![]() There are 3 distinct scenes in this one image. In the above image, I’ve added the 3 boxes. It began with the hieroglyphics in Egypt…” - Will Eisner From the Book of the Dead, c. “Comics, which are really best described as an arrangement of images in a sequence that tell a story – an idea – is a very old form of graphic communication. Is it when the first comic book was published? When was the first comic book published anyway? Is it the political cartoons from long before there were comic books? Did it originate with the classic painters of Europe from a few hundred years ago? Or is it even older? Did it originate with cave paintings from pre-history? Like I said, it depends… Well, there are varying answers to that question. So, the question still remains, when and where did the use of sequential pictures to tell stories originate? Origins Whether it’s called sequential art, graphic storytelling, or visual narrative, the result is the same. Of course, comic books expand on this with words, but a foundation of basic sequential art is still there. A series of images, which, when taken in sequence, tells a story. At its most basic, sequential art is just that. In this case, it’s a nice tale that ends with Joker on his arse. The entire page is illustrated in such a way that each panel gives you an image in a sequence, which tells you a story. We don’t need any dialogue or narration to tell us what’s going on here. Who doesn’t love Batman’s trademark no-look moves? I don’t see how anyone can’t. Here is one of my favorites from the book. There are some very clear examples of sequential artwork to be found in these pages. One example, which I’ve just re-read, is Batman: The Killing Joke, one of the best Batman stories you’ll find. Now, you can’t pick up just any comic book off the shelf and expect to find a good example of sequential artwork inside. ![]() ![]() However, without a doubt, the most popular and well known examples of sequential art today can be found in comic books. Comics and sequential art are not necessarily the same thing. To begin, let’s first define what we mean when we talk about sequential art. What is sequential art? Who were the first people to use this art form to tell stories? How did it evolve into what we can pick up today at our local comic shop? Over the course of the next few Sequential History columns, I’ll endeavor to answer these questions, and more.
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