However, today the comic industry has evolved from the illustration of simple comic strips to the development of graphic novels that aid readers in understanding the art. Comic artists employ many techniques to illustrate comics, but one of immense importance is the utilization of icons. The most important icons in comic illustration are pictures. This means that pictures can range from complex images such as realistic pictures to simple, abstract images such as cartoons. Therefore, the varying degrees of pictures are divided into two parts realistic and cartoons pictures.
Realistic pictures are similar to photographs, closely resembling their actual images.
Artists pay close attention to the exact features of an object when portraying these pictures. On the other hand, cartoon pictures are more iconic because they focus less on exact features of an object. Cartoon icons do not possess a specific identity, and for this reason, numerous interpretations may be applied. Their simplified structure allows readers to focus more on the meaning of the image rather than specific details. McCloud relates this theory to an action movie in his book.