1580s, "a comedic writer;" 1610s, "a comedic actor or singer," from comic (adj.). The Latin adjective comicus also meant "a comedic poet, writer of comedies." Meaning "an entertainer who tells jokes, etc." is by 1952.
Comics for comedic illustrations in cards, newspapers, etc. is from 1890. Comic strip first attested 1914; comic book "a publication that consists of comic art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes" [Wikipedia] is from 1941 (the phrase was used from the 1880s to denote humorous books, some of which consisted entirely of captioned illustrations).