Comics Terminology

from: Writing For Comic Books http://www.joeedkin.com/

Panels

The images that are usually laid out within borders are known as
panels.

The layout of the panels can be in a grid. Watchmen was notable

for utilizing a nine panel grid of three rows and three columns.
Occasionally, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons would use larger
panels that broke the format of the grid to emphasize specific
acts or points in the narrative.

Other techniques of representation used within comics are: the

speech bubble; the thought balloon; the narrative box; and the
style of lettering.

Panel frames

The border or edges of a panel, when drawn, are called frames.

These are normally rectangular in shape, but this shape can be
altered to convey information to the reader. A cloud shaped
panel can indicate a flashback or a dream sequence, whilst one
with a jagged edge can be used to convey anger or shock. A
panel without a frame is used to convey space. The frame itself
can be formed by the image. For example, a scene can be
framed by a door frame or by binoculars.

Bleed

Full bleed is usually used on a comic book cover, and is when

the art is allowed to run to the edge of each page, rather than
having a white border around it. Bleeds are sometimes used on
internal panels to create the illusion of space or emphasize
action. This is more common in manga and modern comics.

The Bleed of DC Comics' Multiverse takes its name as a pun on

this term.
Splash page

Splash page or sometimes referred to simply as a "splash", is a

full page drawing in a comic book. A splash page is often used
as the first page of a story, and includes the title and credits.
Splashes that are not on the first page of a story are sometimes
called interior splash pages. Interior splashes may, or may not
include titles and/or credits. A panel that is larger than others on
the page is called a splash panel. A splash that appears across
two pages of a comic book is called a "double splash" or a two-
page spread. Rarely, splash pages will stretch over more than
two pages; such multi-page spreads often take the form of fold-
out posters.

Speech balloon, word balloon, speech bubble

The speech or word balloon (also known as a speech bubble),

is a graphic used to assign ownership of dialogue on a particular
character. Bubbles which represent an internal dialogue are
referred to as "thought balloons". The shape of the balloon will
indicate the type of dialogue contained, with thought balloons
being more cloud-like and connected to the owner by a series of
small bubbles. Speech bubbles are more elliptical, although
those used to represent screaming or anger tend to be spiky, and
square boxes have been used to represent dialogue spoken by
robots or computers. Whispers are usually represented by
balloons made up of broken lines. Surprised thoughts in
japanese Manga are usually round and tend to spike out.
Balloons such as radio, or TV, may be represtented by a spiked
ballon. Certain creators are particularly renowned for their
inventiveness with the format of the balloon; writer and artist
Dave Sim (who also letters his own work), is particularly
innovative with this aspect of the comic book - for example, a
balloon containing dialogue which is spoken coldly will often
have depictions of small icicles hanging from it.

Captions
See also: Speech balloon Comic book captions are a narrative
device, often used to convey information that cannot be
communicated by the art or speech. Captions can be used in
place of thought bubbles, can be in the first- second- or third-
person, and can either be assigned to an independent narrator or
one of the comics' characters. Simply put, they are:

"Boxes on a comic book page that contains text... While

sometimes used to convey dialogue, they are more often
used to impart a character's thoughts or as a narrative
device."[26]

Like word balloons, they need not be of uniform shape, size,

design or color (indeed, some modern comics use different
colors to assign different textual captions to different
characters).

Motion lines

Motion lines, also known as "speed lines", are lines that are used
to represent motion. Like in some pictures if a person or some
other mobile thing in moving the 'Motion Lines' will follow in
short, straight lines behind it.

Gutter

The gutter is the space between borders. Scott McCloud

identified the gutter as one of the most important narrative tools
in comics, invoking as it does a procedure McCloud defined as
closure.[27]

Symbolia

Mort Walker defined in his book The Lexicon of Comicana, the

iconic representations used within comics and cartooning as
"symbolia".[28] Examples being the lightbulb above a character's
head to indicate an idea, the indication of sleep by a saw cutting
a log or a line of "zzzz", Kirby dots, and the use of dotted lines
to indicate a line of sight, with daggers being used instead of
dotted lines to indicate an evil look.