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JOHN BYRNE'S IMO: WHAT'S IN A WORD?

Back when I was a wee lad, just starting to read comics, and especially American superhero comics, I had no idea what all the shorthand forms were, and certainly did not know what the technical terms were for those forms. I can still remember vividly my father looking over my shoulder as I read a comic, and pointing out to me that the words inside the balloons with the scalloped edges were the character's thoughts. In English comics that I read at the time, thought balloons were usually indicated by having (THINKS) right there in the balloon at the start of the "paragraph."

Mind you, Dad did not refer to the balloons as "balloons." He didn't know that word, in that context, any more than I did. But I also remember the first time I came across the usage, and how wonderfully simple and perfectly descriptive the term seemed. Of course they were "balloons." They even had "strings" attached, connecting them to the speakers. (Later I would learn those "strings" were called tails or sometimes pointers).

Recently, a discussion on my message board at ByrneRobotics.com led to me cataloging some of the terms I have learned over the years -- some old, some new -- and, especially, defining those terms for those who have, on occasion, used them incorrectly. (This list does not include any of the terms Mort Walker made up some years ago. I loved some of those terms -- especially "Emminata" for those lines that spring off a character's head when s/he is surprised -- but they were, as noted, made up. Aside from one ernest fan, I have never heard anyone use them).

Something odd that struck me when I posted my list was the few people who argued against the definitions I provided -- especially in the case of speech and thought balloons. The most common error I hear civilians making is referring to these as "bubbles" (which strikes my ear as particularly diminishing and somehow childish -- like "balloon" isn't??), and I was surprised to find some folk staunchly defending the use. The Right to be Wrong has become something of an internet byword, I have noticed. This was one such, I expect. Instances of people correcting mistakes when they are pointed out -- witness the oft-seen "Spiderman" -- are few and far between.

Anyway -- here's the list. These are the definitions/uses as I have most often encountered them over the last several decades in and out of the Biz.

Reboot:

To restart the continuity of a book or character. To reintroduce the character as if s/he is a new character. Typical examples: Man of Steel, the George Perez Wonder Woman, my Doom Patrol, Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Sometimes these reboots are done retroactively, as with MoS and B:YO, sometimes they are "in continuity," as with WW and DP.

Retcon:

Short for "retroactive continuity." This happens when something which works a profound change on the character(s) is introduced retroactively, but without completely rebooting the character(s). Much of Frank Miller's work on Daredevil hinged on retcons. Spider-Man: Chapter One was retroactive continuity. Superboy was perhaps the earliest retcon. (Supergirl, by the time she was introduced to the mythos, wasn't a retcon).

Continuity:

Refers to the continuing backstory of a character, built up over many issues, years and even decades. Often composed in large part of retcons, this is different from...

History:

Referring to the "real world" story of the character(s), dealing with the creators, the way in which the stories were concocted, the publishing history, etc.

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