Portal:Comics

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 are 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 and comic albums have become increasingly common, along with webcomics.

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 as a plural when referring to works collectively (e.g. "Comics are popular reading material."). (Full article...)

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Batwoman is the name of two fictional characters who act as female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original Batwoman was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff with writer Edmond Hamilton. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective Comics #233 (1956). The character was introduced as a love interest for Batman to disprove allegations of homosexuality in response to the backlash from the book Seduction of the Innocent (1954). When Julius Schwartz became editor of the Batman-related comic books in 1964, he removed non-essential characters including Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Bat-Mite, and Bat-Hound. The modern Batwoman is written as being of Jewish descent and as a lesbian in an effort by DC editorial staff to diversify its publications and better connect to modern day readership. Batwoman's sexual orientation has been both criticized and praised by the general public and the character has been described as the highest profile gay character to appear in stories produced by DC Comics. Both incarnations of the character are written as the heiress of a family whose fortune is comparable to the wealth of Bruce Wayne.

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Anniversaries for December 17

1929: birth of Dick Dillin, American comic book artist best known as penciller of Justice League
1938: debut of Pansy Potter, British comic strip created by Hugh McNeill in The Beano
1940: birth of Édika, French comic book artist mainly working for the satirical magazine Fluide Glacial
1950: birth of Mark Texeira, American comic book artist
1953: death of Stephen Slesinger, American comic book writer, co-creator of Red Ryder
1954: birth of Beau Smith, American comic book writer and columnist, best known for his work for DC Comics
1963: birth of Bart Sears, American comic book artist and author known for his work on Justice League Europe and Legends of the Dark Knight
1968: birth of Fabrice Neaud, French comic book artist and author known for his autobiographical works
1968: birth of Matt Hollingsworth, American comics colorist known for Catwoman
1971: birth of Dexter Vines, American comics artist and inker
2006: death of Joe Gill, American comic book writer best known as co-creator of Captain Atom

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General images

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

Image 1A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area (from Comic book convention)
Image 2Comic-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 3Close Hergé collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 4The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 5Sequential depictions on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy (from History of comics)
Image 6Phoenix Fan Fusion's 2017 convention in Phoenix, Arizona (from Comic book convention)
Image 7Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga (from History of manga)
Image 8BD artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international renown through Métal Hurlant (from Bande dessinée)
Image 9Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 10A statue of The Rose of Versailles. This is a statue of Oscar and André at the Takarazuka Grand Theater in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, which is the musical of the work. (from History of manga)
Image 11Cover 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 12A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 13Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 14Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 15Cover to 27 December 1884 edition of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. (from British comics)
Image 16Hokusai Manga (early 19th century) (from History of manga)
Image 17During 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 18The French comic Les Pieds Nickelés (1954 book cover): an early 20th-century forerunner of the modern Franco-Belgian comic (from Bande dessinée)
Image 19Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)

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 John Byrne retold the origin of Superman in the 1986 comic book limited series The Man of Steel, 48 years after the character was created?
... that Fabrizio Dori wants his comic book Il dio vagabondo to bring attention to an ancient Greek view of death?
... 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 the 2003 series Trouble frequently appears on lists of the worst or most controversial Spider-Man storylines?
... that a 1944 serial film was the first film appearance of Captain America and the first film appearance of any Marvel Comics character?
... that a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision helped to protect comic books from government regulation and censorship?
... that the USC Trojans team that won the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship had been compared to the Marvel Comics' Avengers?

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Credit: Julian Tysoe

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

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...that publication of comics in Hungary largely stopped during World War II due to Nazi pressure?

... that the graphic novel Building Stories by Chris Ware was published as a box that contained fourteen printed objects, including cloth-bound books, newspapers, broadsheets, and flip books?

... that Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book (1959) was the first book-length work of original comics in the United States?

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...'comic' simply means funny, so the word is inadequate. To tack on the word 'adult' has resulted in a style of magazine suitable for only some adults, glossy comics barely containing their airbrushed breasts, leaving little room for genuine content.

— Paul Gravett

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