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Affective Response
emotional reactions that arise without conscious effort
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album
a collection of previously serialized comics in a bound edition
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alternative
non-mainstream comic books usually created by a single cartoonist and presenting a very personal vision
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amplification
the heightening of meaning that comes when people communicate about an act of communication
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anime
Japanese animated films
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anthropomorphism
literary device where non-hum creatures are given human like qualities
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anti hero
a protagonist who lacks some qualities of an idealized hero
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apa
an amateur press aliance, whose members publish collections of their works and distribute them to each other
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art form
a type of creative expression governed by its own materials, techniques, and limitations
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artisan process
production method that involvews principally individual execution of the writing and drawing in the creation of comics
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asynchronous
the depiction of sound, or music in a panel that is not occuring at the same moment as the events pictured in the panel
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auteur
the primary "author" of a work who provides a unifying artistic vision, even within a collaborative production process
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back issues
stocks of comic book magazines older than the most current issue offered for sale by comics speciality shops
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bande dessinee
"drawn strips" or comics from the Franco-Belgian tradition
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broadsheet
an early form of mass communication consisting of a single page of printed material usually with both words and images
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Canadian Whites
comic with black and white interior pages published during World War 2
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canon
a definitive list of the most worthwhile works or most talented creators
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cartoonist
creator who both writes and draws comics
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chiaroscuro
a stark contrast of light and dark
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closure
applying background knowledge and an understanding of the relationships between encapsulated images to synthesize or blend sequences of panels into events
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cognitive response
the process of perceiving, organizing, and interpreting the symbols on the pg in order to construct meaning
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comic book
a volume in which all aspects of the narrative are represented by pictorial and linguistic images encapsulated in a sequence of juxtaposed panels and pages
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comics
juxtaposed images in a sequence
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Comics Code Authority
an industry-sponsored board tasked with reviewing the contents of comic books before approving them for distribution
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Comics Guaranty,LLC
limited liability corporation that offers the services of a third party evaluation of a comic books grading
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comics journalism
accounts of actual events presented in comics form
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composition
the selection and placement of visual elements on a comics page and within a panel
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content analysis
research method in which the frequency and patterns of selected variables are investigated across media messages
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continuity
the consistent relationship among different comics stories
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copyright
the legal control that the owner has over intellectual property
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cultural imperialism
the erosion of native cultures, including their value systems, language, and traditions, due to the influence of more dominant cultures through the distribution of mass media
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diagetic images
pictures and words that characters, objects, and sensory environment of the worl of the story.
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differentiation
the process of distinguishing a narrative from others within its genre
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direct effects
theory of mass media consumption that says audiences imitate what they see portrayed in media messages; also known as the "magic bullet theory" of media effects
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direct market
the system of comic book distribution to speciality shops
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disjointed panel
the words and images that constitute the panel are not contiguous
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distribution
stage in the mass media industry where entities sell media products to the consumers
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encapsulation
selecting images that capture the flow of experience and putting them in a panel
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exhibition
stage in the mass media industry where entities sell media products to the consumers
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fan
an audience member engaged in the dialogue about comic books
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fanboy
a term for fans that may be either insulting or used for self- deprecation
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fandom
the community of fans produced by organized activity
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fanzine
a fan produced magazine
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flayed look
artistic style that emphasizes detailed musculature
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fotonovela
a comic whose panels consist of a mixture of still photography and text; also known as fumetti in Europe
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freelancer
an independant contractor who accepts work on particular assignments
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gatekeeper
anyone who has the authority to select or modify messages communicated through the media
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genre
a class or type of an art form as determined by the appearance of similarities with other works
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ghetto librettos
Mexican comics emphasizing sexuality, crime, and melodrama
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golden age
reference to the comic book era of earliest mass popularity, roughly dated 1938-1945
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good girl art
style of comic art ub wgucg shapely, stereotypically attractive women are provocatively posed for the pleasure of the male viewer
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graphic novel
a label applied by creators and publishers to distinguish a comic book, which in practice is longer and perhaps self-contained, in contrast to most periodical comic books.
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ground level
non mainstream comic books that allowed creators to tap into the underground sensibility and work in genres other than superheroes
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gutter
the space between panels
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hardcover
a book published with a comparatively durable cover
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hegemony
the perpetuation of power disparities in a culture through the capitulation of those disadvantaged by the system
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historietas
"little stories" or comics from the Mexican tradition
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hybrid
a narrative that combines qualities from two or more genres
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icon signs
visual cues that represent things similar in appearance(ex. a simple drawing of a car made to represent a car)
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ideology
a set of ideas that function as sense making tools for groups of people
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indepependant
smaller publisher that attempts to compete with the established publishers by offering genre fiction comic books intended for mainstream audience
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index signs
visual cues that have relationship to ideas or things not explicitely depicted(ex. a gasp indicates surprise)
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industrial process
production method that involves collaborators performing specialized tasks in the creation of comics
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intellectual property
an original work of workds, images, or ideas that is legally recognized as being owned by its creator
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interanimation of meaning
images(picture or text) appearing in proximity can each affect the meaning of the other, and together create a meaning beyond what is communicated by each separate image.
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intertextual image
a picture that reminds the reader of something he or she has encountered in other media(movies, books, paintings, TV shows, etc)
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juvenille delinquency
a social condition in which youth engage in illegal activities such as vandalism, theft, and murder
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juxtapose
to place items side-by-side
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layout
the relationship of a single panel to the succession of panels, to the totality of the page, and to the totality of the story; involves choices of size, sequence, and juxtaposition
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licensing
the assigning of rights by a trademark holder to a license to use a character for a marketing application
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ligne claire
style of drawing that assigns equal value to all the lines within the frame and de-emphasizes shading.
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literacy
the ability to understand and interpret a symbol system, traditionally associated with reading text bu now regarded as including visual and other cultural symbols as well.
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limited series
a comic book series launched with definite conclusion planned
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mainstream
comic books produced by the most established and profitable publishers
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manga
Japanese comics; translated as "irresponsible pictures"
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mangaka
professional cartoonists working in Japanese manga
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Marvel Method
a collaborative production which vests most control over the story telling dynamics upon the artist rather than the writer
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medium
a channel for communication
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metonymy
the use of an associated detail to represent the whole
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mini comics
originally designated a 3 1/2 x 4 eight page comic, but the term has come to refer to small, homeade comic book
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mint condition
a state lacking any detectible flaws
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monomyth
the archetypical story of the hero`s journey repeated accross multiple versions
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monopoly
a marketplace characterized by only one provider and no competition
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multimodal
a text which communicates through more than one symbol system such as comics or television
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mythic criticism
a research method wherein texts are reviewed for their culturally significant meanings
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narrative problematic
the challenge that must be overcome or resolved before a happy ending can be reached in a story
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negotiated reading
an interpretation of a message that accepts some of the intent of the creators while rejecting other elements
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newwave
half or quarter page mini comics produced by cartoonists independant of any publisher
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ninth art
title assigned to the comics art form by scholar Claude Beylie, who argued comics and television deserved standing with seven other arts: architecture, music, painting, sculpture, poetry, dance, and cinema
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noise
any interference that distorts the message
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oligopoly
a marketplace characterized by relatively few competitors
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onomatopoeia
invented words that mimic sounds
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oppositional reading
an interpretation of a message that is counter to the creator`s intent
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origin story
narrative that explains the fantastic nature of the superhero and involves a transformation; also referred to commonly as the "secret origin"
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other
social group that is defined in contrast to the qualities of a preferred group in a society
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panel
a discernible area that contains a moment of the story
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paradigmatic choice
the chosen images and all the images that could have made sense or communicated nearly the same meaning atthe same pint in the panel
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paralanguage
qualities of our spoken language(volume, rate, speed, etc)
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parasocial relationship
the perception of a relationship with figures in the media that develops over time and may have an emotional intensity similar to that of actual shared relationships
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preferred reading
an interpretation of a message that matches the intent of the creators
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primary movement
the implied movement of people or objects in the frame
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production
stage in mass media industry where entities create media products
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priliferating narrativity
the focus of interest does not reside in the building and resolution of dramatic suspense spanning the entire text, but in the narrative verve displayed in relating adventures from the life of the hero
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propaganda
a series of related communication acts that spread a particular interpretation of an event
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prozine
a fanzine with higher production values and produced by a staff with more of a professional than amateur standing.
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psychological image
an image hat represents some aspect of a character`s personality or state of mind
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pulps
magazine made of cheap paper and featuring sensational fictional stories
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quantative
analysis of phenomena using numerical data
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reboot
starting a series over with revisions to the mythos established in the previous incarnations of the series
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representation
the depiction and definition of a social group in mass media messages
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rogues gallery
a superhero`s collection of foes
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scarcity
the relatively limited availability of an object, which helps drive up its value
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scene
a unit of the story that usually, but not necessarily, has unity of time and space to portray a continuous action.
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secondary movement
the implied movement of the frame itself
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sequence
the compilation of related and usually consecutive scenes
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sequential art
any artwork with elements arranged in a sequence to tell a story
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shop system
an arrangment where independant contractors produced content for the major publishers, often in an assembly line where different production steps were divided among artists
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sign
something, such as an image, meant to represent something else, such as a quality
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Silver Age
reference to comic book era coinceding with the second surge in popularity in superhero comics, roughly dated 1956-1969
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slabbed
referring to the state of a comic book that has been evaluated and then sheathed between two sheets of plastic by the comics guaranty, LLC
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slash fiction
stories authored by fans that place same-sex fictional characters into sexual situations
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speciality shops
stores offering comics and comics related paraphenilia
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speculators
collectors who purchase comic books as investments
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splash page
full page panel, usually at or near the beginning of a comics narrative, used to establish context or mood
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standardization
the process of inculding enough recognizable elements so that a narrative clearly fits within a genre
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state of grace
a set of powers, appearance, supporting characters, and behaviors that are preserved in a recognizable form for the economic interests of the corporation that owns the character
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stereotype
a recognizable generalization of a type
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symbol signs
arbitrary patterns, such as words, that reference an idea or thing
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synchronous
the depiction of sound in a panel that emanates from and is occuring at the same moment as the events pictured in the panel
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synecdoche
a part of something that stands for the whole or vice versa
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synergy
the coordinated release of products tied into a media property to maximize exposure and increase profitability
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syntagmatic choice
the process of selecting which panels to present from the possible progression of story images that could occur
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Tijuana Bible
Crude sex comic books
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trade paperback
a comic book usually with more pages than most monthly issues and bound by a cover that is of higher durability than a paper cover but not quite as durable as hardcover
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underground comix
independantly produced comic books, ofter socially rebellious
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virtual community
a group of people in relationship to one another who rely on mediated communication because of a lack of geographic proximity to one another
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visual metaphor
a picture of one thing to evoke the idea of something else
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work-for-hire
an arrangment with a cartoonist in which the publisher retains copyright over characters and story
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Yellow kid thesis
a disputed assertion that the comics medium began with the owrk of Richard Felton Outcaults Hogan Alley, featuring the character of the Yellow Kid
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