The comic strip was born in Switzerland, in 1827, under the pen of Rodolphe Töpffer. Inspired by the theatre and the novel, it tells a story, not only through its text but also through its illustration. Each image is of variable size and is separated from the next by a vertical line, with the text below it.
It was thanks to the industrial progress of the press that the comic strip really took off. Initially satirical and political, the comic strip travelled widely (Germany, England, the United States, etc.), gradually becoming part of the press and expanding its audience. It also acquired the characteristics that we know today: formatted boxes (1879) and speech bubbles (1909).
The first golden age of comics came in the 1930s, with the birth of the Journal de Mickey in France in 1934 and the first comics about Superman in the United States in 1938. In Japan, the manga was born at the end of the Second World War under the pen of Osamu Tezuka.
Comics, whatever their origin, are not just about telling fictional stories. They can also be used to explain history, geography, science or any other field of knowledge. The image, combined with the text, helps to illustrate the subject and make it more accessible to all.
This month, at the library, discover our non-fiction comics:
Kommentare