ABSTRACT
For readers who hope for a simple and straightforward definition of “comics,” a disappointment is in order: there is no simple definition that can precisely and accurately describe “comics,” which is a surprisingly complex and continuously evolving discourse, a worldwide cultural phenomenon, and a rapidly changing industry. Artists, critics, and scholars follow different frame works to analyze and approach comics, and readers use their own norms and tastes in thinking about what constitutes comics. Coulton Waugh proposed an early definition of comics in his 1947 book The Comics: “a narrative told by way of a sequence of pictures, a continuing cast of characters from one sequence to the next, and the inclusion of dialogue and/or text within the picture” (Horn, 1976, p. 47). This definition fits well with serialized U.S. comic strips such as Krazy Kat, which had become popular at the time. However, examined beyond these strips, this definition proves inadequate. When a comic work is not syndicated and ends with one volume, the use of a continuing cast becomes irrelevant. More importantly, although narratives are the norm in comics, they are not a required element: nonfiction comics can disseminate information without apparent storytelling. American comic theoretician Scott McCloud’s (1994) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, a comic book that examines the definition, history, and techniques of comics, is one example. Last, although many comics contain dialogue and text, not all of them do: Wordless comics rely on images alone to convey information. Josh Simmons’ (1997) mystery/horror comic book House is an example. This and other early definitions of comics, then, as Horn (1976) argued, are only valuable methodological tools that put comics into a better defined focus for study, but they do not give insight into the essence of comics and how they can develop unique artistic or literary content. To better illustrate that essence and demonstrate comics’ relevance to technical communication, I examine a number of less prescriptive and more descriptive heuristics for understanding comics.
