Jackson Creek Middle School
What are Comic Books
Definition
A Comic Book is defined as a booklet of
words and pictures integrated into a flexible and powerful
printed format (Witek 1989:3). According to the definition of
comics at the DC's web page,
"Variously referred to as comics, comic strips and comic
books, the comics format as we know it today is a unique art form
and literary medium that originated in the U.S. in the late
1800s.... At its simplest, a comic is a
series of words and pictures that is presented in a sequential
manner to form a narrative."
Comic books are mass-produced inexpensively
and quickly (Bender 1944:230). Comic books are considered a
visual piece of art in sequence (McCloud 1993:48). Comics
combines art and writing. According to some (McCloud
1993:50; Feury), there is a comic literacy that is needed to
interpret what goes on between the panels.
Comic books uses everyday language in
dialogue balloons to communicate a point quickly and directly
(Frank 1944:221). By using a series or sequence of pictures, a
cast of characters that the audience can relate to, and lots of
dialogue and text within the picture, the creators of comic books
draw their readers to their creation (Lee 1971:21). Writers and
Illustrators tend to use stereotypes of basic characters and
clichés to express their meaning (Gerberg 1983:38).
Even though the comic book picture
emphasizes the words and dialogues of the characters, it’s
the relationship between the words and the pictures that says so
much more (McCloud 1993:47; Faust 1971:195). Writers will use
idioms, puns and slang to relate to the everyday individual.
Comic Books are a form of narrative fiction and so they have a
plot, characters, setting, dialogue, and symbolism.
The pictures in the comic book control the
reader's interpretation of the words. The picture forces the
reader to see what the writer wants him/her to see. Action lines
and dialogue balloons allow the reader to hear the messages in
their heads, thus inviting the reader into the make believe world
of comic books.
Description
Comic Books are basically 32 page
periodicals about 7" X 10" in size. Each of the 32
pages are divided into approximately 6 panels. Panels are
approximately 2 X 4 or 3 X 3. In a 32 page book, the number
of panels can add up to anywhere from 90 to 200 (Pellowski
1995:44, Feury). "Each story is made up of a certain
number of pages, each page is made up of a certain number of
panels, and each panel holds one illustration" (Busiek). The
size of the panel reflects the conception of time. Small
panels illustrates time as going by quickly and large panels
makes time look like it is taking a longer amount of time
(Busiek).
The splash page is the first full page
panel that also has the title of the story and credits the
author, artist, penciller, and inkier. Traditionally, this
was the first page of the comic book and so it is designed to
hook the reader to the story. The first panel is also
generally used to set up the scene (Busiek; Pellowski
1995:41). The rest of the comic book can consist of one
long story, several shorter stories, or one long story broken
into parts. The format must reflect the story.
Terminology
As with any discipline, this field has some
terms that are associated with comic books and creating comic
books.
Kris McGlaun, Library Media
Specialist
Jackson Creek Middle School
Updated: 08-08-03
