Comic books and comic strips are an art form that express ideas through a combination of art and text. Speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia often add to the feelings or actions of a story. American comics as we know them today began their release in the 1930s, but the first comic strip was accredited to Rodolphe Topffer in 1835. Learn more about this history of comics and how to take the next steps in creating your own with Kara Bass.