Introducing "Comics" by Georgia Webber

For avid readers and dedicated fans of comics, the discovery that most people have no idea of the depth and potential of the medium is confounding. Not offensive, but difficult to grasp.Even more difficult is trying to convince friends, colleagues, or relatives to pick up a favourite read without falling into the many traps of labelling we’ve laid for ourselves. “Comics” summons flashes of Archie and Sunday newspaper strips, or superheroes saving first world society from certain peril. “Graphic novels,” on the other hand, recalls quirky autobiographical tomes of adolescent ennui. Truth be told, comics can be all of those things, and more, but never by definition.When naming the section of carte blanche that is dedicated to this medium (but wait, we’ve been caught by yet another trap! Even the word “medium” brings up a whole other debate—one which I’ll save for later), the term Graphic Fiction was chosen in an attempt to alleviate the content from readers’ bias, to allow it to speak for itself. It has been successful—but only for our readers. For the creators we seek to promote, it has caused confusion. When cartoonists (also called “comics artists”) see the words Graphic Fiction, their first thought is “Oh, graphic fiction, not comics” and they move on, breaking my heart as they go.Even from this brief (very brief) discussion, it’s clear that readers and creators have widely different understandings of the terminology being tossed around. Here at carte blanche we are going to do our best to narrow the gap by adopting the term “Comics” as the umbrella to include all styles and types and genres of this wonderful medium.The longer the terminology debate goes on, the less time and attention we have to celebrate the endless potential for creativity that the medium affords, and the brilliant creators exploring it even as I write. Set aside a few moments to explore the Comics section of carte blanche. You might find your own definitions redefined. Georgia Webber is the Comics editor of carte blanche.