Task 2 (U9)

 

UK- 

Beano (Denis the Menace) - the 1999 book

https://archive.org/details/beanobook19990000unse/mode/2up

The publisher of Beano is DC Thomson which is a Scottish publishing company. The company was founded in 1905 and the Beano comics itself was first published in 1938. The company is privately owned by Dc Thomson to this day. The comics they produced were either weekly, spin offs, annuals or special edition comics which focused on recurring characters such as Denis the Menace. The genres included within their comics were mostly comedy using slapstick comedy but also parody, fantasy and adventure. There two most famous characters is Denis the Menace and Minnie the Minx.

The creator of Denis the Menace was created by a man called David Law. Denis the Menace became the most popular Beano character. He was described as a mischievous school boy known for pulling pranks, he was recognisable by wearing red and black jumper. The comic went on to having spin offs on TV such as Denis the Menace and Gnasher the dog as well as having its own merchandise.It also holds the Guinness world record for the longest running comic strip by the same character.

Artists

David Law was the original artist of Dennis the Menace, his style was scratchy linework which showed action he was one of DC Thomsons top humour artists and helped create the Beano house style. Now Nigel Parkinson is the artist and has a modern digital style.

Colourists 

Early comic strips were in black and white, after 1980’s they brought in colour adding bold shading to make the comic strips kid friendly. However today the comic strips are more detailed using shading, highlights and bold colours.

Minnie the Minx - Girl power 

https://archive.org/details/minnieminxingirl0000unse/page/n3/mode/2up

Accessed 2025

This comic first appeared in 1953 created by Leo Baxendale who was the most influential comic artist in UK. She was a troubled school girl who was considered the female version of Denis the Menace. She was also recognisable by her red and black jumper just like Denis as well as being accompanied by an animal in her case a cat. She appeared regularly in the Beano comic strips as well as featuring in a cross over with Denis the Menace, therefore apart of Beano’s big four characters and had her own merchandise. 

Artists

Leo Baxendale was the first creator and artist of Minnie the Minx his style was chaotic and exaggerated he was known for revolutionising Uk comics. Now like Nigel Parkinson he is the artist for Minnie the Minx with a digital, modern type style.

Colourists

They originally came out in black and white until the 20th century now they use bold bright colours giving modern look.

France

https://archive.org/details/35-asterix-and-the-picts/01_Asterix_the_Gaul/

Accessed 2025 

Asterix the Gaul Book 1 

The original publisher of the Asterix was Editions Dargaud in 1961 the current publisher is Les editions which was founded in 1979. The current owner is Hackett Livre which is one of the worlds largest publishing groups. It was founded in 1943 in Paris and then re founded by new owners in 1979. The publishers are french Belgium comic publishers which focus on comic albums, graphic novel and special edition work. The genres they typically use are comedy, adventure, parody and action.

Asterix 

Created in 1959 by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo first appeared in 1959 and was featured in 40 plus books. He was created as a clever warrior of a Gaulish village in Roman occupation, he gains super strength from drinking a magic potion and he is known for his intelligence and loyalty to his friends. It was the most famous European comic characters ever and was adapted into films and merchandise.

Obelix was his friend who was introduced in 1962 created by Goscinny and Uderzo featured in all albums other than the first he was known for being Asterix best friend , he was superhuman and travel with his dog. He was almost as famous as Asterix and starred in all the films too.

The artist and pencilled is Albert Uderzo from 1927-2020 his role was the co-creator and illustrator his style was clean expressive linework which had detailed background. The later artist Didier Conrad kept the same style as Uderzo to keep continuity. In the early comics there was limited colour until 1970 when colour was introduced which allowed the comics to be modernised and attract their audience.

https://archive.org/details/valerianlaurelin0000mzir/page/4/mode/2up

Accessed 2025

Valerian and Laureline - Welcome to Alfolol

The original publishers of Valerian and Laureline was Pilote magazine founded in 1967 and album publishers Editions Dargaud which is based in Paris. It was founded in 1943 and then re founded in 1959. It is owned by Dargaud who is the leading European comics publisher. The typical genre of this comic is science fiction and adventure.

Valerian was created in 1967 by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres, his first appearance was in 1976 and featured in 21 comic albums until 2010. He was an agent from 28th century earth that travels through time and space for mission who is known from being loyal and brave. His comics inspired Star Wars and other comics in Europe.

Laureline was created in 1967 as well by Christin and Mezieres and the first appearance was in same story in 1967 as Valerian, she was featured in all 21 albums of the comics she was originally a peasant women who encounters valerian and then becomes his partner to travel through space. She is known for being the smarter and more resourceful one. She was considered a pioneer for female comic characters as she is equal to the male lead.

The artists and pencillers was Jean-Claude Mezieres from 1983-2022 he was influenced by sci-if pulp art from America and its style was highly detailed and realistic which helped define the look of all modern European sci-if comics. In the early stages there was limited colour with simple style until 1980’s when colouring was introduced and then later digital colour and gradients to modernise the comics 

USA

Marvel - Ulitmate Spider-Man Power and Responsibility

https://archive.org/details/Ultimate_Spider-Man_Comics/Ultimate%20Spider-Man%20v01%20-%20Power%20%20Responsibility%20%282009%29%20%28Digital%29%20%28F%29%20%28Kileko-Empire%29/

Accessed 2025

The publishers of Ultimate Spider-Man is Marvel comics, it was founded in 1939 and was established as Marvel comics in 1960’s. It is owned by Marvel entertainment and its owner company is Walt Disney. They produce comics monthly and also produce materials such as graphic novels, digital comics and other special edition series. They use genres such as superhero, sci-if, fantasy and action adventure.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man was created in 2000 by writer Brain Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley. It was created as a modern version of the 1960’s Spider-Man as he is a teenager in school who balances life as well as being a superhero. He is featured in the Ultimate Spider-Man from 2000-2011, ultimate six and ultimate comics. The character is hugely popular and was the longest series ran in the Marvel universe.

Miles morales was created after spider man/ Peter Parker died in 2011 and was created by writer Brain Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli. He was a teenager from Brooklyn who gains the spider power and struggles to keep up with Peter Parkers legacy. He was featured in the Ultimate comics, Spider-Men and was extremely popular as one of Marvel’s most successful new hero’s.

The pencilled was Mark Bagley who was well known for his long run on “The amazing Spider-Man” and “The ultimate Spider-Man”. It’s style is clean with big expression and exaggeration The Colourist is Steve Buccellato and Justin Ponsor in later years. They used a clean bright style And then later developed into using richer plates with strong use of showing.

https://archive.org/details/198202-savage-she-hulk-v-1-025

Accessed 2025

The Publisher of She Hulk is Marvel Comics it was founded in 1939 but established as Marvel in 1960. It is owned by Marvel Entertainment LLC and its owner company is Walt Disney. It produces comic types such as monthly comic books, graphic novels, digital novels, digital comics and special edition series. She Hulk appeared in solo titles and then Team books such as Avengers and Fantastic Four. They use genres such as superhero, action, adventure, sci-if and fantasy.

Jennifer Walter/She Hulk was created in 1979 first appeared in the Savage, she was created by writer Stan Lee and John Buscema. She Hulk was a lawyer and cousin of the Hulk who has blood transfusion from her cousin and gains his powers. She has featured in “The Savage She-Hulk”, “The sensational She-Hulk” and “She-Hulk volumes”.

Bruce Banner was created in 1962 first appeared in The Incredible Hulk 1. He was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. In the She-Hulk comics he is important as he gives her the Hulk powers. He is extremely popular and is one of Marvel’s core superheroes.

The pencilled of She-Hulk was John Buscema he was a famous Marvel artist and co-creator of She-Hulk and the style was the classic Marvel look with exaggerated expression and bold designs. Javier Pulido took over as the penciller from 2014 and used a minimalist clean style to make She Hulk have a modern appealing look.

The colourists are Christie Scheele and Glynis Wein originally using the simple bright colour style. In the later years they used bright reach colours with lots of light detail to help modernise the comics.

P2 

Graphic Novel’s is similar to a book but the story is alongside pictures and drawings with words as well. It  it longer than a comic with more words and a full story. It has a clear detailed story with a clear plot and theme but more serious. Graphic novels tend to have more serious themes such as violence and aggression and are aimed at an older target audience. 

https://archive.org/details/3.-un-paso-adelante/1.%20Dos%20chicos%20juntos/page/n3/mode/2up

Accessed 2025

Heartstopper is my chosen graphic novel and the genre of Heartstopper is Romance and LGBTQ+ as it focuses on the relationship between the main characters as it explores their sexuality and how one of the main characters is coming out. The text is normally is speech bubbles and the text is quite uneven as it doesn’t like to follow a structure as it follow better without one. The storyline is very simple and easy to follow as the text is easy to understand to appeal to the young adult target audience. The colour was very consistent throughout with place colours and the iconography of the leaves was kept throughout. 

They use soft pastel colours such as pinks, greens and blues this creates a gentle, happy mood which reflects the story of love and happiness. They use school uniform drawings to show realism of the real world so people can relate to the story more. The text is simple and natural which reflects how teenagers speak in real life, they also give characters inner thoughts to help readers understand inner emotions. The images show clear emotions through the facial expressions drawn on and the panel layout emphasise important moments when the panels change size. The captions used often give extra context or inner thoughts that can’t be fully understood to help audience connect to the story.

The Target Audience is young adults aged 13-25, they are targeted at people who enjoy romance, LGBTQ+ and friendship stories. Charlie is the main character who is openly gay, quiet and timid from previous bullying. He is kind and thoughtful and gains confidence throughout the books due to his relationship with Nick. It appeal to people who relate to the story and are going through similar problems. Nick is popular, sporty and is unsure about his sexuality, he learns to accept his feelings people appeal to him as it shows people its okay to talk about your feelings and explore. Charlie is non-stereotypical as he is sensitive and emotional but also brave and Nick is popular and athletic yet struggles with his inner feelings. Them being non-stereotypical makes the characters more relatable as it allows readers to see peoples different life experiences.