Comic book terms glossary

Visual glossary of terms used in comic book grading this. A convention of comic book dealers, publishers, creators, and fans. Time graphic novels and comic books do not have to tell a story in a linear way. A comic book that is from a widely known original owner collection.

I put together the following list of terms, for the use of my students at indiana university, bloomington and at the university of louisville, over the more than a decade that i have been teaching courses on comics. This is part 1 in a crash course on comic book lingo that will help you navigate the comic book store or that pile of old comics in the garage. This is a glossary of terms related to comic books. Balloons are frequently rounded, but can take many shapes including rectangular. A cover of a comic book where a photograph was used for the artwork instead of or in conjunction with a line drawing. A comic book or pamphlet is the traditional periodical form most people are familiar with. Others again define it as a book with a squarebound spine, even if it is a collection of short strips. Besides the use of transitions between panels artists can explore multiple moments in one panel, like a collage. Text containers balloons aka speech balloons, bubbles the objects that are used to contain the dialogue that the characters in the comic speak. Cosplay when fans dress up as characters at anime conventions. Glossary of comics terminology buffyverse wiki fandom. Glossary of comic book collection terms this glossary of comic book terms can help those unfamiliar with comic book terms so that they can join in the comic book conversation. Visual glossary of terms used in comic book grading. Posted in, editorials tagged back issue, back wall, comic book gutter, comic book rating, comic book rating all ages, comic book rating mature readers, comic book store, comic book supplies, comic shop locator, crossover, glossary of terms, graphic novel definition, graphic novels, independent comics, one shot comic book.

The sidekick has the literary function of playing against the hero, often contrasting in skill, asking the questions the reader would ask, or performing functions not. A more complete guide to book sizes, book conditions and binding terms can be found through the aforementioned links. See the superhero nationspecific glossary here arc. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. As defined by scott mccloud in understanding comics, comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other imag.

A brief glossary of comic book terminology sciencedirect. Welcome to a new installment of comic book glossary. At long last, we present to you the glossary of comic book terms. As a result of the search i came up with the following site. This page gives you the basic comic book grading definitions and 10 point scale, and a glossary of grading termslingo. Writer the writer is responsible for the script that the artist penciller, inker, colourist, letterer, etc.

Panel a panel refers to one of the boxes on a comic book page. We know comics can be confusing, and part of clarifying it is defining the vernacular for new readers. It occurred to me one day that, just like in any industry, inside the comic shop we speak our very own language. Panel a panel is one of the boxes on the page of a comic book. A comic book can stand on its own or be a part of a series. A comic book, also known as a comic or floppy, is a periodical, normally thin in size and stapled together.

Each box tells a piece of the story on the page and move the plot along. Greetings, loyal cubers, and welcome to the index for comic book glossary. Minicomic a comic or fanzine that is smaller than the conventional comic book size. Otaku a term used to describe diehard fans of anime and manga outside of japan. Still others have used the term to distance their work from the negative connotations the terms comic or comic book have for the public, or to give their work an elevated air. Several different processes that reduce acidity in paper. A series is also sometimes called a title, which refers to the entire series, not a single, discrete unit.

The comicraft glossary of lettering terms balloon tales. A comic book cover overlaid with a ridged plastic sheet such that the special artwork underneath appears to move when the cover is tilted at different angles perpendicular to the ridges. A tpb which reprints comic books in a smaller, resized format. This can include, but is not limited to, comic book art published and unpublished, convention sketches, pinups, color. In comic book media, the term sidekick most commonly refers to assistants of superheroes, usually in a crimefighting capacity.

Below youll find a list of a number of different terms that are broken up into different categories to help things make more sense. Buying and selling comic books is more complicated than one would expect. Panel refers to one block or square on a comic strip or on a page in a comic book. Comic as a singular noun is sometimes used to refer to individual comics periodicals, what are known in north america as comic books. Comic book daily terms of use please read very carefully these terms of use before reading, commenting on, downloading, copying, reproducing, altering materials of any kind, subscribing to, and linking to collectively using this website. Second, the goal of this site is to offer people a resource that goes beyond and wikipedia. Generally these comics are handmade, selfpublished with small print runs. Learn about the formats and definitions for comics and read our glossary of comic terms. The list was put together mostly from notions in common use in the comics industry, terms in scott mcclouds understanding comics which i used as a textbook, terms adapted from film and literary studies, and new terms i have introduced myself for notions that seemed particularly important in my teaching.

For new readers, getting into comic books can be a bit daunting, so to help you out, we have collected a glossary of terms to help you better understand the terminologies used when it comes to this great medium. The term comics in this context does not refer to comic strips such as peanuts or dilbert. So here we are, providing definitions for some comics terms. First, its not in the context of comic book continuity. A comic book is a magazine or book containing sequential art in the form of a narrative. As defined by scott mccloud in understanding comics, comics are juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence. Home rare books book collecting guide abebooks glossary of book terms. The cca was the comic book equivalent of the mpaa rating. A glossary of basic comics terms we know comics can be confusing, and part of clarifying it is defining the vernacular for new readers.

Because many fans may be unfamiliar with these terms, this article gives an overview of the most important terms used on this wiki. A glossary of comic book terminology creator resource. Comic books have a greater variety of units of encapsulation than comic strips, including the panel, the page, the spread, and inset panels. Now all you have to do is check the comicraft glossary of lettering terms from air to zigzag tail, theyre all here. In my, very likely fruitless, efforts to expand the market and fandom of comic books beyond their large and small screen adaptations im going to wind up using a lot of comic book slang terms this is because shorthand is the way that english functions in conversational language. The term comic or comic book or comic title itself can ambiguously refer to various formats in which comics are published. An international glossary of comic terms infoplease. Original comic art a broad term used to describe a piece of art that is related to comic books. Graphic weight this term is used to discuss the amount of contrast in an image. Panels offer a different experience than simply reading text. The spatial arrangement allows an immediate juxtaposition of the present.

It is sometimes applied to works that fit this description even though they are serialized in traditional comic book format. This list of terms breaks down the different roles within a comic book, commonly referred to as the creative team. A distinct segment of the comic, containing a combination of image and text in endless variety. Short for trade paperback although some trades are also available in hardcover, a trade is a reprinting of anywhere from 412 issues of a monthly comic book, though six is the standard. Glossary of comics terminology hey kids comics wiki fandom. The artist who does the original line drawings of the comic book. Be acquainted with common terms used in comic book collecting terms and definitions in comic book grading if there is one important thing you should know immediately, then comic book grading comes first. It is recommended to read comic writing tips for beginners before exploring the comic terminology list of terms for comic terminology.

It is the key to understanding the hobby of comic book collecting, or any hobby that involves collecting valuables and antiquity, and dealing with people in the comics industry with success. The buyer needs to know exactly what condition each book is in, as the slightest imperfection can have a major impact on value you might be familiar with general grading terms like mint mt, very good vg, and poor pr. Platinum age comics published from approximately 19001938. A complete glossary of comic book condition abbreviations. Wevedone a comics glossary before on video, but for those of you who prefer print, weve got you covered. If you plan to start writing comics, it is important to have information about comic terminology.

Weve done a comics glossary before on video, but for those of you who prefer print, weve got you covered. What you might not be aware of, however, is that there are many more gradients on the. Roles within the comic book publication process all of these people work as a team to create a comic book. Hand lettering using pens, pencils and brushes to create comic book lettering. Our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar bookrelated terms. It can all get a bit confusing for someone new to comic books. Griffin griffin is a recent graduate of the university of wash ington graduate school of library and information sci ence, seattle, wa 98195. Letterer john workman likes to put a lot of air in his.

Creative roles within a comic book creation all of these people collaborate together to make a comic book. They typically have smooth edges, but can also have jagged or irregular edges. A oneissue only comic, also referred to as standalone issues. The term is commonly used to disassociate works from the juvenile or humorous connotations of the terms comics and comic book, implying that the work is more serious, mature, or literary than traditional comics.

Familiarizing the terms used in comics is essential. Although the term implies otherwise, the subject matter in comic books is not necessarily humorous, and in fact its dramatic seriousness varies widely. List of terms for comics studies by andrei molotiu 26 jul. Letter col or letter column a feature in a comic book that prints and sometimes responds to letters written by its readers. A squarebound comic book reprinting other comic books. A glossary of comic book terminology for this weeks how to get into comics, i wanted to cover something that can confuse a lot of people. List of terms for comics studies by andrei molotiu. Comic books, like most subjects, use many specialized terms. This glossary of comic book terms aims to help those unfamiliar with the comic book lingo so that they can join in the conversation. After the grading scale section theres a glossary list of common terms used for defects and other grading criteria you should know too. Comic are visual art presented in a sequential manner.