In his 1993 book Understanding Comics, Scott
McCloud gives his definition of the word "comics":
comics (kom'iks) n. plural in form, used with a singular verb. Juxtaposed
pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey
information and/or produce an aesthetic response in the viewer. (p. 9)
http://www.humblecomics.com/comicsedu/intro.html