What are Comics?

The history of Comics close to you

I asked our writer John Pengo to tell us about comics and their history. For those who don't know him yet, John Pengo is so fond of comics since a young age that he has even turned his own story into a comic book: “See you in Downtown”. Let's see!

WHAT ARE COMICS? - INTRO

There are many answers to this question: some might think it's trash, others that it is art and others whatsoever...

In this case, the answer is subjective: we see something and judge it depending on our taste, as natural as it is.

I wanted to shed light on this world of comics because everyone knows Spiderman, but most people haven't read it, even a line on paper. Nevertheless, I want to talk up comics: apparently, they're a simple medium; in reality, they hide an expressive ability which can't be compared.

COMICS AND SUPERHEROES – The evolution of comic history in Italy

Let's start talking about the most mainstream topic: superheroes.

As previously mentioned, all know superheroes, after a likely neverendingondata cinematografica . By now, the names Marvel and DC Comics are well-known worldwide... To say the truth, it was so even before but on a reduced scale.

Maybe not all people know that here, where I live, in Italy,Uomo Ragno and so on existed since the 70s thanks to the mythical Editoriale Cornopublishing house; the first one brave enough to bring here the adventures of American superheroes.

The fact that they are on everyone's lips only now and due to movie transpositions, well it's quite sad. Especially because the comics on which the movies are based are commonly considered masterpieces, the milestones of illustrated narrative; instead, speaking of film, it's hard to find any real and very masterpiece among all the B movies.

THE LIMITS OF CREATIVITY - Cinema and Comics

You might guess I don't really like super beings in cinema, but let's talk straight - I'll try to simplify an infinite debate: Hollywood uses special effects to create adventures from paper, and this technology has a budget which professionals have absolutely to respect, hardly limiting creativity. On the other hand, an artist has their abilities and fantasy as only limits - deadlines apart; so they can access infinite ideas and so dare, experiment, and push themselves. Not much to do, but on this comics will always win, then if we add technology doesn't have a soul...

COMICS AS A FORM OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION - Conclusions

Assuming what author Jogn Pengo shared about the history of comics and its evolution, I must conclude by highlighting some concepts.

As we intend today the word, "Comics" was born and spread worldwide at the end of '800. Even though by then images were already used as a tool for telling history since prehistory. Therefore we have to differentiate comics as art from the publishing phenomenon of comics spread - meaning when comics get recognized as a product of the literary market.

In the same way, many comics were adapted, copied and transformed into new cinematographic products. Even so, we must remember that mostly fame and success are not related to quality; in addition, cinema uses a different way of communication often based on huge effects in order to surprise and increase adrenaline in a reduced time, a few hours only.

On the other hand, comics are meant to stimulate imagination in the long term, to connect with you, the reader. So they use different and simpler narratives but much more spontaneous, maybe even more interactive: where the reader does not just identify with the story but also takes part in its narration with their own imagination.

And you? How do you live the world of Comics?

If you have any comic to suggest, please write it in the comments; in the meantime, we invite you to read our Italian comic “See you in Downtown” and find its movies quotes. in the end cinema and comics are two different worlds but interconnected, and always meant to tell emotions, histories, lives