Comics

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A comic strip from Calvin and Hobbes.

Comics is an artistic medium used to convey ideas and emotions through visual depictions, usually accompanied with written text for dialogue, narration, and onomatopoeia. Comics are usually drawn in cartoon form, and most commonly broken into several discrete panels which help direct the flow of how the panels should be viewed. Comics which feature dialogue frequently encapsulate it in speech balloons to help the reader identify who is speaking.

Personal

I have been enjoying comics ever since I learned to read. Around the age of six, my mother showed me a strip of Calvin and Hobbes and explained how Hobbes was only "alive" when Calvin was alone, and I became hooked on it, and around that time I also loved Peanuts and Garfield. As I got older, I started liking the weird humor of The Far Side. Around the age of 10, my older brother brought home some comic books, and that began a short-lived effort for he and I to buy all sorts of different comics. My favorite quickly became the X-Men, specifically, Wolverine. When I was around 12 or 13, a friend of mine showed me a graphic novel edition of The Hobbit, and I absolutely loved it. I remember telling him that I would probably read a lot more if more books were made in such a format. In my early 20s, I started reading a lot of webcomics, and, from 2009-2014, I even drew my own. I still love the comic medium, but there are few comics that I keep up with anymore.

Formats

Comics are created in all sorts of different formats including:

Format Description Examples
Comic book Multi-paged comics with longer stories, usually serialized, written for children and teenagers. X-Men, Batman
Comic strip A multi-paneled comic, often serialized, and traditionally published in newspapers and magazines, and drawn for a wide audience. Usually humorous. Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Peanuts
Editorial comics Similar to gag comics in format, but with a political theme. Primarily uses satire. Matt Bors, Big Fat Whale
Gag comics Short, usually single-paneled humorous comics. The Far Side
Graphic novel A more extensive comic book usually targeted for more mature audiences. The Sandman
Manga Japanese comics. Not so much a format, but a cultural difference. Manga is more popular in Japan than comics are in the USA.
Photo comics Photographs are used instead of drawings.
Webcomics Comics made in a digital medium and disseminated through the World Wide Web. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cartoons, xkcd

Comics

This is a list of comics that are important to me. For all comics, see the category.

See Also

Link

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