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 single 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 are 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 and comic albums have become increasingly common, along with webcomics.

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 as a plural when referring to works collectively (e.g. "Comics are popular reading material."). (Full article...)

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"A Death in the Family" is a 1988 storyline in the American comic book Batman, published by DC Comics. It was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Jim Aparo, with cover art by Mike Mignola. Serialized in Batman #426–429 from August to November 1988, "A Death in the Family" is considered one of the most important Batman stories for featuring the death of his sidekick Robin at the hands of his archenemy, the Joker.

Jason Todd, the second character to assume the Robin persona, was introduced in 1983 to replace Dick Grayson, who was unavailable for use at the time. Jason became unpopular among readers after 1986, as writers began to characterize him as rebellious and impulsive, and Starlin advocated killing him off. Editor Dennis O'Neil was considering having Jason revamped or written out of Batman when he recalled a 1982 Saturday Night Live sketch in which Eddie Murphy encouraged viewers to call the show if they wanted him to boil a lobster on air. Inspired to orchestrate a similar stunt, DC set up a 900 number voting system to allow fans to decide Jason's fate.

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Anniversaries for September 24

1900: birth of Ham Fisher, American comic strip creator best known for Joe Palooka
1946: birth of Carson Van Osten, American comics creator working on Disney comics
1952: birth of Bill Vallely, American freelance illustrator and writer, known for his work at various comic publishers
1957: death of Harry Paschall, American weightlifter, magazine editor, cartoonist, and writer, creator of the Bosco comic strip
1962: birth of Mark Mazz, American comic book art director, editor, and writer, founder of publishing company Atlas Unleashed
1970: birth of Marc Guggenheim, American TV writer and producer and occasional comic book writer
1970: birth of Dan Curtis Johnson, American comic book writer and programmer
1971: first appearance of Yoko Tsuno by Roger Leloup, in Spirou
1972: birth of Jock (cartoonist), Scottish cartoonist and comic book artist
1977: first publication of Plug, a British comic which ran for 76 issues
1979: birth of Greg Tocchini, Brazilian comic book artist
1982: birth of Matthew Inman, American cartoonist, creator of web comic The Oatmeal
1987: birth of Clayton Cowles, American comic book letterer
1993: launch of Doctor Fun by David Farley, presumably the first comic on the World Wide Web

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General images

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

Image 1Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 2Hokusai Manga (early 19th century) (from History of manga)
Image 3A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 4Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 5Sequential depictions on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy (from History of comics)
Image 6Todd Gloria with representatives of Comic-Con International 2026 during an announcement that the event is staying in San Diego through 2030. (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 7Bryan Cranston & Aaron Paul at the 2013 Comic-Con International, with Cranston holding his realistic Walter White mask. (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 8Comic-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 9Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)
Image 10The French comic Les Pieds Nickelés (1954 book cover): an early 20th-century forerunner of the modern Franco-Belgian comic (from Bande dessinée)
Image 11BD artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international fame through Métal Hurlant (from Bande dessinée)
Image 12Cover to 27 December 1884 edition of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. (from British comics)
Image 13During 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 14Cover 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 15Phoenix Fan Fusion's 2017 convention in Phoenix (from Comic book convention)
Image 16Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 17Close Hergé-collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 18A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area (from Comic book convention)
Image 19Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga (from History of manga)
Image 20The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 21A statue of The Rose of Versailles. This is a statue of Oscar and André at the Takarazuka Grand Theater in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, which is the musical of the work. (from History of manga)

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

... that the author of the comic book Timeless Voyage was the leader of a UFO religion?
... that a graphic novel for teens was among the 10 most challenged books in the United States in 2023?
... that a teacher of medieval literature and comic books writes the blog Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle?
... that a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision helped to protect comic books from government regulation and censorship?
... that pages of Lewis Hancox's graphic novel were displayed in The Cartoon Museum of London?
... that the Cook Opera House transitioned from opera to vaudeville to cinema before ending as a venue for strippers and dirty comics?
... that Steve Englehart wrote the Captain America comic book storyline "Secret Empire" as an allegory for the Watergate scandal?
... that a story in I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama was published as a script because there were not enough pages or time to include it as a full comic?

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Credit: United States Department of Defense

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941), from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

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More did you know...

...that New York Journal cartoonist and illustrator Nell Brinkley created the "Brinkley Girl" (pictured), an iconic representation of independent working women popular in the early 20th century?

...that Star Trek: Countdown, a comic book prequel to the 2009 film Star Trek, is also a sequel to the 2002 film Star Trek Nemesis?

...that Leland Myrick wrote the autobiographical graphic novel Missouri Boy, even though he considers himself "a very private person"?

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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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