Graphic novels are intriguing, surprising and inspiring. Each screening of a comic book makes you think about morality and values. These are not just funny pictures created for entertainment. This is a lot more. It's time to figure out what a comic book really is.
Meaning of the word
The word "comic" came to the Russian-language lexicon from the English comic, which means funny. Many people want to know what a comic is and where such a sonorous name came from. In common people, a comic book can be described as a graphic novel, where there is a share of comic and jokes. Visual art is successfully combined with stories and stories. Despite the funny behavior of the characters, original pictures and sarcastic dialogs, comics come in completely different genres, ranging from detectives and thrillers to stories about superheroes.
Stories in pictures, as a rule, are filled with deep meaning and morality. To ensure that all information is perceived by both children and adults, use pictures with inserts that display sounds and laughter (for example, BOOOM, HUH?!, POW! And HA-HA-HA). In other words, a comic is a story in a caricature.
Comic book story
The first mention of graphic novels can be traced back to Japanese culture. Then, for fun, they created cartoonish stories called manga. Such comics still exist and are world famous. Japanese comics became the progenitors of traditional oriental cartoons - anime.
Later, closer to the 16th century, European versions of graphic novels began to appear. It was during this period that religious brochures called "hallelujah" began to be distributed in Barcelona and Valencia. Comics acquired a more familiar look at the end of the 18th century, when The San Francisco Examiner first published funny comic books for children, Bears and Tiger. The appearance of an unusual storytelling has blown up the public, and from that moment the great era of graphic novels began.
The essence of graphic novels
Drawn stories are designed to interest the reader in their exciting story. Experience has proven that adventure stories and detective stories are very popular, even if there are even small images. As a rule, not everyone wants to read thick books. Comics capture from the first second, completely immersing the reader in a fictional world or universe. Each graphic story has its own style of drawing and text.
Now there are thousands of comics created both based on literary works and unique adventure stories. What is a comic book in fact and what is its essence? Scientists and psychologists from the University of Waterloo have proven that comics are much easier for children and adults to read than books, films, and articles. The main essence of graphic novels is the creation of an interesting story with the help of uncomplicated drawings and deep texts.
How to create a comic yourself
The comic book format is unique. Whoever has ever read a graphic novel sooner or later asks himself the question “How to create a comic yourself?”
For this, the advice of professional comics artists will help:
What kind of comic book is created without a script? That's right, no. Writing a unique and interesting script is the first step in creating a graphic novel. It is necessary to prescribe the history, the nature of the characters and dialogues. Do not abuse the descriptions, because they are comic book drawings that reveal all the details. The emphasis should be on dialogue and a dynamic plot. The scenario can be based on an existing story or film. The main thing is to remember that each story in the pictures is unique.
In no case should you start drawing a comic without a storyboard. This is a secondary version of a graphic novel, or draft. The first drafts are made here. The stories in the pictures should be related to each other, so they use a storyboard. To do this, you need to register each "square" of the comic strip, describe the actions of the characters and their replicas. In other words, future frames need to be described.
For those who want to learn how to create a comic, you need to turn to ready-made graphic novels for help. Attention should be paid to style. If this is a story about superheroes, then all the pictures should be bright, and the dialogs should immediately catch the eye. When choosing an adventure storyline, you need to use warm, sunny tones. The detective and the thriller should cast a shadow and intrigue the reader, so blue, gray and black colors are used.
An attentive reader will notice that comics do not have the same frames. Sometimes a scene is placed on a third of the page, while the other 10 are small and fit on a small piece of paper. This style makes reading comics much easier.
The special language of stories in pictures
A hallmark of comics in a particular language. There are no texts that occupy 99% of the page. The main remarks of the heroes consist of small phrases that describe a particular situation incomprehensible to the reader. The story conveys the whole essence with the help of an obvious plot, where the characters and their abilities are drawn in detail.
Since the comics themselves came to us from Europe and the USA, all stories are written in English, but thanks to the unique drawings, the plot can be made out without words. This is a special comic language.
DC vs Marvel
Two popular comic book publishers have been competing with each other for over 50 years. Comics around the world divided into two fronts. The DC and Marvel comics are intensively discussed on the Internet, they create adventure films and sagas, and fans flock from all over the world for the World Comic Con comic festival. Consider a brief history of each publisher.
DC The main character of the publisher is Batman from Gotham City, the villain is the Joker. It exists since 1934, and the first film adaptation based on graphic novels was released in 1969. DC greets its fans with comic books about Superman, Wonder Woman, John Hex and The Green Lantern.
Marvel Marvel Multiverse Creator - Stan Lee The publishing house is more popular than DC, thanks to such graphic novels as X-Men and Wolverine, Captain America and Iron Man, as well as Fantastic Four, Thor, Ant-Man. The main feature of Marvel is that they pay tribute to Stan Lee, inviting a peppy old man to shoot, and giving him a two-second cue. Unlike DC, this publisher publishes novels with deep meaning and morality, trying to show the two sides of the same coin (good and evil). All Marvel comics are more serious and have a non-standard plot. Year of foundation - 1939, the first film adaptation was released in 1944 ("Captain America").
The most expensive comics
The 21st century has long been in the yard, and comics continue to create, publish and film. This trend will always be popular and certainly never go out. Despite this, real comic artists love not only reading graphic novels, but also collecting rare and limited editions. So what is the most expensive and valuable comic book in the world?
1938 Action Comics, worth $ 2 million. The original version of the comic strip featuring Superman around the world is no more than 9 pieces. Even 80 years ago, we could buy Action Comics for no more than 10 cents. Rare cartoons by Kurt Swan (author of Batman stories dating back to 1942) are also in demand. One of his work is estimated at 200,000 - 400,000 dollars.
Adventure comics
The story of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is not just cartoons on which entire generations have grown. These are comic stories. The most interesting thing is that the first cartoons were created on the same principle as graphic drawings: a storyboard, a storyline and a speech bubble with replicas were also used. The main feature of children's comics is the adventure genre. Adventure comics talk about the main characters who face unforeseen situations and solve them throughout the comic.
How to read comics
When the question “What is a comic book and how to read it” arises, you need to pay attention to the structure of the graphic story. Classic comic book is a small color magazine consisting of 10-30 pages. Each sheet is divided into several parts, drawings, usually no more than 10 pieces (the number of “frames” depends on the page format). You need to start reading from the very first square, located in the upper left corner. The order and arrangement of frames from left to right. Some comics are read in serpentine chain. If any story consists of a comic book cycle, it is recommended to read from the very first part to understand the fascinating story of the characters.
Comics are not just stories about superheroes. Each reader can find their favorite genre. All that is needed is to plunge into the multiverse, get to know all the characters and study their character. This will help to discover a new and amazing world of graphic novels of the 20th and 21st centuries!