Anime : In general, Japanese animation.

Articulation : In this context, the ability to move various portions of an action figure's body. The more articulation a figure has, the larger the variety of poses and positions you can achieve with them. DC Direct figures have varying points of articulation, from rotating/removeable heads down to pivoting ankles, and with the exception of some re-paints (see below), DCD figures seldom have the same moving anatomy. It should also be mentioned that many DCD figures are fairly rigid, and often lack the basic articulation to bend at the waist, the knees, or even to stand upright without a base. (See also P.O.A. below)

Bronze Age / BA : Refers to the era of comics publishing beginning in the early '70s and continuing until the early '80s. This era is notable for the resurgence of horror comics, war comics, and for the revitalization of long-neglected characters, such as the members of the Justice Society of America.

Comics Code : Generally refers to a set of stringent guidelines in matters of comics content, begun in 1954 to stave off a Congressional probe regarding the 'decency' of the medium. It should be noted that the Code was intended as a seal of approval, recognizeable to concerned parents. In practice, it slowed the growth of comics by forcing them to accomodate certain social and moral norms, even as society's perceptions of 'decency' evolved. The importance of the Code and it's impact on the content of the average comic has decreased dramatically over the last twenty years; you no longer have to have code approval to market your book.

Crisis : Usually accompanied by either "pre-" or "post-", this is shorthand for "Crisis On Infinite Earths," a year-long comic series from DC in 1986. "Crisis" made major changes to the established "history" of the DC Universe, and though in some cases it succeeded in simplifying that history, the overall effect was like a cosmic housecleaning. Before the Crisis, the DCU included many "alternate" Earths where there existed variations on DC's primary heroes, as well as many Earths with radically different histories and heroes. In the Crisis, most of these Earths were destroyed, and the rest were merged into one...the "post-Crisis" Earth of the DC Universe. Since then many of the characters (Wonder Woman foremost among them) who were killed off in Crisis have returned to comics, and continuity in the DCU is almost as muddled as it was before the changes.

Crossover : A comics storyline or series that progresses in multiple books. Of these there are two main types: inclusive and exclusive. "Inclusive" crossovers take place in a variety of comic titles featuring different characters or groups. Of these, "War Of The Gods" and "Crisis..." are prime examples; there were monthly self-titled issues of each, and related/subsidiary tales appeared in other DC books. "Exclusive" crossovers are the province of heroes like Superman and Batman, who appear in no less than four comic titles each month. For them, a crossover is a storyline that continues from Supes book #1 to Supes book #2, and so on.

DCD : Shorthand for DC Direct, the DC subsidiary that manufactures and solicits the action figures featured in this site.

Dual Identity : This used to refer to "secret" identities, such as Superman's Clark Kent persona, but most modern comic writers have abandoned incognito aliases. A dual identity can also be a different name and costume, applied to the same person. Donna Troy has had multiple identities: Wonder Girl, Troia, Darkstar, and plain old Donna Troy. True dual-identities (that is, two characters inhabiting the same body) are fairly rare in the DCU, but there are some characters (Firestorm, for example) who have other minds/souls/spirits co-habitating in their bodies.

Golden Age / GA : Refers to the earliest era of superhero comics publishing, from the '40s until the mid-'50s. This is the era when many classic heroes (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) got their start. A "Golden Age Hero" is thus one who first appeared way back when. Books of this era are generally primitive in comparison to modern books, which have more lavish illustration and benefit from advances in image reproduction. Some thematic Golden Age hallmarks would be emphasis on patriotism, espionage, near-total resolution of various dilemmas, and general "feel good" endings to stories.

Manga : Specifically, a form or style of Japanese comics; it's also used as a general term for most Japanese comics in the rest of the world.

Modern Age / MA : Refers to the comics-making era that began in the early '80s and continues today. In addition to "universe changing" storylines like "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and "Zero Hour," this era is known for the introduction of crossover stories and mega-teamups. It can also be argued that this is the period of time when speculators first took note of comics, and started buying books in the hopes that they'd be worth a lot in the future.

Mythos : A (fictional) history relevant to a particular character, group, or world. For example, in the current Wonder Woman mythos, several Greek goddesses are responsible for the creation of the Amazons.

One-shot : An individual comic issue with a self-contained story.

Origin : Notable in this context because there are multiple characters going by the same name (ex: Superman of Earth 1, Superman of Earth 2, etc), and they generally have different beginnings or "origins." Some origin stories mimic or echo previously told tales, others (like the various origins for the three Flash heroes) can be radically different. In any case, a character's origin is generally the basis for their continuity. Re-tellings of a character's origins are common in comics, particularly when an author wants to add plot devices or elements that weren't considered or present at the character's inception.

P.O.A.: "Point Of Articulation"; areas of an action figure's body where movement is possible. There are at least two ways to count these points, but for practical purposes here's the most common: count EACH joint or pivot point. Rotating upper arms would be 2 points, each knee is a POA, etc.

Re-Paint: Refers to a figure that has the same body mold as that used for other characters. They are literally painted with different costume colors than those of characters who share the same body, and they are given individually sculpted heads. 2002's wave of Green Lantern figures (specifically, Tomar Re and John Stewart) were "re-paints" of the original Hal Jordan Green Lantern. Similarly, the Hal Jordan Spectre figure is a re-paint of the Hal GL. Loosely speaking, a "re-paint" can be any character figure which is re-solicited with cosmetic changes, such as the second Shazam release.

Re-Release: In this site the term will be used synonymously with multiple editions of the same figure. For example, the original Hard Travelling Heroes Green Lantern and Green Arrow figures have been offered in multiple releases, due to high demand and low supply. Re-Releases differ from Re-Paints, in that the former is identical to previous editions in every way but packaging.

Ret-Con : Stands for "retroactive continuity," a concept that seems unique to comic books among other works of fiction. A ret-con effectively changes a character's (group's, world's, etc) current standing or situation by changing/removing story elements that have already seen print and are part of general continuity. Ret-conning stories and themes isn't really all that common in DC Comics, but when it does happen (as in "Crisis") the repercussions take years to play out. Ret-cons are generally the last resort of creative teams who find themselves painted into a corner, figuratively speaking. When various authors and artists fail to pay attention to comics history and continuity, they can produce material that conflicts with previous tales, which in turn hinders readers' understanding of and interest in comics. Ret-cons are generally intended to simplify complicated situations by re-writing history, but they can also produce new conflicts and contradictions.

Sculpt : Shorthand for 'sculpture'...the physical details given to a character by the original sculptor. As with other forms of art, it is usually subject to criticism; a "bad sculpt" is generally one that fails to convey key characteristics of a hero, such as facial features or posture.

Series : Most often refers to an ongoing comic title, or a complete set of issues of a title that has been discontinued. There are a ton of qualifiers for "series": mini (four or fewer issues), maxi (approx 5-10 issues), limited (12 issues), 1st (series in actual chronolgy), 2nd, etc.

Silver Age / SA : Refers to superhero books and characters originating in the mid '50s and on up to around 1970. JLA is an example of a title that began during the Silver Age of Comics; most classic Marvel comics (Spiderman, Fantastic Four, etc) got their start in this time. This period brought many significant changes to various DC titles: Batman's book went camp thanks (?) to the influence of the TV series, Green Lantern and Green Arrow had 'socially-relevant' travails (a la "on the road" with Kerouac), Wonder Woman renounced her powers and opened a Mod clothing boutique. It should be mentioned that due to "Crisis" and other ret-cons, most Silver Age tales have been written out of DCU history.

Universe : DC Comics' universe, or "DCU", is actually many universes, lumped under a single heading for the sake of brevity. History and continuity in the DCU is unique, in that DC heroes (and DCU events) don't co-exist with heroes (and events) that have different publishers (Marvel, Image, etc). Wonder Woman doesn't exist in the "Marvel Universe," for example. The word "universe" is often used interchangeably with "dimension" or "reality," though each noun can mean different things in proper context.

Variant: A "variant" figure is a DCD hero who has been manufactured in at least two different forms. The idea is broad enough to include multi-age (GA, SA, etc) versions of single characters (such as Wonder Woman), but "variant" usually refers to specific DCD figures that were sold with that label (like the golden-armored WW variant). The actual physical differences between most "standard" and "variant" DCD figures are generally cosmetic, and/or different accessories are included.

Vertigo : Refers to comics that are published by a DC "imprint" or subsidiary company, Vertigo. The seeds of the Vertigo line were sown many years ago in various books that emphasized mysticism and horror over traditional superheroing. Phantom Stranger and Swamp Thing are two prominent, early examples of Vertigo-type comics. Officially, Vertigo comics began in 1993. They continue to offer 'adult' themes and characters that presumably wouldn't be permissable under the Comics Code. A Vertigo-type character is generally dark and gothic, if not just nihilistic.

Wave : DC Direct often releases it's action figures in small groups, in which each character is related by comic title or professional association. The "wave" called "Amazons & Adversaries" included Wonder Woman's enemies (Cheetah, Ares) as well as one of her compatriots (Artemis), for example. Using such themes is savvy business on DCD's part...it gives collectors the incentive to purchase all the figures in a wave, instead of just one.