Comics

Comics have always appealed to readers of all ages. They have been one of the first supports for learning to read. They were originally a supplement to a newspaper for adults and as a result of their popularity, developed into an industry for adults and children alike. The late nineteenth century saw a huge expansion in the publishing of comics and many have been in print for decades.

The cartoon images provided for this topic will help a child recognise how illustrations have evolved in style and design. It will highlight how sentence construction has changed to become less formal and explore how the meaning of some words has changed. Not many people would ask their "ducky" to go for a "spoon in the park" anymore. The comics from the nineteenth century still hold their fascination and humour and are still as interesting to all generations as they were when they were first drawn.

This topic will provide children with opportunities to explore the development of language and how comics put across a message in a variety of ways. The cartoons displayed in this topic put across their message through action, captions, expressions within the illustrations and inference. They represent a very small selection from The British Library's collection of comics.