comics comics medium express ideas images combined text visual information comics frequently takes form sequences panels images devices speech balloons indicate dialogue narration sound effects information size arrangement panels contribute narrative pacing similar forms illustration common image making means comics form uses photographic images common forms comics include comic strips editorial gag cartoons comic books late 20th century bound volumes graphic novels comic albums increasingly common online 21st century history comics followed different paths different cultures scholars pre history far cave paintings mid-20th century comics flourished particularly united_states western europe especially france belgium japan history european comics traced cartoon strips 1830s popular following success 1930s strips books american comics emerged mass medium early 20th century advent newspaper comic strips magazine style comic books followed 1930s superhero genre prominent superman appeared histories japanese comics manga propose origins early 12th century modern comic strips emerged japan early 20th century output comics magazines books rapidly expanded post world war era popularity comics reputation history end 20th century began find greater acceptance public english term comics singular refers medium referring particular instances individual strips comic books term derives humorous comic work early american newspaper comic strips standard non humorous works common english refer comics different cultures terms original languages manga japanese comics french language comics consensus historians definition comics emphasize combination images text image relations historical aspects mass reproduction use recurring characters increasing cross concepts different comics cultures eras definition difficult origins traditions examples early comics european american japanese comics traditions followed different paths europeans seen tradition beginning swiss early americans seen origin theirs 1890s newspaper strip americans come recognize precedence japan long satirical cartoons comics leading world war era artist popularized japanese term comics manga early 19th century post war era modern japanese comics began flourish produced prolific body work close 20th century traditions trend book length comics comic album europe japan graphic novel english speaking countries outside comics historians seen comics cave paintings france appear chronological sequences images egyptian rome 11th century 15th century block books judgment chapel 17th century english language comics illustrated humour periodicals popular 19th century britain earliest short lived glasgow looking glass popular punch popularized term cartoon humorous occasion cartoons magazines appeared sequences character featured earliest serialized comic strip character began feature weekly magazine american comics developed magazines judge life success illustrated humour later particularly yellow kid led development newspaper comic strips early sunday strips page colour experimented movement speech balloons shorter black white daily strips began appear early 20th century established newspapers success jeff humour strips 1920s 1930s strips continuing stories genres adventure drama popular thin periodicals called comic books appeared 1930s newspaper comic strips end decade original content began dominate success action comics lead hero superman marked beginning golden age comic books superhero genre prominent popularity superhero comic books declined following world war comic book sales continued increase genres romance crime horror humour following sales peak early 1950s content comic books particularly crime horror subjected scrutiny parent groups government agencies culminated senate hearings led establishment self body code blamed growth american comics maintaining low status american society remainder century established prominent comic book genre early 1960s underground challenged code readers adult content late 1960s early 1970s underground gave birth alternative comics movement 1980s mature experimental content non superhero genres comics reputation stemming roots mass culture cultural saw popular culture threatening culture society half 20th century popular culture won greater acceptance lines high low culture began comics continued medium seen entertainment children graphic novel book length comics began gain attention popularized term book contract god term widely known public commercial success dark knight returns mid-1980s 21st century graphic novels established mainstream libraries common franco belgian european comics swiss produced comic strips beginning published theories form cartoons appeared widely newspapers magazines 19th century success popularized use speech balloons european comics comics began dominate signature clear line style serialized newspaper comics beginning icon comics following success dedicated comics magazines colour comic albums primary outlet comics mid-20th century time comics seen threat culture literacy commentators stated bear analysis comics sabotage art literature 1960s term drawn strips came wide use french denote medium began creating comics mature audiences term ninth art coined comics began attract public academic attention group including founded magazine artists greater freedom work appeared went best selling french language comics series satirical taboo breaking defied censorship laws spirit led events frustration censorship editorial interference led group found adults des adult oriented experimental comics flourished 1970s experimental science fiction mainstream publishers took publishing prestige format adult comics 1980s mainstream common number comics magazines decreased comics began published directly albums smaller publishers published longer works non traditional formats creators common 1990s resulted fewer large publishers smaller publishers sales overall continued grow despite trend print market japanese comics japanese comics manga history seen far anthropomorphic characters 12th century 17th century picture books prints popular 17th 20th centuries contained examples images movement lines sound effects illustrated magazines western introduced western style satirical cartoons japan late 19th century new publications western japanese styles popular end 1890s american style newspaper comics began appear japan american comic strips saw debut manga newspaper use word manga modern sense began modern japanese comic strip 1930s comic strips serialized large circulation monthly girls boys magazine collected volumes modern era comics japan began world war propelled success serialized comics prolific comic strip san genres audiences following decades stories usually serialized magazines hundreds pages thick contain dozen stories later compiled format books turn 20th 21st centuries nearly quarter printed material japan comics translations extremely popular foreign markets cases surpassing sales domestic comics forms formats comic strips generally short comics traditionally commonly appeared newspapers daily strips normally occupied single tier sunday strips given multiple tiers early 20th century daily strips typically black white sundays usually colour occupied page specialized comics periodicals formats vary greatly different cultures comic books primarily american format thin periodicals usually published colour european japanese comics frequently serialized magazines monthly weekly europe usually black white weekly japan japanese comics magazine typically run hundreds pages book length comics different forms different cultures european comic albums commonly printed size colour volumes english speaking countries bound volumes comics called graphic novels available formats despite incorporating term novel term normally associated fiction graphic novel refers non fiction collections short works japanese comics collected volumes called following magazine gag editorial cartoons usually consist single panel incorporating speech balloon definitions comics emphasize sequence usually exclude gag editorial single panel cartoons included definitions emphasize combination word image gag cartoons began published europe 18th 19th centuries term cartoon describe british humour magazine punch comics available internet able reach large audiences new readers usually access archived installments use infinite canvas meaning constrained size dimensions page consider novels comics film studios especially animation use sequences images guides film sequences intended end product rarely seen public novels books use sequences images deliver narrative comics studies similar problems defining literature film consensus reached definition comics medium attempted definitions descriptions fallen prey numerous exceptions emphasize combination text images prominent examples comics history critics emphasized sequences images close 20th century different cultures discoveries comics traditions forgotten early comics forms rise new forms defining comics complicated task european comics studies began theories work 1840s emphasized panel transitions visual verbal combination progress 1970s took approach study comics analyzing text image relations page level image relations image later dubbed closure introduced term refer comics page unit 1990s turned attention artists creative choices held views definition comics medium taken equally valid forms history morgan sees comics les drawn french theory come special attention page distinction american theories focus panel panel transitions begun analyzing comics understood tools science extending theory actual psychological experiments work argued images page use separate rule bound understood extend panel panel transitions types brain comics similar domains language music historical narratives manga tend focus recent post history attempts demonstrates deep roots past picture 12th 13th centuries early 19th century historical overview japanese comics early post war japanese criticism left wing political nature publication modern manga emphasized politics favour formal aspects structure grammar comics field manga studies increased rapidly numerous books subject appearing 1990s formal theories manga focused developing manga expression theory emphasis spatial relationships structure images page distinguishing medium film literature flow time basic organizing element comics studies courses japanese universities cartoon comics established promote comics scholarship publication manga manga world japanese comics led spread use word manga outside japan mean japanese comics japanese style comics attempted comprehensive history american comics comics comics understanding comics early attempts english study comics length treatment comics philosophical perspective prominent american attempts definitions comics include harvey described called art arrangement pictures images words story idea defined comics images deliberate sequence intended convey information produce aesthetic response viewer strictly formal definition detached comics historical cultural defined comics narratives words picture area speech balloons usually contribute meaning pictures vice versa definition detractors harvey saw definition excluding single panel cartoons objected emphasizing verbal elements insisting essential characteristic comics incorporation verbal content aaron saw theories artificial attempt place comics art history cross cultural study comics complicated great difference meaning scope words comics different languages french term comics drawn strip emphasizes drawn images defining factor imply exclusion photographic comics term manga japanese indicate forms comics caricature terminology term comics refers comics medium takes singular comics medium comics medium comic appears refers instances medium individual comic strips comic books tom comics basement panels individual images containing segment action surrounded border prime moments narrative broken panels process called reader puts pieces process closure background knowledge understanding panel relations combine panels mentally events size shape arrangement panels affect timing pacing narrative contents panel events depicted image necessarily occurring time text frequently incorporated comics speech balloons sound effects speech balloons indicate dialogue thought case thought balloons tails pointing respective speakers voice narrator convey characters dialogue thoughts indicate place time speech balloons strongly associated comics addition image sufficient turn image comics sound effects mimic non vocal sounds sound words frequently making comics traditionally ink especially india ink dip ink mixed media digital technology common techniques motion lines abstract symbols employed comics work single creator labour making frequently divided number specialists separate writers artists artists parts artwork characters backgrounds common japan particularly american superhero comic books art divided lays artwork pencil finishes artwork ink adds speech balloons etymology english term comics derives humorous comic work early american newspaper comic strips usage term standard non humorous works term comic book similarly confusing history humorous regular books periodicals common english refer comics different cultures terms original languages manga japanese comics french language comics cultures taken words comics english including russian russian german comic similarly chinese term korean derive chinese characters japanese term manga written books academic journals web
Comics