Comic/Sci-Fi Glossary

Man. Remember all those retcons that happened Post-Crisis? Or how about how so many characters in the 1990's wielded psionic weapons?

What's that? Not sure what some of those terms mean? Well check out the glossary below (arranged in alphabetical order, natch) and you'll be hip to our geek jive in no time.

If you wish to learn more specific information about certain aliens races, teams, planets and dimensions, check out the Guide buttons in the Table of Contents to the left (that's your left, not my left).

Adamantium - A fictional metal that exists in the Marvel Universe. Adamantium is a man-made metal that is incredibly difficult and expensive to create and is virtually invulnerable to damage (nor does it rust). Adamantium was accidentally created by Dr. Myron MacLain when he tried to re-create the unique alloy that Captain America's shield is composed of.

The mutant adventurer called Wolverine has his entire skeleton (including his claws) laced with adamantium and many other heroes and villains have used it for their own purposes. There is also "secondary adamantium", which is easier to make but not quite as indestructible. It's been shown that Antarctic vibranium is capable of destroying adamantium (see Vibranium further below).

Antarctic Vibranium - See Vibranium further below.

Anime - A Japanese style/genre of animation. Movies and shows such as Akira, Princess Mononoke, Ghost in the Shell, Fullmetal Alchemist and Dragon Ball Z are all examples of anime. This style of animation used to be called "Japanimation" for a few years. The comic book equivalent is called manga.

Batcave - In DC Comics, this is the name of the Batman's personal lair and base of operations and it is sometimes more home to him than the mansion he actually lives in. In pop culture and other sci-fi stories, characters will occasionally refer to their own base of operations or place of retreat as their personal "Batcave." This is similar to when people in different stories sometimes refer to their home or base of operations as their personal "Fortress of Solitude."

Bizarro - Originally, this was the name of villain who was an imperfect duplicate of Superman. Bizarro often speaks  childishly and in reverse (saying "good-bye" when he means "hello" or expressing himself with sentences such as "Bizarro am angry"). He always wears either a warped or backwards version of Superman's S-shield and even some of his powers work in reverse (he has fire-breath and ice-vision instead of arctic breath and heat-vision).

In pop culture and other stories, people will occasionally refer to a twisted or imperfect reflection of something as the "bizzarro version" of that thing. Likewise, this can refer to opposite numbers. In an episode of Seinfeld, the character Elaine made friends with a group of three people who seemed to be "bizarro" duplicates of her regular group of friends.

The Bleed - In DC Comics (including Wildstorm, the smaller comic imprint owned by DC), the Bleed is a term used to refer to the membrane between parallel universe. If one travels through the Bleed, they can either teleport directly from one place in their universe into another or they can enter an alternate reality. Warren Ellis, who created the Bleed, has likened it to a series of channels between different universes which one can navigate and sail through. The Bleed got its name because of its dark red coloring.

When the barriers between universes have weakened in the past, such as what happened during The Crisis On Infinite Earths, the skies often turn red because Bleed energy is escaping.

Clarke's Laws - Arthur C. Clarke was considered one of the Big Three of the science fiction genre (along with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein). Clarke once stated three personal laws of his. They are:

1. "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."
2. "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
3. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

These laws are occasionally quoted or referenced in articles, editorial pieces, reviews or fictional stories. Clarke's third law has been used in Superman comics, Thor comics and an episode of Doctor Who to explain seemingly-magical forces and entities.

Con - A convention, usually one celebrating sci-fi, comics, animation, fantasy works or a mixture of any of those. There are  numerous annual cons that focus on specific areas. I-Con in Stoneybrooke, NY usually focuses on sci-fi writing and anime, but that doesn't mean there aren't comic books to be found there too.

The biggest annual con in the world is Comic-Con International in San Diego (commonly referred to as the "San Diego Comic-Con" or just plain "Comic-Con"). This convention showcases comics, video games, movies, animation, anime, manga and role playing games and it is not uncommon for as many as 120-125,000 people to attend. In the past few years, a secondary Comic-Con has been held in New York City. Though not as large, it is organized in much the same way and is often referred to simply as "New York Comic-Con" or "NYCC."

DCU - Referring to the fictional universe and continuity of mainstream titles from DC Comics. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all live and co-exist within the DCU. The comic series Preacher was published by DC Comics but takes place solely within its own continuity and the characters within do not acknowledge the presence of other DC characters nor do they operate within the same fictional universe. Hence, Preacher exist "outside the DCU." The same can be said of the DC maxi-series Watchmen and V for Vendetta.

Elseworlds - A DC comic in which familiar characters are placed in experimental situations and circumstances in stories that take place outside of canon. For instance, the Elseworlds comic Justice Riders imagined a world where the Justice League of America existed in the American wild west. In the Elseworlds comic Superman: Speeding Bullets, Kal-El of Krypton is adopted by the Waynes, not the Kents, and is raised to be Bruce Wayne. After his parents are murdered, he later becomes a super-powered Batman whereas millionaire Lex Luthor suffers and accident and becomes the Joker. And in the Elseworlds comic BATMAN: Gotham By Gaslight, Batman is alive during the late 19th century rather than the modern-day and he has an encounter with Jack the Ripper.

Before Elseworlds stories, DC would occasionally publish "Imaginary Stories" which were meant to take familiar characters and let them have an adventure outside of continuity. Famous "Imaginary Stories" have involved Superman actually dying or have featured Batman retiring and passing on the mantle to Robin, while his son Bruce Wayne, Jr. became the new Robin.

Marvel Comics have employed similar devices in their What If...? stories. Unlike DC's Elseworlds, Marvel's What If...? stories usually are more tightly written and involve the writer trying to imagine how the Marvel Universe would have logically unfolded if a single event in the past were changed. For instance, rather than re-imagining Spider-Man as a cowboy or a vampire, a What If ...? story would ask "what if the radioactive spider had bitten someone else" and would then showcase how Peter Parker's life (and the world in general) would have logically turned out differently.

Esper - A person possessing abilities often associated with ESP (extra-sensory perception). In Marvel Comics, the security force known as S.H.I.E.L.D. has an "Esper unit" composed of agents who are telepathic and/or prone to clairvoyant visions.

Earth-Prime -  In general, this phrase refers to the real world, the true non-fiction Earth where you and I exist, as opposed to the many fictional Earths that appear in comics, movies and literature and are inhabited by people and things that do not truly exist.

This term originated in a Superman when he journeyed to a parallel world he called "Earth-Prime" and found it to be a place where Metropolis and Gotham did not exist and where he and his contemporaries were all fictional comic book characters. This inspired the creators of the TV series Sliders, who had the heroes of the show refer to the version of Earth they called home as Earth-Prime.

In the continuity of DC Comics, the particular planet that Superman called Earth-Prime did indeed gain two super-humans in later years (one named Ultraa and the other known as Superboy Prime) and was eventually destroyed. Outside of DC Comics though, this term is still used by some people to reference the real non-fictional world.

Fortress of Solitude - In DC Comics, this is the name of Superman's personal lair, where he can retreat from the world and reflect. In pop culture and other sci-fi stories, characters will occasionally refer to their own home or a place of retreat as their "personal Fortress of Solitude." This is similar to when people in different stories sometimes refer to their home or base of operations as "my own Batcave."

FTL - Used casually in conversation in various sci-fi stories, it stands for "faster than light." Thus, an FTL drive would be some form of hyperdrive or warp drive that allows a vehicle to travel through space at faster than light speeds.

The Golden Age - The early days of comics before the Comics Code Authority was created to act as a censorship group. Roughly 1938-1951. When there have been multiple characters using the same name, this term is sometimes used to specify the version that was in operation during this time period. For instance, Alan Scott is the Golden Age Green Lantern whereas the Silver Age version of the character was named Hal Jordan.

Homo Superior - See mutant further below. This term was also used to describe the advanced race of beings who starred in the TV show The Tomorrow People.

Hyperdrive - Different from warp drive (see entry below). Hyperdrive is an engine that allows a ship to travel through hyperspace (see entry below) so that it may reach a destination at faster than light speeds without suffering from time dilation (meaning, in a nutshell, that the faster your ship moves, the more slowly you age). In some sci-fi stories, hyperdrives bring a ship into hyperspace by directly teleporting there. In other stories, hyperdrives create wormholes into and out of hyperspace. In some sci-fi stories, a hyperdrive may be called a "sub-space drive" or a "slip drive." In the Star Trek universe, a device known as a "transwarp drive" is very similar in function to a hyperdrive.

Hyperspace - In many science fiction stories, it is said that since faster than light travel cannot be reached, one must instead travel through "hyperspace", a sub-dimension where distances may be shorter geometrically than in normal space or where the laws of reality simply operate differently. One shifts their ship into hyperspace and then travel at faster than light speeds to the equivalent destination, at which point they re-enter normal space. In some sci-fi stories, this form of travel is nearly instantaneous and is akin to direct teleportation. Space-ships must have a "hyperdrive" to travel through hyperspace.

Other names for hyperspace include "subspace" and "slipspace." While in hyperspace, a ship cannot be perceived by people and things existing in normal space nor can they directly interact with each other. This is different from travel involving warp drive (see entry below). In some stories, hyperspace travel can be dangerous if one re-enters normal space and winds up too close to a star, planet or other gravity body (or worse, the ship could re-enter normal space at a location where matter is already occupying the same space, thus causing both objects to explode). Thus, hyperspace routes must be planned and mapped out.

Kirby Dots - An artistic device used in comic book drawings. Jack Kirby (one of the biggest comic book artists in history) did a lot of things that were innovative in how super-hero adventures were drawn. One thing he did was a new way of depicting the discharge of energy. Most artists drew lightning bolts or beams of light when they wanted to show a release or a building up of energy. Kirby instead would sometimes employ a nimbus of color that was filled with black dots.

This technique became known as using "Kirby dots" and many artists today still use it.

Kryptonite -  In DC Comics, kryptonite is a radioactive ore that was created by the destruction of the planet Krypton. This ore is immediately harmful to native Kryptonians and can kill them in several minutes if it's a large enough chunk. It's radiation signature is only harmful to humans and other organisms if the exposure is of a vast quantity or occurs over a prolonged period of time. Some humans and life forms, however, have been mutated by extreme exposure to kryptonite. Natural kryptonite is green, but there are other types that were created later by outside forces. You can read about those in my essay on Superman's Weaknesses.

Kryptonite is so widely known in pop culture that the word has also become a synonym for "weakness." For instance, a person who thrives on adventure might say "boredom is my kryptonite."

MagLev - Magnetic levitation, commonly used in stories that take place in the future. Hover cars that use maglev are able to hover and/or fly so long as they are above magnetic tracks or similarly treated roads. The seeming anti-gravity nature of the car is achieved by magnetic repulsion and not by actual flight. If a maglev car left the tracks and went out into an open field of grass, it would succumb to gravity and crash.

Manga - A Japanese style/genre of comic book very similar to anime.

Mind-meld - Originally used in Star Trek. The alien race known as Vulcans could use telepathic traits and physical contact as a means of sharing experiences and memories with another person. Since then, the term has been used loosely in many sci-fi and comic stories to refer to a mental connection.

Mirror Universe - This usually refers to when characters find a universe where things are reversed or where good characters are evil and vice versa. It was popularized in the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" when Kirk and other member of his crew were transported to a parallel world where their counterparts were vicious killers.

One of the most memorable parts of the episode was that the Mirror Universe version of Spock had a beard that the normal version did not. Thus, it has become a staple of many science fiction stories to associate beards or goatees with evil twins. In an episode of South Park, the kids met counterparts from a parallel universe, most of whom were evil and all of whom had facial hair despite being pre-adolescents.

Meta-human - In the DC Comics Universe, this term refers to someone who is born with a "meta-gene", which allows them to receive superhuman abilities from outside factors (radiation, freak accident, genetic experimentation, etc.). This is different from a mutant, who is born with their powers. For more details, see the Meta-human entry in DC Comics Teams, Races and Organziations.

Multiverse - This refers to the whole of reality, composed not only of one universe but of many parallel universes existing side by side.

According to DC Comics, the multiverse consists of 52 parallel universes, all of which can be journeyed to through the Bleed (see the entry the Bleed above). In Marvel Comics, there are thousands of realities co-existing alongside each other and the mainstream Marvel Universe is designated Universe #616 by certain cosmic beings. In the universe of Doctor Who, there used to be several gaps and doorways that allowed some ships to travel (either intentional or accidental) from one parallel universe to another but all of these were apparently sealed during the events of the Last Great Time War (see the Doctor Who Guide for further details).

Mutant - A mutant is one who is born with superhuman abilities naturally, as opposed to meta-humans and post-humans who require an outside stimulus to develop powers. In DC Comics and Wildstorm comics, mutants usually acquire powers because a parent was a meta-human or an alien or was affected by some outside force.

In Marvel comics, mutants are humans born with the "x-gene" (sometimes called the "x-factor"), a specific trait that allows them to manifest inhuman abilities or characteristics which usually emerge during puberty. It is from this gene that the group the X-Men take their name. Aside from the x-gene, the only common factor mutants have in the Marvel Universe is that their brain-wave patterns are uniquely different from the rest of the human race. In Marvel, mutants are often referred to as homo sapiens superior (or simply "homo superior") as opposed to homo sapiens.

Para-human - What people in Marvel comics used to sometimes called "post-humans" and "super-humans." It was a shortened way of saying "paranomal human."

Post-human - In the Marvel Comics Universe, this term refers to someone who recieved superhuman abilities from outside factors (radiation, freak accident, genetic experimentation, etc.). This is different from a mutant, who is born with the x-gene that naturally gives them powers. For more details on post-humans, see the entry on Marvel Comics Teams, Races and Organizations.

Post-Crisis - As a result of the story The Crisis On Infinite Earths, DC Comics altered and revised the histories and continuities of many characters. Post-Crisis refers to these alterations. For instance, pre-Crisis, Wonder Woman could only glide on air currents. Post-Crisis, Wonder Woman can fly under her own power.

Pre-Crisis - This usually refers to something in continuity for DC Comics that was altered following the events of The Crisis On Infinite Earths, when many histories were revised and rebooted. For instance: Pre-Crisis, both of Superman's adopted parents died before he moved to Metropolis. Post-Crisis continuity says that both of his adopted parents survived and are still alive to this day.

Psionic - Something that is created by and/or composed of mental/telepathic energy. The mutant Psylocke (a former member of the X-Men) used her telepathy to create "psionic daggers", which gave great mental/physical pain to whomever she used it on but left no actual physical injury. Likewise, the Wildstorm hero Backlash could create "psionic whips" which could ensnare a person as if it were an ordinary/tangible whip. By the same token, Backlash received intense mental pain ("psionic feedback") if the whip were cut.

Retcon - Referring to "retroactive continuity." Soap opera fans are no doubt familiar with this concept. When a story is published that shows, for instance, a character who dies. Years later, another writer shows you via flashback that he never actually died and invents a reason how you were fooled into thinking otherwise. This later writer has retroactively changed the continuity and consequences of that older story. Or rather, he retconned it.

Retcons are often used to explain how certain dead characters are able to come back from the grave ("we only thought they were dead but we never actually saw the body" or "it was actually a clone who died and the real person has been a prisoner of some super-villain all this time", etc.), to explain general continuity screw-ups between writers or to fix problems such as when someone is portrayed very out-of-character ("we didn't know it at the time, but he was under mind control" or "It wasn't really him, it was someone else who was pretending to be him").

The Silver Age - The era when super-heroes and costumed villains returned to comics in full-swing, following the appearance of Barry Allen as the second Flash in DC Comics. Roughly 1956 - 1970. When there have been multiple characters using the same name, this term is sometimes used to specify the version that was in operation during this time period. For instance, Alan Scott is the Golden Age Green Lantern whereas the Silver Age version of the character was named Hal Jordan.

The Source - In DC Comics, this refers to the underlying life energy of the universe itself. The New Gods often refer to the Source and claim that it is the unifying factor of all energy fields in the cosmos (see the New Gods entry in the DC Comics Races and Organizations).

Stargate - Seen in various series and stories, a stargate technically means any man-made gateway or portal that allows one to travel from one point to another at faster than light speed (probably by means of shunting one through hyperspace). 

Super-human - Any human being who has powers and abilities beyond normal limitations. Captain America's body is enhanced to the peak of human perfection, so he is human. Spider-Man can bench press a Honda, so he is super-human. The term is vague enough that it can include mutants and even aliens at times. Likewise, it can be used as an adjective to describe any power that a normal human doesn't possess. The Silver Surfer has been described as wielding "super-human abilities" even though he is not biologically a human being himself.

TARDIS - "Time and Relative Dimension In Space." This is the common name for the time travel capsules (or "TT capsules") used by the Time Lords in the universe of Doctor Who. Though there are many types and models of TARDISes, they all seem to be able to travel to any point in time and any planet in the universe and are all "dimensionally transcendental" (meaning the dimensions inside are larger than those outside). TARDISes are usually also equipped with perception filters, which make people subconsciously not want to take notice of them, and Chameleon Circuits, which allow their exteriors to disguise and blend in with their surroundings (so if you land in a forest, it'll look like a tree and if you land in the Roman empire, it'll look like a column or a statue).

Trade - When a mini-series, collection of stories or a specific story arc from a comic book series is collected and republished as one large bound volume, it is referred to as a trade paperback. Catalogs often call it a TPB for short, whereas comic store employees and customers will often refer to these bound editions as a "trade" or "trade collection."

Ultimate Marvel - The group of comics that operate under the Ultimate Marvel title all take place in a separate universe and continuity than the mainstream Marvel Comics. Because they are not mainstream books, writers of Ultimate Marvel maintain that they are allowed to take more risks with their characters (such as killing off popular ones and making sure that they stay dead). Ultimate Marvel is also characterized as having a more streamlined history.

There are several differences between the two universes. For instance, in the mainstream Marvel Universe, mutants (humans born with the x-gene) have been around since the dawn of humanity and are the result of alien interference with the human race. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, mutants began appearing in the last days of World War II and are the results of human genetic experimentation. Mainstream Marvel's version of Captain America is a pacifist at heart and has a body enhanced to the peak of human perfection. Ultimate Marvel's Captain America has a harsh moral code and enough super-human strength to smash a car with his fist. Mainstream Marvel's Nick Fury is a Caucasian man with graying temples who has never attained a rank higher than colonel. Ultimate Nick Fury is of a general with a shaved head and has an appearance based on actor Samuel L. Jackson (done so with the actor's permission). And so on ...

Vibranium - A fictional metal ore existing in the Marvel Comics universe. Vibranium is mined in Wakanda (a fictional African nation) and has the unique property of being able to absorb kinetic energy and vibration. It has been shown that while a fingernail can tear through a paper-thin sheet of vibranium, this same sheet could stop a bullet by absorbing its momentum at the moment of impact. "Antarctic vibranium" is a variation which destroys all other metals it comes into contact with (including adamantium) and which can often spread itself across certain distances.

As king of Wakanda, the hero T'Challa AKA The Black Panther often uses vibranium weapons.

Warp Drive - Most often used in the Star Trek universe, warp drive refers to the engines of a ship that are capable of faster-than-light travel without the ship suffering the effects of time dilation (which means, in a nutshell, that you age slower the faster a ship travels). Warp 1 is the speed of light, Warp 2 is a little over 10 times the speed of light, Warp 3 is a little over 50 times, and so on (for the scientific scale used, I suggest looking at wikipedia, though Star Trek writers aren't always consistent with how fast their ships are supposed to be).

The big difference between warp drive and a hyperdrive is that warp drive does not involve sending the ship into hyper-space. Instead, it warps the space around the ship in order to propel it and protect it from time dilation. Also, since warp drive ships do not travel through hyperspace and still exist within normal space, they can interact with other objects and parties during travel. Interestingly, the pilot episode of Star Trek referred to it as a "time warp" and characters remarked that it allowed the ship to breach the "time barrier." In the TV series, it was later revealed that some races possessed "transwarp drive", which is similar to a hyperdrive in that it creates a worm-hole to travel across vast distances of space almost instantaneously.

Watchers - A term used in various sci-fi and fantasy stories. In angelic mythology, the term "Watchers" describes the choir of angels known as Grigori, who are tasked to record the acts of humans in preparation for their final judgment. In the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Watchers are an organization of men and women who investigate and record the nature and activities of demons and other supernatural threats. They also seek out Slayers (women literally born to fight supernatural evil) and train them both physically and mentally.

In the universe of the Highlander TV series, the Watchers were an organization of men and women who recorded the activities of immortals living on Earth and their battles but were sworn never to reveal their presence.

In the Marvel Comics Universe, the Watchers are a race of humanoid giants (often with disproportionately large heards) who are nearly immortal and possess great cosmic power. Long ago, they made a vow to watch and record the inhabitants and events of the universe, never directly interfering. Earth's Watcher is named Uatu, who lives in a lair on the Blue Area of Earth's moon (see the entry in Marvel Fictional Places, Planets and Dimensions allow). In the past, Uatu has occasionally broken his vow to help protect humanity, giving warnings to the people of Earth or allowing its heroes access to information they would not otherwise have. He also occasionally makes his presence known when he wishes people to know that events of great importance and dire consequences are about to happen.