Portal:Comics

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

Introduction

Comics is a narrative 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 amongst 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 image-making means in comics; fumetti 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, while online webcomics have proliferated in the 21st century.

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

Aquaman is a television pilot developed by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar for The WB Television Network, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Gough and Miller wrote the pilot, which was directed by Greg Beeman. Justin Hartley starred as Arthur "A.C." Curry, a young man living in a beachside community in the Florida Keys who learns about his powers and destiny as the Prince of Atlantis. The Aquaman pilot was expected to debut in the fall schedule of 2006, but following the merger of the WB and UPN, the resulting CW Network opted not to buy the series. After they passed on the pilot, it was made available online through iTunes in the United States and became the number-one most downloaded television show on iTunes. It received generally favorable reviews and was later released on other online markets, and aired on Canadian television network YTV.

More selected articles

More...

edit

Anniversaries for March 20

birth of Diana Albers, American comic book letterer, best known for lettering hundreds of books for Marvel Comics
1922: debut of Out Our Way, American single-panel comic strip series by J. R. Williams
1925: birth of Bill Lignante, American comic book artist best known for his work on The Phantom
1937: death of Ramón Cilla, Spanish comics artist known as on of the pioneers in Spanish comics
1950: birth of Giancarlo Alessandrini, Italian comics artist best known for Martin Mystère
1957: death of Arthur Lewis, American comic artist best remembered for continuing the comic strip Nervy Nat
1967: death of Anders Bjørgaard, Norwegian illustrator known for drawing the comic series Jens von Bustenskjold
2003: debut of No Rest for the Wicked, American webcomic by Andrea L. Peterson

More March anniversaries / All Anniversaries...

General images

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

Image 1Maurice De Bevere, also known as "Morris" (from Bande dessinée)
Image 2Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)
Image 3
Comics artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international renown through Métal Hurlant
(from Bande dessinée)
Image 4During 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 5Close Hergé collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 6Comic-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 7The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 8Cover to 27 December 1884 edition of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. (from British comics)
Image 9Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 10A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 11Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 12A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area. (from Comic book convention)
Image 13Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga. (from History of manga)
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 16The French comic Les Pieds Nickelés (1954 book cover): an early 20th-century forerunner of the modern Franco-Belgian comic (from Bande dessinée)
Image 17Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Mirka

Alan Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell. Frequently described as the best graphic novel writer in history, he has been called "one of the most important British writers of the last fifty years".

More selected pictures

More...

edit

Did you know...

...that Len Lawson created several popular Australian comic book characters, including the "Lone Avenger" and the "Hooded Rider"?

...that Harvey Pekar described his collaboration with Heather Roberson on the comic book Macedonia as one of the best working relationships he has ever had?

...that an excerpt of Nick Bertozzi's The Salon containing a nude depiction of Picasso caused a comic book store owner to be charged with distributing obscene material to a minor?

edit

Selected quote

In the early days, I was writing scripts for virtually all the books, and it was very hard to keep all the artists busy; poor little frail me, doing story after story. So I'd be writing a story for Kirby, and Steve Ditko would walk in and say, 'Hey, I need some work now.' And I'd say, 'I can't give it to you now, Steve, I'm finishing Kirby's.' But we couldn't afford to keep Steve waiting, because time is money, so I'd have to say, 'Look Steve, I can't write a script for you now, but here's the plot for the next Spider-Man. Go home and draw anything you want, as long as it's something like this, and I'll put the copy in later.' So I was able to finish Jack's story. Steve in the meantime was drawing another story.....Okay, it started out as a lazy's man's device...but we realized this was absolutely the best way to do a comic.....Don't have the writer say, 'Panel one will be a long shot of Spider-Man walking down the street.' The artist may see it differently; maybe he feels it should be a shot of Spider-Man swinging on his web, or climbing upside-down on the ceiling or something.

— Stan Lee, 1975

More selected quotes

More from Wikiquote

edit

Featured content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs). 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. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.