Comics and graphic novels

In short: Comics tell stories in sequences of images with text, graphic novels are longer, often more serious comic works for an adult audience. Both combine drawing and storytelling.

In more detail: The term graphic novel became popular from the 1970s to distinguish comics from pure entertainment.

In detail

• Structure: Panels, speech bubbles, sound words for noises.
• Genres: Superheroes, autobiographical stories, journalism, fantasy.
• Manga: Japanese comics, usually read from right to left.
• Well-known works: “Maus” by Art Spiegelman is considered a milestone of the genre.
• Drawing styles: From realistic to strongly stylised.
• Drawing your own: Develop a storyboard, then sketch panels (zeichnen-lernen-grundlagen).
• Libraries: Many public libraries have their own comic sections.