Portal:Comics

Introduction

Comics is a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically takes the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate dialogue, narration, sound effects, or other information. There is no consensus among theorists and historians on a definition of comics; some emphasize the combination of images and text, some sequentiality or other image relations, and others historical aspects such as mass reproduction or the use of recurring characters. Cartooning and other forms of illustration are the most common means of image-making in comics. Photo comics is a form that uses photographic images. Common forms include comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, and comic books. Since the late 20th century, bound volumes such as graphic novels, comic albums, and tankōbon have become increasingly common, along with webcomics as well as scientific/medical comics.

The English term comics is used as a singular noun when it refers to the medium itself (e.g. "Comics is a visual art form."), but becomes plural when referring to works collectively (e.g. "Comics are popular reading material."). (Full article...)

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Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, published in 1959. Kurtzman aimed it at an adult audience, in contrast to his earlier work for adolescents in periodicals such as Mad. The social satire in the book's four stories targets Peter Gunn-style private-detective shows, Westerns such as Gunsmoke, capitalist avarice in the publishing industry, Freudian pop psychology, and lynch-hungry yokels in the South. Kurtzman's character Goodman Beaver makes his first appearance in one of the stories.

Kurtzman created the satirical Mad in 1952, but left its publisher EC Comics in 1956 after a dispute over financial control. After two failed attempts with similar publications, Kurtzman proposed Jungle Book as an all-original cartoon book to Ballantine Books to replace its successful series of Mad collections, which had moved to another publisher, Signet Books. Ballantine accepted Kurtzman's proposal, albeit with reservations about its commercial viability. It was the first mass-market paperback of original comics published in the United States. Though it was not a financial success, Jungle Book attracted fans and critics for its brushwork, satirical adult-oriented humor, experimental dialogue balloons, and adventurous page and panel designs.

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Anniversaries for April 18

1828: birth of Frank Bellew, American cartoonist and pioneering comics author
1916: birth of Carl Burgos, American comic book artist best known as creator of the Human Torch
1953: first appearance of Roger the Dodger, ongoing British comic strip created by Ken Reid in The Beano
1969: birth of Keith DeCandido, American science fiction and fantasy writer, known for his media tie-ins
1986: birth of Paulo Siqueira, Brazilian comic book artist
1997: death of Edward Barker, English cartoonist and underground comix creator
2002: last volume of Flame of Recca, Japanese manga created by Nobuyuki Anzai
2006: death of Dick Rockwell, American comics artist best known for his work on Steve Canyon

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General images

The following are images from various comics-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga (from History of manga)
Image 2Close Hergé collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 3The French comic Les Pieds Nickelés (1954 book cover): an early 20th-century forerunner of the modern Franco-Belgian comic (from Bande dessinée)
Image 4Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)
Image 5Cover to 27 December 1884 edition of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. (from British comics)
Image 6The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 7BD artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international renown through Métal Hurlant (from Bande dessinée)
Image 8A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area (from Comic book convention)
Image 9Cover of Illustrated Chips in 1896 featuring the first appearance of the long-running comic strip of the tramps Weary Willie and Tired Tim. (from British comics)
Image 10Phoenix Fan Fusion's 2017 convention in Phoenix, Arizona (from Comic book convention)
Image 11Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 12A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 13Comic-Con crowd inside the second floor of the convention center in 2011 waiting for the exhibition hall to open (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 14During panels at comic book conventions, the audience is sometimes invited to line up and ask questions using a dedicated microphone. (from Comic book convention)
Image 15Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 16Sequential depictions on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy (from History of comics)
Image 17Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 18Hokusai Manga (early 19th century) (from History of manga)

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that John Romita Sr. has been credited with introducing romance comic themes to Spider-Man comic books?
... that Tina Leung dressed as her comic book alter ego when accepting an award for the House of Slay?
... that Steve Englehart wrote the Captain America comic book storyline "Secret Empire" as an allegory for the Watergate scandal?
... that a teacher of medieval literature and comic books writes the blog Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle?
... that the 2003 graphic novel The Life Eaters, presenting an occult-driven, hypothetical Axis victory in World War II, has been discussed in the context of its portrayal of The Holocaust?
... that the comic book Nietzsche, se créer liberté tries to express Friedrich Nietzsche's personality visually?
... that the USC Trojans team that won the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship had been compared to the Marvel Comics' Avengers?
... that although Blizzard's franchise Overwatch is centered around video games, its lore is mainly told through animated shorts, comics, and novels?

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Credit: Fox Feature Syndicate

Samson was a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. He first appeared in Fantastic Comics #1 (Dec. 1939). The writer was uncredited, but is believed to be Will Eisner; the artist was Alex Blum, using the pseudonym "Alex Boon".

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More did you know...

...that What A Guy!, a gag cartoon created in 1987, continued for eight years after writer Bill Hoest's death using a mix of his jokes and new gags written by his widow, Bunny Hoest?

...that Morning Funnies was a fruit-flavored breakfast cereal featuring comic strip characters including Dennis the Menace, Hägar the Horrible, and Funky Winkerbean on the box?

...that Andy Hartzell created his graphic novel Fox Bunny Funny without a single line of text?

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[t]he standards of comics include inventiveness, originality, and consistency. The best comics really are great artworks — great by the intrinsic standards of that art form.

— David Carrier

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