Thought to be the first comic book or sequential art published in the U.S. was The book Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck by Rudolphe Töpffer and published in New York in 1842. This book was first published in 1837 in Europe and translated to English in 1841. Captions below the drawings were used instead of word ballons.

The YellowKid by Richard F. Outcault is thought to be the first newspaper comic strip featuring regular characters. The YellowKid was first published as a newspaper comic in 1895.

Platinum Age - When collecting comic books, comic books are categorized in "ages". The first age of comic books is called the PlatinumAge. The PlatinumAge is considered to run from 1897 to 1938 which is when the first superhero comic was issued.

The first modern comic books as we know them today were published collections of previously published newspaper comic strips. The 1929 comic book "The Funnies" is considered by some to be the first four-color comic newsstand publication in the U.S. MaxGaines, Father of BillGaines, is credited as the first first four-color saddle-stitched newsprint comic. The first comic to feature original content was Action Comics #1. This comic is the first appearance of Superman. This book also issues in the next age of comic book collecting, the GoldenAge.

GoldenAge - The period of comic book publishing that ran from Action Comics #1 (June 1938) ending with WWII in 1945.

AtomAge - The period recognized by the industry as being between 1946, after the dropping of the Atomic bomb, and continuing until the start of the SilverAge, in 1956.

SilverAge - The period of comic book publishing that begins with Showcase #4 in 1956 and ends in the early 1970s.

BronzeAge - Comics that were published between 1970-1979.

ModernAge - Comic books from the late 1970s to the present.

There are other areas of collecting interests related to comic books. Collecting original comicart is a very popular segment of comic collecting. ComicStrip art falls into this area of collecting as well.

Comic book grading has become popular in recent years. The largest comic book grading company currently is CGC. Comic grading is similiar to card grading in that the comic is evaluated and sealed in an encapsulation with a label showing the book's information and grade.

Comics are stored in comicbags. The bag is a plastic sleeve with a flap that can be folded over and taped sealed. Some bags have a peel and stick resealable seal. The comic is placed in the bag with a comic board. This board is used to keep the comic from bending inside the bag. Boxes commonly called longboxes are used to store comics.

Comic Book Collecting Definitions

Annual - A comic book that is published once a year.

Arrival Date - A marking on the cover of a comic book placed there by the distributor or the newsstand dealer to note when the book was placed on the newsstand.

Ashcan - An issue of a comic book used to show potential advertisers. Normally found in black and white.

Atom Age - The period recognized by the industry as being between 1946, after the dropping of the Atomic bomb, and continuing until the start of the SilverAge, in 1956.

Bi-Monthly - A comic book that is published every two months.

Bi-Weekly - A comic book that is published every two weeks.

Brittleness - When paper has deteriorated to the point that it will crumble when touched.

Bronze Age - Comics that were published between 1970-1979

Browning - When Paper ages to the stage between tanning and brittleness.

Cameo - When a character is shown briefly in a comic book.

CCA - The abbreviation for the Comics Code Authority.

CCA Seal - A small emblem placed on all comics from April-May 1955 to the present reading, "Approved by the CCA."

Centerfold - The stapled, four page middle sheet of a comic.

Chromium Cover - A special foil used on some covers.

Classic Cover - A cover that is recognized by the industry as being an excellent example of its kind and as such is highly prized by collectors.

Cleaning - A process in which dirt is removed from the comic.

Color Touch - A restoration process that uses colored inks to cover pieces of missing color.

Comics Code Authority - Publishers formed a committee in 1954 to set up guidelines for acceptable contents in a comic book. This was the industry response to hearings held by the government that could have led to the cessation of the publishing of comic books.

Complete Run - All issues of a specific title.

Con - A convention where one can buy and sell comics and meet industry professionals.

Crease - A heavy fold in the paper that breaks the color of the comic book.

Crossover - When one or more characters are in another characters title or story.

Deacidification - The process used to reduce the acid levels in paper.

Distributor Painted Stripe - Color ink painted or sprayed onto the edges of comic book stacks as a coding used by distributors. It is not considered a defect.

Double Cover - A mistake in the binding process sometimes results in two or more covers being bound to the same comic book. It is not considered a defect.

Dust Shadow - When part of a comic book (usually an edge) has been exposed to dust particles over an extended period of time it creates a dark stripe.

Fanzine - An amateur publication usually about a specific topic.

File Copy - A comic book that was originally from the publisher's file.

Foxing - Tiny orange-brown staining that appears on the cover and/or interior pages of a comic book that is caused by mold.

Golden Age - The period of comic book publishing that ran from ActionComics #1 (June 1938) ending with WWII in 1945.

Indicia - The general information about the comic book, such as publisher, title, issue number, date, and copyright printed on the inside front page or on the inside back cover.

Key Issue - An important issue in a comic book title's run.

Marvel Chipping - A trimming defect that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s Marvel Comics which produced a ragged edge around the comic book cover. Usually in the form of tiny fleck or chips along the right side of the comic book.

Modern Age - Comic books from the late 1970s to the present.

One-Shot - A comic book issue that is published only once with no plans of a series.

Pedigree - A comic book that originated from a famous collection. Ten of the most recognized collections considered to be pedigrees are: Mile High, Allentown, Denver, Bethlehem, White Mountain, Spokane, Larson, Gaines File Copies, SanFrancisco and Pennsylvania.

Platinum Age - The first age of comics, beginning in 1897, with early newspaper comic strip reprints.

Post-Code - Comic books that are published with the ComicsCodeAuthority (CCA) seal.

Pre-Code - Comic books that were published before the ComicsCodeAuthority came into effect. They have no CCA seal.

Printing Defect - A defect that was caused by an error in the printing process, such as paper wrinkling, miscut edges, misfolded spine, untrimmed pages, off-center trimming, misfolded and misbound pages.

Quarterly - A comic book that is published four times a year.

Restoration - Treatment that returns the comic book to a known or assumed state through the addition of non-original material for aesthetic enhancement.

Rolled Spine - A defect of the spine of a comic book due to readers folding back pages.

Saddle Stitch - The Staple binding of comic books.

Silver Age - The period of comic book publishing that begins with Showcase #4 in 1956 and ends in the early 1970s.

Spine - The fold and stapled edge of a comic book.

Spine Roll - A defect of a comic book caused by improper storage that results in uneven pages and the bowing of the spine.

Squarebound - A comic book that is bound with glue resulting in a square spined cover.

See HobbyDefinitions for more commonly used hobby terms.