How have we changed our definitions of the comic form over time?

Before starting class last week I didn’t know a thing about comics apart from the occasional Marvel or DC film. I knew that comics were books that were heavy on the art and light on the prose. Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics explained the who, what, where, when, and why as it pertains to the development and creation of a comic. After each assigned reading, I became more and more interested in the process of how comics work and the story that is beneath the words and pictures on each page. I found it very interesting that although the creator assigns the art and words to each page, the reader is “an accomplice” in determining the meaning. I don’t think I would be able to pick up a comic, now, and skim the pages without dissecting every inch of the page—for example, spacing, wording, color, use of symbols, etc. I used to think comics where the pictures were the primary texts; whether a reader paid attention to the prose or not was unbeknownst to me. I would never read the words; I always flipped through the pictures and called it a day. Now, I imagine I will take my time and examine each page and appreciate the story.