Portal:Comics

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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...)

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The first season of Smallville began airing on October 16, 2001, on The WB television network. Smallville recounts the early adventures of Kryptonian Clark Kent as he adjusts to life in the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The first season comprises 21 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 21, 2002. The season's stories focus on Martha and Jonathan Kent's attempts to help their adopted son Clark cope with his alien origin and control his developing superhuman abilities. Clark must deal with the meteor-infected individuals that begin appearing in Smallville, his love for Lana Lang, and not being able to tell his two best friends, Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan, about his alien nature. Clark also befriends Lex Luthor. "Villain of the week" storylines were predominant during the first season; physical effects, make-up effects, and computer-generated imagery became important components as well. The pilot broke The WB's viewership record for a debut series, and was nominated for various awards. Although the villain of the week storylines became a concern for producers, critical reception was generally favorable, and the series was noted as having a promising start.

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Anniversaries for July 10

1914: birth of Joe Shuster, Canadian-American comic book artist, co-creator of Superman
1917: birth of Reginald Smythe, British comic strip author and artist, best known for Andy Capp
1942: birth of Jeff Millar, American comic strip writer and film critic best known for co-creating the Tank McNamara comic strip
1942: birth of José Antonio Muñoz, Argentinian comics artist known for graphic novels like Alack Sinner
1949: birth of Bob Larkin, American comics artist primarily known for his painted covers
1951: death of Dudley Fisher, American comic strip creator best known for Myrtle
1957: birth of Gerard Jones, American comic book writer known for Green Lantern
1972: birth of Simone Bianchi (artist), Italian comic book illustrator, painter, graphic designer and art instructor
1989: death of Jean-Michel Charlier, Belgian comics writer best known for Redbeard, Buck Danny and Blueberry
2000: the first strip of the webcomic GU Comics by Woody Hearn appears online
2001: debut of Nodame Cantabile, Japanese manga by Tomoko Ninomiya
2007: death of Doug Marlette, American editorial cartoonist, known for his popular comic strip Kudzu
2017: death of Mangesh Tendulkar, Indian artist as cartoonist and humourist

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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 2Comics artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international renown through Métal Hurlant (from Bande dessinée)
Image 3Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 4The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 5During 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 6Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga (from History of manga)
Image 7Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)
Image 8Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 9A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area (from Comic book convention)
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 11Comic-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 12Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)
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 14Sequential depictions on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy (from History of comics)
Image 15Hokusai Manga (early 19th century) (from History of manga)
Image 16Close Hergé collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 17A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 18Phoenix Fan Fusion's 2017 convention in Phoenix, Arizona (from Comic book convention)

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

... that Iván Arias's eccentric but successful 2021 La Paz mayoral campaign involved an action figure, comics, and chocolate kisses named and styled in his likeness?
... 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 Pinky & Pepper Forever is a graphic novel that follows two anthropomorphic dog girlfriends through hell?
... that Piecemeal, who appeared in The Incredible Hulk: The Pantheon Saga, was considered one of the strangest characters to appear in a Marvel video game?
... that the writer of the 2022 comic book miniseries Poison Ivy, starring the eponymous Batman villain, described it as a "love story" that features "plant-based body horror"?
... 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 comic book Nietzsche, se créer liberté tries to express Friedrich Nietzsche's personality visually?
... that Kamome Shirahama, in addition to writing and illustrating her best-selling Witch Hat Atelier manga series, has created variant covers for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and the Star Wars franchise?

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Credit: Julian Tysoe

Dave Gibbons, artist and designer of the Watchmen comic book series.

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More did you know...

...that What A Guy!, a gag cartoon created in 1987, continued for eight years after writer Bill Hoest's death using a mix of his jokes and new gags written by his widow, Bunny Hoest?

...that Morning Funnies was a fruit-flavored breakfast cereal featuring comic strip characters including Dennis the Menace, Hägar the Horrible, and Funky Winkerbean on the box?

...that Andy Hartzell created his graphic novel Fox Bunny Funny without a single line of text?

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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

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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.