American Newspaper Comics

1. Definition and Defining Elements of Newspaper Comics

1.1. Definition

According to Wikipedia encyclopaedia,

“[…] a comic strip is a short strip or sequence of drawings, telling a story. Drawn by a cartoonist, they are published on a recurring basis (usually daily or weekly) in newspapers or on the Internet. They usually communicate to the reader via speech balloons. The term ‘comic’ derives from the fact that most strips were funny in the beginning. For this reason they are often also referred to as ‘funnies’.”.

Comics, however, need not be humorous by necessity. While many comics remain focused on humour, others involve politics, human interest, murder and suspense, or adventure.

Another word for comic is ‘sequential art’ , which I regard as the most appropriate term describing the genre, because it refers to comics as an art form on the one hand and gives you an idea of the nature and appearance of comics on the other. This takes me to the structure and appearance of newspaper comics.

1.2. Structure and Appearance

Most comics consist of more than one panel, which is a box or a frame that contains a given scene, but as the following strip shows, sequence can also be expressed in only one panel.

Here, one can imagine what happened before this scene, by just seeing one panel.

Almost all comics also contain some text, which appears in balloons or headlines.

While most daily newspaper comics are published six days a week in black and white, those on Sunday tend to be in colour.

1.2. The Characters

In fact, the characters are the most important ingredients of a successful feature, because everything else is exchangeable. There are often lots of artists who work on one strip and if any of them discontinues, there are others to replace him or her. Artists may even switch syndicates without anyone noticing, but Peanuts, for example, would not be the same without Charlie Brown or Snoopy.

The characters become your friends, because you identify with them. The typical loser who never manages to sit next to the little red-haired girl during the break might sympathize with Charlie Brown and the person being bullied at his or her workplace is very likely to feel affection for Dilbert.

According to Julie Davies, “[…] comic strips can only be effective if readers see their own lives reflected in the daily funnies.”

The Funnies are also something steady, something you can rely on, because, once adapted, they are not likely to change. Brian Walker, son of the legendary creator of “Beetle Bailey” explains the comics’ secret of success:

The funnies have endured primarily because comic characters have a universal, timeless appeal. Their daily appearances make them familiar to millions. Their triumphs make them heroic. Their struggles make them seem human. Cartoonists create friends for their readers. Pogo, Charlie Brown, Calvin and Hobbes, and Dilbert are part of a great cultural legacy that is being enriched further