This paper is an introductory study in the imaginary of graphic novels and their role in the evolution of contemporary popular culture. On the other hand, this is not only a history of comic strips and their yellow journalism resources, but it provides an understanding of the social impact of these very specific forms of visual expression. The discussion of the impact the "fantasy-and-phantasms-producing machine" of the comics had on the public imaginary moves from the "codes" of the comic books to the fundamental idea of "auterism". From an applied interpretation on comic strips, done in correlation with the "auteur theory", comes a description of the roots of the "comics environment".
