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Comics is a graphic medium in which words and images are utilised in order to convey a narrative. Comics can contain few or no words, and consist of one or more images, which may either illustrate or counterpoint^[1] the text to affect greater depth.

Little Sammy Sneeze (1904-06) by Winsor McCay

Although historically the form dealt with humorous subject matter, the scope of the art form has expanded to encompass all genre, leaving artists free to explore their own self expression.

Comics are seen as a low art, having established as a form in the late 19th and early 20th century. Whilst preceding works have are seen as sharing certain techniques, most notably the conveying of a narrative through imagery, most commentators are agreed that the form was established in the the humorous cartoons and comic strips found in newspapers and magazines of the late 19th and early 20th century, and was fuelled by the boom in publishing technology. Early precursors include Trajan's Column and the Bayeaux Tapestry, as well as works by William Hogarth, Rodolphe Töpffer, Wilhelm Busch and George Cruikshank. Discussion of the form is even more recent, especially in the United States; although early criticism can be traced back to the 1920s, it is only in the latter half of the 20th century that serious examination of the form was begun. Definitions of the form are rather loose in their approach; some claim its printed format is crucial, some emphasize the interdependence of image and text, and others the sequential nature of the images.

Different conventions were adopted around the globe, from the Manhua of China to the manga of Japan, the comic books of the United States and the anthology comic magazines featuring a variety of strips in Europe, initially established by the Ally Sloper comic paper. The comic strip established itself on the pages of newspapers through the success of Outcalt's Hogan's Alley and Yellow Kid, and was soon adopted elsewhere.

Although practitioners can eschew any formal constraints, they often use particular forms and conventions to convey narration and speech, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses. Devices such as speech balloons and boxes are used to indicate dialogue and impart establishing information, whilst panels, layout, gutters and zip ribbons can help indicate the flow of the story. Comics use of text, ambiguity, symbolism, design, iconography, literary technique, mixed media and stylistic elements of art help build a subtext of meanings. Similarly, the partnering of words and pictures can create a synergy of expression through the manner of their combination which can either enhance or subvert the meaning of each partner's individual contribution.

The twentieth century saw an explosion in the genres that comic strips and comic books tackled, expanding from their humorous beginnings to take in action, science fiction, whimsy, mystery, romance, superhero, autobiography and reportage. The comics form was also utilised for educational purposes and by the late twentieth century stories of an extended length were being published as graphic novels.

The most common forms of printed comics are comic strips (most commonly four panels long) in newspapers and magazines, and longer comic stories in comic books, graphic novels and comic albums. In the first two forms the comics are secondary material usually confined to the entertainment sections, while the latter consist either entirely or primarily of comics.

Comic creation

An artist sketching out a comics page

Comics artists will generally sketch a drawing in pencil before going over the drawing again in ink, using either a dip pen or a brush. Artists will also make use of a lightbox when creating the final image in ink. Some artists, Brian Bolland being a notable example,^[41] are now using digital means to create artwork, with the published work being the first physical appearance of the artwork.

By many definitions (including McCloud's, above) the definition of comics extends to digital media such as webcomics and the mobile comic.

The nature of the comics work being created determines the number of people who work upon its creation, with successful comic strips and comic books being produced through a studio system, in which an artist will assemble a team of assistants to help in the creation of the work. However, works from independent companies, self-publishers or those of a more personal nature can be produced by as little as one creator.

Within the comic book industry of the United States, the studio system has come to be the main method of creation. Through its use by the industry, the roles have become heavily codified, and the managing of the studio has become the company's responsibility, with an editor discharging the management duties. The editor will assemble a number of creators and oversee the work to publication.

Any number of people can assist in the creation of a comic book in this way, from a plotter, a breakdown artist, a penciller, an inker, a scripter, a letterer, and a colorist, with some roles being performed by the same person.

In contrast, a comic strip tends to be the work of a sole creator, usually termed a cartoonist. However, it is not unusual for a cartoonist to employ the studio method, particularly when a strip become successful. Mort Walker is one such creator who employed a studio, whilst Bill Watterson was one such cartoonist who eschewed the studio method, preferring to create the strip himself. Gag, political and editorial cartoonists tend to work alone as well, although again it is not unheard of for a cartoonist to use assistants.

An artist will use a variety of pencils, paper, typically Bristol board, and a waterproof ink. When inking, an artist may choose to use a variety of brushes, dip pens, a fountain pen or a variety of technical pens or markers. Mechanical tints can be employed to add gray tone to an image. An artist might also choose to create his work in paints; either acrylics; gouache; poster paints; or watercolors. Color can also be achieved through crayons, pastels or colored pencils.

Erasers, rulers, templates, set squares and a T-square assist in creating lines and shapes. A drawing board gives a good angled surface to work from, with lamps supplying necessary lighting. A light box allows an artist to trace his pencil work when inking, allowing for a looser finish. Knives and scalpels will fill a variety of tasks, including cutting board or scraping mistakes. A cutting mat will assist when cutting paper. Process white is a thick opaque white handy for covering mistakes, whilst adhesives and tapes are helpful in composition where an image may need to be assembled from different sources.

With the growth of computer processing power and ownership, there are now an increasing number of examples of comic books or strips where the art is made by using computers, either mixing it with hand drawings or replacing hand drawing completely. Dave McKean is one artist who combines both paper and the digital methods of composition for comics^[42], whilst in 1998 Pete Nash pioneered the use of fully digitised 3D artwork on his Striker comic strip for The Sun.^[43] Computers are also now widely used for both lettering and coloring, with Blambot and Comicraft two studios providing digitised fonts, whilst Steve Oliff's Olyoptics is a coloring studio which works digitally.

List of comics awards

Gorillas in comics

Woodcuts