She-Geeks discussion

Chimney wrote: "Wasn't sure if this should go here or in general...

Anyway, I am still kind of new to comics (outside of manga) and I was wondering if there were any special terms that I or any other newbie into ..."

Most comic books come out once a month also know as issues. Trade paperbacks or tades are an accumilation of about 6 issues of a comimc book. hope taht helps, still a little new to the whole comic book think.

Let's see, I could use some refreshing on my vocab...

- Series: A comic book title in its entirety. (i.e. Batman is a series. The Dark Knight Returns is a series. The Amazing Spider-Man is a series.)
- The stapled comics you're referring to are called issues. They usually cost anywhere between $0-5 and are about 20-40 pages. Most comics are released monthly, but there are some that are released weekly, two times a month, every other month, every year, and so on. To address your question, weeklies are series that release a different issue every week. Monthlies are series that release a different issue every month-- they aren't compilations.
- Trades are a collection of (normally) 5-6 issues and are released in chronological order. Now these are compilations. Like how a manga volume have chapters. Trades have issues. People buy trades because:
1.) It's cheaper than buying individual issues. Six issues at $3 each will cost you $18. A trade will cost anywhere from $10-15.
2.) Durability. Trades are similar to paperback/hardcover books. Same cover material, just comic-sized. Issues are made from glossy paper which can get torn and rough around the edges.
3.) Some people like to read entire arcs in one sitting. It's more engaging. Speaking of arcs, they are prominent story lines within a series that span over numerous issues.

Drawbacks from buying trades instead of issues:
1.) Say you're following a monthly series, the trades probably won't be released until after the 5th or 6th month. That's a long wait.
2.) If you're a collector, issues have way more value than trades. In fact, I'm not aware of any practice where people trade paperbacks or sell them for tons of money.
3.) Cover art. I believe most trades don't include the covers of issues following the first one. So in a trade of issues 6-10, #6 will be the cover of the trade, but covers of #7-10 won't be included inside the book. Variants are just issues with alternative covers to the same issue.

If you're interested in collecting comics, this is what I do: I collect single issues if I'm a fan of the series. If I come across a classic or a series that's out of print then I'll go get the trades because the single issues are probably expensive. Sometimes I end up loving what I read then I'll backtrack and hunt down certain issues. Like any other hobby, it can get expensive but if you just keep your pull list (or reading list) down to around 6 series then you'll only spend around $22 per month. My list is ridiculous right now (>_<) but since I spend most of my free time reading comics, I don't mind it.

If you're just a casual reader or don't read comics often, stick with the trades. The term graphic novel gets thrown around a lot, and it's basically another name for comic book or trade. I rarely use that term unless I'm referring to a standalone series bound in one book, but practically, I still consider it a comic book. Puh-tay-toes, puh-tah-toes.

Let me know if you have any other questions. There's a lot of pointless terminology out there. As long as you know trade, issue, and arc, you're good to go. Everything else you'll figure out naturally.

Good summary, Kay.

Anna (Bananas!) wrote: "Good summary, Kay."

I agree.

How about giving us some of the lingo they use at a comic convention. I've never been to one and would love to go but I need some lessons on geek speak at a comic con first. :)

I've never noticed anything inherently different in terms of geek-speak at a con. If you know the lingo more or less of the stuff you're into, that's all you need to know. If you're perusing the comic sellers, make sure you know what you're going in for (trades, monthlies, variants, etc.) so you can let them know what you want.

Example: I'm not into anime/manga, so at the anime/manga sections of bigger cons I don't know all the terms they use. But it doesn't matter, since I'm generally not hanging around those sections too often anyway!

One thing I did learn at the last con (Calgary) I was at - Bronies! I had no idea there was this segment of the male population that was so into My Little Pony. That kinda blew my mind. Still continue to blows my mind actually. Whatever floats you boat, right?

The most important thing about going to your first big con is to be prepared. Don't worry about the lingo, worry about having money, food, and being prepared to stand in lines.

Thanks a lot for the info and the disturbing information about Bronies. :)

My 13yo son is a Bronie. I so do not get it, especially because he's so boyish in every other way.

But it's so sweet to hear him sing the Big Brother, Best Friend Forever song to his little sisters. :P

I'm glad I found this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am CERTAINLY NEEDING IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Thanks, ya'll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kelly wrote: "Bronies! I had no idea there was this segment of the male population that was so into My Little Pony."

Lol, really? I love this.

Seriously guys, there's a ton of Bronies. What's funny is how a lot of men react very adversely when they find out about them. It's like their manhood is being threatened - and I'm not talking about men that otherwise are prejudiced against any other group (homosexuals for instance, since a lot of people think Bronies are all gay).

I'm actually really interested in not only Bronies but also some people's really extreme reaction against it.

I guarantee you if you walked down the street and ask 10 random men what they thought of Bronies you'd get quite a strong adverse reaction to it. If you asked those same 10 men what they thought about somebody being really into Transformers, they wouldn't have the same reaction.

Bob - you said yourself that the information was disturbing - and I'm not trying to single you out here (but you're certainly in the minority of men in this group and you just happen to be active in the thread) - but I'm just curious as to why that was your first gut reaction?

This has actually been a big debate in my house recently - with my boyfriend and my male friends.

Kelly, I want to know about these Bronies. Why would guys like My Little Pony? (And I'm sorry b/c I'm chuckling as I type this.) Really though, I don't get it. Please explain. Is it younger boys only?

I have to admit - I don't really get it either, and it's not just younger boys (although there seem to be a lot), but it's grown up men as well.

I didn't get too into detail with any of them at Calgary Expo because I was so busy myself, but it's a section of fandom that I'm really interested in, probably because I don't really get it. I'm dying to talk to some Bronies, but I don't want to bust in on their forums because I imagine a lot of them can be quite defensive, just based on the reaction I've seen from the general public. Most people I talk to can't believe it's not some purely sexual thing, but based on the folks I talked to that had nothing to do with it.

Grown men too? O.o
It's very odd but I can't see a sexual slant to it.

It's almost the same thing as men WEARING The color PINK!!!

Same Difference!!!!!!

It's also like WOMEN *S*H*O*U*L*D* *N*O*T* Wear the color BLUE!!!!!!!

Lashya - please tell me you're joking about the whole blue/pink thing?

Bronies - from the basic (and I mean very basic) amount of research I just done on them, they are older fans, mostly male with the occasional sister Bronie, of My Little Pony, mainly the tv show released in 2010, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

The way I see it, it is exactly the same as any of us watching cartoons that are aimed at a younger audience. They just happen to be watching a cartoon aimed a girls which is why they come under fire. Isn't that just the same as older girls watching any superhero cartoon because they have been aimed at a young male audience for years.

I've never seen this MLP cartoon myself so I'm not a Bronie but I am a lover of anything that screws with gender binaries and anyone's perception of how gender should be so I am kind of in love with the idea that older men like things aimed at younger girls.

From what I've seen of the fandom, most of them seem to be kind, gentle and funny and in an age where an increasing amount of young men are turning out to be sexist, rapist pigs (sorry, increasing amount of rape in the city where I live and it is turning me into an angry and scared ranter) surely we should be glad that some men are watching a show about friendship and love? I'm all for this redefinition of masculinity and see so many similarities in them and female comic book geeks, we are both fandoms that are mocked and hated for being true to ourselves.

Kelly wrote: "Seriously guys, there's a ton of Bronies. What's funny is how a lot of men react very adversely when they find out about them. It's like their manhood is being threatened - and I'm not talking ab..."

I agree with Kelly that guys in particular seem to be concerned with the likes of other guys.

I honestly do not even see why it is a big deal to some people what other people like. To me, as long as it's not illegal (ie child pornography) I do not care. Unless you are trying to convince me that Twilight portrays positive role models, then I judge.

I have not watched MLP, I did watch the old version when I was a child, but I do not care if guys my age enjoy it. I do not personally know any, but I would never think less of them for it.

I'm a big proponent of liking things with no regard towards their target age range. I enjoy many middle grade and young adult books and even read the occasional children's book. Same with TV. The Avatar series (Last Airbender and Legend of Korra) is one of my favorite shows and I am eagerly awaiting the next season. Last I checked, I'm not the target age group for that show.

Amazingly said Natalie!

Stefani wrote: "The way I see it, it is exactly the same as any of us watching cartoons that are aimed at a younger audience. They just happen to be watching a cartoon aimed a girls which is why they come under fire. "

This is exactly my view on the whole matter - and when you say that to people (men mostly) who take the "ewwwwww" approach immediately, they don't really have much of an argument. It's okay for grown women to be really into the Transformers (classic, from 1984-1987) because that's somehow "hip". But if I guy likes My Little Ponies? Good GOD, there must be something wrong with them.

/sarcasm

There's something to be said for not reverting to a child-like state when you're 35 (and I mean in a pathological way here), but if you really like a cartoon? So what?

I got a lot of "but that's for BOYS" when I was growing up, so I really grew to hate that whole regimented "this is for GIRLS, and this is for BOYS, and never the twain shall meet" thing. It's just plain idiotic, and extremely judgmental.

I totally ended up hijacking this thread - I'm awful at that. Is there a way to split some posts off into it's own thread? Anna? Kay?

Kelly wrote: "I totally ended up hijacking this thread "

I helped. Sorry! The whole adults should not consume media directed outside their age group agrument is a pet peeve of mine.

I wonder how ya'll feel about the . And is it SIMILAR OR THE SAME AS My Little Pony ??????

Guess what ???? It was ORIGINALLY Created by a MAN Named Iginio Straffi, !!!!!!!! Unfortunetly he does not yet have a GoodReads Photo.

He is also unfortunetly not accredited here, either, as others are.


Check out the ::

01. Winx Club Wikia or the
02. WikiPedia for the Winx Club



I HAVE TWO Male Friends who are Winx Club SUPER-FANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of them is a member of GoodReads. He is a GR Author, and his name is Charles Johnson.

This is the CORRECT LINK TO MY Charles Johnson ::::


http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Well, said, Kay, but many trades do include cover art for each issue. As for the term graphic novel, I recently discussed this with a number of comic book friends and we all seemed to agree that a graphic novel is a work written and published as a single installment, or at a least longer installment in a more book-like series, as opposed to trades, which are compilations of issues. So, Persepolis and Maus are graphic novels as they are intended to be released as a trade-like book and read in one sitting instead of being a long-running series of weekly or monthly shorter installments like Batman or Gotham Knights.

Another friend of mine argues that 'graphic novel' originally implied more mature subject matter and then become useless when more and more comics delved into the serious and the gritty and then grew distasteful to many as a snooty term that tried to make often disregarded genres more palatable to literary snobs. However, I maintain that the trade as compilation versus graphic novel as non-serial single volume piece makes the most sense, as it is a needed distinction.

I just saw this thread and wanted to add - anyone interested in learning about comics, graphic novels, and trades could take a look at their local library and see what they have available. I've found the library is a great free resource where you can get a feel for all the incredibly diverse stories and artistic styles available. (Trades, graphic novels, and manga may be lumped together as graphic novels in the catalog.)

Also, best way to tell if your reading trades/graphic novels in a series in the right order is to check out the dates on the copyright page. If the book is a collection of issues that were published individually, the individual issue numbers and original publication copyright date should be printed there.

Kelly wrote: "Bob - you said yourself that the information was disturbing - and I'm not trying to single you out here (but you're certainly in the minority of men in this group and you just happen to be active in the thread) - but I'm just curious as to why that was your first gut reaction?"

My first gut reaction was that it was a joke. And I'm still not convinced it's not an urban legend. :) But, to each his own. I live in North Alabama, so people think I'm weird for loving to watch Batman cartoons with my little boy.

Natalie wrote: "I honestly do not even see why it is a big deal to some people what other people like. To me, as long as it's not illegal (ie child pornography) I do not care. Unless you are trying to convince me that Twilight portrays positive role models, then I judge."

Ha!! Yes - well said, Natalie :) I love that last part.

Shannon wrote: "As for the term graphic novel, I recently discussed this with a number of comic book friends and we all seemed to agree that a graphic novel is a work written and published as a single installment, or at a least longer installment in a more book-like series..."

I think this makes sense - but I've gotten tired of "graphic novel" being thrown around in place of "comic book" as if it makes an art form more legitimate. In rebellion, I tend to refer to everything as comic books. I love comic book adapations, so I love to surprise my non-comic-loving friends with statements like, "Did you know Road to Perdition and History of Violence were both based on comic books?"

Jim wrote: "Shannon wrote: "As for the term graphic novel, I recently discussed this with a number of comic book friends and we all seemed to agree that a graphic novel is a work written and published as a sin..."

Haha, having to been to larger comic cons, I can guarantee you that it's not an urban legend or a joke!

Jim wrote: "I tend to refer to everything as comic books."

I do this as well, I rarely, if ever, use the term graphic novel. Seems to be that its a term to dress up something in order to make it more acceptable to put in a bookstore. Because, you know, real readers don't read comic books ;).

The people who use "graphic novel" as a term to make comic books seem more high-brow annoy me as much as those who dismiss all fantasy and whenever they come across decent fantasy declare it to be "magical realism" not fantasy. Both terms are the shields of judgment-fearing hipsters.

Shannon wrote: "...declare it to be "magical realism" not fantasy..."

Magical realism is a separate to fantasy though. Magical elements are implanted into an otherwise mundane and normal reality, so those people are just using the term plain wrong. It can also be used across many genres.

Ray Bradbury did this a lot (Something Wicked This Way Comes, along with Death Is A Lonely Business, and countless short stories). Terry Gilliam also heavily uses magical realism in his movies (The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus being the most recent example). There's also Amelie, Midnight In Paris, Big Fish, Pan's Labyrinth, etc.

Hell, Stranger In A Strange Land could fall into this territory as well. Magical realism is less a genre and more of a literary device.

Kelly wrote: "I do this as well, I rarely, if ever, use the term graphic novel. Seems to be that its a term to dress up something in order to make it more acceptable to put in a bookstore. Because, you know, real readers don't read comic books ;). "

Ha! Too true. :)

Yes, I know Magical Realism is different (although some of those seem more like Urban Fantasy/Contemporary Fantasy), but I know people who insist things like Game of Thrones, Acacia, etc are Magical Realism because they can't be fantasy, they don't suck. It's like they think fantasy is unicorn vomit and anything that discusses any complex issues or had a compelling story can't possibly be fantasy. I even had a friend who is obsessed with Game of Thrones say she didn't think she would like the books because they're fantasy and she doesn't like fantasy. ::facepalm::

Shannon wrote: "think fantasy is unicorn vomit and anything that discusses any complex issues or had a compelling story can't possibly be fantasy."

Haha, I just got a very interesting visual from that!

It's really unfortunate when people get all stuffy about terms like that. Exactly like graphic novel vs. comic. I don't understand the desire for people to do exactly like. Why turn things into dirty words for no reason?

The term graphic novel doesn't bother me. But I think of monthly comics published in volumes as trades and then a graphic novel would be something more like Fun Home - a standalone story published all at once.

When people say comic, I think of single issues.

Shannon, your story about your GoT friend made me laugh. She's in denial! :)

Pretty much all the trades I own have the cover art inside, usually at the back of the book, minus the titles, etc. Just the art. Some have them in place in the book where the covers would appear if the issues had been bound together. One nice addition is that some also include concept art, alternate cover art, and/or notes about the comic.

I've been replacing my comic book issues with trades whenever possible, and I have a LOT of comics, but I like being able to shelve trades standing up, rather than keeping the comics in boxes in a closet.

I know this entire group is dated, but...

Just wanted to add my two cents about distinguishing between the terms "comic" and "graphic novel."

When single issues are compiled into a volume, that's called a trade. You may see "TPB," which means trade paperback.

A graphic novel is not necessarily a collection of comics. Graphic novels are visually similar to comics, yes. But they tell a story as a novel with no pictures would--it's a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end. TPBs can be ongoing for volumes, depending on the series. It's a tough comparison with nuances in the differences. That's not to say that mainstream comic characters do not have their own graphic novels--confusing, to say the least!

Other terms I found helpful:

- "HC" simply means hardcover.

- An "omnibus" is a huge collection of a series, usually spanning at least a couple dozen issues--sometimes it can contain a whole run!

- Btw, a "run" is an arc (or more) taken on by a particular writer. When a run is complete, the series is usually passed on to another writer to start a new run. Runs may or may not have more than one writer, but they can have several artists.

- "Annuals" are special edition comics that are a bit beefier than the standard single. Usually a once-per-year release as the name indicates.

- A character / series being "retconned" means that something about the origin has been changed from what was considered canon before.