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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Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is a first-person shooter video game developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Acclaim for the Nintendo 64 console and personal computer platforms. It was released in 1997 in North America and Europe. Turok is an adaptation of the Acclaim Comics comic book series of the same name. The player controls a Native American warrior, Turok, who must stop the evil Campaigner from conquering the universe with an ancient and powerful weapon. As Acclaim's first exclusive title for the Nintendo 64, Turok was part of a strategy to develop games internally and license merchandise; Acclaim acquired the rights to Turok when it purchased Acclaim Comics (né Valiant) in 1994. Suffering from cash flow problems and falling sales, Turok became Acclaim's best hope for a financial turnaround. Iguana pushed the Nintendo 64's graphics capabilities to its limits, and were forced to compress or cut elements to fit the game on its 8-megabyte cartridge. Bugs delayed the game's release from holiday 1996 to 1997. Critical reception of Turok was highly positive. Becoming one of the most popular games for the console on release, Turok won praise for its graphics and evolution of the genre. Complaints centered on graphical slowdowns caused by multiple enemies appearing onscreen and occasionally awkward controls. The game sold 1.5 million copies and boosted sales of the Nintendo 64. Turok spawned a video game franchise that includes six sequels.

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

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

... that the Cook Opera House transitioned from opera to vaudeville to cinema before ending as a venue for strippers and dirty comics?
... that the 1992 comic book storyline "Man and Wolf", in which Captain America is transformed into a werewolf, has been described as "one of the most bizarre moments of the core Marvel Universe"?
... that a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision helped to protect comic books from government regulation and censorship?
... that a popular Marvel villain appeared in the Transformers and Doctor Who franchises before joining the Marvel Universe?
... that a graphic novel for teens was among the 10 most challenged books in the United States in 2023?
... that the Cook Opera House transitioned from opera to vaudeville to cinema before ending as a venue for strippers and dirty comics?
... 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 Tina Leung dressed as her comic book alter ego when accepting an award for the House of Slay?

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Credit: Jim Henderson

Midtown Comics is a New York City comic book retailer with three shops in Manhattan and an e-commerce website. The largest comic book store in the United States, the company opened its first store in the Times Square area in 1997. Its second was opened on Lexington Avenue in 2004, and is known as the Grand Central store for its proximity to Grand Central Terminal.

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More did you know...

...that 24-hour comics have become so popular that there's now a holiday for it on April 24?

...that Uri-On, created by Michael Netzer (pictured) in 1987, was the first Israeli superhero to be published in color?

...that T.H.E. Fox, drawn on a C64 KoalaPad and published on CompuServe, Q-Link and GEnie, is among the earliest online comics?

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There were other Batman writers throughout the years but they could never capture the style and flavor of Bill's scripts. Bill was the best writer in the business and it seemed that he was destined to write Batman.

— Bob Kane

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