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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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300 is a 2007 American action film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant. The film was shot mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique, to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book. Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fight to the last man against Persian "God-King" Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his army of more than one million soldiers. As the battle rages, Spartan Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband. The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios (David Wenham). Through this narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy. 300 was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters in the United States on March 9, 2007, and on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD on July 31, 2007. The film's opening was the 24th largest in box office history, although critics were divided over its look and style. Some acclaimed it as an original achievement, while others criticized it for favoring visuals over characterization and its controversial depiction of the ancient Persians.

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Anniversaries for July 17

1871: birth of Lyonel Feininger, early American comic strip creator best known for The Kin-der-Kids
1913: birth of Marc Swayze, American comic book artist and co-creator of Mary Marvel
1917: birth of Gus Arriola, American comic strip creator best known for Gordo
1932: birth of Quino, Argentine comics artist best known for Mafalda
1938: birth of Hermann, Belgian comics artist and author, known for Bernard Prince and Les Tours de Bois-Maury
1947: birth of Jimmy Janes, American comics artist and storyboard artist best known for his work on DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes series.
1954: birth of J. Michael Straczynski, American comic book writer, best known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four
1962: birth of Steve Crompton, Canadian-born artist, author, and designer, best known for his creation Demi the Demoness
1966: birth of Richard Moore, American comic book creator best known for Boneyard
1970: birth of Liz Agraphiotis, American comic book letterer
1971: birth of Pete Woods, American comic book artist
1976: birth of Brian K. Vaughan, American comic book and television writer

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General images

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

Image 1Cover to 27 December 1884 edition of Ally Sloper's Half Holiday. (from British comics)
Image 2Image of bathers from the Hokusai manga (from History of manga)
Image 3Comic Con crowds in 2011 as seen from a helicopter (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 4Japanese wood block illustration from 19th century (from History of manga)
Image 5The San Diego Convention Center during Comic-Con in 2013 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 6Comics artist Mœbius (2008), who achieved international renown through Métal Hurlant (from Bande dessinée)
Image 7Phoenix Fan Fusion's 2017 convention in Phoenix, Arizona (from Comic book convention)
Image 8Chōjū-giga (12th century), traditionally attributed to a monk-artist Kakuyū (Toba Sōjo) (from History of manga)
Image 9The French comic Les Pieds Nickelés (1954 book cover): an early 20th-century forerunner of the modern Franco-Belgian comic (from Bande dessinée)
Image 10Convention crowd outside of Golden Hall in 1982 (from San Diego Comic-Con)
Image 11A Fallout Cosplayer photographed at a Comic Con in a Fallout Themed area (from Comic book convention)
Image 12Sequential depictions on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy (from History of comics)
Image 13A page by Rodolphe Töpffer, whose work is considered influential in shaping the comics form. (from History of comics)
Image 14Close Hergé collaborator and magazine contributor Bob de Moor (from Bande dessinée)
Image 15Cover 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 16During 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 17Comic-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 18Hokusai Manga (early 19th century) (from History of manga)

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

... that the original release of Jason Shiga's comic Demon included a four-page issue, a sixty-page issue, and an issue in which all the panels were black?
... that Steve Englehart wrote the Captain America comic book storyline "Secret Empire" as an allegory for the Watergate scandal?
... that until the 1970s, most shōjo manga (Japanese girls' comics) were written by men?
... that the comic book Nietzsche, se créer liberté tries to express Friedrich Nietzsche's personality visually?
... that John Byrne retold the origin of Superman in the 1986 comic book limited series The Man of Steel, 48 years after the character was created?
... that open depictions of sexual acts were a defining trait of early works of josei manga ('women's comics')?
... that John Romita Sr. has been credited with introducing romance comic themes to Spider-Man comic books?
... that The Steranko History of Comics has been described as the first piece of cultural analysis on American comic books?

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San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego (as given on its website), and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con or "SDCC", was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by a group of San Diegans, which included Shel Dorf, Richard Alf, Ken Krueger and Mike Towry. It is traditionally a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday — though a three-hour preview night on Wednesday is open to professionals, exhibitors, and some guests pre-registered for all four days) held during the summer in San Diego, California, United States, at the San Diego Convention Center.

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More did you know...

... that Marvel Comics published a parody of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue featuring artwork of superheroes in bathing suits?

... that Shueisha, the publisher of Weekly Shōnen Jump, has produced a manga series in collaboration with Marvel Comics?

... that Wolfgang J. Fuchs, an early German comics scholar who co-wrote a 1971 standard work on the topic, translated Garfield and Mom's Cancer?

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You know, I distrust people who 'read' comics ... you don't read a comic book. You look at a comic book. While you're looking at a comic, sure, you read the words; as well, you learn to look at the panels in a certain order, in a certain way ... if you start out to 'read' a comic book, you're starting out with the wrong mind-set.

— Samuel R. Delany

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