Comic Book Terminology

Front

panel

Back

the box or segment that contains the image and text

Front

frame

Back

the border that surrounds and contains the panel

Front

gutter

Back

the space that lies between panels

Front

bleed

Back

when an image goes beyond the borders of the page

Front

graphic weight

Back

the heaviness or intensity of a line or block of shading for visual focus. The bolder the graphic weight, the greater the visual focus, making that element more salient in the scene.

Front

caption

Back

a box or section of text that gives details on the background and setting of the scene. It sits separately to speech and thought bubbles, often at the top or bottom of the panel.

Front

speech bubble

Back

this contains the dialogue spoken by different characters within a scene. It’s usually enclosed in a bubble or another shape; otherwise, can stand on its own, close to the speaker.

Front

thought bubble

Back

similar to the speech bubble, this contains the internal dialogue of a character and is usually shaped like a cloud, coming from the character’s head

Front

special effects

Back

sounds words that give a sense of sound on the page (e.g. BANG! THUMP!). To heighten their impact, the words are either bolded or have a special graphical treatment to make it stand out on the page.

Front

layout

Back

the configuration of all the elements on the page; the way in which the frame, panels, speech bubbles, etc. are arranged to tell the narrative