The Evolution of Speech Balloons

nHumanities loves graphic novels and the less sophisticated comics from which they sprang. We agree with the late Louise M. Rosenblatt, who held the position--early and radically--that reading comics was actually good for children.

Consequently, we were gratified recently to find that Andy's Early Comics Archive has an online exhibit tracing the evolution of the speech balloon. The precursors of speech balloons--speechbands, flags, scrolls or sheets of paper--appear in early art. Consider this example which pictures the Earl of Moray, who was assassinated (1591, anon, English) :