The Evolution of Speech balloons

Matt Forsythe | August 23rd, 2006

evolution_speech

Oh, this is wonderful. I had no idea that all those banners were meant to represent bits of dialogue.

For the comic book historian in all of us…

[Link]

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  • Crumbs, and I thought it all started with The Yellow Kid.
    Thanks for sorting me out!
  • WAM
    very cool.
    Thanks.
  • Thierry Smolderen published a similar article in Comic Art Magazine last month. I haven't read the article ('cause I can't afford the mag) but Kevin Huizenga has a bit of a reaction to it here (From his blog, The Balloonist)

    Speaking on the ribbon-type balloons in "A True Narrative of the Horrid Hellish Popish Plot" (a kind of pre=comic), he says:
    The "word balloons" that float alongside the figures like ribbons amplified the thematic reading -- the drawing "spoke" about itself for the reader. The character was not "speaking" in a narrative sequence.


    If anyone has or can find the article in Comics Art, it might make an interesting comparison to the one posted here.
  • I bet there is a Japanese version of this, looking back at the history of Manga.
    I think its possible that things like speech bubbles have had a dual evolution in the East and the West.
  • I've seen paintings with these "speech scrolls" before but I never thought of it as a speech balloon - but it just took it being pointed out to make the connect. It's like a light just turned on. Thanks.
  • tim
    It is truly some kind of miracle to realize all of this. Ha, ha! I was looking at some early Christian paintings ie the Codex Egberti - Jesus meets Luke and Cleopas (c. 980) and it would be great fun to put in speech balloons. " My son the force is strong with you etc".
  • I have blogged about Bleck's history of speech balloons myself and attempted to fill in a couple of gaps, including an interpretation of the significance of the text scrolls used in religious iconography of the Romanesque and Renaissance and pre-Columbian (Mayan and Aztec) permutations. You can check out my post here.

    I am also framing a response to Kevin Huizenga's assessment of the issue on his Balloonist blog as I think his analysis makes some bad distinctions. He's certainly more of an expert in this field and there are some points we share opinions on (some "comix" as data visualizations rather than storyboards) but I think a dialogue is in order. I will link to my counterpost in the next few days after I get some materials together.
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