Portal:Comics

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Introduction

Little Sammy Sneeze comic strip,
published 1904-1906
by Winsor McCay

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 image-making means 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 Superman film series consists of five superhero films based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The films contain storylines such as Superman's origin story, growing up in Smallville, fighting Kryptonian supervillains and Lex Luthor, romancing with Lois Lane, and returning to Earth after a long visit to Krypton. Warner Bros. has served as main distributor of all films. Ilya and Alexander Salkind and Pierre Spengler had purchased the Superman film rights in 1973. After numerous scripts, Richard Donner was hired to direct the film, filming Superman and Superman II simultaneously. Donner had already shot 80% of Superman II before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. Richard Lester finished with II and returned for Superman III. Upon gaining the rights for Superman, Alexander Salkind and his son, Ilya Salkind, had also purchased the rights to the character of Supergirl, which resullted in the 1984 spin off Supergirl. Cannon Films acquired the film rights to Superman, resulting in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. With over 15 years of development for a fifth Superman film, Superman Returns was released, directed by Bryan Singer. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released the same year. Critics have given positive reviews for Superman, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut and Superman Returns, while Superman III, Supergirl and Superman IV have been met with negative feedback.

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Anniversaries for May 12

1842: birth of Josep Lluís Pellicer, Spanish painter, illustrator, and cartoonist
1915: birth of Tony Strobl, American comics artist best known for his work on many Disney comics
1942: death of George William Wakefield, British comics artist and illustrator, best remembered for his Laurel and Hardy comics
1947: birth of catherine yronwode, American writer about comics, known for her work The Art of Will Eisner
1950: birth of Tom Armstrong, American cartoonist and the creator of the daily newspaper comic strip Marvin
1954: birth of Neil D. Vokes, American writer and artist, co-founder of now-defunct Crystal Comics
1962: death of Dick Calkins, American comic strip artist, best known for being the first artist to draw the Buck Rogers comic strip
2004: death of Syd Hoff, American comic strip creator best known for Tuffy
2012: death of Eddy Paape, Belgian comics artist best known for co-creating and illustrating the series Luc Orient

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General images

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

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

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

... that Kake has been described as "a sort of Johnny Appleseed ... spreading the seeds of liberated, mutually satisfying, ecstatically explicit gay sex"?
... that circulation numbers for early comic books featuring Captain America remained close to a million copies per month, outstripping news magazines such as Time?
... 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 USC Trojans team that won the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship had been compared to the Marvel Comics' Avengers?
... 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?
... that although its publisher Dark Horse Comics is American, a significant proportion of artists involved with the comic book series The Witcher have been Polish?
... that The Steranko History of Comics has been described as the first piece of cultural analysis on American comic books?
... 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?

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Credit: He.Who.Wanders

The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Created by Jerry Robinson, Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).

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More did you know...

...that the two-inch-tall people of The Teenie Weenies were a Chicago Tribune comic strip written by William Donahey for over 50 years?

...that the manhwa Recast was published not just in Korean, but also in German, French, and American English?

...that author Ted McKeever cited Planet of the Apes as inspiration for his futuristic comic book series Meta 4, saying that it changed his life?

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A lot of the people who read comics think of comics as a culture—or as a subculture; something with its own private codes that mark its members as belonging, and everybody else as not belonging.

— Douglas Wolk, 2006

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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.