ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to contribute to the lively discussion of picturebook-comic relationships. It reviews existing studies that compare and contrast the formal elements of the two genres, and proposes that rather than maintaining a focus on identifying formal overlaps, scholarship should also examine the purpose of appropriation of narrative techniques and devices. The chapter argues that a deeper and deliberate consideration of the histories of comics is necessary to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of how picturebooks and comics converge and diverge. Comics are dynamic rather than static, and their cultural status and relationship with child readers are not the only aspects that have undergone change. Comparative studies of picturebooks and comics have made significant contributions to our understanding of both genres. Picturebooks and comics are generally understood as two distinct genres, and scholars have carefully parsed texts and contexts in attempts to identify exactly how the two differ from one another.
