alternatehistory.com



Fantastink is... there is no conclusion yet.

When people think of British culture, there are many things that stand out. From the stalwart Royal Family and all its pageantry and tradition, to the self-depreciation that is a trademark of its national humour. But in popular culture, there has been one aspect that has made itself famous across the world. Sometimes regarded as cheap pulp fiction or something that undermines the moral fabric of the country, it has nevertheless persevered.



It is fantastink. A combination of fantastic and ink, the name comes from the first reviews of the epic that defined the medium in the 1940's which stuck. Born of a need of money and experimenting that came from the British comic tradition, fantastink have served as a reflection on Britain as a whole. As society has changed, so has fantasink and it has reflected these changes.



From the bawdy comedy that exploded in the medium throughout the 1960's, to the political commentary and darker themes that were popular in 1980's and 1990's, fantastink is a reflection on the British soul with many genres. Popular among children, teenagers and adults, it also helped create the well regarded British animation industry with adaptations of the most popular stories of the small, paper booklets.



It is not uncommon for those who have had great success in the fantasinks to go onto great success with the British animation industry. The spread of these have furthered Britain's place in popular culture throughout the world to the extent that animation is almost synonymous with either Disney, or the combined output of the various British studios.



But who are the true titans of the medium? This essay hopes to show those who have helped define what fantastink is, showing one trail blazer for every decade up to the present day. We shall cover many genres from these figures and see how they have helped define the essence of British culture.



Our history starts in 1932 where a professor of languages in Oxford was getting ready to start his story. Rather than it being a novel like he had originally intended, the form had changed to being a complex form of pictures and words that would lead to and entirely new form of British artistic expression and pop culture. It would be a five year labour of love and experimentation that would succeed beyond all expectations. Our history begins with The Hobbit.
Top