Comic

A comic is a person who tries to make people laugh as part of an art form. They can be Stand-up, Improv, Sketch, or any other artist who deals directly with an audience. Your buddy Jim from work may be funny, but that does not make him a comic.

Functionally, the terms comic and comedian can be used interchangeably. A suggested difference between the two terms is that a comic tells jokes as part of an art, whereas a comedian is an artist. An analogy might be a person who plays guitar contrasted against a musician.