▁Ch es ler ▁started ▁a ▁com ics ▁studio , ▁which ▁eventually ▁at ▁its ▁height ▁employed ▁ 4 0 ▁artists ▁working ▁for ▁ 5 0 ▁different ▁publish ers ▁who ▁helped ▁make ▁the ▁com ics ▁medium ▁fl our ish ▁in ▁" the ▁Golden ▁Age ▁of ▁Comics " ▁after ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁. ▁In ▁the ▁post - war ▁era ▁modern ▁Japanese ▁com ics ▁began ▁to ▁fl our ish ▁when ▁Os am u ▁Te zu ka ▁produced ▁a ▁pro l ific ▁body ▁of ▁work . T ow ards ▁the ▁close ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁these ▁three ▁trad itions ▁conver ged ▁in ▁a ▁tr end ▁towards ▁book - length ▁com ics : ▁the ▁com ic ▁album ▁in ▁Europe , ▁the ▁ ▁in ▁Japan , ▁and ▁the ▁graph ic ▁novel ▁in ▁the ▁English - spe aking ▁countries . ▁ ▁Out side ▁of ▁these ▁gene alog ies , ▁com ics ▁the or ists ▁and ▁histor ians ▁have ▁seen ▁preced ents ▁for ▁com ics ▁in ▁the ▁L asc aux ▁cave ▁paint ings ▁in ▁France ▁( some ▁of ▁which ▁appear ▁to ▁be ▁chron ological ▁sequences ▁of ▁images ), ▁Egypt ian ▁hier og lyph s , ▁Tra jan ' s ▁Column ▁in ▁Rome , ▁the ▁ 1 1 th - century ▁Norman ▁Bay e ux ▁T apest ry , ▁the ▁ 1 3 7 0 ▁ ▁wood cut , ▁the ▁ 1 5 th - century ▁ ▁and ▁block ▁books , ▁Michel ang elo ' s ▁The ▁Last ▁Jud gment ▁in ▁the ▁S ist ine ▁Chap el , ▁and