Portal:Comics

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Introduction

P:CMC
P:COMICS
P:COMIC

Comics are 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...)

Show new selections below (purge)

edit

Selected article

A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories is a 1978 graphic novel by American cartoonist Will Eisner. It is a short story cycle that revolves around poor Jewish characters who live in a tenement in New York City. Eisner produced two sequels set in the same tenement: A Life Force in 1988, and Dropsie Avenue in 1995. Though the term "graphic novel" did not originate with Eisner, the book is credited with popularizing its use. A Contract with God is made up of four stand-alone stories: in "A Contract with God" a religious man gives up his faith after the death of his young adopted daughter; in "The Street Singer" a has-been diva tries to seduce a poor, young street singer, who tries to take advantage of her in turn; a bullying racist is led to suicide after false accusations of pedophilia in "The Super"; and "Cookalein" intertwines the stories of several characters vacationing in the Catskill Mountains. Eisner uses large, monochromatic images in dramatic perspective, and emphasizes the caricatured characters' facial expressions; few panels or captions have traditional borders around them. Eisner began his comic book career in 1936, and had long held artistic ambitions for what was perceived as a lowbrow medium. He found no support for his ideas, and left the world of commercial comics after ending his signature work The Spirit in 1952. The growth of comics fandom convinced him to return in the 1970s, and he worked to realize his aspirations of creating comics with literary content. He wanted a mainstream publisher for the book and to have it sold in traditional bookstores, rather than comic book shops; the small press Baronet Books released A Contract with God in 1978, and marketed it as a "graphic novel", which thereafter became the common term for book-length comics. It sold slowly at first, but gained respect from Eisner's peers, and since has been reprinted by larger publishers.

More selected articles

Read more

edit

Anniversaries for September 22

1912: birth of Kon Shimizu, Japanese writer-artist and political cartoonist
1921: birth of Will Elder, American comic book artist best known for his work in MAD magazine
1922: launch of The Wizard, weekly British story paper published by D. C. Thomson & Co.
1931: birth of E. Nelson Bridwell, American comic book writer and publisher best known for his work in MAD magazine and DC Comics
1932: birth of Ian Kennedy, British artist who worked initially for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, then later for Amalgamated Press
1952: death of H. T. Webster, American cartoonist known for The Timid Soul, Bridge, Life's Darkest Moments and others
1960: birth of Richard Dominguez, American comic book artist best known as creator of El Gato Negro
1962: birth of Steve Lavigne, American comic book illustrator best known for his lettering and coloring on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title for Mirage Studios
1979: birth of James Jean, Taiwanese-American visual artist working primarily in painting and drawing
2006: end of Mac Hall, American webcomic by Ian McConville and Matt Boyd

More September anniversaries / All Anniversaries...

General images

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

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

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

... that a teacher of medieval literature and comic books writes the blog Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle?
... that the writer of the 2022 comic book miniseries Poison Ivy, starring the eponymous Batman villain, described it as a "love story" that features "plant-based body horror"?
... that the Buddhist themes of David Bowie's 1967 composition "Karma Man" were compared to the Marvel Comics character Doctor Strange?
... that The Steranko History of Comics has been described as the first piece of cultural analysis on American comic books?
... that John Romita Sr. has been credited with introducing romance comic themes to Spider-Man comic books?
... that the Franco-Belgian comic book Hans had its title changed in Poland due to lingering ill-feeling toward Germany?
... that the comic book Nietzsche, se créer liberté tries to express Friedrich Nietzsche's personality visually?
... that open depictions of sexual acts were a defining trait of early works of josei manga ('women's comics')?

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Julian Tysoe

Dave Gibbons, artist and designer of the Watchmen comic book series.

More selected pictures

Read more

edit

More did you know...

...that publication of comics in Hungary largely stopped during World War II due to Nazi pressure?

... that the graphic novel Building Stories by Chris Ware was published as a box that contained fourteen printed objects, including cloth-bound books, newspapers, broadsheets, and flip books?

... that Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book (1959) was the first book-length work of original comics in the United States?

More did you know facts

edit

Selected quote

...'comic' simply means funny, so the word is inadequate. To tack on the word 'adult' has resulted in a style of magazine suitable for only some adults, glossy comics barely containing their airbrushed breasts, leaving little room for genuine content.

— Paul Gravett

More selected quotes

More from Wikiquote

edit

Topics

edit

Featured content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Comics}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.