Working in comic book retail, one of the things that I encountered almost daily was the barrier people sometimes faced when they were uncomfortable with the use of comic book “lingo”. As an example, a person would come in and ask for a Batman book, one that had a lot of pages, and had the Joker on it. With that little bit of information, I would then begin trying to figure out exactly which story with Batman and Joker it was (there’s a lot of them), and which size they might be looking for as there is a ton of variation. If someone said they wanted a “book”, it was easy enough for me to start to help them track down a trade paperback, or some kind of hardcover - but does that mean an Absolute, an omnibus, an artist edition, a compendium, or some other format? I always thought it would benefit those new to the world of comics if I could write down all the different official lingo and also slang that one might hear in a comic book store or around comics so people feel more comfortable joining this world. My hope is that the lingo can be one less barrier for people to get into comics and become a fan.
Absolute Edition: This is a publication by DC Comics which consists of oversized hardcover collections critically and fan loved stories, thought of must read and own comics. These editions are eye-catchers and are made with better paper and more artwork to increase the wow factor.
Arc/Storyline: A series of connecting comics that make up a story. Many comics will continually start new stories depending on the creator’s vision; when that change is decided by the company or creators it is called an Arc.
Back Issues: This means any of the older comics that are not new releases; they may be stored either on site or off site based on the size and design of your local store and what they consider to be a back issue. However, any issues not released in the past handful of months are usually considered to be back issues.
Bag and Boards: These are chemically treated pieces of white cardboard paper and plastic see through bags which help ensure the safety of the comic. These are frequently used by comic collectors, and come in different sizes that coordinate with the different comic book eras. Depending on which kind you use, my recommendation is to replace them between every ten to thirty years. Up until the recent pandemic these were very accessible, but for the foreseeable future, the availability has been a bit limited.
Bronze Age: This is an era of publication lasting from the 1970s through the late 1980s. This time saw the inclusion of many new writers and divergence in the industry over ideas and ways of making comics. A new wave of creators pushed the medium further.
Dark Age: This is an era of publication lasting from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. This time was coined by Paul Levitz and has been the most recent era to start being called this and accepted this way. This era has the distinction of comics as a “big business”. Storylines became darker, and anti-heroes and deconstruction of comics were at an all-time high. There is debate on when this era officially ended.
Drawer Box: Collection Drawer Company created boxes which you can pull in and out; they do not require a lid. These boxes can be stacked five high and are used for most comics you can collect. Some collectors prefer Boxes with lids and there are even ones made of all plastic. Depends on what you like. They can be found here.
Free Comic Book Day: This is a once a year event created in the early 2000s as a marketing tool to get more customers and families into comic book shops. Comics are made specifically by different publishers, which each comic shop will buy at their cost to give the customer. Different stores have different rules, and many stores often run big events and sales to take advantage of this event. The main purpose of the day is to get more people to check out their local comic book stores and use the comic shop locator website.
Golden Age: This is an era of publication lasting from the 1930s through the late 1950s and early 1960s. This Age is known for the creation of superheroes and the rising popularity of comics in the 1930s, and ended with the relaunch of many old characters and books in the late 50s and early 60s.
Grading: This is a system by which companies or professionals assign a “grade” (a number in point from 0.1 to 10.0) to a particular comic as a definitive measurement of its current condition and collectability. A grading company will usually encase the collectible in plastic with a number and its grade.
Hardcover: These are similar to a trade paperback in concept, except with a hard outer cover. They can be larger in content and overall size. Usually these come first before a trade paperback, but can also come after (if a story gets prestige once it’s out). Hardcovers usually collect a larger range of single issues and start around 6-30 individual periodical issues. They tend to be more expensive than trade paperbacks, but sometimes come with interviews of creators and other “making of” material, which is usually worth the added cost.
Hold Slot/Pull List/Save Folder: Often, comic shops provide a service where they ask which upcoming comics you would like consistently to be held to the side to make sure you get a copy. This is helpful for comic shops to understand their customers’ demand for various characters, storylines, etc. It may also be helpful for customers of comic shops. Some shops may offer discounts to their hold slot customers, while some shops don’t do discounts (this varies on each individual shop’s preferences), so as you get more into comics it may be worth checking if this is a feature your local comic store offers to customers.
Long Box: Similar to the short box, this is a box made for collecting comics and is the most commonly utilized size. It carries almost twice the amount of comics as a short box and depending on which company sizes and uses may vary. The Collection Drawer Box brand also makes Long Boxes.
Magazine: This is a periodical publication, including articles and photos related to a specific fandom within the comics or entertainment industries.
Maxi-Series: These are longer series that make up 12 or more single issues. This is a comic that has a finite amount of issues but is not an ongoing comic or storyline.
Mini-Series/Limited Series: This is a comic series that will only cover a small amount of single issues. Usually the publishers release information in advance about how many issues there will be in the series, and include this information on the covers as well.
Modern Age: There is debate on exactly when this era started, but it is the current era of publication we are in. This era has had a huge change from eras past; today comic creators don’t need to have a superhero or major company backing them to create a living. There are more comics and companies making new and different genres of comics all the time, but the volume and range of the industry as a whole defines this era.
New Releases: These are the single issue comics that are brand new for that particular release date. There are new releases almost every week of the year, and some stores showcase their new releases differently from back issues.
Omnibus: This is a large collection of comics that relate to a single storyline or comics character. Usually these include 20+ single issue comics. Different companies all have versions of this same concept but have their own names.
One Shot: This is a comic story that is meant to be read in one issue. This can sometimes be published as just one single issue, or it can be included in an ongoing series, but the term is used to mean a one and done reading experience.
Ongoing Comic: This is a comic that has continually come out with no end in sight to the current publication. Many superhero comics are ongoing and have been lasting years and decades. Current examples are Action Comics and Amazing Spider-Man.
Original Graphic Novel (OGN): This is not a collection of single issues, but rather a complete story on its own, which can be released in either trade paperback or hardcover (this is differentiated in that these are wholly new stories that have never been printed in any other format except the OGN edition). An OGN can cover any subject matter or character, and even the biggest publishers of comics release stories this way sometimes; however, the usual way publishers will release a story is in single issue form.
Overstreet Price Guide: This is a long running industry standard book of accumulated market prices for various comics recalculated each year. The findings are published in a book or online and this is a resource frequently used by stores and collectors alike to price comics in their inventory.
Prestige Format: A higher end production value of a comic, usually having a square binding. This has higher end paper and is usually more expensive. Anniversary and Special Editions are also sometimes made in this format.
Previews: This is a monthly catalog carrying different collectible items from Diamond Comics Distribution. Items include comic books, statues, clothing, glassware, action figures, and much more, so it can be a handy guide to keep track of what is coming up if you want to delve into collecting. Each catalog shows books and items appearing two months or longer before appearing in stores, and a digital copy is also available.
Run: This refers to the time period during which a creative force (writer, artist, etc.) is involved with a comic book’s character or ongoing publication of note. If you read or hear someone say, “have you read such and such run,” this means the comics and other creative material the creator considers to be part of the storyline they were telling at that time.
Short Box: This is a box made for collecting comics, and in terms of size, it is almost half of a long box (used for the same purpose). The size can change depending on which company you buy them from. For my collection, I use the Collection Drawer Boxes brand, but each collector has their favorite brand. These are good for keeping small amounts of comics and storylines well organized.
Silver Age: This is an era of publication lasting from the 1950s through the 1970s. This time is known as a “renaissance” with significant recreation of characters and concepts from the Golden Age. This era was the starting point for many modern iterations of comics characters.
Single Issue (Floppy): This is a periodical ongoing release schedule of comic art and story (usually once or twice a month). The typical page length inside will be 20-30 pages, with some going all the way up to 100 pages. Throughout time, the release day has changed, but for decades the usual release day was Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. Current release schedules are Tuesdays and Wednesdays and almost every week of the year new content is produced.
Trade Paperback: A collection of single issues (usually around 4-12 individual periodical issues) bound into a non-hard outer cover of the material. Since the early 2000’s, a trade paperback typically contained only a single storyline, but again the last few years have changed that. Trade paperbacks may also be used for reprints of older comic work, as it is usually a more financially friendly and easier way for readers to read the storyline compared to tracking down the original single issues.
Treasury: This is a very large comic (almost the size of an old Life magazine). This is a pretty rare format to see used in modern comics, but it occasionally still shows up to showcase particular art or stories.
Wall Books: Many comic book stores put high end comic books behind glass or on a wall to make them harder to reach, minimizing loss to the stores. This is essentially a slang term in the industry for high end valuable comics available to purchase, even if the store does not have a particular “wall” devoted to these types of books.
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