webcomic terms?

Cory_finch · Post by **Cory_finch** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 9:41 pm

Just want to ask about a couple of webcomic terms:

retcon (I'm pretty sure its not some kind of convevtion)

the fourth wall (I know what this means I just don't know why I could understand if it were the third wall or the fifth or even thew 11th or 21st, but I don't get fourth.

TheBladeRoden2 · Post by **TheBladeRoden2** » Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:13 pm

Imagine a sitcom house set. There's three walls, the left, the back, and the right one. In real life there would be a fourth wall on the front, but on a stage that would block our view, so the fourth wall is imaginary, but the actors still act like there's a wall there. But when characters start looking at the audience and talk directly to them, they are disregarding the concept of a fourth wall, and are thus breaking the fourth wall.

Caduceus · Post by **Caduceus** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 12:15 am

I don't know the origin, but retcon-ing is when you alter the continuity of something. Like if your hero was an alien but you change it so they are a robot instead and always have been.

Superhero comics do it a lot.

Jim North · Post by **Jim North** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 12:41 am

Probably stands for "retroactive continuity" or something like that, then.

Sam_Charette · Post by **Sam_Charette** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 3:56 am

From dictionary.com:

ret'kon/ retroactive continuity.

The common situation in fiction where a new story "reveals"
things about events in previous stories, usually leaving the
"facts" the same (thus preserving continuity) while completely
changing their interpretation. For example, revealing that a
whole season of "Dallas" was a dream was a retcon.

This term was once thought to have originated on the Usenet
newsgroup news:rec.arts.comics but is now believed to have
been used earlier in comic fandom.

JPSloan · Post by **JPSloan** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:21 am

Retconning killed the X-Files.

Warren · Post by **Warren** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:23 am

Soap operas always retcon.

Not that I watch any...

K-Dawg · Post by **K-Dawg** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 7:39 am

TheBladeRoden2 wrote:Imagine a sitcom house set. There's three walls, the left, the back, and the right one. In real life there would be a fourth wall on the front, but on a stage that would block our view, so the fourth wall is imaginary, but the actors still act like there's a wall there. But when characters start looking at the audience and talk directly to them, they are disregarding the concept of a fourth wall, and are thus breaking the fourth wall.

Whoa that's the best explanation I've ever heard!

War · Post by **War** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 8:58 am

Neither of those are webcomic terms though, they were around long before webcomics were.

William G · Post by **William G** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 9:53 am

I'm not certain, but I think the only true webcomic term is "sorry, I'll update next week"

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:17 am

William G wrote:I'm not certain, but I think the only true webcomic term is "sorry, I'll update next week"

What about, "I'm bored. I know, I'll start a webcomic!"

Luprand · Post by **Luprand** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:18 am

Or my own favorite, "Please send guest strips!"

--Sij

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:22 am

Sam_Charette wrote: The common situation in fiction where a new story "reveals"
things about events in previous stories, usually leaving the
"facts" the same (thus preserving continuity) while completely
changing their interpretation. For example, revealing that a
whole season of "Dallas" was a dream was a retcon.

IT WAS? Damn, miss one epizode and see what happens! I thought it was all weird!

CJBurgandy · Post by **CJBurgandy** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 10:30 am

or "on hold until finals or mid term tests are done at school"

Okie · Post by **Okie** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:00 am

"Jump the Shark" is a TV term, but it applies just as aptly to other media.

"A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached that instant that you know from now on... its all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it jumping the shark."

Origin of this phrase comes from a Happy Days episode where the Fonz jumped a shark on waterskis.

[geoduck] · Post by **[geoduck]** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:16 am

Okie wrote:"Jump the Shark" is a TV term, but it applies just as aptly to other media.

"A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached that instant that you know from now on... its all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it jumping the shark."

Origin of this phrase comes from a Happy Days episode where the Fonz jumped a shark on waterskis.

<Groucho Marx>
"What that shark was doing on waterskis I'll never know!"
</Groucho Marx>

How about "fan service"? That's a nice web-comicky prhrase; where did it get its start?

Ruxen · Post by **Ruxen** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:28 am

What about the paypal donate button? Surely that can be a term as well!

Psiogen · Post by **Psiogen** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:32 am

[geoduck] wrote:How about "fan service"? That's a nice web-comicky prhrase; where did it get its start?

I think that term originally refers to anime's perfection of the art of the panty shot/breast bounce/random shower scene.

Ghastly · Post by **Ghastly** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:40 am

Dead <insert artist's name> Day
Shirt Guy <insert name> Day
Sad <insert person/object/concept> in snow.
Guest Week

JPSloan · Post by **JPSloan** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 11:45 am

I'm pretty sure "Guest Strip" is a purely webcomic phrase (although previously it was used in a different context during the swingers movement of the late 70's)

Not purely a webcomic phrase, but "Crossover" is used a bunch.

And here we have the primogeniture of outside contribution:

Guest Spot->Fanart->Guest strip->Crossover

Oh, and how about "Comic Jam"?