Comic Shop Word of the Day: BLANK SKETCH COVER

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Blank Sketch Cover

[blangk skech kuhv-er]

noun

• A type of variant issue comic book.
• The pages of this issue match the regular issue.
• The cover of this issue is left white and uncoated with gloss.
• These covers are made with the intent for artists to do original art work on them.

"I brought a few blank sketch covers to the comic convention; we'll see what artists are there."
"My friend collects blank sketch covers and then draws his own covers."
"I brought a blank sketch cover, but Geoff Darrow isn't doing commissioned pieces."

Artist Mark Harmon drew Rocket Raccoon on @MarkAvo's Guardians of the Galaxy blank sketch cover. 

Comic Shop Word of the Day: ONE SHOT

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One Shot

[wʌn ʃɑt]

noun

• A comic book whose story does not tie-in to a different issue.
• A comic with a story that starts and ends in the same issue.
• A "one-and-done" story.
• Many annual comic books are one shots.

"I like Sensational Comics Wonder Woman because each issue is a one shot."

"All these multi-title events get too expensive; I want a plain old one shot."

Comic Shop Word of the Day: KIRBY KRACKLE

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Kirby Krackle

aka Kriby Dots

[ˈkɜrbi ˈkrækəl]

noun

• Created by comic book creator Jack Kirby
• An artistic technique using a field of black, pseudo-fractal images used to represent negative space around unspecified kinds of energy
• Used in illustrations of explosions, smoke, the blasts from ray guns, energy, and "cosmic" and space phenomena

"I love that artists still use Kirby Krackle."

"Kirby Krackle takes more time, but looks so much better than cross hatching."

Further Reading:

Evolution of Kirby Krackle via The Jack Kirby Museum

Comic Shop Word of the Day: ANNUAL

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Annual

[ˈænjuəl]

noun
adjective: describing type of comic book

• An issue of an ongoing title that is printed in addition to the regular monthly issue of said title
• It is an issue usually published once a year
• These issues traditionally have more pages (and cost more) than the regular title issues
• Often these issues are stand-alone stories that can be read as (see) One-and-Done
• Annuals often feature different writers/authors than those of the regular ongoing title

"Any annual written by Christos Gage is one worth reading over and over."

"The Batman Annual #3 was alright, but I like Greg Capullo's Batman the best."

Comic Shop Word of the Day: DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS

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Diamond Comic Distributors

[ˈdaɪmənd ˈkɑmɪk dɪˈstrɪbjətɜrz]
noun
synonym: Diamond, DCD, the worst 

• The only comic book wholesale distributor
• All products distributed via DCD are nonrefundable
• The #1 reason new, local comic shops don't survive past three years
• Defined by the DCD website:
• Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. was established in 1982 to provide comic book specialty retailers with wholesale, non-returnable comic books, graphic novels and related pop-culture merchandise.
• After more than 30 years of service, Diamond has become the world's largest distributor of English-language comics and related merchandise at the nexus of comics and pop-culture.

"I know you pre-ordered that comic book, but Diamond screwed up and over-sold the amount that they actually had, and we won't be able to get it now."

"Our comic book shop is still waiting for a refund for products that we paid for ($800 worth) but never received eight months ago."

Website's highlighting the poor customer service of this mega-corporation:

• Diamond Damage Disasters
• Sub Reddit /r/diamondsucks

Comic Shop Word of the Day: THE BIG TWO

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The Big Two

[ðə bɪg tu]
noun

• Marvel and DC - the two largest comic book publishers
• Publishers are often divided into "The Big Two" and all the rest
• Marvel is a subsidiary of Disney
• DC is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.

"Do you remember when The Big Two teamed up and made the Amalgam Universe?"
"I tend to read mostly comics from The Big Two, but sometimes I'll pick up an Image or Dark Horse book."

Marvel's website, the landing page for all cross-platform media.

DC's Website; an upfront guide to all their new comics.

Comic Shop Word of the Day: VARIANT

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Variant

[vɛriənt]

noun

• Single issue of a comic book featuring a different cover than that of the regular issue
• Often available in limited quantities (see incentive cover)
• Due to market demand, variant issues often sell for more-than MSRP prices

"I want to get all of the STAR WARS action-figure variants."
"Skottie Young is my favorite variant artist."

Just a handful of the many variants available from Death Ray Comics.

Comic Shop Word of the Day: MANGA

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Manga

[ˈmæŋgə]
noun 

• Japanese word for comic book
• Asian-style trade paperbacks/graphic novels (TPB, GN)
• Usually smaller than American & European graphic novels; often digest size
• Printed in black and white or gray scale

"Do you have ATTACK ON TITAN?" - "Yes it's in the manga section."

"Manga just gives you more bang for your buck than American comics."

40% of all books and magazines sold in Japan are manga. (Photo by Fabien licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Comic Shop Word of the Day: BACK ISSUE

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Back Issue

[bæk ˈɪʃu]
noun 

(back-issue: adj)

• An older (not current) single-issue of a comic book series.
• Value and collectability of a 'back issue' depends on market (though usually priced at less-than
  retail).
• These are the comics that fill the many long boxes in your local comic shop.

"Do you have any back issues of 90's Wolverine?"
"I could thumb through back-issue bins all day!"

Comic conventions can be a great place to browse back issues. Photo via DRC Instagram

Comic Shop Word of the Day: COLLECTED EDITION

Collected Edition

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[kəlɛktəd ədɪʃən]
noun

• A bound book (see Graphic Novel, Trade Paperback) of multiple comic book issues, collected into a single volume.
• Most of the large comic publisher's graphic novels and trade paperbacks are, in fact, collected editions.

"Has Matt Fraction's HAWKEYE been released as a collected edition yet?"

"I'm waiting until Ms. Marvel is released as a collected edition; I like binge-reading comic arcs."

Just a few of the Marvel Collected Editions available from Death Ray Comics.