Comics
A medium combining images and text in sequential panels.
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, with textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia indicating 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.
- field
- Visual art medium
- common forms
- Comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, comic books, graphic novels, comic albums, webcomics
- earliest proposed origins
- Lascaux cave paintings (prehistory)
- key early European figure
- Rodolphe Töpffer (cartoon strips from 1830s)
- key early American figure
- Richard F. Outcault (The Yellow Kid, 1890s)
- key early Japanese figure
- Hokusai (popularized term manga, early 19th century)
- notable post-war Japanese figure
- Osamu Tezuka
Lore & Background
The history of comics has followed different paths in different cultures. Scholars have posited a prehistory as far back as the Lascaux cave paintings. By the mid-20th century, comics flourished, particularly in the United States, Western Europe (especially France and Belgium), and Japan. Histories of Japanese comics (manga) propose origins as early as the 12th century, and modern Japanese comic strips emerged in the early 20th century, with output rapidly expanding in the post-World War II era with the popularity of cartoonists such as Osamu Tezuka.
Reader's Guide
Comics has had a lowbrow reputation for much of its history, but towards the end of the 20th century, it began to find greater acceptance with the public and academics. The European, American, and Japanese traditions converged in a trend towards book-length comics: the comic album in Europe, the tankōbon in Japan, and the graphic novel in English-speaking countries. In the 21st century, graphic novels became established in mainstream bookstores and libraries, and webcomics became common. The English term comics is used as a singular noun when referring to the medium itself, but as a plural when referring to works collectively.
Did You Know?
- The English term 'comics' is used as a singular noun when referring to the medium itself, but as a plural when referring to works collectively.
- The Lascaux cave paintings have been posited by scholars as a prehistory of comics.
- Rodolphe Töpffer's cartoon strips of the 1830s are often traced as the beginning of European comics.
- The term 'manga' was popularized by the ukiyo-e artist Hokusai in the early 19th century.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Comics as a literary form?
Comics is a visual art medium that communicates ideas through a sequence of image panels, usually paired with textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia. Scholars disagree on a single definition—some stress the image-text pairing, others emphasize sequentiality or mass reproduction.
What common formats does Comics take?
The medium appears as comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, comic books, graphic novels, comic albums, and webcomics. Each format varies in length, cadence, and audience, yet all depend on sequential visual storytelling.
Who are the key early figures in the history of Comics?
Rodolphe Töpffer produced the first widely recognized cartoon strips in 1830s Europe, and Richard F. Outcault's 'The Yellow Kid' (1890s) became a landmark in American comics. In Japan, Hokusai helped popularize the word 'manga' in the early 19th century.
What are the earliest proposed origins of Comics?
Some theorists point to prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings as a proto-sequence of related images. The modern, panel-and-text format, however, is generally traced to the 19th century.
Why is Comics considered a distinct literary/visual form?
Comics creates meaning through the interplay of sequential images and written language in a way that neither medium achieves alone. That hybrid structure—balancing visual composition, pacing, and text—sets it apart from both pure illustration and prose fiction.
More in Literary Forms & Tropes 1-23
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record