Comics and Graphic Novels

(A lo-fi pastel web-log by Emma Lesur)

HISTORY OF COMICS

HISTORY OF COMICS

Comics and Graphic Novels

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From X - X

It would be boring for me to sit here and explain the history of comics in the terms it is normally talked about: US-centric and with reference to the ‘Golden Age’, ‘Silver Age’ and ‘Bronze Age’. In general I think it is fair to say that the history of comics is so vast and multicultural that it is difficult to make generalisations about any particular period of time.

I will start with the most interesting point that some people make when talking about the history of comics: depending on what definition you use, sequential pictographic art is something that has been a human impulse for hundreds of years, whether you look at bas-reliefs and engravings like Trajan’s Column, Egyptian wall-paintings or the Bayeux Tapestry. Scott McCloud actually goes as far saying that these count as comics, even if they may not follow the same standardised conventions of frames and gutters that we use today.

An example of a notable figure in Comics that is often less heard of in Europe is that of Osamu Tezuka, someone often referred to as the ‘God of Manga’, he was almost entirely responsible for the popularisation of Manga after World War II. He is a particularly interesting example because his work was (though initially repressed) influenced heavily by his experiences of the world war - particularly his witnessing of the firebombing of Osaka. His explorations of these themes created a ripple effect that enabled other comic authors to also tackle similar, more serious and adult subject matter in their work.

Another example of a notable figure is that of Art Spiegelman, who created Maus, a book based on Spiegelman’s experiences of the holocaust, which around 1986 was said to help establish the concept of the ‘graphic novel’ in mainstream consciousness, and the idea that comics could be made for adults and tackle difficult subjects.

Modern comics now blossom in many different ways, from 4-panel popular meme webcomics and longer-form experimental comics like Homestuck, to independently published comic-zines, the boundaries of ways comics can be produced and shared is expanding. Now it seems anyone with a passion can make a comic and put it out into the world for people to experience, handling any type of issue one can imagine.

From Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud

From The Paper Fortress (1974) - Osamu Tezuka

From MAUS - Art Spiegelman