oldest comic is from Glasgow...

[sheridan]

I agree that the cave paintings could almost be considered comic art, and that the combination of hieroglyphs and pictures can are a good claim.  There's a few sculptures in the British Museum the lower half of which are covered in Akkadian characters, though there doesn't seem to be much interaction between the text and the images.   The earliest indisputable claim I can think of is Trajan's Column - tells a story in a series of pictures, in a manner similar to the Bayeux Tapestry, though in stone.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Of course, the oldest comic reader is from Edinburgh.

[Steven Denton]

Q: Here's a good pub quiz question: what was the world's first comic?

The Bayeux Tapestry?

No speech bubbles!

I've read plenty of modern comics with either no text or solely captions.

[sheridan]

Q: Here's a good pub quiz question: what was the world's first comic?

The Bayeux Tapestry?

No speech bubbles!

I've read plenty of modern comics with either no text or solely captions.

I did think for a moment about posting regarding Trajan's Column as that doesn't have captions (though the Bayeux Tapestry most definitely does, though they call it titulus, instead of fumetti, bubbles or balloons).  Bryan Talbot calls it "the first known British comic strip".

[Steven Denton]

Comics Evolved rather than popping up fully formed so attempting to define a clear 'first' or start point is impossible. You either add all the criteria of modern comics, excluding plenty of modern comics by narrowing the description or you open the criteria out to sequential narrative art, and accept things like the Bayeux Tapestry.     

[Proudhuff]

Of course, the oldest comic reader is from Edinburgh.

I'll have you know John McShane's a weegee!

[Colin YNWA]

Comics Evolved rather than popping up fully formed so attempting to define a clear 'first' or start point is impossible. You either add all the criteria of modern comics, excluding plenty of modern comics by narrowing the description or you open the criteria out to sequential narrative art, and accept things like the Bayeux Tapestry.   

We're back to the sci-fi discussion....

[Hawkmumbler]

Comics Evolved rather than popping up fully formed so attempting to define a clear 'first' or start point is impossible. You either add all the criteria of modern comics, excluding plenty of modern comics by narrowing the description or you open the criteria out to sequential narrative art, and accept things like the Bayeux Tapestry.   

We're back to the sci-fi discussion....

Lascauex is a pre-Miller Millerism...

[Dog Deever]

Giotto di Bondone's Scrovengi chapel stuff is worth a mention in the development of comics. Sueno's stone at Forres has several narrative panels that tell a story circa 10th Century, probably. Also- Trajan's Column... ah wait, already mentioned- apologies.