We use the concept of a comic in our language in two senses. On the one hand, any short and entertaining story that someone tells to another is called a comic, for example, “Juan always comes with very funny training comics”.
Narrated story through vignettes or drawings that may or may not contain text
And on the other hand, being undoubtedly its most recognized and popular reference, in our language the comic strip is that of the story narrated through vignettes or drawings that may or may not contain text and which we can find in the newspapers, failing that, being an autonomous edition from some publisher. Also the communication medium as a whole that contains them is called a comic strip.
A comic strip, in the second use that we refer to, then, will be juxtaposed illustrations and other images in deliberate sequence that will have the purpose of transmitting information or obtaining an aesthetic response from the reader. Although of course, this of the several images is a proposal, we can find a single painting, among other possibilities.
Distinctive features. Influences of cinema and literature
Among its distinctive and most recognizable features is that of using balloons in which the text will appear, mostly corresponding to the dialogue or expressions of each of the characters.
Unfortunately and mistakenly for a long time, the comic was considered more than anything as a cultural by-product for which many have proposed considering it as the ninth art, in clear irony that cinema is considered as the seventh and photography as the eighth.
When it comes to finding an influence, the comic strip undoubtedly has direct motivations and inspirations to the cinema and literature.
Traditionally, comics have been made on paper, although of course, with the advent of new technologies, the digital form has greatly dominated the field with e-comics, web comics and the like. A comic strip can only constitute a strip in the press, a full page in this or a magazine or a book per se and regarding its exploitation it could be said that there has been no place in the virgin world of comics, addressing the same one plurality of genders; meanwhile, the professional who is in charge of writing, drawing, labeling and even coloring them is known by the name of cartoonist.
Comics, Tebeo y Monitos, other ways of naming it
Although the name of comic strip is the most widespread and widespread name among Spanish-speaking countries, there are some countries in which they are given a more local name, such as comics in Spain and Monitos in Mexico and Chile, although from the 1970s the Anglo-Saxon term comic began to spread more and more in Hispanic countries.
We must say that in English-speaking countries the comic is known as comic. The United States is undoubtedly one of the most prolific nations in this area of entertainment, having developed and created countless comics or comics, and alongside the same characters that starred in them. In addition to the success achieved in the own house, many North American comics knew how to transcend borders and became classics of other cultures and countries.
In the specific case of the United States, it has stood out for the development of superhero comics, Batman, Superman, to name the most paradigmatic cases emerged from comics or comics and then made their stellar leaps to television and cinema, but both are products of the purest comic.
Even the two comics coincide in temporal space, belonging to the thirties of the last century and were the product of the DC Comics publishing house, one of the most relevant comic publishing companies.
Traditions
There are three great comic book traditions, each with its own production and distribution system: the American, the French-Belgian and the Japanese, better known as manga., Meanwhile, with less global significance although with golden phases and authors. Relevant are the Argentine, the Spanish, the British and the Italian.
From the foregoing, it can be inferred that this genre has been approached in almost all places on the planet and in almost all it has achieved tremendous success and dissemination.
The importance of the newspaper in its diffusion
The newspapers, without a doubt, have contributed a lot to the expansion of the comic strip since traditionally they include comic strips in their back covers, created by various cartoonists and that have continuity throughout the editions of the newspaper. Their characters end up becoming great characters within the same newspaper and the reader eagerly awaits the next day to continue reading the comics.
