This glossary is designed for the geek-wife, geek-husband, geek-significant-other, geek-friend or geek-curious to help you “learn the lingo”.
ADZINE
- A magazine primarily devoted to the advertising of comic books and collectibles as its first publishing priority as opposed to written articles.
ANNUAL
- (1) A book that is published yearly; (2) Can also refer to some square bound comics.
ARRIVAL DATE
- The date written (often in pencil) or stamped on the cover of comics by either the local wholesaler, newsstand owner, or distributor. The date precedes the cover date by approximately 15 to 75 days, and may vary considerably from one locale to another or from one year to another.
ASHCAN
- A publisher’s in-house facsimile of a proposed new title. Most ashcans have black and white covers stapled to an existing coverless comic on the inside; other ashcans are totally black and white. In modern parlance, it can also refer to promotional or sold comics, often smaller than standard comic size and usually in black and white, released by publishers to advertise the forthcoming arrival of a new title or story.
ATOM AGE
Comics published from approximately 1946-1956.
BACK-UP FEATURE
- A story or character that usually appears after the main feature in a comic book; often not featured on the cover.
BI-MONTHLY
- Published every two months.
BI-WEEKLY
- Published every two weeks.
BRONZE AGE
- Comics published from approximately 1970 through 1985.
CAMEO
- The brief appearance of one character in the strip of another.
CANADIAN ISSUE
- A comic printed for distribution in Canada; these copies sometimes have no advertising.
CCA
- Abbreviation for Comics Code Authority.
CCA SEAL
- An emblem that was placed on the cover of all CCA approved comics beginning in April-May, 1955.
CENTER CREASE
- See Subscription Copy.
CENTERFOLD or CENTER SPREAD
- The two folded pages in the center of a comic book at the terminal end of the staples.
CERTIFIED GRADING
- A process provided by a professional grading service that certifies a given grade for a comic and seals the book in a protective Slab.
CGC
- Abbreviation for the certified comic book grading company, Comics Guaranty, LLC.
CIRCULATION COPY
- See Subscription Copy.
CIRCULATION FOLD
- See Subscription Fold.
CLASSIC COVER
- A cover considered by collectors to be highly desirable because of its subject matter, artwork, historical importance, etc.
CLEANING
- A process in which dirt and dust is removed.
COMIC BOOK DEALER
- (1) A seller of comic books; (2) One who makes a living buying and selling comic books.
COMIC BOOK REPAIR
- When a tear, loose staple or centerfold has been mended without changing or adding to the original finish of the book. Repair may involve tape, glue or nylon gossamer, and is easily detected; it is considered a defect.
COMICS CODE AUTHORITY
- A voluntary organization comprised of comic book publishers formed in 1954 to review (and possibly censor) comic books before they were printed and distributed. The emblem of the CCA is a white stamp in the upper right hand corner of comics dated after February 1955. The term “post-Code” refers to the time after this practice started, or approximately 1955 to the present.
COMPLETE RUN
- All issues of a given title.
CON
- A convention or public gathering of fans.
CONDITION
- The state of preservation of a comic book, often inaccurately used interchangeably with Grade.
COVERLESS
- A comic with no cover attached. There is a niche demand for coverless comics, particularly in the case of hard-to-find key books otherwise impossible to locate intact. See Remainders.
CREASE A fold which causes ink removal, usually resulting in a white line. See Corner Crease and Reading Crease.
CROSSOVER
- A story where one character appears prominently in the story of another character. See X-Over.
CVR
- Abbreviation for Cover.
DEALER
- See Comic Book Dealer.
DEBUT
- The first time that a character appears anywhere.
DIE-CUT COVER
- A comic book cover with areas or edges precut by a printer to a special shape or to create a desired effect.
DISTRIBUTOR STRIPES
- Color brushed or sprayed on the edges of comic book stacks by the distributor/wholesaler to code them for expedient exchange at the sales racks. Typical colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Distributor stripes are not a defect.
DOUBLE
- A duplicate copy of the same comic book.
DOUBLE COVER
- When two covers are stapled to the comic interior instead of the usual one; the exterior cover often protects the interior cover from wear and damage. This is considered a desirable situation by some collectors and may increase collector value; this is not considered a defect.
DUOTONE
- Printed with black and one other color of ink. This process was common in comics printed in the 1930s.
EMBOSSED COVER
- A comic book cover with a pattern, shape or image pressed into the cover from the inside, creating a raised area.
ENCAPSULATION
- Refers to the process of sealing certified comics in a protective plastic enclosure. Also see “slabbing.”
EYE APPEAL
- A term which refers to the overall look of a comic book when held at approximately arm’s length. A comic may have nice eye appeal yet still possess defects which reduce grade.
FANZINE
- An amateur fan publication.
FC
- Abbreviation for Front Cover.
FILE COPY
- A high grade comic originating from the publisher’s file; contrary to what some might believe, not all file copies are in Gem Mint condition. An arrival date on the cover of a comic does not indicate that it is a file copy, though a copyright date may.
FIRST APPEARANCE
- See Debut.
FLASHBACK
- When a previous story is recalled.
FOIL COVER –
A comic book cover that has had a thin metallic foil hot stamped on it. Many of these “gimmick” covers date from the early ’90s, and might include chromium, prism and hologram covers as well.
GATEFOLD COVER
- A double-width fold-out cover.
GENRE
- Categories of comic book subject matter; e.g. Science Fiction, Super- Hero, Romance, Funny Animal, Teenage Humor, Crime, War, Western, Mystery, Horror, etc.
GIVEAWAY
- Type of comic book intended to be given away as a premium or promotional device instead of being sold.
GOLDEN AGE
- Comics published from approximately 1938 (Action Comics #1) to 1945.
HOT STAMPING
- The process of pressing foil, prism paper and/or inks on cover stock.
INKER
- Artist that does the inking.
INTRO
- Same as Debut.
INVESTMENT GRADE COPY
- (1) Comic of sufficiently high grade and demand to be viewed by collectors as instantly liquid should the need arise to sell; (2) A comic in VF or better condition; (3) A comic purchased primarily to realize a profit.
ISSUE NUMBER
- The actual edition number of a given title.
ISH
- Short for Issue.
KEY, KEY BOOK or KEY ISSUE
- An issue that contains a first appearance, origin, or other historically or artistically important feature considered especially desirable by collectors.
LETTER COL or LETTER COLUMN
- A feature in a comic book that prints and sometimes responds to letters written by its readers.
LOGO
- The title of a strip or comic book as it appears on the cover or title page.
MODERN AGE
- A catch-all term usually applied to comics published from the 1980s to the present.
MYLAR™
- An inert, very hard, space-age plastic used to make high quality protective bags and sleeves for comic book storage. “Mylar” is a trademark of the DuPont Co.
NO DATE - When there is no date given on the cover or indicia page.
NO NUMBER
- No issue number is given on the cover or indicia page; these are usually first issues or one-shots.
NOT SOLD
- This indicates an item that did not sell at auction because it did not receive bids equal to or greater than the reserve (minimum bid) amount set by the consignor.
ONE-SHOT
- When only one issue is published of a title, or when a series is published where each issue is a different title (e.g. Dell’s Four Color Comics).
ORIGIN
- When the story of a character’s creation is given.
PAINTED COVER
- (1) Cover taken from an actual painting instead of a line drawing; (2) Inaccurate name for a grey-toned cover.
PENCILER
- Artist that does the pencils… you’re figuring out some of these definitions without us by now, aren’t you?
PERFECT BINDING
- Pages are glued to the cover as opposed to being stapled to the cover, resulting in a flat binded side. Also known as Square Back or Square Bound.
PHOTO COVER
- Comic book cover featuring a photographic image instead of a line drawing or painting.
PLATINUM AGE
- Comics published from approximately 1900-1938.
POLYPROPALENE
- A type of plastic used in the manufacture of comic book bags; now considered harmful to paper and not recommended for long term storage of comics.
POST-CODE
- Describes comics published after February 1955 and usually displaying the CCA stamp in the upper right hand corner.
PRE-CODE
- Describes comics published before the Comics Code Authority seal began appearing on covers in 1955.
PROVENANCE
- When the owner of a book is known and is stated for the purpose of authenticating and documenting the history of the book. Example: A book from the Stan Lee or Forrest Ackerman collection would be an example of a value adding provenance.
PULP
- Cheaply produced magazine made from low grade newsprint. The term comes from the wood pulp that was used in the paper manufacturing process.
QUARTERLY
- Published every three months (four times a year).
READING COPY
- A comic that is in FAIR to GOOD condition and is often used for research; the condition has been sufficiently reduced to the point where general handling will not degrade it further.
READING CREASE –
Book-length, vertical front cover crease at staples, caused by bending the cover over the staples. Squarebounds receive these creases just by opening the cover too far to the left.
REPRINT COMICS
- In earlier decades, comic books that contained newspaper strip reprints; modern reprint comics usually contain stories originally featured in older comic books.
RESTORATION
- Any attempt, whether professional or amateur, to enhance the appearance of an aging or damaged comic book. These procedures may include any or all of the following techniques: recoloring, adding missing paper, stain, ink, dirt or tape removal, whitening, pressing out wrinkles, staple replacement, trimming, re-glossing, etc. Amateur work can lower the value of a book, and even professional restoration has now gained a certain negative aura in the modern marketplace from some quarters. In all cases, except for some simple cleaning procedures, a restored book can never be worth the same as an unrestored book in the same condition.
REVIVAL
- An issue that begins republishing a comic book character after a period of dormancy.
ROLLED SPINE
- A spine condition caused by folding back pages while reading.
RUN
- A group of comics of one title where most or all of the issues are present. See Complete Run.
SET
- (1) A complete run of a given title; (2) A grouping of comics for sale.
SEMI-MONTHLY
- Published twice a month, but not necessarily Bi-Weekly.
SF
- Abbreviation for Science Fiction (the other commonly used term, “sci-fi,” is often considered derogatory or indicative of more “low-brow” rather than “literary” science fiction, i.e. “sci-fi television.”
SILVER AGE
- Comics published from approximately 1956 (Showcase #4) to 1969.
SLAB
- Colloquial term for the plastic enclosure used by grading certification companies to seal in certified comics.
SLABBING
- Colloquial term for the process of encapsulating certified comics in a plastic enclosure.
SPINE
- The left-hand edge of the comic that has been folded and stapled.
SPINE ROLL
- A condition where the left edge of the comic book curves toward the front or back, caused by folding back each page as the comic was read.
SPLASH PAGE
- A Splash Panel that takes up the entire page.
SPLASH PANEL
- (1) The first panel of a comic book story, usually larger than other panels and usually containing the title and credits of the story; (2) An oversized interior panel.
SUBSCRIPTION COPY
- A comic sent through the mail directly from the publisher or publisher’s agent. Most are folded in half, causing a subscription crease or fold running down the center of the comic from top to bottom; this is considered a defect.
SUBSCRIPTION CREASE
- See Subscription Copy.
SUBSCRIPTION FOLD
- See Subscription Copy. Differs from a Subscription Crease in that no ink is missing as a result of the fold.
TEXT STORY
- A story with few if any illustrations commonly used as filler material during the first three decades of comics.
TITLE
- The name of the comic book.
TITLE PAGE
- First page of a story showing the title of the story and possibly the creative credits and indicia.
VARIANT COVER
- A different cover image used on the same issue.
VICTORIAN AGE
- Comics published from approximately 1828-1899.
WAREHOUSE COPY
- Originating from a publisher’s warehouse; similar to file copy.
X-OVER
- Short for Crossover.
ZINE
- Short for Fanzine.
Reprinted by permission from The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #34. ©2004 Gemstone Publishing, Inc. Overstreet® is a Registered Trademark of Gemstone Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
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