View source for European comics

{{short description|Comics produced in Continental Europe}}
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'''European comics''' are comics produced in [[Europe]]. The [[comic album]] is a very common printed medium. The typical album is printed in large format, generally with high quality paper and colouring, commonly {{convert|24|x|32|cm|in|abbr=on}}, has around 48–60 pages, but examples with more than 100 pages are common. While sometimes referred to as [[graphic novel]]s, this term is rarely used in Europe, and is not always applicable as albums often consist of separate short stories, placing them somewhere halfway between a [[American comic book|comic book]] and a graphic novel. The European comic genres vary from the humorous adventure vein, such as ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'' and ''[[Asterix]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://europeisnotdead.com/video/images-of-europe/european-comics/|title=European Comics|date=2013-04-29|access-date=2017-06-30|language=en-US}}</ref> to more adult subjects like ''[[Tex Willer]]'', ''[[Diabolik]]'', and ''[[Thorgal]]''.

==History<!--'History of European comics' redirects here-->==
The roots of European on-paper comics date back to 18th century [[caricature]]s (mocking others styles or behaviors) by artists such as [[William Hogarth]]. The early 19th century [[Switzerland|Swiss]] artist [[Rodolphe Töpffer]] is regarded by many as the "father of the modern comic" and his publication ''[[Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois]]'' (1837) is sometimes called the first "comic book".<ref>[[Scott McCloud|McCloud, Scott]], ''[[Understanding Comics|Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art]]''. New York: Harper Collins & Kitchen Sink Press. 1994. {{ISBN|0-06-097625-X}}, pg 17.</ref>

Other precursors include illustrated picture books such as [[Wilhelm Busch]]'s ''[[Max and Moritz]]'' (1865).

[[Franco-Belgian comics]], [[Spanish comics]], and [[Italian comics]] are historically amongst the dominant scenes of European comics.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/11/moebius-and-beyond-an-introduction-to-european-com.html|title=Moebius and Beyond: An Introduction to European Comics|work=pastemagazine.com|access-date=2017-06-30|language=en}}</ref>

Earlier, paintings, depicting stories in subsequent frames, using descriptive text resembling bubbles-text, were used in murals, one such example is written in [[Greek language|Greek]], dating to the 2nd century and found in [[Capitolias#Archaeology|Capitolias]], today in [[Jordan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-comics-line-roman-era-tomb-jordan-180970400/|title=Ancient Comics Line This Roman-Era Tomb in Jordan|first=Jason|last=Daley|website=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>

==Festivals==
A number of festivals celebrating comic art are held around Europe. These include:

* [[Amadora BD]], [[Portugal]]
* [[Angoulême International Comics Festival]], [[France]]
* [[Fumetto International Comics Festival]], [[Lucerne]], [[Switzerland]]
* [[Helsinki Comics Festival]], [[Finland]]
* [[International Comics Festival "Salon stripa"]], [[Serbia]]
* [[International Festival of Comics and Games]], [[Poland]]
* [[The Lakes International Comic Art Festival]], [[Kendal]], [[United Kingdom]]
* [[Lille Comics Festival]], [[France]]
* [[Lucca Comics & Games]], [[Italy]]
* [[:es:Heroes Comic Con|Heroes Comic Con]], [[Spain]]
* [[:es:Salón Internacional del Cómic de Barcelona|Salón Internacional del Comic]], [[Spain]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Comics|Europe}}
* [[British comics]]
* [[Croatian comics]]
* [[Czech comics]]
* [[Dutch Comics]]
* [[German comics]]
* [[Hungarian comics]]
* [[Polish comics]]
* [[Portuguese comics]]
* [[Serbian comics]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://comics.lib.msu.edu/exhibit.htm The European Comics Collection Introductory Exhibit, Michigan State University Libraries]
* [http://comics.lib.msu.edu/ The Comic Art Collection Home Page, Michigan State University Libraries]
* [http://www.europeancomics.net/ European Comics and Graphic Novels in English] www.europeancomics.net {{in lang|en}}
* [http://www.european-comics.com/ Translated European Comics ratings] www.European-comics.com {{in lang|en}}

{{Comics}}

[[Category:European comics| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Europe]]


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