Comic Styles: Comic Books

Comic book artists, similar to webcomics/comic strip illustrators, have their own recognizable style by the way they draw their characters, background, and how they use the font, panels, and placement. They are typically longer and have an ongoing plot with multiple characters. Comic book styles also differ in many countries due to the differences in culture and reader expectations.

European Comics
European comics have an old, cartoony style compared to the American and Japanese comics. The characters also are not over muscly nor have gravity-defying hair like American/Japanese comics and the plots are more realistic.  

The Adventures of Tintin

Tintin is one the most successful comics in Europe and was about a young reporter named Tintin, and his dog Snowy, solving dangerous cases. The story was created by a Belgian cartoonist by the name of Georges Remi, or pen name Hergé. Hergé started the use of ligne claire drawing style by using bold, clear lines in his comic books. [1]

The Adventures of Asterix
Asterisk is a French comic book written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. The story follows the protagonist Asterisk, his dumb large friend Obelix, and his dog Dogmatix on their adventures and fight against Julius Caesar.  [2]

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher 

This comic strip is published in the British children’s comic The Beano. The story is about two troublemakers Dennis and his pet dog Gnasher. The art style is more "cartoony" than Tintin. [3]

American Comics

Superhero comic books are the most popular in America. The main characters typically have superhuman abilities and bodies which exaggerate their power and strength (sometimes along with capes). Some examples include Superman, Spiderman, X-men, and Batman. Click here for more examples of American comics. [4] [5]

Because the art style is quite similar for each story, using color was a big part of American comics. Not only did it make the story lively, but the combination of colors also help identify the main character. [6] [7] 

• Superman - red, blue, yellow
• Hulk - green, purple
• Iron Man - red, yellow
• Batman - gray, black, dark blue, yellow
• Spiderman - red, blue

Japanese Comics

Japanese comics are also known as manga. Since manga does not usually have color, the artist relies on screentones and crosshatching to bring out the story. [8] [9]

A page does not necessarily have to be covered with panels, nor does it have to be super detailed. How pages are laid out depends on the comic artist and how he/she wants the story to be told. Because of the lack of color, the artist needs to define his or her drawing style so it can be recognizable among other manga. [10]

There are two types of mangas: shoujo and shounen. Shoujo is geared towards girls and usually of romance and drama genres. Similarly, shounen is aimed towards guys and genres are usually action, adventure, and martial arts. [11] [12]

  

America vs Japan?

Because of the huge publishing companies and vast number of readers, America and Japan are the most successful when it comes to comic books. People question if either American or Japanese comics are the best but since they are so different, you cannot really compare the two. 

Manga is written and illustrated by one person, sometimes along with and assistant or two to help with inking and other minor tasks. For America, even though they have the advantage of color, different artists work on the comic over time which leads to inconsistency in the artwork. The comic books are also affected by what the readers or publishers want, cost of printing, the time the artist has available, etc. The pros and cons for American and Japanese comics even each other out; in the end, both are awesome in their own way, as illustrated by Miguel Mendonca. [13] 

Once you studied the different comic book styles out there, you start forming your own. In the next blog post I will discuss how to create the art and story for a comic book.

Sources 

[1] Remi, Georges. (1929). The Adventures of Tintin. Retrieved from 
           http://andrehistoryofediting.blogspot.com/2012/05/graphic-narrative-research-comic-strips.html
[2] Uderzo and Goscinny. (2013). The Adventures of Asterix. Retrieved from http://www.asterix.com/
[3] Parkinson, Nigel. (2011). Dennis and Gnasher at Powis Castle. Retrieved from 
           http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/dennis_the_menace_at_powis_castle
[4] Lee and Kirby. (2010, February 28). Hulk. Retrieved from 
           http://www.comicvine.com/profile/hulkisawsome/blog/hulk-vs-superman-hulks-low-intellect-is-hilarious-/48156/

[5] Lee, Stan. (1979). Iron Man. Retrieved from http://ifanboy.com/articles/great-pages-iron-man-128/
[6] Siegel and Shuster. (2009, March 21). Superman. Retrieved from  
           http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/03/21/a-year-of-cool-comic-book-moments-day-80/

[7] Kane, Bob. (1968 January). Batgirl's Costume Cut Ups. Retrieved from 

           http://dccomicsartists.com/batman/NewLook.htm
[8] Kubo, Tite. (2002, January 5). Bleach. Retrieved from 
           http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/bleach-manga-     and-tv/images/13977297/title/fav-pages-photo

[9] Odo, Eiichiro. (1997, August 4). One Piece. Chapter 300, p. 16. Retrieved from 
           http://www.mangapanda.com/103-2407-16/one-piece/chapter-300.html
[10] Mochizuki, Jun. (2006 June). Pandora Hearts. Chapter 35, p. 36. Retrieved from 
           http://www.mangareader.net/pandora-hearts/55/36
[11] Natsumi, Mukai. (2000). +Anima. Chapter 14, p. 1. Retrieved from
           http://www.mangareader.net/224-16172-1/anima/chapter-14.html
[12] Toriyama, Akira. (1985, November 10). Dragon Ball. Chapter 10, p. 10. Retrieved from  

           http://www.mangapanda.com/105-2659-10/dragon-ball/chapter-10.html
[13] Mendonca, Miguel. (2008, March 22). Superman VS Goku. Retrieved from  

           http://www.deviantart.com/art/Superman-VS-Goku-80679445