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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