Comics are actually a creation, however, most of us do not consider it Art. It is a very sophisticated form of expression - Applied Arts. It civilizes society, as we must agree or disagree with this subject.

Comics (via Latin, from the Greek "Κωμικός", kōmikos, of or pertaining to "comedy", from kōmos "revel".) is a graphic medium in which images are utilized in order to convey a sequential narrative; the term, derived from massive early use to convey comic themes, came to be applied to all uses of this medium including those which are far from comic. It is the sequential nature of the pictures, and the predominance of pictures over words, that distinguish comics from picture books, though there is some overlap between the two media. Most comics combine words with images, often indicating speech in the form of word balloons, but wordless comics.

History tells us that “Cartoonists” have existed for centuries and have entertained us with fantastic stories.  Rome's Trajan’s Column, dedicated in 113 AD, is an early surviving example of a narrative told through the use of sequential pictures, while Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek friezes, medieval tapestries such as the Bayeux Tapestry and illustrated manuscripts also demonstrate the use of sequential images and words combined to convey a narrative.

In medieval paintings, many sequential scenes of the same story (usually a Biblical one) are simultaneously shown in the same painting (see illustration on the left).  However, these works lack the ability to travel to the reader; it needed the invention of modern printing techniques to allow the form to capture a wide audience and become a mass medium.

Comics  help us to understand social environment, politics or a point of view of a person.  It is also a graphic medium in which images are utilized in order to depict a storyline. This sort of applied art has gained important recognition “popularity” from the 20th Century until the present day.    Letterers and Artists work together to accomplish the final work.

A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and other special captions and credits that usually appear on a story's first page. The letterer also writes the letters in the word balloons and draws in sound effects. The letterer's use of typefaces calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. Many letterers also design logos for the comic book company's various titles.

Comics as an art form established itself in the late 19th and early 20th century, alongside the similar forms of film and animation. The three forms share certain conventions, most noticeably the mixing of words and pictures, and all three owe parts of their conventions to the technological leaps made through the industrial revolution. Although the comics form was established and popularized in the pages of newspapers and magazines in the late 1890s, narrative illustration has existed for many centuries.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES - COMIC STRIP

CURATOR - LUCY SHELTON CASWELL