It seems we have transitioned from the nostalgic charm of newspaper comics to the instantaneous gratification of internet memes. Michelle Ann Abate of The Ohio State University sees memes in a different, perhaps more scholarly light—they might just be the digital age's answer to comics. In a recent article in INKS: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society spring issue, Abate suggests that memes, much like their comic strip forebears, employ a dance of visual and verbal elements that deliver the punchline.
"Memes use a lot of the same visual and verbal elements that go into a comic, and those elements function in a very similar way. So yes, memes should absolutely be considered a type of comic," Abate, a professor of literature for children and young adults, told the Ohio State University News. There's a clear lineage, if you will, connecting the quips of yesterday's newspaper panels to today's meme culture, suggesting that perhaps Garfield has more in common with Grumpy Cat than we initially thought.
In both mediums, the magic happens at the intersection of imagery and text, one without the other often results in a joke lost in translation. While traditional comic artists craft both aspects, meme creators play with pre-existing images—a process not unlike musical sampling—adding their unique twist to a universally understood visual context. It's in the use of these "image macros," as Abate posits, that we find the essence of meme magic and its tie to the broader, historical comic narrative.
However, there are elements that differentiate memes from their paper and ink ancestors. Memes, designed for a digital environment, typically stack panels vertically, a layout critically conducive to mobile consumption a per Abate's explanation in INKS. The "American Chopper" meme is cited as a prime example where the vertical sequence not only accommodates the digital medium but also emphasizes the meme's argumentative structure. It is "that momentary delay that shifts the exchange from two people simply yelling at each other to two people debating each other," she observed, as stated by OSU News.
Scott McCloud, who previously touched upon digital comics' boundless possibilities in his book "Reinventing Comics," might not have foreseen the meme's adaptation of his "infinite canvas" concept. Yet, as Abate explains, memes sustain the same expanse in the shape of limitless reinterpretations rather than expansive physical size. This deep well of creative fodder guarantees the meme's place in our cultural conversation, well beyond a fleeting trend in the vast ocean of internet ephemera. Abate concludes, saying via Ohio State University News, "Memes have become such an important part of our lexicon in the 21st century. They are part of how we communicate, part of our sense of humor, and a key way that we connect with each other."
