Comics have always been everybody’s favorite around the world. Comic books have the potential to catch the interest of young readers. Their influence has grown tremendously over the recent few years, becoming integrated into televisions, movies, video games, and many other aspects of society.
All kinds of books provide a vast treasure of knowledge, but comic books are of a special kind. Artful comics influence in a way of double vision in the reader. The collection of pictures and colorful illustrations help the reader to stimulate the brain and have a better imagination. Reading comics is, therefore, extremely good for children as it helps to gain better thinking ability.
The word comic reminds us of simpler times and creative picturesque pages with stories. We all grew up reading these with less text and more visuals. Comics were made with a lot of thought and intellect. It secretly planted a seed of curiosity, boosted visualization, diverted us toward morality, guided us in a better direction, and incorporated various teachings in a fun way. Comics were not just entertainment but a great way of educating us as a child without letting us know!
No matter which part of the world we come from, we have not skipped comics. If we talk about ancient times and its origin, cartooning was an intrusive part of Japanese culture. Superhero was given to us by American comics and since then the character theme of having a superhero in comic culture boosted. Tintin has been popular for a great amount of time as well. Marvel comics and DC comics have given a universe of characters that we see in movies now. The decrease in demand for comics has been extremely visible to the world because kids these days have shifted to digital media and gadgets, whereas the kids of the 80s or say 90s had a more book-oriented childhood.
Indian comics, deeply rooted in cultural learnings back then hold a great amount of virtue. Tinkle, Balrama, Amar Chitrakatha, and characters like Chacha Chaudhary, Suppandi, etc. all these characters and comics have irreplaceable nostalgia. Amar Chitrakatha injects all mythological stories and learnings from the culture in the interactive comic form with completely regional content for the people of the nation. There was a rise in comic culture and hence many Western comics were translated and distributed in India and thus the superhero culture invaded.
Comics didn’t die after 90’s, rather they took a new shape in the 2000s. As digital content started being consumed more and the platforms were being used for awareness and entertainment, the animation industry leaped. Comics entered the webcomics era and from topics like politics to awareness of social topics everything is still done via comics. Pick up a news channel and you’ll still see comics. Cartoons also represent comic culture. Similarly, Japanese anime culture is popping up widely.
While talking about comics, we realize there is a whole big chunk of our childhood dedicated to it. Even in school when we read stories from Panchtantra or are asked to write an essay based on a picture, such things relate to the basic concept of comics which is the visual experience along with storytelling. Today, even the Cartoon Network doesn’t look like the Cartoon Network of the 90s. How can we expect children of the 20s to be as deeply connected to real comics? All these Marvel heroes and DC characters originated from those colorful pages of comics. It’s all the result of comics being there in the first place, it all started from there. Let’s not forget it and keep it alive in our hearts.
According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the global comic book market size is registered to reach $$26.9 billion with a considerable CAGR from 2023 to 2032. The generous amount of entertainment, inspiration, and escape from reality offered by comic books is the major driving factor of the market. The Asia-Pacific region is currently dominating the market with the highest market share and is also expected to witness the fastest growth rate during the forecasted period. It is worth mentioning that the comic book industry is likely to gain a wider recognition in addition to drawing a diverse and committed fan base in the near future.
Author’s Bio – Suchita Gupta is an explorer, musician and content writer. While pursuing MBA, she found that nothing satisfies her more than writing on miscellaneous domains. She is a writer by day, and a reader by night. Besides, she can be found entertaining her audience on social media platforms. Find her on LinkedIn & Instagram.