Comic Strip / Comics

How Do You Cite a Comic Strip in MLA?

In academic writing, it is essential to give credit to the sources you use, including comic strips. When citing a comic strip in MLA format, there are specific guidelines you need to follow.

Format:

The general format for citing a comic strip in MLA is as follows:

Last name, First name of the comic strip creator. “Title of Comic Strip.” Title of Publication (italicized), Date (Day Month Year): page number or range.

Example:

Watterson, Bill. “Calvin and Hobbes.” The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (italicized), 2005: 19-20.

Steps to Cite a Comic Strip in MLA

Step 1: Identify the Creator

The first step in citing a comic strip is to identify the creator. This information is usually found on the first or last panel of the comic strip. In some cases, you may need to do some research to find out who created the comic strip.

Step 2: Write the Creator’s Name

Once you have identified the creator of the comic strip, write their last name followed by their first name. If there are multiple creators, list them in the order they appear on the comic strip.

Step 3: Title of Comic Strip

The next step is to write the title of the comic strip in quotation marks. Make sure that you use proper capitalization for any proper nouns or titles.

Step 4: Title of Publication

After writing the title of the comic strip, include the title of publication in italicized font. This refers to where you found or read this particular comic strip.

Step 5: Date and Page Number(s)

Finally, include both date and page number(s) of the comic strip. The date should be in the format of Day Month Year and the page number(s) should be written in Arabic numerals.

Examples

Here are some examples of how to cite different types of comic strips:

Single Panel Comic Strip

Last name, First name.” Title of Publication (italicized), Date (Day Month Year): page number.

Example: Larson, Gary. “The Far Side.” The Seattle Times (italicized), 1 April 1982: C11.

Comic Strip from a Newspaper

Example: Schulz, Charles M. “Peanuts.” The Washington Post (italicized), 5 September 1954: C4.

Online Comic Strip

Last name, First name.” Title of Website (italicized), Date (Day Month Year), URL.

Example: McCloud, Scott. “Understanding Comics.” Scott McCloud.com (italicized), 1993, https://scottmccloud.com/1993/09/09/understanding-comics/.

Conclusion

Citing a comic strip in MLA is not difficult if you follow the guidelines outlined above. It’s important to give credit to the sources you use in your academic writing and citing comic strips is no exception. By using proper citation methods, you can ensure that your writing is accurate and credible while avoiding plagiarism concerns.