National Comic Book Day

Every year on 25 September, comic book readers, collectors, lovers and fans celebrate National Comic Book Day.

A pannapictagraphist is the name for a person who collects comic books.

The creator of this day is unknown, making this an unofficial national holiday.

A comic book is also called a comic magazine. It was first popularised in the United States in the form of comic art illustrated in sequential panels representing individual scenes. The panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative. The dialogue is usually contained in balloon form, which is emblematic of the comics art form.

In 1896, a comic book magazine called McFadden’s Row of Flats featured the story of The Yellow Kid. This black and white publication had 196 pages and sold for 50 cents in the United States. Some years later, in 1933, a comic book entitled Famous Funnies appeared in the United States. This publication is believed to be the first real comic book. It contained reprints of earlier humorous newspaper comic strips, and established many of the storytelling devices used in comics. It is also the origin of the name ‘comic book’. However, not all comic books are humourous – they actually feature stories from all genres.

To celebrate, pick up a comic book to read and use #NationalComicBookDay to post on social media.

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