International comic books comic books of a nonenglish format. Most of the more popular newspaper comic strips eventually are collected over a varying period of time and published in book form. It can vary in amount of issues it combines, but not exceed roughly 12 comic books. Comic books, like most subjects, use many specialized terms. Babe test a lost but not forgotten thread greggy defies any definition soti seduction of the innocent the title of a book written by dr. You can think of the grade of a comic book like a grade on a report card. These are the most actively sold comics over the past couple months. With those evolutions come new terms and definitions as they relate to trading cards. Comic books can be stored in a special comic books box, which can be purchased at comic books stores or online. In this ongoing series we take a look at and breakdown commonly used comic book terminology. Apr 22, 2012 epic comic book collection haul bronze age ebay mystery box unboxing key issue finds video duration.
A comic book or comicbook, also called comic magazine or simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. While many collectors collect comics for the stories or the art, some collectors choose to collect comics for profit. A book from the stan lee or forrest ackerman collection would be an. Text containers balloons aka speech balloons, bubbles the objects that are used to contain the dialogue that the characters in the comic speak. With the development of original characters such as superman, they became recognized as a medium in their own right, and with.
Glossary of comic terms find common terms and definitions related to. 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. The fox hunt villain known as the mad gadgeteer would prefer to be referred to as simply the gadgeteer, with mad giving off such an insane connotation and all ghost rider antagonist and legacy character the allnew orb literally always refers to himself with that full phrase. It combines a large amount of comic books into one thick book. Gocollect can now put you in touch with highly respected buyers and sellers in the comic book industry. Fredrick wertham that warned that comic books were a bad form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. Graphic novel often a fancier term for collected edition but can also be.
In other words, it takes a dealer time to sort, bag, board and price any comic book. More than 48,000 attended denver comic con last weekend, up 20,000. Slang an illusional grade given to comics on ebay by sellers that either dont know how to grade or more than likely want to scam the ignorant buyer into believing that actually have a nm graded book. A glossary of comic book terminology creator resource.
Adult material contains story andor art for mature readers. Cgc registry term for a period of comic book publishing that. A brief glossary of comic book terminology sciencedirect. Comic books originally were published as a means to redistribute comic strips.
Comic as a singular noun is sometimes used to refer to individual comics periodicals, what are known in north america as comic books. A work whose authenticity or authorship is in doubt. A comic book or pamphlet is the traditional periodical form most people are familiar with. A comic book can stand on its own or be a part of a series. A series can be an ongoing, meaning it runs until the publisher decides to cancel it, or a miniseries with a set number of issues at the outset. Information and translations of comic book collecting in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. This can include, but is not limited to, comic book art published and unpublished, convention sketches, pinups, color. This highly remarkable vintage collection of comics from 1936 to 1940s remains one of the earliest and most impressive pedigrees today, containing some of the rarest comic books in the golden age.
Panel a panel refers to one of the boxes on a comic book page. A term that describes the way some images draw the eye more than others, creating a definite focus using color and shading in various ways including. An omnibus is usually the entirety or a significant part of a run, which differentiates it from a trade. Definition of comic book collecting in the definitions. The collecting of new comic books post the speculation bust of the 1990s basically disappeared. A floppy is a generalized term for a short floppy comic.
Aug 24, 2017 the other definition of volume refers to how a publisher numbers its trades. Below youll find a list of a number of different terms that are broken up into different categories to help things make more sense. When comic book publishers began mailing comics directly to monthly subscribers they would simply fold the. Glossary of sports cards terms and definitions it seems as if the hobby of collecting sports cards and entertainment trading cards is one that continues to evolve yearafteryear. Some would have its use restricted only to longform narratives, while at the other extreme are people who use it as a synonym for comics or comic book.
It pays to become familiar with the basic descriptive terms used by used and rare booksellers to communicate a particular book s condition. Two page spread when the comic book art spills over into two pages. Definitions of comic collecting slang and terms comics. All of these people collaborate together to make a.
Graphic novel is a term whose definition is hard to pin down, but usually refers to selfcontained, book length form. Identifying and collecting first editions shop for books. Though considerably more recent than the collecting of postage stamps or books bibliophilia, it has a major following around the world today and is partially responsible for the increased interest in comics after the temporary slump experienced during the 1980s. Still others have used the term to distance their work from the. 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. A high grade, like an a or mint, is good, while a low grade. 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. That 2011 series is also called volume 3but marvel released the first six issues as daredevil volume 1, the next six as volume 2, etc. We know comics can be confusing, and part of clarifying it is defining the vernacular for new readers. The following are terms that are commonly used in the comic book industry, as well as. A series is also sometimes called a title, which refers to the entire series, not a single, discrete unit. The minimum price is not a real reflection of market value. In the uk, the term comic book is used to refer to american comic books by their readers and collectors, while the general populace would mainly consider a comic book a hardcover book collecting comics stories. My definition of polyphony as it applies to the comics medium, probably borrowed from the 2006 version of this list on, was used verbatim, without attribution, in a 2010 monograph.
A trade paperback or tpb is a collected edition of a comic book series arc. A collectible is an item that is worth far more than it was originally sold for because of its rarity andor popular demand. Floppies physical comic books as opposed to trade paperbacks or digital comics. Comic book price guides, like overstreet, have a minimum price for comic books. The depths of which you go to collect and protect that collection can be widely different.
While long term price trends are all up, in the last three months prices have dropped steeply on almost all grades. Comic books grouped together into categories according to subject matter. Comic book, bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. Glossary of comics terminology hey kids comics wiki fandom. I think this book will always be a long term hold in the comic book collecting. You dont have to have superhuman strength or xray vision to appreciate comic books and to yearn to collect and preserve the graphic stories of childhood and beyond. A cover that is recognized by the industry as being an excellent example of its kind. Collecting comic books is an inherent part of buying comic books. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialog contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. When considering the purchase of a book for your collection, the condition and, if applicable, the dust jacket are the most important factors affecting the value. Boxes with comic books should be stored away from direct sunlight and humidity. Omnibus is a collection of a large amount of comic books. A term used by the hobby for a book graded as mint 10.
Discovered in 1977 in denver, colorado, the collection contains over 22,000 well preserved old comic books in high grade. Word balloon a word balloon surrounds the dialogue that a. These comics are read right to left, opposed to left to right like western comics. A graphic novel is longer and is usually a single story. For a long time the 90s, comics speculation was huge. Trade paperbacks a collection of comic books stories reprinted in a book format usually recapturing one story arc. It can refer to an issue, but it usually refers to a standalone story comic run. The term grade is used to describe what condition a comic book is in. When talking to comic book fans it can sometimes feel like they are speaking another language. A floppy comic is also known as an american comic book. Writing about comics and graphic novels duke university.
Lenticular covers or flicker covers a cover of a comic book designed with images that move when tilted at different angles. Each box tells a piece of the story on the page and move the plot along. Adzine a magazine primarily devoted to the advertising of comic books and collectibles as its first publishing priority as opposed to written articles. Common categories of collectibles include antiques, toys. From start to finish the movie delivers multiple laugh lines every. Panel refers to one block or square on a comic strip or on a page in a comic book.
A story or character that usually appears after the main feature in a comic book. Sellers might benefit from a highergrade comic book and therefore argue that a comic book. Comic book definition of comic book by merriamwebster. Over the past few years, the collecting world has seen the market rise from an overlooked specialist area into a thriving mainstay of many auction houses calendars. Information and translations of comic book in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The emblem of the cca is a white stamp in the upper right hand corner of comics dated after february 1955. Primarily composed of the original print issues, the collection includes color microfiche of selected early comic book titles such as superman, more fun, and action comics, bound volumes of comic books submitted by the. Familiarizing the terms used in comics is essential. Collecting comic books can be a fun hobby and generally consists of buying, selling, and protecting your. While there are standard terms for grading a comic book, there is a conflict of interest between buyers and sellers. Jul, 2011 entredentolignumologists may or may not exist, but some books and several websites use this mouthful to describe collectors of toothpick boxes. Griffin griffin is a recent graduate of the university of wash ington graduate school of library and information sci ence, seattle, wa 98195.
List of terms for comics studies by andrei molotiu. 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. I have since discussed this issue with that monographs author and have been assured that, were a second edition of it to be published, the passage. Definition of cbca in the acronyms and abbreviations directory. So, for instance, bone is a graphic novel, and the essential calvin and hobbes is a comic book. Balloons are frequently rounded, but can take many shapes including rectangular. How to store a comic book collection like a superhero. Making money from collecting comics can be difficult, but it is possible to do so if you understand what makes a comic collectible and what makes a collectible comic valuable. Original comic art a broad term used to describe a piece of art that is related to comic books. In publishing terms, an edition is technically all copies of a book that were printed from the same setting of type and the book is only described as a second edition if substantial changes are made to the copy. A comic book that at one time was given away as a promotional premium. How to store your comic book treasures protect america.
Once you start to buy comics and amass a certain amount, you have a collection. A comic book is a bound collection of strips, each of which typically tells a single story or a gag joke in a few panels or else a segment of a continuous story. The focus in each of these definitions is sequence. Boxes for comics are usually made of cardboard but some are made of plastic. May 22, 2018 deadpool 2 has exceeded the bar set by deadpool in almost every possible regard, including memorable and hilarious oneliners. They typically have smooth edges, but can also have jagged or irregular edges. It is a term commonly used by comic book collectors. It can refer to an issue, but it usually refers to a standalone story comic. An earlier, shorter version of it was published in. Comic terms defined comic book lingo collecting comics. Will eisner used the term sequential art to describe comics, a definition later modified by scott mccloud into juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence mccloud 9.
With comic book sales thriving, pfc looks at the best entrylevel investments. Condition this concerns primarily with the physical state of a comic, and may also mean its grade describing the state of preservation of a particular comic book. Due to the nature of paper, discoloration is expected over time. If you ever need money for any type of situation, this book would be one of the ones to use for a liquidation fund. A series of comics consists of consecutively numbered single issues under the same title, i. This glossary is intended to provide a brief overview of common words and phrases, not a defini. A comic book is a magazine that contains stories told in pictures. A gathering or convention of comic book enthusiasts, dealers, graders, and artists, and where they can also swap, buy or sell comics.
Comic book collecting is a hobby that treats comic books and related items as collectibles or artwork to be sought after and preserved. Others again define it as a book with a squarebound spine, even if it is a collection of short strips. An international glossary of comic terms infoplease. Limited edition covers, ridiculously hyped first issues. Otaku a term used to describe diehard fans of anime and manga outside of japan. Here is a glossary of comic book terms, that are regularly used in comic book. It combines a comic event that maybe span a total of 7 comic books into 1 book. Additional or supplementary material generally found at the end of a book. Comics are a way of creating a universe and populating it with characters using a secret code that works in the simplest and most direct way possible to enter the readers brain. Comics are easy to recognize but difficult to define.
Comic collection tips from a real comic book man wired. Splash page when a panel consists of the entire page. In 2011, phillumenist steven smith earned a place in the guinness book of world records for his collection of 1,054,221. A whole generation of comic book readers basically did not participate in the collectible comic market, they walked away from it, they stigmatized all current comics as not worthy of collecting. But there are some simple steps every fan should take to store a comic book collection to ensure it retains its. Graphic novel a comic book presented in a higher quality book style format. American comic books have become closely associated with the superhero subgenre. A loose term implying collectible books rather than used books. A term popularized in the early 90s to describe an attitude as well as a style of art that portrays women in a sexual and often actionoriented way. This list of terms breaks down the different roles within a comic book, commonly. A oneissue only comic, also referred to as standalone issues. We venture to say that no other piece of terminology has caused so much contention among booksellers and collectors as that of first edition. Comic book definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Comic book definition, a magazine with one or more comic strips. Only start collecting comics for profit if you know you will not have emotional attachment to them in the future. A series of such publications, often forming a single sustained narrative. Marvel and dc do a lot of variant covers but theyre a big item amongst collectors as they showcase the work of different artists that may not normally be associated with a particular comic book.
It can all get a bit confusing for someone new to comic books. The term run can refer to multiple things in big 2 comics. Edgar church collection this is the most outstanding vintage comic book collection ever discovered in the history of comics. Comic book definition of comic book by the free dictionary. Lcs showing customers how diamond sent them their batman 89s. Trades are the term for series comics, not for standalone stories which would be graphic novel. A term indicating a given book is in the same condition as when originally published. Into the garbage went dads childhood, including his entire collection of comic books. A publication relating one or more narrative episodes through a sequence of panels featuring art and text, often bound with staples and constituting a single issue in a series. Panel a panel is one of the boxes on the page of a comic book. Unfortunately, that collection included a copy of action comics no.