By Marielena Zajac, Online Editor
The Department of Theater and Performance Studies has created a one-of-a-kind play with “Bloody Pulp: Crisis in the American Comic Book!,” performing at the Onyx Theater Feb. 3 to Feb. 8. Written and co-directed by Dr. Charles Parrott and co-directed by Dr. Jim Davis, the show depicts the rise and fall of comics and the artists behind many of the popular comic book series we know and love today. It is an imaginative portrayal of a comic book come to life that serves as, according to Parrott, “an allegory for the things in the present.”
Set in the early 1950’s, “Bloody Pulp” provides viewers with a brief composite history of the events that led to the Comics Code Authority. The code, which prohibited comic book publications from releasing comics that were lurid, violent, or sexual in any manner, hoped to protect America’s youth from delinquency and future criminal behavior. With 90 percent of children reading comics, this was a major concern for American society at the time.
“Bloody Pulp” calls attention to the ridiculous restrictions that the Comics Code Authority placed on publishers but also raises debates that are still prevalent in modern day society: What should American children be subjected to in entertainment; who decides what is right and wrong; and when do we as a society say “enough” to violence and sex in children’s stories?
“It asks the fine question of where do we draw the line,” Parrott said.
Despite the serious undertone, the show is filled with lighthearted and amusing scenes that are packed with color juxtaposed against a black and white background. The set is staged so that viewers in the Onyx Theater can see the performance from multiple different angles, giving the sense that the world is a comic book and we are its characters. Each scene is a unique panel that brings a whimsical element to every line delivered, giving the true feel of a classic comic.
The truest nod that “Bloody Pulp” shows is to the original comic artists at the time, primarily Jack Kirby, from whom the story is loosely based. These artists, including Jerry Siegel and Bob Kane, had a huge impact on modern day entertainment and provided many generations to come with classic tales of adventure, romance, and heroic antics that have proved to be some of the greatest stories ever told. “Bloody Pulp” aims to shed light on serious and thought-provoking issues, but more importantly, it strives to be grateful for the artists who started it all and to continue their dream of telling a great story.
To learn more about “Bloody Pulp: Crisis in the American Comic Book!,” visit the show’s Tumblr page at http://bloodypulpksu.tumblr.com/.