Famous Cartoon Comics

All of us grew up with cartoon comics. In the vacations, and even during school days, comics had the ability to transform us into another magical reality where cats and dogs talked, human beings possessed super powers and saved millions of people from untold calamities – all this and so much more happened between the panels of a cartoon strip.

Here is a quick run through of a few famous comics and famous toons that captured the imaginations of many among us.

Mickey Mouse

Created by Walt Disney in 1928 and released on November 18, 1928 with ‘Steamboat Willie’ the character of Mickey Mouse has become one of the most widely recognized cartoon characters in the world. His big ears and his smiling face have been the inspiration for many among us. His friends are Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and his dog Pluto.

Donald Duck

Another creation by Walt Disney, Donald Duck is a duck with orange legs, feet and even an orange bill. Donald became well known because of his unusual voice and his half intelligible speech. His friends are Daisy Duck, Uncle Scrooge, and his three nephews: Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Tom and Jerry

Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the Tom and Jerry cartoon series has been Metro-Goldwyn-Meyers’ most successful ventures of all times. The cartoon focuses on the antics of Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse and their perpetual ‘cat and mouse game’ to chase each other down.

Bugs Bunny

Produced by Warner Bros., Bugs Bunny is one of the most loved rabbits of all times. Fun loving and eating carrots, his dialogue "What’s Up, Doc?" has been part of our childhoods.

Tweety Bird

Tweety is another Warner Bros. creation, and is much loved amongst toon fans for her cute appearance and sweet personality. His dialogue "I think I see a puddy-tat" has been loved the world over.

Popeye The Sailor

Created by Elzie Crisler Segar, Popeye first appeared in 1929 in the daily Kings Features comic strip called the Thimble Theatre. The spinach eating, one-eyed, pipe smoking sailor is in love with Olive Oyl and has a villain called Bluto. He has an adopted daughter called Swee’Pea.

Garfield

Garfield is a much loved cartoon strip created by Jim Davis and it features Garfield the cat with his much loved sense of humor along with characters that Odie the dog and Jon Arbuckle, his owner.

The Phantom

A comic strip created by Lee Falk, The Phantom was the first crime fighting comic book hero to wear a skin tight suit with a mask to hide his eyes and thus create a double identity. He is accompanied by Devil, a wolf and Hero, a horse and lives in a Skull cave in the jungles of Dangalla. He also has a wife Diana and twins Kit and Heloise along with an adopted son Rex.

Mandrake the Magician

Another of Lee Falk’s creations, Mandrake the Magician appeared in 1934 in syndicated newspapers in America. Mandrake is an exemplary illusionist and hypnotist who learned his craft at the Collegium Magikos under the tutelage of his father, Theron. Mandrake stays at Xanadu with his girlfriend Narda, his friend Lothar and his chef Hojo. His main villain is Cobra, his evil step-brother. Mandrake also has a twin brother called Derek.

Superman

Created by artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel in 1932, Superman first appeared in Action comics and then later on in DC Comics. A child sent by his parents into space from his home planet of Krypton, he is found and raised by the loving Kents, Clark Kent doubles up as Superman and saves the Earth on many a occasion. Superman possesses several super-powers like the ability to see through things, hear things from far, and of course, fly.

Batman

Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. He made is first appearance in 1939 in Detective Comics. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, a millionaire industrialist and playboy. He doesn’t possess any particular super-powers, but relies on gadgets and detective skills along with his vast collection of technological and scientific data.

Spiderman

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spiderman is the tale of young Peter Parker who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and comes into possession of several spider-like powers such as the ability to weave a net from his wrist, to climb on walls and his famous ‘tingling spider sense’ which warns him of impending disasters. As Peter Parker, he goes through the life of a young boy struggling with everyday issues such as getting a job and getting his girl (Mary Jane or MJ).

Tintin

Tintin is a Belgian comic strip created by Herge (the pen name of Georges Remi). He made his first appearance in the children’s supplement of a Belgian newspaper in 1929. Tintin is a reporter and is always accompanied by his dog Snowy. He has a variety of friends such as Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and his villain is the criminal mastermind, Rastapopoulous.

Asterix

Astreix is a series of comic books written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. The books are depiction of the adventures of a Gaulish village and how they band together to defeat the Roman Army of Julius Caesar. The main character of Asterix has a friend Obelix. Obelix has a dog called Dogmatix. The chief of their tribe is called Vitalstatistix and the tribe has a druid called Getafix who brews magic potion which gives them all super powers. There is also a bard called Cacofonix who is prevented from singing at any point of time in the story. The particularly funny names of the characters along with tongue-in-cheek puns and play of words are the key features of the series.

Dilbert

An American comic strip by Scott Adams, Dilbert was first published in 1989 and since then has become the flagship of corporate humor all over the world. The satirical approach towards the workings within an office centers around the main character of Dilbert who is an engineer. He has a pet called Dogbert and a cat called Catbert and bureaucratic boss.

The Simpsons

A picture of a dysfunctional family, The Simpsons was created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The main characters are Homer (father), Marge (mother), Bart (son) and daughters Lisa and Maggie. They live in Springfield where Homer works as a safety inspector in a Nuclear Power Plant. There is also a wide array of other characters which play key roles in the various adventures of this family.