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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Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and has historically been cross-promoted with the release of a superhero film. Over two thousand participating stores give away millions of comic books annually. The event was proposed by Joe Field in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine and Free Comic Book Day was launched in 2002, coordinated by the industry's single large distributor, Diamond Comic Distributors. FCBD has become an official Children's Book Week event and has inspired similar events for German- and Dutch-language comics industries. The twenty-third edition of FCBD was held on May 3, 2025. Due to trademark concerns, for the 2026 event, some publishers will be participating under the name Comics Giveaway Day.

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Anniversaries for December 31

1928: birth of Siné, influential French cartoonist and designer known for his political perseverance and works depicting cats
1956: birth of Lela Dowling, American comics artist, illustrator, and cartoonist
1956: birth of Steve Rude, American comics artist, best known as the co-creator of Nexus
1959: birth of Ronnie del Carmen, Filipino comics artist best known for Batman Adventures
1961: birth of Fabian Nicieza, Argentine-American comic book writer with Marvel Comics
1965: birth of Julie Doucet, Canadian underground comics artist known for Dirty Plotte
1967: birth of Robert de Jesus, American comics artist, known for his manga-style work
1978: death of Basil Wolverton, American comic book artist, best known for his contributions to MAD magazine
1995: last new strip of Calvin and Hobbes, a highly popular American comic strip by Bill Watterson
2001: debut of Pearls Before Swine, American comic strip created by Stephan Pastis
2002: debut of Irregular Webcomic!, Australian webcomic by David Morgan-Mar
2004: launch of Sokora Refugees, amerimanga webcomic by Segamu and Melissa DeJesus
2005: death of Maurice Dodd, British comic strip author best known for The Perishers

More December anniversaries / All Anniversaries...

General images

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

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

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

... that Tina Leung dressed as her comic book alter ego when accepting an award for the House of Slay?
... that the author of the comic book Timeless Voyage was the leader of a UFO religion?
... 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 the comic book Nietzsche, se créer liberté tries to express Friedrich Nietzsche's personality visually?
... 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 the 1992 comic book storyline "Man and Wolf", in which Captain America is transformed into a werewolf, has been described as "one of the most bizarre moments of the core Marvel Universe"?
... that a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision helped to protect comic books from government regulation and censorship?
... that Fabrizio Dori wants his comic book Il dio vagabondo to bring attention to an ancient Greek view of death?

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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".

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More did you know...

...that 24-hour comics have become so popular that there's now a holiday for it on April 24?

...that Uri-On, created by Michael Netzer (pictured) in 1987, was the first Israeli superhero to be published in color?

...that T.H.E. Fox, drawn on a C64 KoalaPad and published on CompuServe, Q-Link and GEnie, is among the earliest online comics?

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There were other Batman writers throughout the years but they could never capture the style and flavor of Bill's scripts. Bill was the best writer in the business and it seemed that he was destined to write Batman.

— Bob Kane

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