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

Introduction

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 image-making means 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

Self-portrait, 1922

George Joseph Herriman III (August 22, 1880 – April 25, 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Krazy Kat (1913–1944). More influential than popular, Krazy Kat had an appreciative audience among those in the arts. Gilbert Seldes' article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip. The Comics Journal placed the strip first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman's work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such as Elzie C. Segar, Will Eisner, Charles M. Schulz, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Bill Watterson, and Chris Ware.

Herriman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to mixed-race Creole parents, and grew up in Los Angeles. After he graduated from high school in 1897, he worked in the newspaper industry as an illustrator and engraver. He moved on to cartooning and comic strips—a medium then in its infancy—and drew a variety of strips until he introduced his most famous character, Krazy Kat, in his strip The Dingbat Family in 1910. A Krazy Kat daily strip began in 1913, and from 1916 the strip also appeared on Sundays. It was noted for its poetic, dialect-heavy dialogue; its fantastic, shifting backgrounds; and its bold, experimental page layouts.

Anniversaries for June 14

1912: birth of Ami Hauhio, Finnish artist, best known for co-creating the science fiction comic Maan mies Marsissa
1912: first appearance of The Teenie Weenies, American comic strip by William Donahey which ran until 1969
1912: birth of Bob Wood, American illustrator during the Golden Age of Comics, co-creator of the series Crime Does Not Pay
1917: birth of Joe Letterese, American comic book letterer
1930: birth of Sam Grainger, American comic book artist best known as a Marvel Comics inker during the Silver Age
1932: death of John "Dok" Hager, American cartoonist, creator of the comic strip Dok's Dippy Duck
1944: birth of Jordi Bernet, Spanish comic book artist known for Torpedo and Clara del Noche
1955: birth of Paul Kupperberg, American writer and comics editor
1959: birth of Mark Heike, American comic book creator and editor, mainly known for his work for AC Comics
1962: birth of Denis Beauvais, Canadian artist whose work has appeared in comic books and role-playing games.
1970: birth of David Lapham, American comic book writer, artist, and cartoonist, best known for his work on the independent comic book Stray Bullets..
1975: first issue of Monster Fun, British comic marking the first appearance of X-Ray Specs, comic strip by Mike Lacey
1997: debut of Crazy for Daisy, British comic strip by Nick Brennan in The Beano
1999: launch of Elf Life, American webcomic by Carson Fire
2002: start of Pixel, American webcomic by Chris Dlugosz
2006: death of Jean Roba, Belgian comics artist best known for Boule et Bill

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

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

... that otomechikku, a subgenre of Japanese girls' comics focusing on stories about ordinary teenaged protagonists, has been compared to monogatari and the genre of Bildungsroman?
... that comic book artist Barry Windsor-Smith wrote, drew, inked, and lettered every page of his graphic novel Monsters by himself?
... that Kamome Shirahama, in addition to writing and illustrating her best-selling Witch Hat Atelier manga series, has created variant covers for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and the Star Wars franchise?
... that M. Night Shyamalan's Old is based on a Swiss graphic novel that the filmmaker received as a Father's Day gift?
... that the Franco-Belgian comic book Hans had its title changed in Poland due to lingering ill-feeling toward Germany?
... that although its publisher Dark Horse Comics is American, a significant proportion of artists involved with the comic book series The Witcher have been Polish?
... 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 Arnie Roth debuted as a gay Marvel Comics character at a time when the publisher maintained a "No Gays in the Marvel Universe" policy?

edit

Selected picture

Credit: He.Who.Wanders

The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Created by Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).

More did you know...

...that while Al Jaffee (pictured) created the comics character Ziggy Pig, it was Stan Lee who named him?

...that after 25 years of aging in real time, John Constantine is getting younger?

...that The Punisher can be distinguished from other beat 'em up games by its frequent use of firearms?

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

Comics

Glossary of comics terminology

Formats

Techniques

Creators

By format	Editorial list Minicomics Webcomics
By country	American Jewish American Australian Canadian Cuban Filipino Japanese (manga) Macedonian
Other	Female comics creators list

History

Comics studies
and narratology

Genres	Abstract Adult Alternative Ambiguous Anthropomorphic Autobiographical Celebrity Comics in education Comics journalism Comics poetry Crime Dystopian Erotic Fantasy list Gekiga Graphic medicine Horror Romance list Science fiction Superhero Teen humor Tijuana bible Underground War Western Wrestling
Tropes	Antihero Decompression Talking animals Masking Rogue Superhero Supervillain Widescreen comics
Themes	Ethnic stereotypes Feminist Gender and webcomics LGBT American mainstream Portrayal of black people African characters Portrayal of women The Hawkeye Initiative Women in Refrigerators

By country

Africa	South Africa
Americas	Argentina Brazil Canada Quebec Mexico United States list
Asia	China and Taiwan list Hong Kong India list Japan lists Korea list Pakistan Philippines list Thailand Turkey Vietnam
Europe	Czech Republic Croatia France and Belgium list Belgium Germany Hungary Ireland Italy list Netherlands Poland Portugal Serbia Spain list United Kingdom Wales
Oceania	Australia

Lists

By format	Comic books Comic strips Manga magazines Webcomics
By source	Based on fiction Based on films Based on television programs Based on video games
Other lists	Awards Best-selling comic series manga manga magazines Comic books on CD/DVD Comics and comic strips made into feature films Comics solicited but never published Limited series

Collections and
museums

Schools

Organizations

Professional	Academy of Comic Book Arts Association of Canadian Cartoonists Association of Comics Magazine Publishers Australian Cartoonists' Association Comic Art Professional Society National Cartoonists Society Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas
Critical and academic	Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association Canadian Society for the Study of Comics Comic & Fantasy Art Amateur Press Association Comics Studies Society Sequart Organization Svenska Serieakademien
Charitable and outreach	Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors British Amateur Press Association (comics) Club des bandes dessinées Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund Finnish Comics Society Friends of Lulu The Hero Initiative Xeric Foundation

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.