The world of collecting comics is not unlike the world of sports, filled with its own terms and lingo…and that doesn’t count the stuff we came up with for Issues, like ‘bookies’ and ‘top-shelfers’! Throughout season 1, we tried to include as many jokes and nods to the world of superheroics. Some were one that the casual fan could get while others are so obscure, you might want to do a few wiki searches to find our source material…
Oh wait, we developed an entire DICTIONARY of geek speak! Look no further my friends! You too can learn the lingo of the superfans with just a quick scroll through our list of comic book terminology. Want to add a few definitions yourself? Email us at issuestheseries@gmail.com and we’ll take a look at what you’ve got. Please hold off on the flame wars though- if we wanted that, we’d head to any online forum and add our own badly-spelled rant. For the record, while some of these definitions include some tongue-in-cheek/sarcasm, the core content is real.
Read on, true believer!
A
AU: (n) abbreviation for ‘alternate universe’, a concept theorizing that a world with a similar symmetry to our own, but often with drastic differences in historical moments or personalities. A favorite storytelling tool among fan fiction writers and crossover developers for major comic book companies and telelvision productions. See also: ‘multiverse’
B
Bag and board: (n) a method of storing and protecting comic books consisting of a chipboard backing and polybag to prevent bending and tearing and to protect against the elements. (v) to use a bag and board system
Boll, Uwe: (n) German “director” known for video game film adaptations such as BloodRayne II: Deliverance and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and for his ability to ignite passionate rants among fans online.
Bookie: (n) a slang term used on Issues: The Series to refer to comic book enthusiasts. They always come to collect.
Bronze age: (adj.) the era of American comic books lasting from approx. the early 1970’s to the mid 1980’s characterized by a darkened tone
C
CBLDF: (n)- Abbreviation for Comic Book Legal Defense Force, an organization that does charity work with members of the comic book community. See our Links page for more information.
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation: (n) An organization named after the late Superman actor and his wife, which seeks to treat (and hopefully cure) all forms of paralysis.
CGC: (n) abbreviation for Comics Guarantee LLC; an independent service that grades the condition of comic books on a scale of 0.5-10 for the purpose of helping to determine quality and value before sealing the books in heavy-duty cases
Coalition of Superior Individuals: (n) The title of Issues: Episode 2, in an homage to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. And by that we mean the great comic book series and not the terrible feature film. We’re not bitter or anything.
Con: (n) Abbreviation for Convention, or a mass gathering of all things geek. San Diego ComicCon, New York ComicCon and the WizardWorld circuits are popular events held once a year, though smaller parties are held around the world on a monthly basis. Notorious for fan costuming (the good, the bad and the mentally scarring), celebrity pictures and autograph opportunities, expensive food and long lines usually attached to the bathrooms or entrance.
Clones: (n) Comic book fans don’t want to talk about them. They really, really hate them.
Colbert, Stephen: (n) A popular comedian known for his fictionalized views on politics. Creator of the ‘Tek Jansen” comic book series and owner of Captain America’s shield after the character’s passing. Was nearly voted the president of the Marvel Universe within the pages.
Comicbookresources.com: (n) an aptly named website that acts as a resource for comic book information
Comics101.com: (n) a pop culture website with a titular column dedicated to chronicling the history of comic book characters
Continuity: (n) the flow of events and characters in comic books within a series as well as within a publisher’s shared universe. Easily broken by magical pacts with the Devil, pounding on crystal walls or re-numbering of issues to bring on new readers who might be frightened off by years of content. Often disputed or pointed out by bookies regarding current storylines.
Crossover: (adj.) A type of comic book where members of a team or an individual character enter a city or environment belonging to a character(s) that are not normally seen within the title. Sometimes includes the entire roster of characters of a comic book universe uniting against a threat.
D
Dark Horse: (n) Comic book publisher known for its more mature offerings. Titles include Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Conan The Barbarian, the Star Wars comics, Hellboy and more.
DC Comics: (n) one of the two major comic book publishers; known for characters such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman
E
Ennis, Garth: (n) comic book writer known for his work on dark, violent titles such as Punisher and Preacher
F
Free Comic Book Day: (n) Annual day in which publishers offer free comics and merchandise to customers in efforts of hooking new people on different titles.
