COMIC BOOKS

Comic books are sequential narratives presented in magazines or books. The subject matter of the comic books does not necessarily deal with humor but is sometimes interwoven with dramatic seriousness. Comic books are examples of Native American art form. The initial comic books were simply the compilations of the comic strips printed in the newspapers and the popularity of these lead to the creation of the comic books.

•  Types of Comic Books:

There is a distinction between the comic books and the graphic novels which are commonly mistaken as comic books. The comic books have become a popular art form in almost all the countries of the world like the European comics comprising of Franco-Belgian comics, British comics, Italian comics and other European comics; Japanese comics, American Comics which are categorized as underground American comics and independent American comics and the conventional regional comic books.

There are some formats of comic books which have become popular in the past due to a revolutionary change brought about by them- Tijuana bible, Underground comics, Alternative comics and Adult comics. The Tijuana bible form also known as eight-pagers deal with indecent subject matter featuring famous personalities especially politicians or movie stars and even cartoon characters. The underground comics appeared in the late 1960s in the US and are self-published. The alternative comics are experimental works aimed at the adult readers and are usually created by a single person. The adult comic book as is apparent from the name itself deals with adult subject matter in stark contrast to the kid-friendly mainstream comics.

•  Awards related to Comic Books:

The popularity of the comic books has lead to the declaration of many awards:

Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, Ignatz Awards, Kirby Awards, Prix de la critique

Angoulême International Comics Festival Prizes, The Grand Prix de la Ville d'Angoulême, Tezuka Awards, The Doug Wright Awards and Wizard Fan Awards. These awards serve as encouragement to the creators who invest so much of their imaginative skill to come up with something as amusing and entertaining as the comics.