The conceptual problem in some abstract comics

reflections and criticism

Abstract

This article addresses an ontological issue for the study of contemporary comic books, namely, those works that are broadly called abstract comics. To do so, we will reflect on this type of production, having as its main premise that some of these works cannot be classified as comics, even if we take into account the quotations present in some of these works, which recur in the language of comic books: balloons, frames, gutters and onomatopoeia and others. Socially there is also the media label - Abstract Comics - that their producers, critics and public gave to these artistic creations in an indiscriminate way and which contributes to the problem. To support our arguments we will use, among other authors, Pierre Fresnault-Deruelle (1976), Scott McCloud (1995) and Thierry Groesnteen (2013) who support the idea that comics need more than a mere juxtaposition or overlap of verbal and visual materials to be called comic books. According to these authors, these dimensions (visual and/or verbal) need to be minimally articulated to produce a narrative meaning like comics - the basis of the legitimation under which we support.