A comic book or comicbook, also called comic
magazine or simply comic, is a publication
that consists of comics art in the form of
sequential juxtaposed panels that represent
individual scenes.
Panels are often accompanied by descriptive
prose and written narrative, usually, dialog
contained in word balloons emblematic of the
comics art form.
Although comics has some origins in 18th century
Japan, comic books were first popularized
in the United States and the United Kingdom
during the 1930s.
The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies,
was released in the U.S. in 1933 and was a
reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic
strips, which had established many of the
story-telling devices used in comics.
The term comic book derives from American
comic books once being a compilation of comic
strips of a humorous tone; however, this practice
was replaced by featuring stories of all genres,
usually not humorous in tone.
The largest comic book market is Japan.
By 1995, the manga market in Japan was valued
at ¥586.4 billion ($6–7 billion), with
annual sales of 1.9 billion manga books/magazines
in Japan (equivalent to 15 issues per person).
The comic book market in the United States
and Canada was valued at $1.09 billion in
2016.
As of 2017, the largest comic book publisher
in the United States is manga distributor
Viz Media, followed by DC Comics and Marvel
Comics.
Another major comic book market is France,
where Franco-Belgian comics and Japanese manga
each represent 40% of the market, followed
by American comics at 10% market share.
== Structure ==
Comic books are reliant on their organization
and appearance.
Authors largely focus on the frame of the
page, size, orientation, and panel positions.
These characteristic aspects of comic books
are necessary in conveying the content and
messages of the author.
The key elements of comic books include panels,
balloons (speech bubbles), text (lines), and
characters.
Balloons are usually convex spatial containers
of information that are related to a character
using a tail element.
The tail has an origin, path, tip, and pointed
direction.
Key tasks in the creation of comic books are
writing, drawing, and coloring.
There are many technological formulas used
to create comic books, including directions,
axes, data, and metrics.
Following these key formatting procedures
is the writing, drawing, and coloring.
== American comic books ==
Comics as a print medium have existed in America
since the printing of The Adventures of Mr.
Obadiah Oldbuck in 1842 in hardcover, making
it the first known American prototype comic
book.
Proto-comics periodicals began appearing early
in the 20th century, with the first comic
standard-sized comic being Funnies on Parade.
Funnies on Parades was the first book that
established the size, duration, and format
of the modern comic book.
Following this was, Dell Publishing's 36-page
Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics as the
first true newstand American comic book; Goulart,
for example, calls it "the cornerstone for
one of the most lucrative branches of magazine
publishing".
The introduction of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's
Superman in 1938 turned comic books into a
major industry and ushered the Golden Age
of Comics.
The Golden Age originated the archetype of
the superhero.
According to historian Michael A. Amundson,
appealing comic-book characters helped ease
young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize
anxiety about the questions posed by atomic
power.Historians generally divide the timeline
of the American comic book into eras.
The Golden Age of Comic Books began in the
1930s; which is generally considered the beginning
of the comic book that we know today.
The Silver Age of comic books is generally
considered to date from the first successful
revival of the then-dormant superhero form,
with the debut of the Flash in Showcase #4
(Oct. 1956).
The Silver Age lasted through the late 1960s
or early 1970s, during which time Marvel Comics
revolutionized the medium with such naturalistic
superheroes as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic
Four and Lee and Steve Ditko's Spider-Man.
The demarcation between the Silver Age and
the following era, the Bronze Age of Comic
Books, is less well-defined, with the Bronze
Age running from the very early 1970s through
the mid-1980s.
The Modern Age of Comic Books runs from the
mid-1980s to the present day.A notable event
in the history of the American comic book
came with psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's criticisms
of the medium in his book Seduction of the
Innocent (1954), which prompted the American
Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency
to investigate comic books.
Wertham claimed that comic books were responsible
for an increase in juvenile delinquency, as
well as potential influence on a child's sexuality
and morals.
In response to attention from the government
and from the media, the U.S. comic book industry
set up the Comics Magazine Association of
America.
The CMAA instilled the Comics Code Authority
in 1954 and drafted the self-censorship Comics
Code that year, which required all comic books
to go through a process of approval.
It was not until the 1970s that comic books
could be published without passing through
the inspection of the CMAA.
The Code was made formally defunct in November
2011.
=== Underground comic books ===
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a surge
of creativity emerged in what became known
as underground comix.
Published and distributed independently of
the established comics industry, most of such
comics reflected the youth counterculture
and drug culture of the time.
Underground comix "reflected and commented
on the social divisions and tensions of American
society".
Many had an uninhibited, often irreverent
style; their frank depictions of nudity, sex,
profanity, and politics had no parallel outside
their precursors, the pornographic and even
more obscure "Tijuana bibles".
Underground comics were almost never sold
at newsstands, but rather in such youth-oriented
outlets as head shops and record stores, as
well as by mail order.
The underground comix encouraged creators
to publish their work independently so that
they would have full ownership rights to their
characters.Frank Stack's The Adventures of
Jesus, published under the name Foolbert Sturgeon,
has been credited as the first underground
comic; while R. Crumb and the crew of cartoonists
who worked on Zap Comix popularized the form.
=== Alternative comics ===
The rise of comic book specialty stores in
the late 1970s created/paralleled a dedicated
market for "independent" or "alternative comics"
in the U.S.
The first such comics included the anthology
series Star Reach, published by comic book
writer Mike Friedrich from 1974 to 1979, and
Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, which continued
sporadic publication into the 21st century
and which Shari Springer Berman and Robert
Pulcini adapted into a 2003 film.
Some independent comics continued in the tradition
of underground comics.
While their content generally remained less
explicit, others resembled the output of mainstream
publishers in format and genre but were published
by smaller artist-owned companies or by single
artists.
A few (notably RAW) represented experimental
attempts to bring comics closer to the status
of fine art.
During the 1970s the "small press" culture
grew and diversified.
By the 1980s, several independent publishers
– such as Pacific, Eclipse, First, Comico,
and Fantagraphics – had started releasing
a wide range of styles and formats—from
color-superhero, detective, and science-fiction
comic books to black-and-white magazine-format
stories of Latin American magical realism.
A number of small publishers in the 1990s
changed the format and distribution of their
comics to more closely resemble non-comics
publishing.
The "minicomics" form, an extremely informal
version of self-publishing, arose in the 1980s
and became increasingly popular among artists
in the 1990s, despite reaching an even more
limited audience than the small press.
Small publishers regularly releasing titles
include Avatar Comics, Hyperwerks, Raytoons,
and Terminal Press, buoyed by such advances
in printing technology as digital print-on-demand.
=== 
Graphic novels ===
In 1964, Richard Kyle coined the term "graphic
novel".
Precursors of the form existed by the 1920s,
which saw a revival of the medieval woodcut
tradition by Belgian Frans Masereel, American
Lynd Ward and others, including Stan Lee.
In 1950, St. John Publications produced the
digest-sized, adult-oriented "picture novel"
It Rhymes with Lust, a 128-page digest by
pseudonymous writer "Drake Waller" (Arnold
Drake and Leslie Waller), penciler Matt Baker
and inker Ray Osrin, touted as "an original
full-length novel" on its cover.
In 1971, writer-artist Gil Kane and collaborators
devised the paperback "comics novel" Blackmark.
Will Eisner popularized the term "graphic
novel" when he used it on the cover of the
paperback edition of his work A Contract with
God, and Other Tenement Stories in 1978.
=== Digital comics ===
=== 
Market size ===
In 2017, the comic book market size for North
America was just over $1 billion with digital
sales being flat, book stores having a 1 percent
decline, and comic book stores having a 10
percent decline over 2016.
=== Comic book collecting ===
The 1970s saw the advent of specialty comic
book stores.
Initially, comic books were marketed by publishers
to children because comic books were perceived
as children's entertainment.
However, with increasing recognition of comics
as an art form and the growing pop culture
presence of comic book conventions, they are
now embraced by many adults.Comic book collectors
are often lifelong enthusiasts of the comic
book stories, and they usually focus on particular
heroes and attempt to assemble the entire
run of a title.
Comics are published with a sequential number.
The first issue of a long-running comic book
series is commonly the rarest and most desirable
to collectors.
The first appearance of a specific character,
however, might be in a pre-existing title.
For example, Spider-Man's first appearance
was in Amazing Fantasy #15.
New characters were often introduced this
way and did not receive their own titles until
there was a proven audience for the hero.
As a result, comics that feature the first
appearance of an important character will
sometimes be even harder to find than the
first issue of a character's own title.
Some rare comic books include copies of the
unreleased Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1
from 1939.
Eight copies, plus one without a cover, emerged
in the estate of the deceased publisher in
1974.
The "Pay Copy" of this book sold for $43,125
in a 2005 Heritage auction.The most valuable
American comics have combined rarity and quality
with the first appearances of popular and
enduring characters.
Four comic books have sold for over US$1 million
as of December 2010, including two examples
of Action Comics #1, the first appearance
of Superman, both sold privately through online
dealer ComicConnect.com in 2010, and Detective
Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman,
via public auction.
Updating the above price obtained for Action
Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman,
the highest sale on record for this book is
$3.2 million, for a 9.0 copy.Misprints, promotional
comic-dealer incentive printings, and issues
with extremely low distribution also generally
have scarcity value.
The rarest modern comic books include the
original press run of The League of Extraordinary
Gentlemen #5, which DC executive Paul Levitz
recalled and pulped due to the appearance
of a vintage Victorian era advertisement for
"Marvel Douche", which the publisher considered
offensive; only 100 copies exist, most of
which have been CGC graded.
(See Recalled comics for more pulped, recalled,
and erroneous comics.)
In 2000, a company named Comics Guaranty (CGC)
began to "slab" comics, encasing them in thick
plastic and giving them a numeric grade.
As of 2014, there are two companies that provide
third-party grading of comic book condition.
Because the condition is so important to the
value of rare comics, the idea of grading
by a company that does not buy or sell comics
seems like a good one.
However, there is some controversy about whether
this grading service is worth the high cost,
and whether it is a positive development for
collectors, or if it primarily services speculators
who wish to make a quick profit trading in
comics as one might trade in stocks or fine
art.
Comic grading has created valuation standards
that online price guides such as GoCollect
and GPAnalysis have used to report on real-time
market values.
The original artwork pages from comic books
are also collected, and these are perhaps
the rarest of all comic book collector's items,
as there is only one unique page of artwork
for each page that was printed and published.
These were created by a writer, who created
the story; a pencil artist, who laid out the
sequential panels on the page; an ink artist,
who went over the pencil with pen and black
ink; a letterer, who provided the dialogue
and narration of the story by hand lettering
each word; and finally a colorist, who added
color as the last step before the finished
pages went to the printer.
When the original pages of artwork are returned
by the printer, they are typically given back
to the artists, who sometimes sell them at
comic book conventions, or in galleries and
art shows related to comic book art.
The original pages of the first appearances
of such legendary characters as Superman,
Batman, Wonder Woman and Spider-Man are considered
priceless.
=== Advertisements ===
Comic book advertisements were a common feature
in American comic books from the 1950s to
the 1980s.
They were typically grouped together on the
inside back cover in, displayed in black and
white with an illustration of the product.
As these advertisements were directed at young
people, many made sensational claims and sold
the products for a few dollars to be sent
to a post office box.
Products offered included novelty items and
toys.
=== History of Race in Comic Books ===
Many early iterations of black characters
in comics "became variations on the 'single
stereotypical image of Sambo'."
Sambo was closely related to the coon stereotype
but had some subtle differences.
They are both a derogatory way of portraying
black characters.
"The name itself, an abbreviation of raccoon,
is dehumanizing.
As with Sambo, the coon was portrayed as a
lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle,
inarticulate, buffoon."
This portrayal "was of course another attempt
to solidify the intellectual inferiority of
the black race through popular culture."
However, in the 1940's there was a change
in portrayal of black characters.
"A cursory glance...might give the impression
that situations had improved for African Americans
in comics."
In many comics being produced in this time
there was a major push for tolerance between
races.
"These equality minded heroes began to spring
to action just as African Americans were being
asked to participate in the war effort."During
this time, a government ran program, the Writers'
War Board, became heavily involved in what
would be published in comics.
"The Writers' War Board used comic books to
shape popular perceptions of race and ethnicity..."
Not only were they using comic books as a
means of recruiting all Americans, they were
also using it as propaganda to, "[construct]
a justification for race based hatred of America's
foreign enemies."
The Writers' War Board created comics books
that were meant to "[promote] domestic racial
harmony".
However, "these pro-tolerance narratives struggled
to overcome the popular and widely understood
negative tropes used for decades in American
mass culture..."
However, they weren't accomplishing this agenda
within all of their comics.
In Captain Marvel Adventures, a character
named steamboat was an amalgamation of some
of the worst stereotypes of the time.
The Writers' War Board did not ask for any
change with this character.
"Eliminating Steamboat required the determined
efforts of a black youth group in New York
City."
Originally their request was refused by individuals
working on the comic stating, "Captain Marvel
Adventures included many kinds of caricatures
'for the sake of humor'."
The black youth group responded with, "this
is not the Negro race, but your one-and-a-half
millions readers will think it so."
Afterwards, Steamboat disappeared from the
comics all together.
There was a comic created about the 99th squadron,
also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, an all
black air force unit.
Instead of making the comic about their story
the comic the comic was about Hop Harrigan.
A white pilot who captures a Nazi, shows him
videos of the 99th squadron defeating his
man and then reveals to the Nazi that his
men were defeated by African Americans which
infuriated him as he sees them as a less superior
race and can't believe they bested his men."...[The]
Tuskegee Airmen, and images of black aviators
appear in just three of the fifty three panels...[the]
pilots of the 99th squadron have no dialogue
and interact with neither Hop Harrigan nor
his Nazi captive."
During this time, they also used black characters
in comic books as a means to invalidate the
militant black groups that were fighting for
equality within America.
"Spider-Man 'made it clear that militant black
power was not the remedy for racial injustice'."
"The Falcon openly criticized black behavior
stating' maybe it's important fo[sic] us to
cool things down-so we can protect the rights
we been fightin' for'."
This poor portrayal and character development
of black characters can be partially blamed
on the fact that, during this time, "there
had rarely been a black artist or writer allowed
in a major comics company"Asian characters
faced some of the same treatment in comics
as black characters did.
They were dehumanized and the narrative being
pushed was that they were "incompetent and
subhuman."
"A 1944 issue of the United State Marines
included a narrative entitled "The Smell of
the Monkeymen...the story depicts Japanese
soldiers as simian brutes whose sickening
body odor betrays their concealed locations."
Chinese characters received the same treatment.
"By the time the United States entered WWII,
negative perceptions of Chinese were an established
part of mass culture..."
However, concerned that the Japanese could
use America's anti chinese material as propaganda
they began "to present a more positive image
of America's Chinese allies..."
Just as they tried to show better representation
for Black people in comics they did the same
for Asian people.
However, "Japanese and filipino characters
[were] visually indistinguishable.
Both groups have grotesque buckteeth, tattered
clothing, and bright yellow skin."
"publishers...depicted America's Asian allies
through derogatory images and language honed
over the preceding decades."
Asian characters were previously portrayed
as, "ghastly yellow demons".
During WWII, "[every] major superhero worth
his spandex devoted himself to the eradication
of asian invaders."
There was "a constant relay race in which
one asian culture merely handed off the baton
of hatred to another with no perceptible changes
in the manner in which the characters would
be portrayed.""The only specific depiction
of a Hispanic superhero did not end well.
In 1975 Marvel gave us Hector Ayala a.k.a
The White Tiger."
"Although he fought for several years alongside
the likes of much more popular heroes such
as Spider-Man and Daredevil, he only lasted
six years before sales of comics featuring
him got so bad that Marvel had him retire.
The most famous Hispanic character is Bane,
a villain from Batman.The Native American
representation in comic books "can be summed
up in the noble savage stereotype" " a recurring
theme...urg[ed] American indians to abandon
their traditional hostility towards the United
States.
They were, tragically, the ones painted as
intolerant and disrespectful of the dominant
concerns of white America"
== Asian comics ==
=== 
Japanese Manga and Dōjinshi ===
Dōjinshi (同人誌, fan magazine), fan-made
Japanese comics, operate in a far larger market
in Japan than the American "underground comics"
market; the largest dōjinshi fair, Comiket,
attracts 500,000 visitors twice a year.
=== Korean manhwa ===
Korean manhwa has quickly gained popularity
outside Korea in recent times as a result
of the Korean Wave.
The manhwa industry has suffered through two
crashes and strict censorship since its early
beginnings as a result of the Japanese occupation
of the peninsula which stunts the growth of
the industry but has now started to flourish
thanks in part to the internet and new ways
to read manhwa whether on computers or through
smartphones.
In the past manhwa would be marketed as manga
outside the country in order to make sure
they would sell well but now that is no longer
needed since more people are now more knowledgeable
about the industry and Korean culture.
=== Webtoons ===
Webtoons have become popular in South Korea
as a new way to read comics.
Thanks in part to different censorship rules,
color and unique visual effects, and optimization
for easier reading on smartphones and computers.
More manhwa have made the switch from traditional
print manhwa to online webtoons thanks to
better pay and more freedom than traditional
print manhwa.
The webtoon format has also expanded to other
countries outside of Korea like China, Japan,
Southeast Asia, and Western countries.
Major webtoon distributors include Lezhin,
Naver, and Kakao.
=== Chinese manhua ===
== European comics ==
=== 
Franco-Belgian comics ===
France and Belgium have a long tradition in
comics and comic books, called BDs (an abbreviation
of bande dessinées) in French and strips
in Dutch.
Belgian comic books originally written in
Dutch show the influence of the Francophone
"Franco-Belgian" comics but have their own
distinct style.
The name bande dessinée derives from the
original description of the art form as drawn
strips (the phrase literally translates as
"the drawn strip"), analogous to the sequence
of images in a film strip.
As in its English equivalent, the word "bande"
can be applied to both film and comics.
Significantly, the French-language term contains
no indication of subject-matter, unlike the
American terms "comics" and "funnies", which
imply an art form not to be taken seriously.
The distinction of comics as le neuvième
art (literally, "the ninth art") is prevalent
in French scholarship on the form, as is the
concept of comics criticism and scholarship
itself.
Relative to the respective size of their populations,
the innumerable authors in France and Belgium
publish a high volume of comic books.
In North America, the more serious Franco-Belgian
comics are often seen as equivalent to graphic
novels, but whether they are long or short,
bound or in magazine format, in Europe there
is no need for a more sophisticated term,
as the art's name does not itself imply something
frivolous.
In France, the authors control the publication
of most comics.
The author works within a self-appointed time-frame,
and it is common for readers to wait six months
or as long as two years between installments.
Most books first appear in print as a hardcover
book, typically with 48, 56, or 64 pages.
=== British comics ===
Although Ally Sloper's Half Holiday (1884)
was aimed at an adult market, publishers quickly
targeted a younger demographic, which has
led to most publications being for children
and has created an association in the public's
mind of comics as somewhat juvenile.
The Guardian refers to Ally Sloper as "one
of the world's first iconic cartoon characters",
and "as famous in Victorian Britain as Dennis
the Menace would be a century later."
British comics in the early 20th century typically
evolved from illustrated penny dreadfuls of
the Victorian era (featuring Sweeney Todd,
Dick Turpin and Varney the Vampire).
First published in the 1830s, penny dreadfuls
were "Britain's first taste of mass-produced
popular culture for the young."
The two most popular British comic books,
The Beano and The Dandy, were first published
by DC Thomson in the 1930s.
By 1950 the weekly circulation of both reached
two million.
Explaining the enormous popularity of comics
in the UK during this period, Anita O'Brien,
director curator at London's Cartoon Museum,
states: "When comics like the Beano and Dandy
were invented back in the 1930s – and through
really to the 1950s and 60s – these comics
were almost the only entertainment available
to children."
Dennis the Menace was created in the 1950s,
which saw sales for The Beano soar.
He features in the cover of The Beano, with
the BBC referring to him as the "definitive
naughty boy of the comic world."In 1954, Tiger
comics introduced Roy of the Rovers, the hugely
popular football based strip recounting the
life of Roy Race and the team he played for,
Melchester Rovers.
The stock media phrase "real 'Roy of the Rovers'
stuff" is often used by football writers,
commentators and fans when describing displays
of great skill, or surprising results that
go against the odds, in reference to the dramatic
storylines that were the strip's trademark.
Other comic books such as Eagle, Valiant,
Warrior, Viz and 2000 AD also flourished.
Some comics, such as Judge Dredd and other
2000 AD titles, have been published in a tabloid
form.
Underground comics and "small press" titles
have also appeared in the UK, notably Oz and
Escape Magazine.
The content of Action, another title aimed
at children and launched in the mid-1970s,
became the subject of discussion in the House
of Commons.
Although on a smaller scale than similar investigations
in the U.S., such concerns led to a moderation
of content published within British comics.
Such moderation never became formalized to
the extent of promulgating a code, nor did
it last long.
The UK has also established a healthy market
in the reprinting and repackaging of material,
notably material originating in the U.S.
The lack of reliable supplies of American
comic books led to a variety of black-and-white
reprints, including Marvel's monster comics
of the 1950s, Fawcett's Captain Marvel, and
other characters such as Sheena, Mandrake
the Magician, and the Phantom.
Several reprint companies became involved
in repackaging American material for the British
market, notably the importer and distributor
Thorpe & Porter.
Marvel Comics established a UK office in 1972.
DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics also opened
offices in the 1990s.
The repackaging of European material has occurred
less frequently, although The Adventures of
Tintin and Asterix serials have been successfully
translated and repackaged in softcover books.
In the 1980s, a resurgence of British writers
and artists gained prominence in mainstream
comic books, which was dubbed the "British
Invasion" in comic book history.
These writers and artists brought with them
their own mature themes and philosophy such
as anarchy, controversy and politics common
in British media.
These elements would pave the way for mature
and "darker and edgier" comic books and jump
start the Modern Age of Comics.
Writers included Alan Moore, famous for his
V for Vendetta, From Hell, Watchmen, Marvelman,
and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen;
Neil Gaiman with The Sandman mythos and Books
of Magic; Warren Ellis, creator of Transmetropolitan
and Planetary; and others such as Mark Millar,
creator of Wanted and Kick-Ass.
The comic book series John Constantine, Hellblazer,
which is largely set in Britain and starring
the magician John Constantine, paved the way
for British writers such as Jamie Delano.At
Christmas, publishers repackage and commission
material for comic annuals, printed and bound
as hardcover A4-size books; "Rupert" supplies
a famous example of the British comic annual.
DC Thomson also repackages The Broons and
Oor Wullie strips in softcover A4-size books
for the holiday season.
On 19 March 2012, the British postal service,
the Royal Mail, released a set of stamps depicting
British comic book characters and series.
The collection featured The Beano, The Dandy,
Eagle, The Topper, Roy of the Rovers, Bunty,
Buster, Valiant, Twinkle and 2000 AD.
=== Spanish comics ===
It has been stated that the 13th century Cantigas
de Santa María could be considered as the
first Spanish "comic", although comic books
(also known in Spain as historietas or tebeos)
made their debut around 1857.
The magazine TBO was influential in popularizing
the medium.
After the Spanish Civil War, the Franco regime
imposed strict censorship in all media: superhero
comics were forbidden and as a result, comic
heroes were based on historical fiction (in
1944 the medieval hero El Guerrero del Antifaz
was created by Manuel Gago and another popular
medieval hero, Capitán Trueno, was created
in 1956 by Víctor Mora and Miguel Ambrosio
Zaragoza).
Two publishing houses — Editorial Bruguera
and Editorial Valenciana — dominated the
Spanish comics market during its golden age
(1950–1970).
The most popular comics showed a recognizable
style of slapstick humor (influenced by Franco-Belgian
authors such as Franquin): Escobar's Carpanta
and Zipi y Zape, Vázquez's Las hermanas Gilda
and Anacleto, Ibáñez's Mortadelo y Filemón
and 13.
Rue del Percebe or Jan's Superlópez.
After the end of the Francoist period, there
was an increased interest in adult comics
with magazines such as Totem, El Jueves, 1984,
and El Víbora, and works such as Paracuellos
by Carlos Giménez.
Spanish artists have traditionally worked
in other markets finding great success, either
in the American (e.g., Eisner Award winners
Sergio Aragonés, Salvador Larroca, Gabriel
Hernández Walta, Marcos Martín or David
Aja), the British (e.g., Carlos Ezquerra,
co-creator of Judge Dredd) or the Franco-Belgian
one (e.g., Fauve d'Or winner Julio Ribera
or Blacksad authors Juan Díaz Canales and
Juanjo Guarnido).
=== Italian comics ===
In Italy, comics (known in Italian as fumetti)
made their debut as humor strips at the end
of the 19th century, and later evolved into
adventure stories.
After World War II, however, artists like
Hugo Pratt and Guido Crepax exposed Italian
comics to an international audience.
Popular comic books such as Diabolik or the
Bonelli line—namely Tex Willer or Dylan
Dog—remain best-sellers.Mainstream comics
are usually published on a monthly basis,
in a black-and-white digest size format, with
approximately 100 to 132 pages.
Collections of classic material for the most
famous characters, usually with more than
200 pages, are also common.
Author comics are published in the French
BD format, with an example being Pratt's Corto
Maltese.
Italian cartoonists show the influence of
comics from other countries, including France,
Belgium, Spain, and Argentina.
Italy is also famous for being one of the
foremost producers of Walt Disney comic stories
outside the U.S.; Donald Duck's superhero
alter ego, Paperinik, known in English as
Superduck, was created in Italy.
=== Czech comics ===
Čtyřlístek (translated into English as
Lucky Four or Four-Leaf Clover) is one of
the most well-known comics for children published
in the Czech Republic.
== Distribution ==
Distribution has historically been a problem
for the comic book industry with many mainstream
retailers declining to carry extensive stocks
of the most interesting and popular comics.
The smartphone and the tablet have turned
out to be an ideal medium for online distribution.
=== Digital distribution ===
On November 13, 2007, Marvel Comics launched
Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, a subscription
service allowing readers to read many comics
from Marvel's history online.
The service also includes periodic release
new comics not available elsewhere.
With the release of Avenging Spider-Man #1,
Marvel also became the first publisher to
provide free digital copies as part of the
print copy of the comic book.With the growing
popularity of smartphones and tablets, many
major publishers have begun releasing titles
in digital form.
The most popular platform is comiXology.
Some platforms, such as Graphicly, have shut
down.
== Comic collections in libraries ==
Many libraries have extensive collections
of comics in the form of graphic novels.
This is a convenient way for many in the public
to become familiar with the medium.
== Guinness World Record ==
The largest comic book ever published was
on the 5th of August 2018 in São Paulo, São
Paulo, Brazil.
It is named Turma da Mônica — O Maior Gibi
do Mundo! by Panini Comics Brasil and Mauricio
de Sousa Editora, and it measures at 69.9
cm by 99.8 cm (2 ft 3.51 in by 3 ft 3.29 in).The
Japanese manga author Eiichiro Oda has made
comic book history by attaining a Guinness
World Record title for having the "Most copies
published for the same comic book series by
a single author".
His widely popular comic titled One Piece
was first serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump
magazine (Shueisha) in Japan, back in December
1997.
In the space of fewer than two decades, the
series has accumulated an incredibly loyal
following and has gone on to sell an incredible
320,866,000 units, with a substantial 77 volumes
of the comic book released over that period.
== See also ==
Cartoon
Comic book archive
Comic book therapy
Comics studies
Comics vocabulary
Comparison of image viewers
Digital comics
List of best-selling comic series
List of best-selling manga
Webcomic
