Each subject has its own lexicon and specialized terminology, and the world of comic books is no exception. New readers can be confused when words such as “continuity,” “variant covers,” or “crossovers” pop up.
As a medium, comics have created a rich and distinct language over the years. Prominent creators and scholars like Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey, and Dylan Horrocks have worked to formalize and clarify comic-book language. To help you navigate the Comic Book World, we’ve put together a Glossary of comics terminology—a guide with the most popular terms and phrases you can encounter.
Absolute Edition – Absolute Edition is a premium hardback format released by DC Comics. Absolute Editions are larger than typical comic books, providing a wider canvas for displaying artwork. These editions are defined by their thick paper stock, detailed printing, and, in many cases, a protective slipcase. They also include additional content such as forewords, sketches, scripts, and interviews.
Alternative Comics – A category of American comics that first appeared in the 1980s, after the late 1960s and early 1970s underground comix movement. Alternative comic books are conceived of as an alternative to mainstream superhero comics, spanning a wide range of genres, artistic styles, and subjects.
Annual – An over-sized special issue of a comic book series published once a year in addition to the regular comics in that series.
Anthology – A collection of short stories, often by multiple authors
Artist – a person who creates art.
Ashcan Comics – A type of American comic book created during the Golden Age to establish trademarks on potential titles, not intended for sale. It phased out after updates to US trademark law. The term was revived in the 1980-90s and those type of comics are now used by publishers as a marketing tool.
B&W – Black And White Art.
Back-Issue – Comic books published before the current issue. Also the name of a magazine published by TwoMorrows Publishing.
Back-Up Feature – a secondary, usually shorter story at the end of a comic book.
Bande Dessinée – Franco-Belgian comics.
Bronze Age – The name given to the period from the 1970s to 1985. Some experts date the beginning of the Bronze Age to 1973. Although there isn’t a certain date or event that marks the start of the Bronze Age, it is known that a series of events in the 1970s prompted comics to shift in tone. It is followed by the Modern Age.
The Big Two – A term commonly used to refer to DC and Marvel, considered the two largest publishers in the United States.
Cameo – A brief appearance by a well-known character or person in a comic book, often as a nod to fans or to connect different storylines.
Caption – Text in a comic book providing narration or context, often separate from speech bubbles.
Cartoonist – An artist who writes and draws comics or cartoons.
CCA – Abbreviation For Comics Code Authority. See Comics Code Authority.
Collected Edition – A compilation of comic book issues into a single volume, typically covering a complete story arc.
Colourist – Someone who adds color to the drawings.
Comic Strip – A short series of illustrated panels that tell a brief story, often found in newspapers.
Comics – Defined by Scott McCloud as “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.”
Comics Code Authority – Founded in 1954, the organization regulated comic book content with a set of censorship guidelines on a voluntary basis. It lasted until the early 21st century.
Comixology – An Amazon-owned cloud-based digital comics distribution platform founded in July 2007. The ComiXology app was formally shut down in 2023, and the material was made available exclusively through the Amazon Kindle app.
Con – Abbrevation for Convention, a gathering for fans of comics and related media.
Continuity – The shared history and connections between different comic books set in a single universe and timeline to help creat a cohesive world where characters can coexist and interact and expand the world they inhabit.
Creator-Owned – Refers to comics where the creators retain ownership rights, as opposed to work-for-hire arrangements.
Crossover – A storyline or event that spans multiple comic book series, involving characters from different titles.
Dailies – Comic strips published in newspapers on a daily basis, typically consisting of a few panels and telling a brief story or joke.
Debut – The first appearance of a character or comic book series, marking its introduction to the public.
Diamond – Refers to Diamond Comic Distributors, a major distributor of comic books and related merchandise to comic book shops and other retailers.
Digest – A small-format comic book collection, often containing multiple stories or issues, resembling a paperback book.
Digital Comics – Comic books and graphic novels that are published in digital format, readable on electronic devices like tablets, smartphones, or computers.
Digital First – Comic books or stories that are released in digital format before being printed, or sometimes exclusively as digital content.
Direct Market Distribution – A method of distributing comic books directly to specialty comic book shops, bypassing traditional retail channels.
Editor – A person who checks for spelling errors and visual flaws as well as coordinates with other partners to ensure that story aspects do not conflict with other comic books. He or she ensures that everything is good for publication.
Editorial Cartoon – Single-panel cartoons with a humorous punchline, with a focus on political or social commentary, using satire or symbolism to express a viewpoint. See also Gag Cartoons.
Encapsulation – A process where comic books are sealed within a plastic casing, often for preservation and grading purposes.
Epic Collection – An imprint by Marvel Comics used to reprint large quantities of comics in trade paperback form, typically containing 300–500 pages. Epic Collections aim to compile entire story arcs or a comprehensive collection of issues from a Marvel comic book series or character. Although the goal is to provide a complete and chronological overview, including crossovers spanning several titles, these collections are not always released in chronological order.
Event – A large-scale storyline that spans multiple comic book series. Often presented as a story destined to have ramifications on specific characters of on their shared universe.
Facsimile Edition – A reprint of a classic comic book designed to closely replicate the original, including ads, covers, and formatting, to maintain the original’s nostalgic feel.
First Appearance – See Debut.
Flashback – A scene in a comic book that shows what happened before the current action.
Floppies – A colloquial term for standard single-issue comic books, typically printed on thin paper with a staple binding.
Gag Cartoon – A single-panel cartoon with a humorous punchline, often found in magazines or newspapers. See also Editorial Cartoon.
Genre – A category or style of artistic work defined by shared themes, elements, or conventions. In comics, genres include superhero, fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance, and more.
Golden Age – A historical period in comic book history, generally from the late 1930s to the early 1950s, when superhero comics emerged and became hugely popular. This era saw the debut of iconic characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. It was followed by the Silver Age.
Graphic Novel – A term that came to mean “expensive comic book”, per Alan Moore. From Merriam Webster, a graphic novel is “a story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book”. The truth is the term is not strictly defined and a debate surrounds its exact definition
Gutter – The blank space that separates each panel from the others.
Hardcover (HC) – A bookbinding format featuring a hard outer cover.
Incentive Cover – A special variant cover offered as an incentive to retailers, usually based on a predetermined order quantity. Incentive covers are often more collectible due to their limited availability.
Indie Comics – Short for “independent,” referring to comics produced outside the major mainstream publishers like Marvel and DC Comics.
Inker – An artist who adds solid lines and extra details to the first pencil drawings.
JLA – Abbreviation For Justice League Of America, the famous superhero team from DC Comics.
JSA – Abbreviation For Justice Society Of America, the first superhero team in comic book history from DC Comics.
Key, Key Book Or Key Issue – A comic book issue that is considered significant due to a major event, a character’s first appearance, or a pivotal storyline, often driving up its value and collectibility.
LCS – Abbreviation for Local comic book shop, a retail store specializing in comic books and related merchandise
Letterer – A person responsible for creating the text in comic books, including dialogue, captions, sound effects, and titles.
Limited Series – A comic book series with a predetermined number of issues, typically shorter than ongoing series, often focusing on a specific storyline or character arc.
LSH – Abbreviation For Legion Of Super-Heroes, the superhero team from DC Comics set in the 30th and 31st centuries.
Manga – Japanese comics. Manga is typically serialized in magazines before being collected into tankōbon volumes (a manga glossary is coming soon).
Manhwa – Korean Comics. Similar to manga, but with cultural and stylistic distinctions. Manhwa is often serialized online or in printed anthologies.
Marvel Masterworks – a collection of hardcover and trade paperback of classic Marvel storylines with restored artwork.
Marvel Method – A system adopted by Marvel to produce comics during the late 1950s in which the author (Stan Lee!) outlined his stories and leave the artist to do the work. Once the art is finished, the writer craft the dialogue. More info on What is the Marvel Method?
Maxi-Series – A comic book series with a longer, but still finite, run, typically ranging from 9 to 12 issues, allowing for more extended storytelling than a mini-series.
Mini-Comic – A small, often self-published comic book, usually featuring a limited print run.
Mini-Series – See Limited Series.
Mint – A term used to describe the condition of a comic book, indicating that it is in near-perfect condition with no significant flaws or wear.
Modern Age – A period in comic book history starting from the mid-1980s to the present day, characterized by the redesign of characters, creators gaining prominence in the industry, independent comics flourishing, and larger publishing houses becoming more commercialized. Sometimes also called the Dark Age of Comic Books for the rise of more mature works such as The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen and other darker stories with the death of Superman and Venom headlining his own series.
Multiverse – Multiple universes or realities exist, allowing for different versions of characters and alternate storylines. Read Flash of Two Worlds!
New 52 – A 2011 reboot of DC Comics’ entire line of superhero comics, involving the renumbering and reimagining of many series, introducing new story arcs and characters.
Off-Panel –Refers to events or actions that occur outside the visible comic book panel, often implied through dialogue or context.
Omnibus – A large, comprehensive collection of comic books, typically in hardcover format, gathering multiple issues, entire series or runs into one (or more) volume.
One-Shot – A single, standalone comic book issue that tells a complete story, separate from ongoing series.
Onomatopoeia – Words used to mimic sounds in comic books, like “BANG!” or “CRASH!”, often appearing in bold, stylized text.
Origin (Story) – A narrative that explains the backstory or beginnings of a character or team, often detailing how they gained powers or became heroes.
Original Graphic Novel (OGN) – A standalone comic book story published in a single volume, not serialized in other formats beforehand.
Panel – A single frame or box on a comic book page, usually one of several in a sequence, depicting a moment in the story.
A panel is an individual frame, or single drawing, in the multiple-panel sequence of a comic strip or comic book, as well as a graphic novel. A panel consists of a single drawing depicting a frozen moment.
Penciller – An artist who does the first stage of the drawings, either in pencil or on a computer
Post-Code – Refers to comic books published after the implementation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, which enforced strict content guidelines.
Post-Crisis – Describe characters, objects, realities or events that occur after the 1985-86 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series , which reshaped continuity.
Pre-Code – Comics published before the Comics Code Authority, typically from the late 1930s to 1954.
Pre-Crisis – Refers to comics published before “Crisis on Infinite Earths”
Pre-Flashpoint – Comics published before the 2011 DC Comics event “Flashpoint,” which led to the New 52 reboot.
Pull List – A service offered by comic book shops where customers can reserve copies of specific comic books for regular pickup.
Quarterly – A comic book or publication released four times per year, once every three months.
Retcon – Short for “retroactive continuity,” a change made to a comic book’s backstory or history to align with current storylines, correct inconsistencies or introduce new elements.
Revival – The revival or reintroduction of a comic book series or character after a period of dormancy.
Run – A consecutive series of comic book issues from a particular series that are written and/or illustrated by the same writer or artist.
Silver Age – A period in comic book history from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, known for the resurgence of superhero comics and the introduction of iconic characters. Released in 1956, Showcase #4 is generally considered the start of the Silver Age. It was followed by the Bronze Age.
Single Issue – A standalone comic book released individually, typically part of an ongoing series.
Solicitations – Information distributed by publishers to comic book shops and fans, detailing upcoming releases and new issues.
Sound Effects – See Onomatopoeia.
Speech ballon – A bubble-like shape that contains words spoken by characters.
Splash Page – A single full-page illustration in a comic book, often used to emphasize a dramatic moment or introduce a new scene.
Splash Panel – A larger-than-average panel, but smaller than a splash page, used to highlight a significant moment within a comic book.
Spread – A layout where artwork or panels span across two facing pages, creating a single large image.
Story Arc – A narrative that spans multiple comic book issues, forming a cohesive storyline within a series.
Sundays – Comic strips published on Sundays, typically larger and in color, often with more elaborate illustrations.
Thought Balloon – A cloud-like shape that contains the words thought by characters, distinguished from speech balloons.
Tier – A horizontal row of comic book panels, with each page containing multiple tiers.
Trade Paperback (TPB) – A collection of comic book issues bound in a softcover format, often compiling a complete story arc or run.
Two Page Spread – See Spread.
Underground Comix – A genre of comics that gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, often self-published or printed by small presses. Known for tackling controversial topics, they directly challenged the Comics Code Authority, established in 1954 to regulate commercial comics. Underground comix intentionally crossed boundaries and reflected the spirit of the counterculture movement.
Variant Cover – An alternative cover for a comic book, often released in limited quantities, intended to attract collectors.
Volume – see trade paperback.
Webcomics – Comics published online, typically serialized, allowing readers to access them digitally.
Word Balloon – A general term for any balloon-like shape in comics containing dialogue or text.
Writer – The person responsible for creating the story and dialogue in a comic book.
Zine – A self-published booklet or magazine, often created by indie or underground artists, typically featuring unique or experimental content.
This list and several definitions have been inspired or taken from several sources. The Dictionary of Cambridge and Merriam Webster have been used in general for definitions of profession. The Language of Comics by Mario Saraceni, Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner, and Understand Comics by Scott McCloud have also been consulted and put to good use! The Alan Moore definition of Graphic Novel was taken from this classic Blather interview but can also be found on YouTube (and other places, I’m sure).
This glossary of Comic book terms is a work in progress. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment to suggest any word missing!
Last Updated on August 9, 2024.
