A Power Point based on the first part of my lecture from the first day of my summer class on comic books.

1. What Are Comics? Building a Workable Definition June 15, 2010

2. "Comics are a way of creating a universe and populating it with characters using a secret code that works in the simplest and most direct way possible to enter the 'reader's' brain... series of little pictures and groups of words arranged in a rhythmic pattern to create and activate a world inside us." - James Kochalka, The Horrible Truth About Comics

3. Comics are a medium , not a genre .

4. medium n. a mode of artistic expression or communication genre n. a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content

5. Comics are a form of storytelling, like song, film, or short story, not a type of story to be told. (In other words, there's more to comics than superheroes.)

6. Comics are an integration of images and words, visual art and storytelling.

7. "The medium we call comics is based on a simple idea: the idea of placing one picture after another to show the passage of time... Comics is a language. Its vocabulary is the full range of visual symbols." - Scott McCloud, Reinventing Comics

8. Note: Mr.McCloud has since altered his remarks to include one panel comics as well.

9. Comics: A static image or series of static images, most commonly drawn, and often incorporating text, depicting the passage of time for a narrative or other informational purpose.

10. Let's break it down... A static image or series of static images... One or more non-moving images...

11. ...most commonly drawn, and often incorporating text... . ..while comics can be done in a number of visual media, the majority are illustrated; also, while most comics rely on some for of text in order to present part of its information, some are purely visual...

12. ...depicting the passage of time...

13. ...for a narrative or other informational purpose. ... in order to tell a story or provide another form of information.

14. But most importantly...

15. Comics are a form of storytelling, like song, film, or short story, not a type of story to be told. (In other words, there's more to comics than superheroes.) INTENT!

16. Just because an image falls under the previously prescribed criteria does not make it a comic. The intent of creation is as vital in comic work as in any other form of art. Not a Comic: Comic:

17. Now that we know what comics are, let's get started on making our own !