Understanding Comics: The Vocabulary of Comics and Living in Line

The Vocabulary of Comics examines the icon and it's use for expression. In this context, the word icon means any image used to represent a person, place, thing, or idea. There are different categories of icons. Symbols or images are used to represent concepts, ideas, and philosophies. Icons such as alphabetical letters, numbers, and other type symbols are icons of language, science, and communication. Also, icons that we refer to as pictures are images designed to actually resemble their subject.
Non-pictorial  icons meanings are fixed or absolute as they represent invisible ideas, though pictures are variable. Some pictures are more real to life and their meaning is fluid. Words are abstract icons as that they bear no resemblance to what they are representing. Realistic picture icons can be abstracted or simplified to various degrees. We refer to a picture icon simplified to a few lines as a cartoon. Cartoons are universal. Psychologically, we fill in the blanks and tailor it to our own interpretation. Certain imagery is ingrained into our psyche that we seek it out. For example, the human face. This recognition is capability is instinctual and we see ourselves in everything, as well as create in our image. Our identities belong permanently to the conceptual world, everything else, the outside world. With cartooning, we can cross over between the two as well as objects and our environment. There are varying degrees of abstraction: complex to simple, realistic to iconic, objective to subjective and specific to universal. Words being the ultimate abstraction.

Living in Line looks at pictures' (comic pictures) ability to evoke emotional or sensual responses. It discusses Impressionism and that it is an honest expression of emotions as well as scientific art. Line, shape, and color all provoke the five senses. Art forms which appeal to the five senses are called synaesthetics.

"Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes it visible."- Paul Klee

A single line is examined. The direction, shape, character of the line can be interpreted. All lines carry an expressive potential. Lines are visual metaphors- symbols. Symbols are the basis of language and language is expression.
Comics are an art of the invisible- senses, emotions.