comics

Ethan Persoff's personal website is one of the best rationalizations for the existence of the Internet. In addition to being a talented cartoonist himself, Persoff has compiled a fascinating archive of comics history that includes some incredible specimens of pop culture that typically falls through the cracks. His collection includes a complete set of comics produced by Alcoholics Anonymous between 1968 and 1974; »

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If Ethan Persoff did not exist, it would be necessary for the Internet to invent him. Perhaps it did. In any case, Ethan Persoff's website is one of the stranger corners of cyberspace. Persoff is a cartoonist and comics artist, and in addition to showing off his own work, he's archived some really fascinating flotsam and jetsam from the pop-cultural subconcious. Especially interesting is his section of "educational" comics called Comics With Problems. The comics here are the free comics that get passed out to schoolkids or distributed at community centers to addressi social issues like sexual abuse, marijuana, and the medical value of wearing an eye patch. The most recent addition to the archive is a real classic: a comic distributed by Planned Parenthood first in 1956 and then in a revised edition in 1962 titled Escape From FEAR.