Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

Comics are a medium used to express ideas by images, often combined with text or other visual information. Comics frequently takes the form of juxtaposed sequences of panels of images. Often textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia indicate dialogue, narration, sound effects, or other information. Size and arrangement of panels contribute to narrative pacing. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration are the most common image-making means in comics; fumetti is a form which uses photographic images. Common forms of comics include comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, and comic books. Since the late 20th century, bound volumes such as graphic novels, comics albums, and tankōbon have become increasingly common, and online webcomics have proliferated in the 21st century. 

The history of comics has followed different paths in different cultures. Scholars have posited a pre-history as far back as the Lascaux cave paintings. By the mid-20th century, comics flourished particularly in the United States, western Europe (especially in France and Belgium), and Japan. The history of European comics is often traced to Rodolphe Töpffer's cartoon strips of the 1830s, and became popular following the success in the 1930s of strips and books such as The Adventures of Tintin. American comics emerged as a mass medium in the early 20th century with the advent of newspaper comic strips; magazine-style comic books followed in the 1930s, in which the superhero genre became prominent after Superman appeared in 1938. Histories of Japanese comics and cartooning (manga) propose origins as early as the 12th century. Modern comic strips emerged in Japan in the early 20th century, and the output of comics magazines and books rapidly expanded in the post-World War II era with the popularity of cartoonists such as Osamu Tezuka. Comics has had a lowbrow reputation for much of its history, but towards the end of the 20th century began to find greater acceptance with the public and in academia.

1. What is a medium used to express ideas by images?
2. Are these images often combined with other information?
3. What kind of information?
4. How many kinds of textual devices are often used?
5. What contributes to narrative pacing?
6. What is the most common image making means?
7. Which form uses photographic images?
8. When did graphic novels become common?
9. What about webcomics?
10. Has the history of comics followed the same paths in different cultures?
11. Where have scholars postited comic pre-history to?
12. Did comics flourish in western Europe in the mid 20th century?
13. Any place in particular?
14. Any other places?
15. Where is European comics traced to?
16. When did they become popular?
17. What was a popular comic book during that time?
18. When were magazine style comic books emerging?
19. Did this lead to the popularity of the superhero genre?
20. Which superhero spawned this surge?

Numbered answers:
1. Comics
2. yes
3. text or other visual information.
4. six
5. Size and arrangement of panels
6. Cartooning and similar forms of illustration
7. fumetti
8. Since the late 20th century
9. in the 21st century.
10. no
11. the Lascaux cave paintings.
12. yes
13. (especially in France and Belgium)
14. The United States and Japan
15. Rodolphe Töpffer's cartoon strips of the 1830s,
16. in the 1930s
17. The Adventures of Tintin.
18. the 1930s
19. yes
20. Superman