Sound of Comics

If a tree falls in a comic and there is no “BANG!” or “CRASH!” around to accompany it, does it make a sound? The answer is: it’s complicated. Upon first consideration of this question, the inclination could be to answer with “no, of course not,” because the function of the words “BANG!” and “CRASH!” are to imply the presence of sound. However, the actual words “BANG!” and “CRASH!” in a comic do not make a sound either. They are simply a series of symbols ordered in a way that visually mimics a sound. Still, if we follow that line of logic, why is it that those series of alphabetic symbols in particular suggest sound? Why can the tree in and of itself not symbolize the sound? Are there other symbols and visual tools that comic creators utilize to depict sound in their narratives? Answering these questions is the focus of this digital exhibit on depictions of sound in comics. 

As the question about the tree and the words “BANG!”  and “CRASH!” illustrate, there is a clear interplay between the visual and aural senses in comics. A common term for the fluid and ambiguous nature of sound in comics is “intermedial,” which means a sense of existing in between more definite concepts (Blin-Rolland 2). Comics scholars label words and images that exemplify this interaction with a variety of signifiers, such as “imagetexts,” “multimedia texts,” and “polyphonic forms of art” (Pischedda 108). Such interplay is further complicated when these words are manipulated to mimic or augment the visuals of the comic, such as when sharp, pointed emphasis lines accompany the word “BANG!” during a depiction of an explosion. As Linguistics Professor Pier Simone Pischedda explains, “the way in which the pictures are positioned, their shape and the font and color of the text convey semantic information” in order to “‘strike the senses’” through these deliberate visual stylings (108). These visual depictions of sound serve a variety of purposes, such as supplementing the plot, environment, or sense of realism of a scene, characterizing figures within a story, or filling in gaps left by the visuals. In addition, a sound in a comic can either be “diegetic,” which is a sound heard and understood within the world of the story, or “non-diegetic,” which is a sound that is not heard within the world of the story but instead serves a purpose for the audience (Summers 137).

Thus, the purpose of this exhibit is to explore both the variance in depictions and the variance in purposes for sound in comics. The content for this exhibit is divided into three main areas: Music, Sound Effects, and Disability and Sound. The first two groups categorize two of the most prominent forms of sound found in comics. Music in comics can range from instruments to lyrics and musicians to singers. Sound Effects, also known as onomatopoeia (which is a word formed from the sound with which it is associated), vary in terms of the comic’s genre, cultural contexts, and national origin. The last category, Disability and Sound, examines the intersection between depictions of sound in comics and comics that discuss aural and visual disability. The section considers how sound, as well as communication in general, shifts in its depictions of sound when compared to comics that are not about disability, as well as provides examples of comics in both visual and audio formats.

Note: This exhibit is accessible with a screen reader.

  • Horn players wearing helmets blow into their instruments. The text box at the top says, "as a trio of Asgardian trumpeters sound the call to combat." The sound effect tup-roo appears in bright red at the bottom.
  • A car sits on top of a snowy hill with rocks around it. A figure in red says, “Mother! What are you doing here?” to Sam, a woman teleporting above the ground and surrounded by puffs of air and lightning. Sam says, “The question is, what are you doing here??” and a “poof!” sound effect accompanies her.
  • Nova, a girl with a hearing aid, watches a ghost speak to two women in a kitchen. Nova turns up the volume on her hearing aids, indicated through a picture of a volume button. The ghost says, “How could you let her stay here? The three of us talked about it. We agreed it was best. All witches leave home!”

Exhibit Navigation

Music
Much like a drummer in a band, music …
Sound Effects
Sound effects are perhaps the most well-known forms …
Disability and Sound
Comics as a medium intersect frequently with conversations …
Bibliography
This page provides the formal references and citations …
Credits and About the Curator
This page provides credit to the creators of …
A series of four panels. The first panel Barney, a man in green pointing at Clint, a man in purple with bandages on his head while they sit in a cab. Clint looks at Barney and then leaves the cab in panel three. Barney stays in the car and a blank speech bubble with jagged lines comes from his mouth. Surrounding the panels there are four images of sign language translations. The first translation is a figure moving their hands downward with their pinkies and thumbs extended. The second translation is a figure with their palms open and moving. The third translation is a man pointing. The fourth image is a figure moving their hand from their forehead to their chest to connect with their other hand.
A figure with an exposed chest, a cheetah print jacket, and elongated fangs screams out, “I gon- owww!” Two arrows hit this figure’s chest with a “Zzzzz-Tunk” sound effect. A figure in the lower half of the image says,” wha- who-?!”
Three band mates of the band the Bingoes dance around a house and sing “Here we come, all gay and jolly to see Samantha Smythe, by golly!” A man with white hair runs away from them and yells, “Good grief!” A drummer plays drumsticks on his bandmate’s head and it makes “Dum Thump Dum” noises.
A tall man with large muscles wearing a tank-top says, “Thanks, kid. Now get the hell out of here.” A figure wearing a mask with glowing red eyes says, “and take care of the others.” Behind them, Nightcrawler appears in a purple blast of light with the sound effect “Bamf”
Shoya, a boy who sweats and has narrowed eyebrows, moves his hand rapidly as he communicates through sign language. He communicates, “Tokyo’s a scary place! There’s a lot of crime! Tons of murders! If you go there all alone…! You’ll be hassled by weirdos! ” His translated words appear in spiked word balloons.
A series of four panels depicting close-up shots of a car crash. The first panel features shattering window glass and the onomatopoeia, “Ptoom” The second panel is a close-up of a face saying, “Aieee” The third panel is a car tire on pavement with the sound effect, "Screee” The final panel has two figures speaking in German. One person says, “Das mit dem dlitzlight vergesse ich der nie!” and another figure responds, “Aber Klar, ben.”
A series of seven “BLAM” sounds written in a scratchy, black and white font with large red splotches behind the text. The last “BLAM” has a figure named Popmwaster with hands and legs spread wide within the gap of the letter “A”
Batman picks up a joker playing card and then stares at it before placing it on a table with a “fnap” sound effect. There is a photograph of a group of superheroes on the desk next to the playing card.
The cover of the Hawkeye #19 comic. A series of orange and red hexagons against a white background with Clint carrying a gun interspersed within the hexagons.
A series of figures painted in Cubist style, including the superhero Echo wearing a brown dress and the superhero Daredevil wearing his red suit and red horned helmet. The text boxes across the image read, “Color must be what sound is like if you can hear. And some painters know how to put the colors in just the right way… so that I imagine it is like music.”