Portal:Comics

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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 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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Batman actors since 1943. Top to bottom, left to right: Lewis Wilson, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson.

The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s, Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with 1989's Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever, with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of a sequel titled Batman Unchained.

Following the cancellation of two further film proposals, the franchise was rebooted in 2005 with Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale. Nolan returned to direct two further installments through the release of The Dark Knight in 2008 and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, with Bale reprising his role in both films. Both sequels earned over $1 billion worldwide, making Batman the second film franchise to have two of its films earn more than $1 billion worldwide. Referred to as "the Dark Knight trilogy", the critical acclaim and commercial success of Nolan's films have been credited with restoring widespread popularity to the superhero, with the second installment considered one of the best superhero films of all time.

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Anniversaries for November 21

1948: birth of Larry Welz, American cartoonist, early contributor to the underground comix movement
1953: birth of Greg Theakston, American comic book artist best known for running the publisher Pure Imaginiation
1963: birth of Andy Lanning, English comic book writer and inker
1966: birth of Chris Chuckry, American comic book artist and colorist
1976: birth of Randy Gentile, American comic book artist
1978: birth of Karl Stevens, American graphic novelist known for Guilty
1990: birth of Devin Lewis, American comic book editor
1992: last issue of The Victor, British comic which ran since 1961

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General images

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

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

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

... that comic book artist Barry Windsor-Smith wrote, drew, inked, and lettered every page of his graphic novel Monsters by himself?
... that Fabrizio Dori wants his comic book Il dio vagabondo to bring attention to an ancient Greek view of death?
... 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 otomechikku, a subgenre of Japanese girls' comics focusing on stories about ordinary teenaged protagonists, has been compared to monogatari and the genre of Bildungsroman?
... that until the 1970s, most shōjo manga (Japanese girls' comics) were written by men?
... that while Marvel Comics originally designated the main reality depicted in the MCU multiverse as Earth-199999, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness established it as Earth-616?
... 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 the writer of Poison Ivy: Thorns felt the titular DC Comics character was "tailor made for [her] interests as a nature-loving, gay makeup enthusiast"?

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Whiz Comics #2 (Feb. 1940), the first appearance of Captain Marvel. Cover art by C. C. Beck.

Credit: Fawcett Comics

Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (February 1940). With a premise that taps adolescent fantasy, Captain Marvel is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a youth who works as a radio news reporter and was chosen to be a champion of good by the wizard Shazam.

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More did you know...

...that the fictional goat Koziołek Matołek has been a popular Polish children's literature character since first appearing in 1933?

...that Michigan State University Libraries has the largest catalogued collection of comic books in the world, with over 150,000 items?

...that as part of the DC Universe reboot, Justice League Dark has been launched featuring some of DC Comics' more bizarre and supernatural characters?

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Selected quote

...'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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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.