komiksie

Komiks is a form of sequential art that uses a series of panels to tell stories through a combination of images and text. In Polish usage, komiks encompasses a wide range of formats—from newspaper strips and magazine serials to book-length graphic novels and digital webcomics. The medium draws on international traditions, notably Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées, American comics, and, since the late 20th century, Japanese manga, while developing its own local vocabulary and authors.

Polish komiks has a long history dating from early 20th-century translations and locally produced strips in newspapers. After World War II, the genre grew through magazines and youth-oriented publications, evolving through censorship-era constraints and later liberalization. From the 1960s onward, Polish creators produced enduring series and stand-alone works, expanding the audience beyond children to adult readers. The 1990s and 2000s saw diversification of formats, with independent artists, self-publishing, and online platforms broadening the field.

Formats range from short humor strips to multi-volume adventures and graphic novels. Common genres include humor, adventure and fantasy, science fiction, crime, and autobiographical works. Visual storytelling techniques include panel grids, speech balloons, captions, and varied pacing and layout to guide reader engagement.

Notable Polish contributors include Papcio Chmiel (Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek), Janusz Christa (Kajko i Kokosz), and Grzegorz Rosinski, the Polish-born artist of Thorgal, created with Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme. These creators helped establish Poland as an important center in European comics and inspired subsequent generations.