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Defining the comics Date: 3/26/2005 |
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Comics have a long history in American popular culture - but the popularity of "The Yellow Kid" in 1895 and the subsequent rise of comic strips in newspapers certainly were launching pads for the art form. By the 1930s, strips were being collected in comic book form, with superheroes such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman enjoying tremendous popularity. Comics continued to evolve after World War II, and with the advent of the '60s youth culture, all kinds of new topics became fodder for comic book artists. ? Graphic novels are complex narratives told through panels of art and words, comic book-style but not typically serialized. Art Spiegelman's "Maus" (1986) was a sophisticated story about the Holocaust, using cats and mice to represent the Nazis and the Jews. "Maus" opened the doors for graphic novels such as Joe Sacco's "Palestine" (1996) and Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" (2003). Manga are Japanese comic books, which have gained popularity in the United States, along with anime, Japanese animated films. Unlike American comic books, which are published serially, manga are published in book form and, in Japan, are widely read by all ages and both genders. There are manga written in a wide variety of styles and formats, including pornographic comics (hentai) and bishoujo, stories full of unbearably cute animals (think Hello Kitty). |
| Source: Newsday.com |
