Panel By Panel: An insight on the impact of sequential art across time and space

ABSTRACT: Sequential Art, or Comics and Graphic novels as we know it, have been around for a couple of decades. The combination of text, imagery and other forms of visual elements in squared/rectangular panels has for a long time made sequential art a comprehensive medium of communication. While the impact of graphic novels and comics has been stretched to other forms of modern-day forms of entertainment like movies, shows, etc., they are still valued as they are and have a significant place in our modern history and the world of art. Their role in shaping our community is manifold, be it, socio-cultural or socio-economic, and everything in between. In this article, we look at the history of sequential art, i.e., through a temporal lens alongside the need to tell stories. Sequential art as we know it today is not the same as it was in earlier times. The practice of sequential art in the western as well as the eastern world, like the expansive murals on the ceilings of churches and the ‘kavad’ in Rajasthan, during this period, was centred around story-telling as the main theme of this artform and brought out the essence of visually disseminating information to the public. The paper shall also focus on the topic of sequential art from a geographical lens. The paper shall talk about American Comic Giants, namely- Marvel & DC, and Franco-Belgian comics like Tintin, that were revolutionary and favourites across the globe, especially during the latter half of the 20th century. The Japanese form of sequential art, namely manga is a unique form of publication and its influence today shall be discussed as well. We shall dive into the state of sequential art in India. Thus, this paper shall focus on the evolution on sequential art across space and time.

Keywords: Art, Art History, Comics, Community, Global, Graphic Novels

ON SEQUENTIAL ART

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world” — Phillip Pullman Sequential Art pertains to the terminology used by comic artists that incorporate images arranged in sequence, in a specific order for storytelling through graphics or for conveying information. Sequential art, particularly comics, are subject to debate about their form and medium. It may be noted that comics can be defined as the integration of text, and imagery is often a sequence having a narrative. (1)

The single-panel comics have been categorized as comics for decades now despite having corresponding panels on the narrative. Before we further go into what sequential art is all about, this is to iterate that the rest of this paper shall delve into the larger statement that wishes to be addressed the impact of sequential through a temporal and geographical lens. (thesis statement) Silent comics, on the other hand, have no words at all, thus not complying with the definition of sequential art as they lack text. On the other hand, there are some works like Reads “Volumes of Cerebus” which are so heavy with text that images are nothing but relegated to illustrative roles. Yet again we have another type and that is the Children’s books that incorporate all of the above but again are not in the category of comics. A prominent position to the above was made by historian R.C. Harvey who stated that comics are the additive fusion of text and image relationship to achieve a narrative end, with particular importance on the speech bubble.(2) While the terms comics and graphic novels are used interchangeably, one major difference would be the length of content. Graphic novels are lengthier and tell the story from start to finish, whereas comics can come in series and volumes. An apt analogy for this would be movies versus television series. Sequential art has long been shut to one’s eye as a form, thus deeming it unworthy of any scholarly/academic discussion(3). Whilst each element viz., art, design and writing have found academic consideration, their unique combination has received a considerably minor place if any. The fact that a lot of people perceive the persona of a comic reader as that of a ‘10-year-old from Iowa’ and consider any adult reading comics as a sign of low intellect (4). Sequential art can be divided into two broad applications — Instruction and Entertainment. Graphic novels, periodical comics, instruction manuals and storyboards are the main vehicles. While the first two are primarily devoted to entertaining, the latter two are used to majorly used to sell or instruct in creative methodologies (to better depict concepts and ideas.) Manuals, as we know, provide the user with information regarding a product and/or related information to it, so that the user can use that product to the best of its capabilities. Storyboarding is a great tool to understand and identify design opportunities. It is a common practice of employing it while creating a product, or service and especially in making animations and movies. When practitioners employ storyboards they better understand the complexity of a product’s usage, visualize areas for its improvement and create a delightful user experience .(5)

fig. 1 A page from Yuva Noah Harari’s Sapiens made easy in the form of a graphic novel

A MACROSCOPIC LENS OF COMIC HISTORY

Since the rest of the article would largely relate to comics, sequential art would be looked at more from that lens with an intersection of human-geographical impacts across a temporal framework. Comics are books that first appealed to most of us as children and often were the carriers to a lot of people growing up to become voracious readers. There were once comics that were sold at only 10 cents(or a few rupees here in India) earlier but now they go up to millions in auctions, notably in the show “Pawn Stars” on History Channel. This goes on to show how quality content and intellectual property can boost prices over time rather than depreciate. If there is any depreciation at all, it would pertain to the physical copy’s wear and tear over time.

Using imagery for communication goes back to 32 BCE when hieroglyphics were used to tell stories and communicate ideas. Similarly, tapestries told stories in lush styles in Medieval Europe. Pictured books began to be published in medieval Europe with the advent of paper as a medium.(6)

fig 2. Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics (Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash)

The very first comic book in the world is said to have been printed/published in 1837 in Switzerland. The book was called “ The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck.” The book looked more like a picture book with captions than the comics we know today. One of the most notable comics came in the form of the ‘Yellowkid’ by Richard Outcault which infused the comic strip with social and political commentary.

fig 3. The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck

In 1933, famous funnies collected serialized newspaper strips into a book format. This is considered to be the first-ever comic book by several historians. in 1938, “ The Golden Age” of comics began with action comics no.1, the first appearance of Superman and ushered in the cape and cowl popularity in this genre of storytelling. This age also gave birth to several beloved characters that are popular even today, like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Captain America and Shazam(formerly known as Captain Marvel). They became solid political symbols in the war effort in World War 2 and were often portrayed fighting Hitler(5). It must also be noted that comics did not get confined to this heroic genre alone as a lot of readers also wanted dark and Grotesque content. The shocking storylines and horrific artworks gathered too much attention that psychiatrist Fredric Wertham wrote about the ill effects of comics in his publication –“Seduction of the Innocent.”

There were laws put to keep comics upbeat and more positive. In 1954, the Flash, another beloved American superhero that possessed lighting speed superpowers with the alter ego of Barry Allen, was re-introduced with a new costume. This marked the beginning of the “ Silver age of comics.” It was also during this era that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Marvel comics would create some of the most beloved characters like Spiderman, The Fantastic Four and the Hulk. By, the 1970s audiences no longer wanted clean-cut superheroes due to the counter-culture popularity. Adult-themed comics began to be get published since the use of the Comic code was optional. By the 1980s the two biggest comic publishers — Marvel and D.C. went head to head. Their characters began to appear on television Prime Time4 Saturday morning cartoons. Graphic novels also began to rise and these longer versions began to become popular with many featuring unseen materials and allowing more in-depth storytelling.

Events in comics like the death of Superman drew crowds like never before because of his God-like powers. These forms of sequential art have served as source material for multi-million dollar industries like the 7film and gaming industries. It is trustworthy to give a thought of how sequential art has come since ancient times. As the golden age of comics declined so did the interest of the audiences with the growing popularity of television.In the subsequent paragraphs, we will see the tangents of what sequential art was/is like across the globe as well as look into how sequential art has shaped society today, in terms of impact.

SEQUENTIAL ART: WEST TO EAST

American comic book history would account for a large chunk of sequential art history, spanning over a century. While the paragraphs above have lightly touched upon the Golden and Solver Ages of Comics, it is important to note that American Comic book history runs from Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age, and cuts to the Modern Age. These comics are loaded with multiple reboots, retellings and changes within their own histories. Even fans of these comics find it difficult to keep a following. Detective Comics (DC)got its name only in 1977. In 1938, when they initially started out, they were known as “ All American Publications”. The exciting storylines we see today are because of Harry Donnanfeld and Jack Leibowitz, the publishers of DC comics. “The Man of Steel” took off by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The Man of Steel, also known as Superman, was an embodiment of hope who could do anything for the greater good. This first issue which, as mentioned above, laid the foundation to the Golden Age of Comics, made 200,000 sales within its first week of print. American comic book writer, Bob Kane was commissioned to come up with a superhero on the same level as Superman. He along with Bill Finger, came up with a simple concept that they called- “The Batman”. With other superheroes like the Flash, Wonder-Woman and Green Lantern, all part of the superhero group known as “The Justice League of America”(JLA), and socio-political storylines at the time of Superman fighting the Nazi invaders, there was a (8)heavy emphasis on truth, justice and the American way.

fig. 4 Action Comics #1, June 1938

The Silver Age of Comics started with the return of The Flash in his new, all-red costume-this spiked comic book sales off the charts. The period lasted till about 1972and (9) was characterized by fictional characters like talking gorillas and super-powered pets. With the superhero genre only growing in this era, several companies like Charlton, Atlas and ACG, threw their hats in the ring. Stan Lee of Marvel Comics was commissioned to create something in the vein of JLA. This resulted in the birth of the superhero group- “The Fantastic Four”. The following year, Stan Lee came up with one of the most beloved (10)superheroes we know today- “the wall-crawling, crime-fighting hero- The Amazing Spider-Man”. The approaches during the Silver Age were two-fold. The first included characters solving issues creatively, using logic in an old-fashioned way. The second was superheroes dealing with supervillains and their inner demons alike. This Age ended with comic book artist, Jack Kirby moving from Marvel to DC and the comic book on the death of Spider Man’s partner, Gwen Stacy(7). Up until now, characters in comics never died. This new touch to reality marked that change.

fig. 5 The first issue of Spiderman

The Bronze Age of Comics is regarded by many as the most exciting age of comics with more genres like sci-fi and horror in the market. This was also an exciting time as laws like The Comics Code loosened up, allowing more creative expression in the storylines. Storylines began to be more inclusive during this period with non-white superheroes appearing in comic books. By the 90s, there are some that believe marked the Modern Age of comics. There are others who consider this period to be the Copper Age of Comics(7). Irrespective of nomenclature and categorisation, it is worth noting that the flavour of storylines and the way comic books were, were much more different than ever before. This age is said to have started with the Superman comic on the death of Super-girl, wherein Superman can be seen carrying her dead body in tears, in 1986. This comic was a paradigm shift in people’s perception that comic books were just for children.

fig. 6 The death of Super-girl- said to be the start of The Copper Age

The practice of collecting comic books also sprang up around this period as the ones that were printed in the 1930s were getting sold for thousands of dollars. A lot of comic books began to get printed in holographic prints around this time, making people also call this time the “Chrome Age of Comics” for the same reason. It is hard to ascertain when the Modern Age of Comics truly began. Many would regard the comic on the death of Superman to be that pivotal point. Today, we are still in The Modern Age of Comics with no era split for almost 30 years. Historians in the future may take the effort to do so, someday. American comics have a tough challenge today with rising comics from other parts of the world. That being said, all of the superheroes mentioned above amongst the many existing ones, MAD, and Archie Comics to name a few, will go on to be global favourites for a long time.

Cutting back to the definition of sequential art, the vast murals and paintings that were done on domes, ceilings and churches, may be worth giving a thought to on whether or not it should be considered sequential art, and may be subject to what an individual would consider being so. And if that would be the case then, this medieval practice may very well mark the beginning of sequential art in Europe. This era of sequential art is characterised by Biblical Narratives that glorified God and sought to feed people explanations that were approved by the church and the church alone. The personification of hell with fire and Heaven as an abode of clouds with angels emerged around this time with the intent of making the masses weary of their deeds, and what lay ahead for them based on that. (11)

An in-depth or comprehensive history of comics history of sequential art, particularly comics in Europe is yet to be written or is at least yet to be translated.

It is difficult to ascertain the clear origins as well as the developments of art, often a time. Rodolphe Töpfeer’s, “The Adventures of Mr Obadiah Oldbuck, regarded by many as the first modern comic, gives Europe a foothold in Sequential Art History. There is a very small history of Spanish, Italian or German comics that are prevalent in (12)the English Language. This has given Franco-Belgian comics, an edge, thus attracting an incredibly, higher number and calibre of cartoonists. Just like in the United States, Newspaper strips and gag cartoons were the inceptions of European comic culture.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, a 1929 publication, authored by Hergé, was not just his inaugural comic of the detective, but also a turning point in European comic history, which went on to be one of the most influential comics of all time10. American comics were popular in Europe, however, they were banned in Italy, Germany and Nazi-occupied France during World War II for obvious reasons- the heated political climate then. The war played a major role and influenced artists. Once the war was over, the freedom of these artists gave birth to comics that are still loved by many today- “The Smurfs”, “Asterix” and “Gaston”.

The famous “Ligne Claire” which Hergé began incorporating in his Tintin comics was a breakthrough in the comics world as well as the world of illustration. The style is characterized by clear lines and an eye for detail, which a lot of European artists began imitating and incorporating into their work. Children, were the target audience in this market at this point, with the industry only maturing around the 70s and 80s. Mature content comic books began to pick up the steam, with great emphasis on sex and violence apart from science fiction and fantasy.

“Tintin Alph-Art”(1990) — A rough, work-in-progress comic by Hergé, which is incomplete due to his demise in 1983 is a famous comic, particularly because it does not have a defined end, leaving readers and artists to speculate on the same and creatively come with their versions of the same. By the 1990s and 2000s, the rising name that European artists and authors made for themselves further brought European comics into the limelight, both at home and abroad. Moreover, the advent of smaller publishers like L’Association provided a space for eminent cartoonists like David B., Lewis Trondheim, Marjane Satrapi, and Joann Sfar, to name a few(10).

fig. 7 A snippet from Tin-Tin Alph Art

The state of sequential art in Europe today lies in the hands of contemporary artists like Emma Rios, David Rubin, Boulet- who pushes the boundaries of form, and Bastein Vives- who is inspired by Japanese Shonen comics, to name a few of the many.

Like European comics culture, the regional-based print culture makes it difficult to draw a single narrative on comic culture in India. Furthermore, these comics which were regional language based had their mix of indigenous, as well as international licensed comics as well. For instance, “Phantom”, a hero from “Kings Feature Syndicate” was marketed by Indrajal Comics here in India, in 1964. Another factor that makes it difficult to (13) account for sequential art, particularly, comic culture in India is the fact that scholarly interest in the topic is only recent and is a potential area for further research.

If traced back, India has had a plethora of sequential forms- from the ancient wall paintings of Ajanta and Ellora that depict the life of Buddha and the stories of Bodhisatva to the Phad paintings of Rajasthan. The Kavad, a closet shrine, with sequences on each wooden panel, narrating stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata is another popular form of story depiction illustrated in Rajasthan. The Pichhwais from Gujarat illustrated stories of Krishna as did the Pattachitras from Bengal. Fast-forward, culture has still played an important role in shaping 14comic culture in India. Through award-winning artists, like the late-great R.K. Laxman, we see the socio-political nature of sequential art and how it served as a tool to voice the Indian middle class’ plight through his famous character, “the common man”.

fig. 8 The Kavad- A traditional blend of form and storytelling from Rajasthan, India

The Amar Chitra Katha(ACK) founder, Anant Pai, emphasised having comic scripts that were a product of primary research and not just arbitrarily created. A lot of the publishing houses, would employ historians and/or cultural experts for the same. After all, the biggest value proposition for a publishing house like ACK was- “ A route to your roots”. As with the process for active production, ACK was a source to tap culture. Pai in an interview said that he had once seen a quiz participant answer a question on Greek Mythology with ease, but failed to answer a question on what the name of Lord Rama was. This incident is what supposedly aimed at him to acquaint Indian children with “Heritage”. This, however, has been pointed out as the “Hinduisation” and the reinforcement of (15) stereotypes such as that of what is to be considered good and bad, gender and beauty. This dissonance may be subject to individuals. While Pai’s ACK published a large chunk of content based on Hindu Mythology, it is worthy to ponder upon the terms “Heritage” and “Culture” because the Ramayana in itself as we know it, has so many versions that vary across regions in the length and breadth of the country. ACK started publishing contemporary-based comics with the inception of “Kalpana”, a book on Indian-American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, two years after her demise in 2003.

In 1990, Indrajal Comics closed down with “The Phantom” now being marketed by Diamond comics. “Bahadur”, another non-mythological Indian Favourite which was also a product of Indrajal Comics, had ceased further publication. The time between 1997 and 2003 was regarded as the “Dark Age of Indian Comics” as sales drastically began to decline. Established brands like Manoj Comics, ceased to exist. While one door seemingly (16)closed, another opened. Spiderman, who we knew unmasked as Peter Parker, living in New York City, is now unmasked as Pavitr Prabhakar in the city of Mumbai. This was a production by Gotham Comics, a South-Asian carrier of comics licensed by giants like- Marvel, DC and King Features. Today, the Indian Comic Scene from a superhero point of view is dominated by Raj Comics as the largest distributor. Monthly comics like “Tinkle Comics” with beloved characters like Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri, etc. have also got hold of the audiences.

Moving further east across the globe, sequential art in Japan is Manga. The word Manga is said to have been coined in the year 1798, and is composed of two Kanji(Syllables)- “man”- whimsical/impromptu and “ga” -pictures. Like most of the sequential art we have seen thus far, Manga- are visual picture; storytelling through (17)lines in the form of satire comics that come together to this form. It has inspired One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z and many more, ranging from a wide variety of genres viz: action-adventure, romance, comedy, science fiction and fantasy. Mangas, unlike the other forms of sequential art seen thus far, is the only one that runs in reverse order, i.e, from right to left, implying that the back of a conventional book, is the front cover of a manga. Mangas have been an inspiration for many since their early days of reading in elementary school. With its ever-growing popularity, even adults who grew up with this reading culture are taken down memory lane. The art styles that mangas conform to, pertain to an illustration style developed in the late 19th century(15). Mangas can be traced to a culture known as “Okatu”- nerd culture. Mangas as media have created a robust market that has today reached millions and has become an important, and inevitable aspect associated with Japanese Identity. animated versions of mangas. Like the forms of sequential art, the true origins of Mangas are clouded. Mangas as an art form are not just confined to comics but have stretched to go on and become “animes”- Japanese animations, as well as, for Cosplays- a type of performance art wherein fans impersonate these fictional characters. It is important to note that animes are usually, but not always ambiguous with dissonance that surrounds the same. Many believe it to date back to 12th-century Japanese scrolls(15). Manga as we know it, however, has been influenced by two factors- pre-war Meiji, Meiji and the events following World War II. Though Manga as mentioned above has a characteristic style to it, it also encompasses a wide variety of comic styles.

During the rise of Japanese Imperialism, this form of sequential art was used to promote propaganda on the benefits of Japanese leadership. The first Manga is “Chochugiga”, which refers to scrolls of frolicking animals and dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries, which is said to have been drawn by several artists with uncanny visual style to what we see today. The scrolls contained illustrations of frogs and rabbits with accurate depictions of the motion of their legs. Another “Toba Ehon”, a manga published in the 18th century, was an illustrated story containing narratives on the lives of people back then in the “Edo Period”(1603–1867). “Eshinbun Nippochi” was the first manga magazine published by Kanagaki Robun and Kawanabe Kyosai in 1874, which was inspired and influenced by a pioneering Japanese magazine- “The Japan Punch”, that ran between 1882 and 1887 by Charles Wirgman, an English visual artist. This pre-war period of sequential art was characterized by the Chinese-styled visual style. The text synonyms the social as well as economic needs of the Japanese in this pre-war period, and the Japanese nationalists.

fig. 9 Chochugiga

Post World War II, Japan was under the occupation of the US. This played a pivotal role in the development of mangas. Characters like “Mickey Mouse”, “Betty Boop” and “Bambi” left an impression on Japanese artists and led them to subsequently give a depth of feel to their styles. These evolved forms of the manga were primarily within magazines and newspapers which sought readership that then went on to become monthly and weekly publications that carried on for approximately 10 or 20 series instalments per edition. Osamu Tezuka was one of the most famous manga artists known for his creation of “Astro-Boy”, a beloved Japanese fictional character that truly embodies the manga aesthetic of distinctive, large eyes that are also prominent in anime. Manga today has stretched to encompass content on politics, history and spirituality, making it popular among adults. While the categorization of manga would fall under that of entertainment, some mangas are educational as well.

With the global rise in popularity of mangas over the years, since the 90s, its influence in all facets of global pop culture covers a wide array of collateral from games and anime to action figure collectables.

A big inference from the content above is that the culture of comics has particularly centred around the United States of America, Europe and Japan. The content that has erupted from these places has extended, impacted and been marketed on a global scale. For a country like India, the cultural impact of comics is much more localized. The remainder of the countries in the global south may also well have their share of information in this regard. Covering this, however, is beyond the scope of this paper. A major question about this topic may be, why is this culture of comics just confined to these three regions? Well apart from the fact that the way such content has been disseminated and consumed by audiences is far superior, it is important to note the time when this kind of content came into the limelight in society- the latter half of the 20th century. It would not be wrong to speculate that, this was a time when the rest of the countries in the world were just recovering from the devastations of colonization and economic downfalls- putting the consumption of artistic content like comics on the periphery of their priorities.

Sequential Art today exists as web-based comics and digital comics that may or may not end up existing in print form. That being said, it is interesting to see how they are running parallel with ever-advancing technology-from the medium that readers engage themselves with to consume this content, like phones and tablets to the media artists themselves use to produce these comics, like drawing tablets and iPads. With the ever-growing popularity of comics and pop culture, it is difficult to precisely predict the trajectory of what and where the impacts of comic books may stretch out to. Today, events like Comic-Con, a pop cultural event held in multiple cities across the globe, with several events from shopping merchandise to attending conferences with high-level panellists, including actors and artists, really go on to show how story-telling can knit people together and “bring birds of the same feather to flock together”. The most prominent of them, Comic-Con San Diego, CA reportedly boosted the Tourism Industry in the region with a revenue of $3.2 million in hotel and sales tax for the city, alongside a $150 million economic impact regionally with 135,000 attendees in 2019 according to ABC News. (18)Those numbers are expected to come back with the Covid-19 pandemic dying down. With comic-book themselves sales hitting their industry’s highest-ever of $ 2.075 billion, the hype for comics may not die any time (19)soon. Numbers aside, it is hard to determine whether comics will be as popular of a medium as they were around the World War II period with the books themselves only existing as niche mediums today, acting as a base for multi-million dollar film and TV franchises.

fig. 10 The Comic Con today has something to offer for everyone, unlike the 70/80’s when it was just confinfed to comics

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