Comics are an international graphic publication medium in which images are utilised in order to convey a story in sequential form. The most well known comics on an international scale come from publication houses in English speaking nations, with titles like Beano and Nasher, Dennis the Menace and Donald Duck all being recognisable characters around the world. Comics have of course been produced in non English speaking nations as well, with the Japanese Manga industry recently having a huge effect on the global nature of the comic book industry. Even when nations like Spain and Itar native language, there has still been a need for the Spanish and Italian translation (Übersetzung Italienisch) of thely have produced their own comics in thei popular titles from the English speaking world.
The history of comics is probably a lot longer than most people realise. When you study the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians or have a close look at some of the columns of the Romans, you can see very clearly the early beginnings of the comic book industry. However it was the invention of the printing press around 1439 that allowed the use of movable type and the easy separation between images and words provided comics with the necessary background to come to life in the form that we know them today. The 19th century saw a number of developments that affected the comic book industry including Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday – which is recognised as the first comic strip magazine to feature a recurring character. The popularity of the comic author R.F Outcalt together with the prominent position of comic strips in newspapers are credited as being the driving forces behind the comic form at this time.
Although there have been some Spanish comics of note, the Spanish translation (Übersetzung Spanisch) of English titles such as Dandy and Desperate Dan has always been a huge part of the Spanish comic industry. Ever since the slow and gradual birth of comics and the industry that surrounds them, there has been an international interest from all around the globe; with comics becoming popular in Spain and Italy as well as in many other non English speaking nations. Translation will always be an issue with comics, as along with domestic non English material; it seems that a lot of the world has an appetite for the comic book characters from England and the English speaking nations of the world.
