The System of ComicsThe System of Comics by Thierry Groensteen translated by Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen. This edition of Thierry Groensteen's The System of Comics makes available in English a groundbreaking work on comics by one of the medium's foremost scholars. In this book, originally published in France in 1999, Groensteen ranges broadly through the history of comics to explain clearly the subtle, complex workings of the medium and its unique way of combining visual, verbal, spatial, and chronological expressions. The System of Comics uses examples from a wide variety of countries including the United States, England, Japan, France, and Argentina. It describes and analyzes the properties and functions of speech and thought balloons, panels, strips, and pages to examine methodically and insightfully the medium's fundamental processes. From this, Groensteen develops his own coherent, overarching theory of comics, a "system" that he builds on existing studies of the "word and image" paradigm while adding innovative approaches of his own. Examining both meaning and appreciation, the book provides a wealth of ideas that will challenge the way scholars approach the study of comics. By emphasizing not simply "storytelling techniques" but also the qualities of the printed page and the reader's engagement, the book's approach is broadly applicable to all forms of interpreting this evolving art. Thierry Groensteen is a comics scholar born in Brussels, Belgium, the founding publisher of Editions de l'An 2, and the curator of the Angouleme Comics Museum in Angouleme, France. Bart Beaty is associate professor of communication and culture at the University of Calgary. Nick Nguyen is an archivist at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. |
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Great piece of work, a must-have for every comic book passionate. In some parts to general for my taste, but rich exampletorium (I'm not sure if this word exist in english, but I hope You will still get my point:) of comics (most fascinating and less known french and belgian work) makes up for it.
I highly recommend it.
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Common terms and phrases
according action allows already appears artist balloon bande dessinée braiding breakdown character cinema color comics composed concern considered constitutes contents continuity corresponds define definition described determined dialogue diegesis dimension drawing drawn effect elements entire enunciation established example exist expression fact figures finally format four frame function given hand iconic illustrator important inset language layout least less linguistic meaning medium narration narrative natural necessarily necessary notably object observe occupies operation organization panel parameters Paris particular Peeters pertinent position possible precisely present principle produce question reader reading regard relation remarkable represented respect seen sense separate sequence signs simple situated sometimes space speak specific statement story strip structure succession suggested tion units utterable verbal visual writing
Bibliographic information
| Title | The System of Comics |
| Author | Thierry Groensteen |
| Translated by | Bart Beaty, Nick Nguyen |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2007 |
| ISBN | 1604732598, 9781604732597 |
| Length | 188 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |