2.4. Comic Strips
A Comic Strip (CS) is a sequence of cartoons that tells a
story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also
prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comic's artist or cartoonist, and
many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet
(Eisner, Will 2008).
The CS can be defined as a continuation of drawings relating a
story. The CS is an art, often designated as the ninth art according to a set
of articles (Henri Filippini 2005).
2.4.1. Anatomy of the CS
There is a certain number of words and definitions to describe
the different elements of which are composed CS (Henri Filippini 2005):
Recitatives are panels generally situated
very close to labels and serving to commentaries in «voice off»,
notably to give indications of time and place or to provide information
allowing a better understanding of the action. The « stories in
images » are characterized by the exclusive use of the recitative.
Bubbles, generally round, contain dialogues
of characters to which they are connected. For thoughts or dreams they have
often a shape of cloud.
Onomatopoeias are words or icons suggesting a
noise, an action, a thought by phonetic, graphic imitation or iconic.
Slot is a picture or a label containing a
drawing and generally framed. To note that a CS does not necessarily include a
slot, in this case the slot confounds itself with the board.
Strip or headband is a continuation of slots,
disposed on a line.
Board is a superposition of strips, to note
that a board is not inevitably constituted of strips and even some time of
slots. In the beginning, the word board was reserved to the original document
drawn by the author. This one often numbers discreetly his/her board in a
corner of this one. The numbering of boards is not necessarily identical to the
numbering of pages of the album in which they appear.
Album is a compilation of boards that tells
an adventure. They can belong to the same series, to the same author, or to the
same theme (collective albums). During golden age of pictorial, adventures of
CS' heroes were published as series called « to be
continued » published then in albums. Since the disappearance of
strip magazines, drawn histories are almost published in all medias, magazines,
weekly, daily, etc. before being published in albums.
Nowadays, histories are published directly in albums, this
practice tends to become widespread. Series can be defined as a set of albums
joined by a theme or a character, organized in a chronological way when history
takes place all along the series.
2.4.2.  History of CS
Appeared in Switzerland in the beginning of years 1830 with
the release of the first albums of Rodolphe Töpffer, the CS is distributed
during the nineteenth century all over the world via magazines and satirical
newspapers. Popularized at the end of this century in the American newspapers,
the CS becomes then a medium of mass, enough varied in the United States, more
and more restricted to the humor and children in Europe (Scott McCloud
1999).
Dominating the world childish press, via magazines specialized
from years 1930, the CS also touched teenagers and some adults, concerning
comic book and strips of qualities in the United States. From years 1950, it
knew a third major development home when Japan starts creating some massively
under the influence of Tezuka Osamu. The three homes are then relatively
independent, so much in the published books than in the editorial structures,
only the American home penetrating the two others (Scott McCloud 1999).
In years 1960, the CS begins to try to legitimize itself while
leaving fields of the childhood. Creations of Jean-Claude Forest and the
American underground drive to numerous discounts in question that permit the
apparition of a first critical speech in Europe and in the United States. In
years 1970, experimentations continue behind Moebius, while the claiming of the
literary, more and more overt fatherhood, explode at the end of the decade
(Scott McCloud 1999).
If the classic sets of entertainment always dominate markets
at the end of years 2000, the CS explored since years 1980 all fields landed by
the other narrative arts, and is seen more and more legitimized itself, in
spite of the recurrent recriminations of its actors on the slowness of this
recognition (Henri Filippini 2005).
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