Published: 2025-12-30

Color in Comics – Functions and Research Perspectives

Matylda Sęk-Iwanek
Kultura Media Teologia
Section: peer-reviewed article
https://doi.org/10.21697/kmt.2025.64.04

Abstract

The article examines color functions in comics, which should be regarded as a fundamental component of the medium’s sign system. From a perspective of media linguistics, the text proposes a typology of six color functions: affective, narrative, symbolic, diegetic, structural, and material. Each function operates at a different level of the work – from direct impact on readers’ emotions through the construction of plot and cultural meanings to material dimensions of publication. The article contributes to advanced research on color in comics, based on a review of theoretical approaches from recent decades. It proposes research tools for analyzing specific comic texts, emphasizing the necessity of a transdisciplinary approach.

Keywords:

comics, color, color functions, media linguistics, semiotics, visual analysis

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Citation rules

Sęk-Iwanek, Matylda. “Color in Comics – Functions and Research Perspectives”. Kultura Media Teologia, vol. 4, no. 64, Dec. 2025, pp. 53–65 , doi:10.21697/kmt.2025.64.04.

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