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Carrier, David. "Comics and the art of moving pictures: Piero della Francesca, Hergé, and George Herriman." Word & Image 13. (1997): 317–32. Added by: joachim (7/20/09, 1:30 AM) Last edited by: joachim (10/6/15, 12:59 PM) |
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| Resource type: Journal Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/02666286.1997.10434294 BibTeX citation key: Carrier1997 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Art, Belgium, Hergé, Herriman. George, Remi. Georges, USA Creators: Carrier Collection: Word & Image |
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Comics are so close at hand that it is hard to see how strange they really are. They are such humble objects, it is difficult to notice that they are intricate. To mark out the domain of study, we need to begin with a definition. By a comic strip I mean a sequence of images, linked closely by the narrative presented in those images. I require that a substantial portion of words be contained within balloons, not merely written alongside the pictures. (Some of my examples are single-panel cartoon images.) What distinguishes a comic from a novel with illustrations is that the story be told in pictures; what distinguishes a comic from a fresco cycle is that written words are essential to the story. Two simple experiments reveal the significance of these distinctive qualities of comics. Take a panel from George Herriman’s “Krazy Kat.” and isolate a single image. That scene then often becomes hard to understand; unlike an old master drawing, it cannot really stand on its own. Take a page and white out the contents of the balloons (figure I), and the narrative becomes highly elliptical. What defines comics is the combination, image sequence with balloons; both are essential.
Added by: joachim |