Iconicity in the visual lexicons of comics

Abstract Pictures are stereotypically associated with iconicity—they often resemble what they mean. However, this iconicity may make pictures appear as if they are structurally simple and easy to understand, while confusion about the orthogonal nature of signification and conventionality has led to misperceptions about the structural properties of pictures. This chapter argues that the iconicity of graphics holds greater complexity than most believe by focusing on the visual lexicons used in comics. Even the most stereotypical iconicity of pictures involves conventional forms that interact to construct meaningful representations, and visual lexicons involve structural properties akin to lexicons of other modalities. Altogether, this work reinforces the complexity of the graphic modality and of iconicity itself.