Portal:Comics

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 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

"Interactions" is the second episode of the animated television series The Spectacular Spider-Man, which is based on the comic book character Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The episode sees Spider-Man confronting the supervillain Electro, whose body was corrupted with electricity after a freak lab accident. "Interactions" was written by Kevin Hopps, who researched all the available comic books he had that featured Electro, and directed by Troy Adomitis. Electro's appearance in the episode draws on his traditional comic book style, though designer Victor Cook emphasized the color green and removed the character's customary star-shaped mask. His voice actor, Crispin Freeman, sought to reflect the character's declining sanity in his vocal style. "Interactions" first aired March 8, 2008, on the Kids WB! block for The CW network, following the first episode. Its 1.4/4 Nielsen rating was higher than that of the pilot, "Survival of the Fittest". The episode received mixed to positive reviews, with IGN commenting that "[w]hile not as strong as the pilot, the episode had some notable moments."

More selected articles

Read more

edit

Anniversaries for December 3

1921: birth of Len Dworkins, American cartoonist known for his work on the Buck Rodgers newspaper strip
1937: debut of The Dandy, longest-running British comics magazine, featuring the first appearance of Desperate Dan, created by Dudley D. Watkins, and Korky the Cat, created by James Crighton
1952: birth of John Warner, American comic book writer and editor, known for stories of horror and the supernatural
1959: birth of Mike Saenz, American comic book artist and software designer, known for creating Shatter
1961: birth of Don Simpson, American comic book cartoonist and illustrator, most noted as the creator of the series Megaton Man
1969: birth of Dan Panosian, American comic book artist
1974: birth of Joe Madureira, American comics artist best known as creator of Battle Chasers and for his work on Uncanny X-Men
1984: final issue of War Picture Library, British comic which lasted for more than 2100 issues
1997: death of Benito Jacovitti, Italian comics artist best known for Cocco Bill
2004: first issue of Young Gangan, Japanese seinen manga magazine

More December anniversaries / All Anniversaries...

General images

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

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

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

... 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?
... that a teacher of medieval literature and comic books writes the blog Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle?
... that the USC Trojans team that won the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship had been compared to the Marvel Comics' Avengers?
... that comic book artist Barry Windsor-Smith wrote, drew, inked, and lettered every page of his graphic novel Monsters by himself?
... 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 the writer of Poison Ivy: Thorns felt the titular DC Comics character was "tailor made for [her] interests as a nature-loving, gay makeup enthusiast"?
... 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 Maystorm, a character from Ultimate X-Men, was initially created for a variant cover for the comic X-Men?

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Richard Felton Outcault

The Yellow Kid was the name of a lead comic strip character that ran from 1895 to 1898 in Joseph Pulitzer's, New York World, and later William Randolph Hearst's, New York Journal. Created and drawn by Richard F. Outcault in a strip entitled Hogan's Alley, (and later under other names as well) it was one of the first Sunday supplement comic strips in an American newspaper, although its graphical layout had already been thoroughly established in political and other, purely-for-entertainment cartoons.

More selected pictures

Read more

edit

More did you know...

...that Milt Gross, (pictured) writer of comics that used Yiddish-inflected English, also wrote a 1930 "silent" graphic novel He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It — No Music, Too?

...that the DC comic book Batman: The Last Arkham drew on the influences of psychology and biology books such as "Superstition in the Common Pigeon"?

...that the Young Justice episode "Independence Day" introduces a younger version of the DC Universe?

More did you know facts

edit

Selected quote

You know, I distrust people who 'read' comics ... you don't read a comic book. You look at a comic book. While you're looking at a comic, sure, you read the words; as well, you learn to look at the panels in a certain order, in a certain way ... if you start out to 'read' a comic book, you're starting out with the wrong mind-set.

— Samuel R. Delany

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.