Considering Comics

Have you always wanted to make a comic book but didn’t know where to start? Or are you a reader who just wants to learn more about this fascinating medium? Then you have come to the right place. 

Comics exist in the middle-ground between art and literature. Drawing from elements from each, comics creators developed the medium into the sequential narrative art form that we know and love. Combining text with art in a sequential order to create a cohesive narrative is not something that happens spontaneously. Like painting or novels, comics work under a set of principles. These principles are what visually and functionally set comics apart from other media, or to put it simply, they make comics appear to be comics.

This exhibition covers the six primary building blocks of comic construction. Using examples pulled from the James Branch Cabell Library Special Collections and Archives to explain key concepts within each category, this exhibition serves as an introduction for anyone interested in how comics work. 

Special Collections and Archives at James Branch Cabell Library is home to rare books, manuscripts, book art, and comic arts. Materials from the collections do not circulate but are available for use in our Reading Room on the fourth floor of Cabell Library, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.