What is a comic?

This guide was produced in partnership with Art Fund

A comic combines words and pictures in a sequence to tell a story or share information.

Comics have unique features including:

• individual panels
• speech or thought bubbles
• sound effects
• motion lines

Comics are a medium and can be in any genre. This means comics can be about anything.

The idea of comics has been around for thousands of years.

Famous early examples that could be thought of as comics include the Lascaux cave paintings in France.

Cave artists used natural materials to paint animals and people on the walls.

Another example is the Bayeux Tapestry which shows the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

It is made up of lots of different panels which show different parts of the story.

The tapestry is 70 metres long and made from fabric.

The name ‘comic’ comes from the word 'comical', which means funny. Short cartoon strips made in the USA were given this name in around the early 1900s because they were made to make readers laugh.

Today, comics can be about anything and don’t have to be funny.

In other languages spoken around the world, comics have different names.

Comics in Italy are called fumetti, which means little puff of smoke. The name comes from the shape and colour of the speech or thought bubbles used when a character speaks or thinks.

Some comics are created by a team of creators doing different roles, such as writers, illustrators, letterers and colourists.

This can give people the opportunity to work to their individual strengths, be it writing or drawing.

Some comics can be described as silent comics because there is no text in the story.

A few words may still be used in the form of signs or sound effects.

It's a technique used in some comics, as well as graphic novels and picture books for younger readers.

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is an example of how to tell a story without text. Instead, the story is told through placing panels of images in a sequence.