In the few works on the translation of comics the issues related to the humorous dimension tend to be limited to verbal humour, i.e. playing with names and puns. The examples are almost always taken from “linguistically demanding” comics such as Astérix or Tintin. This contribution sketches an approach which encompasses not only the verbal but also the non verbal dimension of humour in comics. After a short discussion of the various multimodal forms of humour in comics and possible translation strategies the article focuses on the semiotic complexity of plays on verbal and nonverbal signs, in order to provide a comprehensive account of humour the article also explores visual comic techniques e.g. pictorial intertextuality and visual allusions and discusses briefly the comic potentials of typography and onomatopoeia.