Episode 25: Rin Tin Tin #1

Episode 25: Rin Tin Tin #1

From The History of Comics in 500 Issues by Jess Nevins

August 10, 2025 · 51 min · Season 1 · Episode 25

About this episode

This episode explores the history of Rin Tin Tin and its cultural impact, weaving through various historical contexts and performances involving animals.

In this episode, which is ostensibly about the Spanish comic Rin-Tin-Tin , I go allll over the place. (Sorry). I begin with the early history of theater among the Egyptians and then the Greeks, discuss their use of animals on-stage, proceed to the Romans (who loved having animals on-stage, my goodness!), briefly describe the use of animals on-stage leading up to vaudeville, then vaudeville, the dime novels with heroic animals, the early silent films with heroic animals (there are several I single out and describe their histories), the stars among the movie animals of the 1920s, the debut of Rin Tin Tin--who didn't save Warner Brothers studio all by himself, despite the Hollywood legend--Rin Tin Tin's popularity around the world, Celebrity Pulps, how and why a Spanish comics publisher decided to make a comic about the real-life adventures of Rin Tin Tin, why it was a runaway success, Rex the Wonder Dog (because of course), ideasplosions, the awesomeness of Jesus de Aragon's Los piratas del aire (1929), various Spanish comics that made adroit use of ideasplosions, the ideasplosions of Rin-Tin-Tin , and the influence of Rin-Tin-Tin on not just other comics but on Spanish science…

People in this episode

Host: Jess Nevins

Topics covered

  • history of theater
  • use of animals in performance
  • vaudeville
  • silent films
  • Rin Tin Tin
  • Spanish comics
  • influence on science fiction

Keywords

  • Rin Tin Tin
  • Spanish comics
  • vaudeville
  • silent films
  • theater history
  • animal performances
  • Jesus de Aragon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Warner Brothers, Celebrity Pulps, Spanish comics publisher

Books & works: Rin Tin Tin, Los piratas del aire

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