Graphic novels intrigue, surprise, and inspire. Every viewing of a filmed comic makes you think about morals and values. It's not just funny for fun. It's much more than that. It's time to figure out what a comic really is.

Meaning of the word

The word “comic” came into the Russian lexicon from the English comic, which translated means funny. Many people want to know what a comic book is and where such a sonorous name came from. In common parlance, a comic book can be defined as a graphic novel, where there is some comedy and jokes. Visual art is successfully combined with stories and stories. Despite the funny behavior of the characters, original pictures and sarcastic dialogues, comics come in completely different genres, ranging from detectives and thrillers to stories about superheroes.

Stories in pictures are usually filled with deep meaning and morality. To ensure that all the information is perceived by both children and adults, they use pictures with inserts that display sounds and laughter (for example, BOOOM, HUH?!, POW! and HA-HA-HA). In other words, a comic is a caricature.

Comics history

The first mention of graphic novels can be traced back to Japanese culture. Back then, cartoon stories called manga were created for entertainment. Such comics still exist and are popular worldwide. Japanese comics became the progenitors of traditional oriental cartoons - anime.

Later, closer to the 16th century, European versions of graphic novels began to appear. It was during this period that religious brochures called "halleluis" began to be distributed in Barcelona and Valencia. Comics took on a more familiar form at the end of the 18th century, when The San Francisco Examiner magazine first published funny comics for children, “The Little Bears and the Tiger.” The advent of the unusual storytelling of the story blew up the public, and from that moment on, the great era of graphic novels began.

The essence of graphic novels

The hand-drawn stories are designed to keep the reader interested in their exciting story. Experience has proven that adventure and detective stories are very popular if there are even small images. As a rule, not everyone wants to read thick books. Comics captivate you from the first second, completely immersing the reader in a fictional world or universe. Each graphic story has its own style of drawing and text.

Now there are thousands of comics, created both based on literary works and unique adventure stories. What is a comic book really and what is its essence? Scientists and psychologists from the University of Waterloo have proven that comics are much easier to perceive by children and adults than books, films and articles. The main point graphic novels are a creation interesting story using simple drawings and deep texts.

How to create your own comic

The comic book format is unique. Anyone who has ever read a graphic novel sooner or later asks the question “How to create a comic book yourself?”

For this, advice from professional comics artists will help:

What comic is created without a script? That's right, none. Write unique and interesting scenario is the first step to creating a graphic novel. You need to write down the story, the characters and dialogues. Do not overuse descriptions, because they are comic book drawings that reveal all the details. The emphasis should be on dialogues and a dynamic plot. The basis for the script can be an existing story or film. The main thing is to remember that each story in pictures is unique.

Under no circumstances should you start drawing a comic without a storyboard. This is a secondary version of the graphic novel, or draft. This is where the first sketches are made. Stories in pictures must be connected to each other, so they use a storyboard. To do this, you need to write down each “square” of the comic, describe the actions of the characters and their remarks. In other words, you need to describe future frames.

For those who want to learn how to create a comic book, you need to turn to ready-made graphic novels for help. You should pay attention to style. If this is a story about superheroes, then all the pictures should be bright, and the dialogue should immediately catch the eye. When choosing an adventure story, you need to use warm sunny tones. A detective story and a thriller should cast shadow and intrigue the reader, so blue, gray and black colors are used.

The attentive reader will notice that comics do not have the same frames. Sometimes one scene is placed on a third of the page, while the other 10 are small and fit on a small piece of paper. This style makes comics much easier to read.

A special language of stories in pictures

A distinctive feature of comics is their special language. There are no texts that occupy 99% of the page. The main lines of the characters consist of small phrases that describe one or another situation that is incomprehensible to the reader. The story conveys the whole essence with the help of an obvious plot, where the heroes and their abilities are drawn in detail.

Since the comics themselves came to us from Europe and the USA, all stories are written in English language, but thanks to the unique drawings, the plot can be understood without words. This is the special language of comics.



DC vs Marvel

Two popular comic book publishers have been competing with each other for more than 50 years. Comics fans around the world are divided into two fronts. DC and Marvel comics are intensively discussed on the Internet, adventure films and sagas are created based on them, and fans fly from different parts of the planet for the worldwide comic book festival Comic Con. Let's consider a short history each publisher.

DC. The main character of the publishing house is Batman from Gotham City, the villain is the Joker. It has existed since 1934, and the first film adaptation based on the graphic novels was released in 1969. DC welcomes its fans with comics about Superman, Wonder Woman, Jonah Hex and Green Lantern.



Marvel. The creator of the Marvel multiverse is Stan Lee. The publisher is more popular than DC, thanks to such graphic novels as "X-Men" and "Wolverine", "Captain America" ​​and "Iron Man", as well as "Fantastic Four", "Thor", "Ant-Man". The big thing about Marvel is that they pay tribute to Stan Lee by bringing the chipper old man on set and giving him a two-second line. Unlike DC, this publishing house produces novels with deep meaning and morality, trying to show two sides of the same coin (good and evil). All Marvel comics are more serious and have an unconventional plot. Founded in 1939, the first film adaptation was released in 1944 (“Captain America”).



The most expensive comics

It's already the 21st century, and comics continue to be created, published and filmed. This trend will always be popular and will certainly never go out. Despite this, true comic book fans not only love to read graphic novels, but also collect rare and limited editions. So what is the most expensive and valuable comic book in the world?

Action Comics from 1938, valued at $2 million. There are no more than 9 copies of the original version of the comic featuring Superman left around the world. Even 80 years ago, we could buy Action Comics for no more than 10 cents. Rare cartoons by Curt Swan (author of Batman stories since 1942) are also in demand. One of his works is estimated at 200,000 - 400,000 dollars.

Adventure comics

The story of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck is not just cartoons that entire generations grew up with. These are stories based on comic books. The most interesting thing is that the first cartoons were created according to the same principle as graphic drawings: a storyboard, a storyline and a word bubble with lines were also used. The main feature of children's comics is the adventure genre. Adventure comics feature protagonists who encounter unexpected situations and resolve them throughout the comic.



How to read comics correctly

When the question arises, “What is a comic book and how to read it,” you need to pay attention to the structure of the graphic story. A classic comic is a small color magazine consisting of 10-30 pages. Each sheet is divided into several parts-drawings, usually no more than 10 pieces (the number of “frames” depends on the page format). You need to start reading from the very first square, located in the upper left corner. The order and arrangement of frames is from left to right. Some comics are read in a serpentine pattern. If any story consists of a comic book series, then it is recommended to read from the very first part in order to understand the fascinating story of the heroes.

Comics aren't just stories about superheroes. Every reader can find his favorite genre. All you need to do is plunge into the multiverse, meet all the characters and study their character. This will help open new and amazing world graphic novels of the 20th and 21st centuries!

One child can create a good joke if left alone for a while. What can several children do? Intelligence and a sense of humor can do something unexpected and original.

Modern children have enough of both. If look at comics about children, then it becomes clear that for children there are no boundaries of what is permitted. But comics about children are drawn by artists who also have a couple of children.

The comics genre itself was conceived as an entertainment and educational program for children. Which comics for children the most famous? Of course, Marvel. These children's comics have become so popular in Lately that you are unlikely to find a child who is not familiar with Marvel heroes. Even if reading jokes about children is funny, there are sometimes references to heroes from Marvel comics.

Why is children's comics so popular? All kinds of film adaptations of various Marvel stories led to the popularization of these children's comics both in the West and here. But the genre was on the verge of extinction.

Let's return from Marvel to regular comics about children. Looking through comics about children funny On various Internet sites, I noticed an increasingly emerging trend in educational comics. Of course, funny comics about children are as entertaining as ever, however, they also try to teach something to the younger generation. In principle, the approach is correct, since children are now able to develop much faster. And, reading aphorisms about children with meaning, you understand the bitter truth that children do not really want to learn and develop as individuals.

Funny comics kids

Now we have come to the final stage of our text. What can we say at the end? Funny comics kids– a very unique style of humor, which, however, does not prevent him from being funny and original. Funny comics for children, funny demotivators for children, and any other good jokes about children will always be special and funny. After all, childhood is the very time that leaves only bright moments in memory.

Children love to listen to fairy tales. And they love looking at comics. Why not give them the opportunity to do it at the same time? This is what the German artist Rotraut Suzanne Berner thought and drew delightfully witty children's comics based on her favorite fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm.

Rotraut's style to Suhanne Berner is so recognizable that her books cannot be confused with anyone else's. The artist is distinguished by amazing attention to detail, clear lines of drawing, thoughtful composition and slight irony. She masterfully knows how to tell stories with pictures alone, almost without resorting to words, and that is why her books are so loved by young children who have not yet learned to read. It is also important that Berner’s illustrations are always thought out in such a way that they teach you to observe, notice and remember details, and see logical connections between events. With each of her books, the artist involves readers in the game, and “Fairy Tales-Comics” is no exception. On their pages, adult and young readers will find the artist's jokes, attentiveness puzzles, and other surprises.

Press about the book

Catalog of the Russian State Children's Library "For children and about children", 2017, issue 1 (18)

"What goal did Berner set for herself when creating hand-drawn stories about Little Red Riding Hood, Princess Rapunzel, Mrs. Snowstorm and other famous fairy-tale characters? Most likely, the artist wanted not only to bring folklore heroes closer to the modern child, but also to make the young reader a participant in the fun interactive game, which is based on well-known fairy tale plots. In any case, the result of R. S. Berner turned out to be very interesting, and one can only envy her ingenuity and wit.”

Website "Biblioguide", 12/26/16, " Best books December", Alexey Kopeikin

Berner jokes and plays pranks a lot: her fairy-tale world is intertwined with modernity - the heroes wear sweaters, sneakers and baseball caps (even in magic castles), chat frivolously, negative characters sometimes light up - of course, to once again confirm the disgustingness of such an activity, and, As is usually the case in hand-drawn stories, along the edges of the main action there are funny details (in Berner's case, cute little animals) for you to look at. At the same time, Berner conveys the general plot outline quite accurately, sometimes even closer to the original than was done in the famous Soviet retellings of the Brothers Grimm.

In our country, many people have a prejudice: comics are something frivolous and pride - I’m not like that, I read the right literature. But this is a special way of reading - the brain begins to work more intensely, since reading comics is much more difficult than linear text. It is necessary to simultaneously follow the plot from the pictures, navigate by cues in the relationships between the characters, and determine emotions by the expressions on their faces - not every adult can cope with this.Let's fix the situation with wonderful comics.

"Snowman",Raymond Briggs
publishing house “Polyandria”, 0+

The story is about how a boy made a snowman who magically came to life at night. That night was filled with incredible events, and in the morning they met the dawn on the pier and went home. The boy fell asleep in his bed, and the snowman remained outside. When the child woke up, he found a scarf, a hat and a small pile of snow left over from a snowman that had melted in the sun.
There is no text in the book, but everything is clear without words - these amazing frame-illustrations made with pencils are so detailed. Warm, cozy - it’s impossible to tear yourself away and stop looking at them.
Some will read this book as a story about the power of children's imagination, others will think that this is a variation on the theme of an imaginary friend, and others will see only fairy-tale adventures.
Sold in a set with the book “The Snowman and the Snow Dog,” which was written by other authors, but continues the style of the original source.

“Keshka without brakes”,Andrey and Natalya Snegirev
publishing house “CompassGuide”, 0+

These are extraordinary stories about an ordinary cat. Keshka lives in an ordinary apartment and cannot live a day without adventure. This character first appeared in 1991, and for more than twenty years children and adults have been laughing at comic books. The situations that Keshka finds himself in are very recognizable, and the child will see himself in this restless and quick-witted cat.
In this collection, Keshka will go to the North, get a piercing while fishing, ride a washing machine and visit the moon.
I would also like to note his relationship with mice - like any decent cat, Keshka tries to catch a mouse. So he sets traps, hunts with a slingshot and comes up with plans to rid the house of rodents.

“Fairy tales-comics”,Rotraut Suzanne Berner
publishing house “Melik-Pashayev”, 0+

Rotraut Suzanne Berner, winner of the Andersen Prize (children's Nobel Prize), tells her version of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. She chose eight stories, both well-known ones: “Rapunzel” and “Mistress Blizzard”, and less familiar ones – “Hans the Hedgehog” and “Jorinda and Joringel”, and drew them in her own style.
There is some intrigue: the composition of the book is structured in such a way that before each tale we see the narrator in a chair, to which timid listeners are getting closer and closer. Who this narrator is will be revealed at the end.
The result is a cheerful and hooligan retelling, filled with jokes - for example, in a fairy-tale world, heroes can wear caps and sneakers. ANDIllustrations help children see the cause-and-effect relationship between events and teach them to observe the smallest details.
Conservative adults should be immediately warned that Ms. Berner tends to be ironic in her drawings, and reminded that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And this rule always applies.

"It's a small world, Charlie Brown"Charles M. Schultz
publishing house “Zangavar”, 7+

If the name and surname in the title don't mean anything to you, then you probably know one of the characters - Snoopy, a dog who is already more than sixty years old. This is a beagle dog who doesn’t talk, but you can read all his thoughts in the “bubbles” on the pages.
Snoopy's owner, the boy Charlie Brown, and his friends go to school, play baseball and discuss incredibly important issues. In this book, troubles literally follow Charlie: he was given an unknown autograph at a store instead of the autograph of his favorite player, no one sent him a valentine, and he didn’t turn out to be the coach of the baseball team. And the girl for whom he sold all his comics to buy her gloves runs into him in the store and shows him her new pair!
These are funny and slightly philosophical comics about the coexistence of play and boredom, joy and sadness in a child’s life. Behind the simple drawings lies not only irony, but also quotes, references to dates, books and events.
This is the third collection of stories about the baby and Snoopy, which was published by the Zangavar publishing house, and the comic anthology will continue.

"Hilda and the Troll" Luke Pearson
publishing house “Mann, Ivanov and Ferber”, 7+

Blue-haired and big-eyed Hilda lives in a small mountain valley. Next door to it live characters from Scandinavian mythology - a tree man, a giant, a sea spirit and a troll. Hilda is a girl with character and a real adventurer, she is not afraid to explore the world and nature around her, which is why she often gets into various stories. One day, while walking, a girl and her little fox with deer horns saw a stone. Rule number one - if you see a stone that looks like a troll, hang a bell on its nose. Then a melodic “ding-ding” is heard and events take an unexpected turn.
In these books there are no clear-cut characters - good or bad, everyone just does what is important to them. The unobtrusive moral of the book is read unmistakably - things that scare you turn out to be not so scary if you look closely at them and try to understand them.
Five books have already been published in the series, so far only two have been translated into Russian, but I hope that this is just the beginning. And in 2018, a film adaptation of the comics “Hildafolk” will be released.

“Jim the diver. Journey to the heart of the ocean”,Matthias Picard
publishing house “Zangavar”, 7+

A 3D film will no longer surprise anyone, but a 3D book is perhaps a unique phenomenon. Just don’t think that to read you will need to download an application and the pictures will come to life on the screen, no.With the exception of “bang and bang,” there are no words in the book, but there is some kind of hypnotic charm with the talent of Matthias Picard. Using black ink and anaglyph glasses, the artist takes us to the bottom of the ocean along with Jim. A boy finds old diving equipment and becomes an ocean explorer. And there are jellyfish, sharks, turtles, octopuses, a whale, a sunken ship - all the riches and secrets of the underwater world that come to life literally before our eyes.

“My mother is in America, she saw Buffalo Bill,”Jean Regnault, Emile Bravo
publishing house “Bumkniga”, 7+

This is a kind and warm story about which you just want to write “does not leave you indifferent.” And this will not be the use of cliches.
A new school, a gloomy teacher, a showdown with his brother, affection for the governess Yvette, strange trips to relatives and sympathetic glances from adults - all this fills Jean’s life. His mother disappeared somewhere, and no one tells him and his brother where. Questions hang in the air, but Jean is afraid to say them. The neighbor girl Michelle begins to give the boy secret messages “from his mother,” and Jean believes her until one day during a quarrel he finds out the truth.
The autobiographical text of Jean Regnault is sad and funny at the same time. It's about the wall that adults build between themselves and a child when they hide the truth from him.

“The Seven Dwarf Bears and the Invasion of the Princesses”Emil Bravo
publishing house “Comilfo”, 7+

The Dwarf Bear books are a raunchy parody that shows the realities of “happily ever after” that usually stay off the page.Parents' knowledge of fairy tales and a sense of humor is a must!
Dwarf bears live in the forest and are literally besieged by princesses. Since bears value their comfort and coziness, they have to come up with all sorts of ways to solve princess problems. After all, princesses are so capricious and cause trouble. One of the bears goes in search of the prince, but they are all somehow strange. And their bad upbringing will anger the Fairy Godmother a lot...
Charismatic gnome bears and unusual plot twists give a second wind to ancient fairy tales. So, for example, the spell of the fairy godmother, which in the original fairy tale puts everyone around to sleep, in the new reading forces seven bears, as if tied, to sit in front of the TV.

"Jane, the Fox and Me"Fanny Britt, Isabelle Arsenault
publishing house “Belaya Vorona”, 10+

The world of the girl Helen is full of gray and dull colors - her classmates chose her as a target for ridicule and for some reason she believes them. She finds solace only in reading her favorite book - the novel “Jane Eyre” (by the way, if anyone has not read it, but is planning to, then be careful - the comic contains spoilers).
Helen's problems are familiar to many: a feeling of loneliness, general misunderstanding, lack of self-acceptance, finding friends, difficulty in relationships with parents. And, of course, finding your place in life.However, after an unexpected meeting in the forest, everything changes, and Helen finally has a revelation - “it seems that I am beginning to understand that the less I think about all this, the less I believe in it.”
The book is about how difficult (and sometimes scary) it is to accept yourself as you are, but once you start taking steps in this direction, your life will be filled with color.

“Calvin and Hobbes. There are treasures everywhere"Bill Watterson
publishing house “Zangavar”, 10+

Six-year-old prodigy Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbs are an inseparable pair of friends and heroes of Bill Watterson's comic books, which were published from 1985 to 1995.The characters are named after the theologian John Calvin and philosopher Thomas Hobbes, so their dialogues often contain philosophical reflections. And also thoughtful conclusions about everything, be it the meaning of life, love, relationships with parents, study and, of course, about the grave suffering inextricably linked with this very study.

“Sometimes when I speak, my words don’t keep up with my thoughts.” I wonder why we think faster than we speak?
- So that we have a chance to change our minds.

Fascinating, sometimes educational and always funny stories take the adult reader back to his own childhood, when the world is a separate reality, which is limited only by fantasy.Impulsive and prone to eccentric antics, Calvin goes to school, where his logic irritates teachers and classmates a lot, for which he often pays. Hobbs is calmer and more reasonable, but their tandem can do a lot of things thanks to their bottomless supply of inventions and inexhaustible energy.
Short stories about the lives of Calvin and Hobbes were published regularly for ten years and (here is the amazing moment) - the artist completed successful project. He also refused to sign documents for permission to use the characters. Only comics. Nothing extra.

- I'm ready for anything!
— And even to complete and unconditional surrender?
- Especially to her.

“Great Story”, 0+
Patrick McDonnell
publishing house “Mann, Ivanov and Ferber”

It's not exactly a graphic novel, but it will introduce non-linear reading to very young readers. The main idea of ​​the book is that you should not despair and life is beautiful even when it seems that everything is set against you.
Little Louis wants to tell his story, but every time he starts it, he faces obstacles: juice will spill on the pages of the book, dirty hands will leave their fingerprints, or someone will smear peanut butter. However, looking at it from the outside, Louis admits that everything is not so bad, because his story is unique and truly magnificent.

***
Ekaterina Severina

While in America more than one generation has grown up with comics, in Russia interest in this genre has appeared relatively recently. There is still an opinion that stories in pictures are intended mainly for children and teenagers. But is this really so? What is a comic book - an entertaining read about Superheroes or an art form comparable to cinema and literature? Let's try to figure this out.

The meaning of the word "comic"

This genre originated on the pages of American newspapers at the end of the 19th century. "Comic" is an abbreviation for the English "comic" (funny) and "strip" (strip, picture). The drawn stories are an interesting synthesis of literature and graphics. A comic is a series of pictures that tell a coherent story. As in a literary work, there are main and secondary characters, antagonists. There may be no text at all, or they may be short captions.

"Stories in Pictures" are close to animation and cinema. A film on film can be compared to a very long and slow comic book. It is no coincidence that Superheroes and Japanese manga characters migrated to the silver screen.

History of appearance

The predecessors of comics were stories in pictures. Beginning in the 16th century, engraved lives of saints called “hallelujahs” were sold in Europe. In the 18th century, William Hogarth created a series of political cartoons with one common theme.

In the 19th century, illustrated stories became quite popular. Special mention should be made of the Swiss cartoonist R. Tepfer, who was the first to place text under the corresponding picture. The harbinger of the comic strip is also considered to be a series of poems by the German W. Busch about the mischievous Max and Moritz, published in 1865. The text and drawings in it are closely related to each other.

Competition between newspaper monopolies in the United States led to the final establishment of the comic book genre. The stories in pictures were intended to attract new readers. The first American comic strip, The Little Bears and the Tiger, was published in 1892.

In 1896, the World newspaper began publishing a story about a little Chinese child, Yellow kid. In its design, it is similar to modern comics: the same characters, a consistent plot, dialogues within one illustration. The author of the story was soon lured to the New York Journal. Newspaper owners fought for a long time for their rights to the yellow baby, for which they received the apt nickname “yellow press.” Subsequently, the expression acquired a different meaning.

Characteristics

The “golden time” of comics in America is called the 30-50 years of the twentieth century. During this period, fantasy and adventure dominated genres. The famous Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Atom Man, Captain America were born.

A set of expressive means was gradually formed. With the help of paints, artists tried to influence the reader. So, in comics about Superman, bright colors predominate: blue, red, cyan, white. Batman is depicted in a dark, black and gray color scheme that gives the story an ominous feel. The drawing of characters, facial expressions - all this is important.

Comics are not only pictures, but also succinct, concise text. Direct speech is depicted as a "word bubble" emerging from the character's mouth or head. It is also called phylacterium. The author's words are placed below the frame. The language is very emotional, exclamations, onomatopoeia, irony, epithets, hyperbole, metaphors, and street slang are widely used. To convey emotional intensity, the artist often plays with shape, color or font size.

Types of comics

Scientists began large-scale research into this genre in the 60s of the last century. Many serious works are devoted to finding answers to the question of what a comic book is. The features of visual language, techniques, framing methods, and styles are considered. And, of course, various classifications are being developed.

By volume, comics are divided into:

• strips (contain several frames, most often published in newspapers and magazines);
• classic comics, which have a more complex composition and are published with a certain frequency;
• graphic novels with a serious, complete plot, containing more than 50 pages.

Classification by genre and readership

What is a comic? Is it true that it serves only an entertainment function? In their content, comics are close to literary works. Among them you can find humorous, fantasy, detective and war stories, animal adventures, romance, westerns, horror, and crime. The list goes on and on. There are comics dedicated to classic works and serious political and social issues.

There are no thematic restrictions for hand-drawn stories. Recently, comics are increasingly found on the pages of textbooks and popular science books. Illustrated text helps the reader to assimilate new information easier and more fully.

Depending on the readership, comics are distinguished:

• for boys (fantasy, adventure, battles);
• for girls (school stories, first love);
• youth (themes of growing up, sex, falling in love);
• female (relationships of opposite sexes);
• adults (politics, economics, history, culture, sex).

Asian comics

They began appearing after the end of World War II, but became known in the West towards the end of the 20th century, thanks to Japanese anime. Comics in Asian countries are called differently:

• in Japan - manga;
• in China - manhua;
• in Korea - manhwa.

Such comics are most often black and white and read from right to left (with the exception of Korean ones). The manga is rational, despite its exciting plot. At the center of events are often schoolchildren who have to go through life’s hardships and solve their psychological problems. Comics are not censored, so there are stories with a 21+ limit. Cartoons (anime) are made based on manga stories.

Manhuas are unpredictable and dynamic. They are difficult to explain logically. The characters are mostly adults, and many comics are devoted to the theme of mature love.

The manhwa is about positive, but socially vulnerable heroes. For example, about poor old people who cannot fend for themselves. This type of comics is widely represented in global network, since the publication of books is not financed by the government.

Comics in Russia

During the USSR, the genre was not widespread. Small comics in Russian could be found in children's and humor magazines. But in general the phenomenon was considered “alien” to the Soviet people.

The situation changed in the “dashing” nineties. The first magazines appeared, publishing comics by domestic artists. "The Fly" was aimed at an adult audience. The Veles-VA publishing house, founded by Afghan veterans, published collections for young people. The publications were of a patriotic nature. In 1999, the Magnificent Adventures magazine appeared and existed for 4 years.

But the real boom of comics in Russian began in the mid-2010s and continues to this day. Special publications and stores are opened, foreign graphic novels are translated, festivals are organized (ComMission, Comic Con Russia, ComiXfest, etc.)

How to create a comic?

On store shelves we see mostly foreign “stories in pictures”. Domestic authors are just beginning to master this genre. There is an urgent need for young, talented artists who can create fascinating stories and implement them using graphics.

How to create a comic yourself? First, get acquainted with the work of recognized classics: Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, Robert Howard, Will Eisner, Jim Steranko, Albert Uderzo, Masamune Shiro, etc. You will need the skills of an artist. To create a comic book, you need to be proficient in portraiture, be able to draw a person and a landscape from life, depict perspective and facial expressions. Images can be created either by hand or using special programs. For example, Adobe Photoshop, or MangaStudio applications.

Think through the plot in advance, as well as the characteristics of the characters. A comic book author must be not only an artist, but also a writer capable of creating a compelling story. You will also need screenwriter skills to break the plot into frames and come up with laconic and expressive lines.