Today the comic is one of the "books" with which many young people start reading. Being a combination of drawings and text, for them it is easier to read, and less heavy than a book that does not contain them (or not at that level). Also, since they are short dialogues, included in comic bubbles, they don't have as much text and they like that even more.
But What are comic bubbles? There are different? Discover everything you should know about this important aspect of comics and cartoons, and you will see how each balloon can represent various actions or feelings.
What is a comic bubble?
The comic book speech bubble, also called a balloon, It is the element that is used in a comic, cartoon or caricature to represent the action of speaking. In this way, through this figure, the characters on the paper are allowed to have a "voice," since the objective is that they can enter into dialogues with other characters in the story.
The origin of these sandwiches takes place in the seventeenth century, in England, where illustrators and cartoonists used it from time to time. But the first cartoon to constantly contain them was Hogan's Alley, in 1895, an Outcault comic, although the truth is that there is a discussion on that subject since some experts think that this is not the case.
In the case of Europe, the comic strip took a little longer to arrive. He did it in 1925 with Alain Saint-Ogan and his Zig et Puce. And in case you want to know, in Japan they still had to wait until the 30s to have them. The first? Sako Shishido with Speed Taro and Ichiro Suzaki and Takeo Nagamatsu with Ogon Bat.
The elements of a comic speech bubble
The comic bubble is composed of two essential elements among themselves: the content and the continent.
What is the content of a comic bubble?
The content of a comic book speech bubble makes reference to the message inside, that is, what you want to express. In it, it is important to take into account not only what is going to be said, but also the type or font used, the onomatopoeia and even the visual metaphors.
That is, you can put a comic bubble with a lit light bulb, with a heart, with the dollar symbol ... Or also representing sounds (like an explosion (boom)).
What is the continent in a comic book bubble?
The continent in the comic strip is the shape it is. And it is not always the same. In fact, there are several types of snack in that sense. Now, within that form, you also have two different parts:
- Contour, which is the outer shape of the sandwich, which can be with saw teeth, imitating a cloud, dotted ... Even, to represent some feelings, it can be shaped like a light bulb, a heart ...
- The tail, also known as tail, which is always directed towards the character that emits that balloon, that is, who speaks. When it is not pointing at anyone, it is said to be a "voice over." This is usually always in the shape of a beak, always towards the person speaking, but sometimes, and depending on the outline of the comic bubbles, this can change (to be just stripes, circles, etc.).
Types of comic speech bubbles
As you know, not all comic bubbles are the same. Actually, there is a great diversity of them and, therefore, we want to bring them closer to you below.
The comic book speech bubble
This is the most common, and also the best known throughout the world. Is used for show what the character is saying in the cartoon, that is, the conversation you have with others. Although you can always think of the flattened and oval type, in reality the shape is quite changeable (and usually depends on the gap left in each panel to fit it).
The thought bubble
Now, what if you're not talking to someone else but thinking? Or speaking alone? Well instead of using the dialog, use the thinking one. This is characterized by being like a cloud. Yes, as if it were something scattered and therefore, that only concerns that character because it is something that others do not know.
In addition, it is usually preceded by some circles, which also indicate that it is something that the character is said internally.
Comic Sandwiches: The Scream
Have you read a comic where you scream? Well, surely you have noticed that, when that happens, the sandwich is no longer like a cloud, nor does it have curved lines, but rather in peaks. That way, I know emphasizes that there is a rise in voice. It is like an "explosion."
Crying in a comic speech bubble
Actually, this kind of snack It can be used for both crying and sweating scenes. And it is represented as a water stain of which, around it, there are water droplets.
Speech bubble
Before we have seen the dialogue but, What happens if the character, after a pause, keeps talking? Well, you have a conversation where only one character speaks and, therefore, two speech bubbles are used joined on one side to each other, so that it is seen that the same character speaks again, pausing between dialogue and dialogue.
Comic Bubbles: The Whisper
Lastly, you have the Whisper comic strip. Because yeah, they can whisper things too. And to represent it, the dashed lines are used. That is, lines that make up a complete sandwich.
The square sandwich
Have you ever met a square sandwich? Well, that indicates, in most cases, that the speaker is a narrator. In fact, it is sometimes used to put the reader in situation about something that has happened.
It is also often used to put years, cities or countries or even to talk about an aspect of history (put in situation).
Comic speech bubbles: talking at the same time
Imagine a scene where several characters say the same thing. Well, instead of writing a sandwich for each one, they integrate it into a single one from which there are tails (or tails) corresponding to each character.