have seen it morph over time and seen the industry adapt to war time, to production demands, to trying to turn a profit. In time, animation found a new home on television, bringing with it recycling of old shorts and new (faster, cheaper) productions aimed at a younger audience. Production spread around the world, and animation continued to evolve.

    COMPUTER ANIMATION AND THE ANIME REVOLUTION

    The Comic Book History of Animation #5 introduces us to the early days of computer animation. One of the production challenges was the sheer amount of art and people involved with hand-drawn and colored animation at several frames a second. A computer scientist, Ed Catmull, started teaching his computer to draw in 1972, taking a model of his hand and converting that into polygons. He had always wanted to make movies. He continued developing the computer tools but hadn’t yet learned the art of making a film.

    He hired a former Disney animator, John Lasseter. His Computer Graphics Lab got a start with George Lucas and special effects. In 1983, the Lab changed hands, going to Steve Jobs. This is when the name Pixar was born. Lasseter’s work teaching himself 3D modeling led to Luxo Jr and the animated lamp we now associated with Pixar.

    In the mid 1970’s, the anime revolution began in Japan with a generation of serious or dramatic cartoons. Some of these shows crossed the ocean and became popular in the U.S. In this backdrop, Hayao Miyazaki still wanted to make kids films. It seemed to be the wrong time for that. He returned to manga, wrote the popular Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, produced it in anime and had a big enough hit that he founded Studio Ghibli. Still, it was early days.

    Meanwhile, Pixar worked for Disney with technology that revolutionized the way backgrounds could be handled without layering multiple cels. This was introduced in a small way in The Little Mermaid, and much more in The Lion King. Then Disney hired Pixar to do their first wholly computer-animated film – Toy Story. The film was rendered in a “farm” of a hundred and seventeen servers, with each frame taking about twenty hours to render. Around this same time, The Simpsons revolutionized the television cartoon.

    With Spirited Away, Miyazaki’s popularity in the U.S. became cemented. Pixar grew bigger, was bought by Disney, but eventually absorbed the remains of the Disney cartoon studio. Animation, thanks to CGI, has become ubiquitous, blending virtually seamlessly into live action films. And through it all, stories continued to be told, using whatever tools are available at the time, but reaching us all as stories always do.

    A SOLID SUPPORT FOR THE WORDS

    The Comic Book History of Animation #5 continues to have lively art full of references. Now that the history has reached more recent times, I think a lot of them seem much more familiar. They’re also amusing, balancing out a history which is complicated and at times quite technical. The lettering also does some heavy lifting. There is a lot of information. This is a history, after all, and that by definition requires a lot of verbiage. The text boxes are well-balanced throughout the panels. We always have something captivating and colorful to the eyes as we absorb everything that is going on.

    The ebb and flow is fascinating. Animation is not one singular thing, and it can be used in so many ways. I think a lot of that push and pull has kept the evolution lively. I like the way the art keeps the parallel timelines of Pixar and Studio Ghibli distinct so we don’t get lost keeping up with both of them.

    BOTTOM LINE: THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES

    The Comic Book History of Animation #5 takes a dynamic history and brings it up to the present, even though it’s kind of like herding cats. I am amazed and how much things have changed and how far they’ve come in a little over a century. Animation is all around us, and it will be fascinating to see where it goes next.


    Dear Spoilerite,

    At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

    The Comic Book History of Animation #5

    80%
    80%
    Fascinating

    Animation – a century of innovation and evolution.

    • Writing
      8
    • Art
      8
    • Coloring
      8
    • User Ratings (0 Votes)
      0
    Adam Guzowski Fred Van Lente IDW Publishing Review Riley Farmer ryan dunlavey The Comic Book History of Animation
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleStud and BloodBlade debuts at Comics Experience Publishing
    Next Article Shadecraft #2 Review
    Ingrid Lind-Jahn

    By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.

    Related Posts

    Critical Hit #793: Your Fly Is Down! (MWS01-E04)

    Read More

    Zelda Movie Casts its Live Action Link & Zelda – Did You Hear? week of Friday, July 18th, 2025

    Read More

    Legion Clubhouse #192: Who is the fur ball?

    Read More

    Comments are closed.

    AMAZON AFFILIATE

    Support this site by making a purchase through our Amazon affiliate links

    Reviews
    5.3
    July 18, 2025

    This Ends Tonight #1 Review

    6.0
    July 13, 2025

    Unchosen #1 Review

    6.3
    July 13, 2025

    Retro Review: Marvel Team-Up #95 (July 1980)

    8.7
    July 11, 2025

    Fantastic Four #1 Review

    6.0
    July 8, 2025

    JSA #9 Review

    Patreon Support
    Sponsor

    ComiXology Home Page

    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Twitch
    Major Spoilers Patreon
    • About
      • Major Spoilers Terms of Use
      • Major Spoilers Frequently Asked Questions
      • Major Spoilers Privacy Policy Statement
      • Major Spoilers Podcast Gear
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (EU)
    Major Spoilers is copyright 2006-2025 by Major Spoilers Entertainment, LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT