Comics and Graphic Novels Thesaurus
Comics and Graphic Novels Thesaurus
Kenneth Raining
Info 622
Winter 2009
Introduction
Comic books, and their precursor the comic strip, have a long and colorful history befitting their brightly rendered panels. The first comic books- beginning with Famous Funnies in 1933- were reprints of newspaper comics, but it wasn’t long before the demand for comic books exceeded the material available, so new work was soon commissioned. Today, comic strips continue to be a staple of the flagging newspaper industry, while comic books have seen two forms of book publishing, the graphic novel and the Japanese- imported comics known as Manga, take hold in libraries and book stores around the country.
This thesaurus looks to broadly define and connect several terms that the non-comic book fan may encounter when first approaching the field. The specific mechanical elements used to create the sequential combination of words and pictures that we call comics can be found in Technical Terms, while Creative Team names the positions responsible for creating those elements. Eras provides the generally accepted terms applied to the chronological history of the comic book. Genres names several stylistic categories that have been distinguished by their common elements. Formats identifies the different types of publications containing comics. Finally, Comic Book Terms expands upon several specific words or phrases fans and professionals have come to apply to the strange, fantastic world of comic books
Hierarchy
Technical Terms
Page Layout
Panels
Splash Page
Word Balloons
Thought Balloons
Captions
Sound Effects
Creative Team
Cartoonists
Plotter
Scripter
Penciller
Inker
Letterer
Colorist
Editor
Eras
Golden Age
Atomic Age
Comics Code Authority
Seduction of the Innocent
Silver Age
Bronze Age
Copper Age
Black and White Boom
Modern Age
Speculation Boom
Genres
Crime
Horror
Humor
Funny Animal
Manga
Romance
Science Fiction
Superhero
Sword and Sorcery
Underground
Autobiographical
Nonfiction
War
Western
Formats
Comic Strips
Daily Strips
Sunday Strips
Panels
Comic Books
Anthologies
Trade Paperbacks
Graphic Novels
Nonfiction
Comic Book Terminology
Comic Book Death
Comic Book Universe
Continuity
Crossover
Decompression
Direct Market
Event Comic
First Appearance
Newsstand Sales
Out of Continuity
Reboot
Retconn
Small Press
Speculation Boom
Women in Refrigerator Syndrome
Alphabetical Listing of Terms
Anthology
SN: Collection of unrelated comics of various size, usually by different authors
BT: Comic Books
Atomic Age
SN: Period of comic book publication between 1945-1956, the only time in the history of the medium that superheroes were not the dominant publishing genre.
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Golden Age
RT: Silver Age
RT: Bronze Age
RT: Copper Age
RT: Modern Age
NT: Seduction of the Innocent
NT: Comics Code Authority
Autobiographical
SN: Comics pertaining to real life subject matter, often in black and white
BT: Genres
BT: Undergrounds
RT: Nonfiction
Barbarians see Sword and Sorcery
Black and White Boom
SN: Period in the early 1980’s that saw the sudden rise of several self published black and white comics, followed by an equally sudden collapse
BT: Copper Age
Box see Caption
Bronze Age
SN: Period of comic book publication from 1970-1984
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Golden Age
RT: Atomic Age
RT: Silver Age
RT: Copper Age
RT: Modern Age
Caption
SN: Element of a comic containing unspoken text, used primarily as narration
BT: Technical Terms
RT: Word Ballon
RT: Thought Ballon
RT: Sound Effect
UF: Box
Cartoonist
SN: Creator that both writes and illustrates (and often inks and letters)
BT: Creative Team
Colorist
SN: Creator that adds color to finished artwork
BT: Creative Team
RT: Letterer
RT: Editor
Comic Book
SN: Comics published in a pamphlet format, usually bound together by staples and containing advertisements
RT: Comic Strips
RT: Graphic Novel
NT: Trade Paperback
NT: Anthology
Comic Book Death
SN: Term referring to the seeming impermanence of death within comic books, and the readership’s general belief that any character that perishes will eventually return.
BT: Comic Book Terminology
RT: Retconn
Comic Book Universe
SN: The shared reality between characters within a particular line of comic books.
BT: Comic Book Terminology
RT: Continuity
RT: Crossover
RT: Event Comic
RT: Out of Continuity
RT: Reboot
RT: Retconn
Comic Strip
SN: Comics published in a small format, no more then a page, usually on a daily or weekly basis.
BT: Formats
NT: Daily Strips
NT: Sunday Strips
NT: Panel Strips
Comics Code Authority
SN: Self- regulating body in the comic book industry formed after the US Senate inquiry into comic books brought about by the book Seduction of the Innocent.
BT: Atomic Age
RT: Seduction of the Innocent
RT: Crime
RT: Romance
RT: Horror
Continuity
SN: The continuing history running from one installment of a comic book to the next, or the shared universe for a line of comics.
BT: Comic Book Termanology
RT: Comic Book Death
RT: Comic Book Universe
RT: First Appearance
RT: Out of Continuity
RT: Reboot
RT: Retconn
Copper Age:
SN: Period of comic book publication loosely defined as 1984-1992
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Golden Age
RT: Atomic Age
RT: Silver Age
RT: Bronze Age
RT: Modern Age
NT: Black and White Boom
Crime
SN: Genre of comic books featuring “real life” stories of criminals and law enforcement. One of the dominant genres of the Atomic Age, crime comics were among the genres widely protested, leading to the Senate hearings on comic books and the eventual adoption of the Comics Code.
BT: Comic Book Genres
Crossover
SN: Comic book in which two or more characters from different comic books meet within one story.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: Event Comic
Daily Strip
SN: Comic strip published daily in a newspaper, often having a Sunday version as well.
BT: Comic Strip Formats
RT: Sunday Strip
RT: Panel Strip
Decompression
SN: Comic book term referring to the recent trend in storytelling to stretch out stories from one issue to many.
BT: Comic Book Terms
Dialoguer see Scripter
Direct Market
SN: Comic book term referring to the distribution of comics and graphic novels directly to comic book specialty shops, first beginning in the late Bronze Age. Now the dominant means of comic book distribution.
BT: Comic book terms
RT: Small Press
Editor
SN: Person that oversees the production of a comic book, generally not a creative position.
BT: Creative Team
RT: Letterer
RT: Colorist
Event Comic
SN: Comic book term referring to a story or series with large ramifications to the universe continuity, generally featuring most if not all of the characters within said universe.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Comic Book Universe
RT: Continuity
RT: Crossover
Finisher see Inker
First Appearance
SN: The fist comic book in which a character appears
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: Origin
Funny Animal
SN: Genre of comic books and strips featuring animals in humorous situations, often acting as people.
BT: Comic Book Genres
BT: Humor
Golden Age
SN: Period of comic book publication from 1938-1945
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Atomic Age
RT: Silver Age
RT: Bronze Age
RT: Copper Age
RT: Modern Age
Graphic Novel
SN: a self-contained comic book story, often consisting of original material
BT: Formats
RT: Comic Books
Horror
SN: Comic book genre featuring element associated with horror. One of the dominant genres of the Atomic Age, horro comics were among the genres widely protested, leading to the Senate hearings on comic books and the eventual adoption of the Comics Code.
BT: Comic Book Genres
Humor
SN: Comics containing elements of comedy
BT: Genres
NT: Funny Animal
Image Age see Speculation Boom
Inker
SN: Creator that applies ink to penciled pages.
BT: Creative Team
RT: Penciller
UF: Finisher
Japanese see Manga
Layout Artist see Penciller
Letterer
SN: Creator that adds words and sound effects from the script to the finished page
BT: Creative Team
RT: Colorist
RT: Editor
Manga:
SN: Comics of a particular style originating in Japan
BT: Genres
UF: Japanese
Modern Age
SN: Period of comic book publication loosely defined from 1992 to the present.
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Golden Age
RT: Atomic Age
RT: Silver Age
RT: Bronze Age
RT: Copper Age
NT: Speculation Boom
Newsstand sales
SN: Catch-all term for comic books sold outside of the direct market; also includes sales at book stores, drug stores, candy stores, ect.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Direct Market
Nonfiction
SN: Genre of Graphic Novels that detail real world events
BT: Graphic Novels
Out of Continuity
RT: Comic book term referring to a story that has been removed from the character or universe’s accepted canon.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: Comic Book Universe
RT: Retconn
RT: Reboot
Origin
SN: The background story behind a character’s in-continuity creation
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: First Appearance
Page Layout
SN: The composition of the panels on the comics page
BT: Technical terms
RT: Panel
RT: Splash Page
Panel
SN: The basic component of a comic. Words and pictures combined into one unit, then arranged sequentially to tell a story.
BT: Technical Terms
Panel Strip
SN: Comic strip consisting of one panel.
BT: Formats
RN: Daily Strip
RN: Sunday Strip
Penciller
SN: Artist that composes comic book pages in pencil based upon the plot or script.
BT: Creative Team
RT: Inker
UF: Layout Artist
Plotter
SN: Writer that develops the initial idea for a comic, often the same person as the scripter.
BT: Creative Team
RT: Scripter
Reboot
SN: Comic book term referring to a relaunching of a character or property, often featuring a new character in the title role.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: Retcon
UF: Relaunch
Relaunch see Reboot
Retcon
SN: Comic book term referring to a later change made to established events within continuity, often used to return a character from the dead.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Continuity
RT: Out of Continuity
RT: Reboot
UF: Retroactive Continuity
Retroactive Continuity see Retcon
Romance
SN: Comic book genre that came into prominence in the 1950’s, after the collapse of the superhero genre.
BT: Comic Book Genres
Science Fiction
SN: Genre containing fictive elements of a fantastic, pseudo-scientific nature.
BT: Comic Book Genres
Scripter
SN: writer of dialog in a comic
BT: Creative Team
RT: Plotter
RT: Letterer
UF: Dialoger
Seduction of the Innocent:
SN: Book published in 1954 by Dr. Fredrick Wertham that labeled comic books a primary cause for juvenile delinquency; the public uproar against comic books led to the CMAA and the adoption of the Comics Code.
BT: Comic Book Eras
BT: Atomic Age
RT: Comics Code Authority
Silver Age
SN: Period of comic book publication from 1956-1969
BT: Comic Book Eras
RT: Golden Age
RT: Atomic Age
RT: Bronze Age
RT: Copper Age
RT: Modern Age
Small Press
SN: Term referring to comic books published with low print runs and distributed entirely through the direct market
BT: Comic Book Terms
BT: Direct Market
Sound Effect
SN: Word in a comic representing unspoken noise
BT: Technical Terms
RT: Panel
RT: Word Balloon
RT: Caption
RT: Thought Balloon
Speculator Boom
SN: Period coinciding with the end of the Copper Age in which comics sales rose dramatically due to an influx of collectors looking for profit, or speculators, followed by a market crash when those buyers moved on
BT: Comic Book Terms
BT: Copper Age
UF: Image Age
Splash Page
SN: Usually the opening page of a comic book, a large panel consisting of the entire page.
BT: Technical Terms
RT: Page Layout
RT: Panel
Sunday Strips
SN: Comic strips published in the Sunday newspaper, usually larger then the daily strip and in color.
BT: Comic Strips
BT: Formats
RT: Daily Strips
RT: Panel Strips
Superhero
SN: Comics featuring costumed adventurers as protagonists
BT: Genres
Sword and Sorcery
SN: Genre featuring Barbarians and Sorcerers as protagonists
BT: Genres
UF: Barbarians
Thought Balloon
SN: Element of a comic containing internal dialog
BT: Technical terms
RT: Panels
RT: Word Balloons
RT: Captions
RT: Sound Effects
Trade Paperback
SN: Collection of material previously published as a comic book
BT: Comic Books
BT: Formats
RT: Anthologies
Underground
SN: Comics created as part of the ‘60’s counterculture movement and sold outside of traditional distribution systems.
BT: Genres
NT: Autobiographical
NT: Nonfiction
War
SN: Comics featuring soldiers and the military as protagonists
BT: Genres
Western
SN: Comics featuring Coyboys and the trappings of the Old West.
BT: Genres
Women in Refrigerators Syndrome
SN: Comic book term referring to the apparent frequency with which female characters are killed, depowered, injured, or otherwise afflicted in relation to their male counterparts. The term comes from a particularly grisly scene in Green Lantern, where the title character discovers his dead girlfriend left for him in a refrigerator by an enemy.
BT: Comic Book Terms
RT: Comic Book Death
Word Balloon
SN: Element of a comic containing spoken dialog
BT: Panels
BT: Technical terms
RT: Thought Balloons
RT: Captions
RT: Sound Effects
Appendix
As the subject of this thesaurus is printed material, indexing actual comic books, graphic novels, and comic strip collections seems appropriate. The following items were chosen for both historical importance, and to illustrate as broadly as possible the usefulness of the thesaurus.
1. Title: Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Author: Art Spiegelman
Publisher: Pantheon
Date of Publication: 1986
Notes: Much of the material herein was originally published in the comic book anthology Raw from 1973-1985
Descriptors: Cartoonists, Underground, Autobiographical, Nonfiction, Anthologies, Graphic Novel
2. Title: It’s a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
Author: Bill Watterson
Publisher: Andrews and McMeel
Date of Publication: 1996
Notes: Collects material published in the daily Calvin and Hobbes comic strip
Descriptors: Cartoonists, Comic Strips, Daily Strips, Sunday Strips, Humor
3. Title: Crisis on Infinite Earths #12
Authors: Marv Wolfman and George Perez Publisher: DC Comics
Publisher: DC Comics
Date of Publication: 1985
Notes: Part 12 of a 12-part limited series
Descriptors: Copper Age, Super Heroes, Continuity, Reboot, Event Comic
4. Title: The Essential Spider-Man vol. 1
Authors: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Date of Publication: 1996
Notes: Reprints material originally published in the comic books Amazing Fantasy and The Amazing Spider-Man between 1962-66
Descriptors: Silver Age, Super Heroes, Trade Paperbacks
5. Title: Blankets
Author: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Date of Publication: 2005
Descriptors: Cartoonists, Graphic Novels, Autobiographical
Sources
Hadju, D. (2008). The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America. New York; Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Jones, G. (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. New York; Basic Books.
Comics Vocabulary (n.d.). Retrived March 19, 2009 from Wikipedia: .
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