Functional styles of speech The word style comes from the Greek stylos -...
In our 21st century, even the lazy person already knows what a comic book is. Heroes in colorful tights, saving the universe from various misfortunes three times a day, have long been on everyone’s lips. At first glance it seems that beautiful picture lies either a complete lack of plot, or extremely formulaic variations from 80s action films. In reality this is, of course, not the case.
Comics, in the form in which we know them, have existed for almost a hundred years. If we take into account the rich experience of Japanese and many other artists, this period can increase several times. But, of course, most lovers of this type of art appreciate first of all modern works. And there is a reason for this: over the course of its almost hundred-year history, comics have grown from a small section in daily news releases into an entire industry that includes many publishers, authors, artists, published series, film adaptations, related products and... we can go on and on. For those whose heads are spinning from such diversity, first of all I would like to advise you to familiarize yourself with the primary sources - many issues and publications in themselves have become not only classics of the genre, but also a valuable cultural heritage recognized throughout the world.
Big world of comics
In Russia Big world comics are just beginning their march and, thanks to a couple of publishers, everyone who wants to get acquainted with the stories has the opportunity to do so. But, unfortunately, this process is not fast - not many books have been published in our country yet. But it’s okay, the Internet comes to the rescue here - given the scale of the product, there are specialized sites where you can buy both new issues and old collector’s editions. The cost of the latter, by the way, can sometimes even reach several million dollars! But, however, first things first.
All comics that are available for purchase are published on English language. Don't let this discourage those who are not confident in their knowledge of English - with some exceptions, the difficulty in understanding is not high, and besides, this is an excellent opportunity to practice the language.
The advent of modern comics was preceded by 18th-century political cartoons by William Hogarth. They were a series of drawings united by a common idea.
Next important stage the development of the art of creating comics has become an activity Rodolphe Tepffer and Wilhelm Busch. The first one became famous " The story of Monsieur Villeux-Bois", the popular poetic series " Max and Moritz”, which tells the story of two tomboys.
« Teddy bear and tiger" - this was the name of the first American comic book, which was published in 1892. The story “ Yellow Kid"about a little boy from China who arrived in search of adventure America..
Famous comic book creator is Rudolf Derks. It was he who came up with " bubbles", the frames in which the speech of the characters is placed.
Entire publishing companies specializing in publishing comics are being created: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image Comics. One of the largest is the Marvel company. She produced such masterpieces as "Fantastic Four", "The Incredible Hulk", "X-Men", "Iron Man", "Spider-Man".
And now some crazy numbers:
The first issue of the comic about Superman was purchased this year for 1 million dollars, in the distant 1938 it could be purchased for 10 cents.
Behind 100 thousand euros purchased the original title image of the comic book "".
First edition of comics about Spider-Man cost about 40 thousand dollars, V 1963 its cost was 12 cents.
The advent of modern comics was preceded by 18th-century political cartoons by William Hogarth.They were a series of drawings united by a common idea.
The next important stage in the development of the art of creating comics was the activity Rodolphe Tepffer and Wilhelm Busch. The first one became famous " The story of Monsieur Villeux-Bois", the popular poetic series " Max and Moritz”, which tells the story of two tomboys.
« Teddy bear and tiger" - this was the name of the first American comic book, which was published in 1892. The story “ Yellow Kid"about a little boy from China who arrived in search of adventure America.
Famous comic book creator is Rudolf Derks. It was he who came up with " bubbles", the frames in which the speech of the characters is placed.
Golden Age of Comics
This period in the history of American comics, which lasted (according to various estimates) from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s. The first serious steps in the development of the art of graphic novels were made at the beginning of the 20th century, in search of new ways of graphic and visual communication and self-expression. At first, comics were purely humorous. This is largely explained by the etymology of the English word that determined their name. This situation changed radically in June 1938, when the character Superman(English) Superman).
The beginning of the golden age is considered to be the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics, published in 1938 and published by DC Comics. The appearance of Superman was very popular, and soon superheroes literally filled the pages of comic books. Other characters for a long time enjoyed popularity, became Plastic(English) Plastic Man), published by Quality Comics, as well as Detective Spirit, by cartoonist Will Eisner, which was originally published as a supplement combined with the Sunday edition of the newspaper.
In total, more than 400 superheroes were created during this period. Most of them strongly resembled Superman and did not survive to this day, but it was then that heroes such as Batman And Captain America.
Second World War had a major impact on the content of superhero comics - now heroes fought against the Axis powers, and the covers depicted superheroes fighting the leader of the Nazi movement, Adolf Hitler. After the victory over fascism, superheroes with nuclear abilities began to appear, for example Atomic Thunderbolt and Atomic Man. Historians of the time credit the children's characters with helping to ease young readers' fears about the prospects of nuclear war. In addition, the heroes began to fight the communists, and some were involved in the Korean War.
However, after the end of World War II, the popularity of superheroes began to decline. In general, it was during the golden age that a new and to this day main direction in comics emerged - superheroes and new worlds.
Along with super heroes, cartoon characters also appear in comics. For example, stories about Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse. They conquer not only children's but also adult audiences.
Entire publishing companies specializing in publishing comics are being created: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image Comics. One of the largest is the Marvel company. She produced such masterpieces as "Fantastic Four", "The Incredible Hulk", "X-Men", "Iron Man", "Spider-Man".
IN 1970 - 1980 Great competition began in the comics industry between the two largest printing companies, Marvell and Dell. Dell begins reprinting comics from the 30s to 50s, and Marvel Comics responds with a series of new adventures Spiderman.
IN 1977 - three months before the release of George Lucas's sensational science-fiction film "Star Wars", the Marvel Comics company takes revenge by starting to publish a series of comics based on the film. Star Wars exceeded all expectations, breaking all record sales. Warner Communications engages readers with characters Hulk, Doctor Strange, Dick Tracy and Flash Gordon. Subsequently, feature and animated films were made based on these comics.
1989 the year was the fifteenth anniversary Batman. A comic book series was dedicated to this year and the feature film “Batman” was shot, in which such first-class actors as Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne) and Jack Nicholson (Joker) participated, everything was thought out to the smallest detail, and the film became the highest grossing film of all time cinema (at that time), and comics brought in a lot of money.
IN 1990 The series “Classics in Illustrations” was published, which included “Moby Dick”, “The Raven”, Poe’s poems, “Great Expectations” by Dickens, “Alice Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll. A real sensation was created by “Mutant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which was released by Mirage Studios and written by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
A variety of comics exist around the world, from Chinese manhua to Japanese manga, comic books in the United States, and comic strip collections in Europe. Despite all the variety of styles and genres, the main task of comics is to evoke feelings and emotions in the reader. Elements such as dialogue bubbles or text frames are used to display dialogue and convey relevant information to the reader. The drawings and their arrangement, as well as various auxiliary elements, are designed to support the sequence of events in the story.
The most famous form of printed comics is the so-called strips, or miniatures. They usually consist of four small drawings one after another and are published in newspapers and magazines. Longer comics are published as separate magazines, books or albums.
Figures and facts:
In New York, at Heritage Auctions in February 2012, a collection of rare comics that belonged to Billy Wright was sold. The comics reportedly sold for $3.5 million.
The top lot among the auctions was the 27th issue of the collection Detective Comics (1939), on the pages of which Batman first appeared. The publication was bought for 523 thousand dollars. In 1939, Detective Comics No. 27 cost the late Billy Wright of Virginia 10 cents. The auction also included the first collection of Action Comics (1938), where Superman debuted. They paid 299 thousand dollars for it.
A collection of unique comics was sold at auction in the French capital for 650 thousand euros. According to the auction organizer - auction house Sotheby's - about a hundred of the most popular pictures and drawings by famous European, American and Japanese artists among collectors went under the hammer.
Among the most expensive lots is an original illustration for the comic book “The Mysterious Star” from the “The Adventures of Tintin” series, published in the Soir newspaper, which was sold for more than 234 thousand euros. This famous picture, which depicts how the faithful dog of a fearless journalist, Milou, got his paws dirty in tar, was painted by the Belgian artist Georges Remy, who worked under the pseudonym Hergé, in 1941.
Behind 100 thousand euros purchased the original title image of the comic " Black Island" And the first edition of comics about Spider-Man cost about 40 thousand dollars, V 1963 its cost was 12 cents.
1.Superman ushered in the Golden Age of American comics
The appearance of "Superman" in American comics marked the beginning of the “Golden Age” of cartoon stories. Comics have been published in the United States before. But most often they were humorous in nature. And so, in search of new readers and new experiences for them, it was decided to switch from humor to adventure. Back in 1938, the superhero Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 - and marked the beginning of the epic of superheroes that filled the pages. Many of them were very similar to their ancestor, but original, interesting bearers of superpowers were also born. Although the plot stereotypes were still invariably traced... The heroic theme was very fond of readers and lasted for quite a long time, sensitively reacting to historical events: during the Second World War, the fight against evil concentrated on the fight against the Nazis and Hitler, then with the communists, it was rethought on the pages and the Korean War and the danger nuclear weapons... This is how the main direction in comics appeared, and american stories in pictures have become one of the most popular around the world. Many comics were filmed and became the basis for cartoons, and characters with superpowers are known and loved by viewers to this day.
2. The most popular comic book in Japan is about pirates.
Japan is the second country in the world. Where comics get so much attention. They are read by both adults and children, a huge number of animated series (anime) are made based on them, and ardent fans (otaku) organize entire cosplay festivals, where they dress up as their favorite characters, conduct themed photo shoots and stage scenes based on their favorite works. Each manga has its own army of fans, its own peak of popularity, but there is one that does not lose first place in any popularity ratings. "One Piece" - the story of the adventures of an unusual boy, Laffy, whose body can stretch like rubber, has been a favorite in Japan and beyond since 1997! Despite the fact that the heroes depicted on the pages do not shine with particular beauty, they regularly surpass in popularity any beautiful warriors with huge eyes, and various love stories, rich in emotions... Travel, treasure hunting, loyal friends and treacherous villains, adventures and revealing the secrets of the world - all the components of “One Piece” are a kind of classic, apparently remaining eternal.
3. French comics about Asterix pleased both adults and children
France, which also pays attention to comics, calls them “bande dessinee” - hand-drawn strip. The French gave the world another beloved character - the Gaul Asterix. Comics about the travels of the cheerful Gaul and his touching faithful friend Obelix will appeal to everyone. Visually, Asterix stories amuse children, while adults appreciate the wordplay and parody of modernity. Later, Asterix and his friends became heroes of cartoons and films, which were also loved by audiences of all ages. It is curious that the creators of the comic specifically named the main character with a name starting with the first letter of the alphabet - so that he would always be in the first lines of the catalogs.
4. Satirical comics dominated in the USSR
In the USSR, comics were not very popular, and even now in Russia, rare comic book fans prefer to buy foreign ones rather than draw their own. IN Soviet time They published children's comics on the pages of "Funny Pictures" and adults, satirical ones, in the magazine "Crocodile". They, perhaps, became the most popular comics in the Soviet Union, because “Crocodile” was the only all-Union satirical magazine. Both small, everyday topics and major events in the life of the country were considered. However, the magazine contained not only satirical materials. But he also talked about the achievements of the USSR - in general, he was the official mouthpiece of politics. “Crocodile” was published in millions of copies and even received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
5. Garfield lives in each of us
Another very popular comic book character originally from America is Garfield. Initially, the author planned to make Garfield... a beetle, but the publishers of the story about the beetle did not accept it, so the appearance of the main character had to be redesigned. Now Garfield is a cat recognizable all over the world, fat and very charming, famous for his appetite, laziness and sense of humor with elements of sarcasm. However, in various situations, Garfield displays different traits that add up to a very multifaceted character. Moreover, the volume of each story is only three pictures (such comics are called strips). So, fitting a humorous story into three frames is a special style and skill. The reader is invited to laugh at the shortcomings, which are depicted, although exaggerated, but are found in almost everyone: to one degree or another, we are all a little Garfield. Especially on weekends...
