History Main / BOLDINFLATION

* Every single comic published by Creator/ArchieComics (such as Betty, Jughead, Sonic, etc) comic uses excessive bold, often on unimportant words. Also uses the convention of exclamation points instead of periods! Apparently the people of Riverdale are constantly screaming out of rhythm. Their Sonic comic has at least gotten better about it since Ian Flynn took over writing. The rest, eh...
* Every single Disney comic uses also excessive bold, random emphasizing and exclamation points as sentence finishers. Especially in Duckburg.
%%* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in Creator/GarthEnnis' ''ComicBook/TheBoys''.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' foe The Rose, son of Kingpin, had a henchgirl, Delilah whose power, apparently, was to randomly speak in a different font. And throw tanks. What would happen if she met [[Characters/MarvelComicsDeadpool Deadpool]]? The [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Universe]] would [[NegativeSpaceWedgie ex]][[EarthShatteringKaboom plode]].
* Comic book author Creator/JamesRobinson has a tendency to place emphasis on words that really shouldn't have it.
* In a ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' story reprinted in "Batman in the Fifties," Bats and Robin reminisced about the various '''Batarangs''' they'd used over the years, all while keeping us in suspense about what '''Batarang X''' was. This meant that the word "'''Batarang'''" appeared multiple times in nearly every panel. Every use of the word '''batarang''' in this story filled with '''batarangs''' as it discussed every '''batarang''' ever used since the invention of '''batarangs''' leading up to the introduction of a new '''batarang''' bolded every use of the word '''batarang''' until you want to kill all the writers with '''batarangs''' and never want to hear the word '''batarang''' again in your life. (If anything, that last sentence is a ''gross understatement'' of what it's like.)
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' stories of the era were no different. Basically, if it's a proper name, or if it involves the word "super" in any way, it gets bolded.
* Inverted in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' with Rorschach, who is only shown speaking with bold ''once'', during the "Crimebusters" flashback in chapter 2. (And if you asked him, he'd say that wasn't Rorschach: Rorschach didn't really exist yet.) Other characters describe him as speaking in a flat monotone.
** The only other time in which Rorschach uses bold text is [[spoiler:when he tells Doctor Manhattan to "'''DO IT!'''" shortly before Doctor Manhattan vaporises him.]]

* An issue of ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' had a scene lampshading this. [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] was being escorted through an airport by two American security agents, one of whom was [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] in disguise. Dr. Doom threatens the two agents and [[ThirdPersonPerson refers to himself in the third person]], with DOCTOR DOOM stylized. Cap asks, "How do you do that... [[PaintingTheMedium talk in all]] capitals like [[MediumAwareness that]]?"

* Intentionally avoided in ''ComicBook/StrangersInParadise'', since Terry Moore felt it was [[WordOfGod unnecessary]] when writing for an adult audience.
* Characters in Adam Warren's comics -- especially in ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'' -- often use huge, bold, ''underlined'' capital letters for emphasis.

* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]] and Throg (Frog-Thor) speak in a different text, due to them being Gods. Interestingly, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOlympians Ares]] doesn't. The Asgardian font is meant to represent the All-Tongue. Asgardians do not speak English or any other Earthly language, but rather a magical language that can be understood by all people, and that is what the font (and archaic phrasing) is meant to show. However, some letterers/writers sometimes apply the font to Asgardian characters who should not be speaking the All-Tongue at that time, such as the addition of ComicBook/{{Angela|AsgardsAssassin}}.
* While Marvel's ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' is no worse of an offender than any other comic, it features at least one scene of Professor Xavier sending an email liberally sprinkled with italicized words, making him sound like a crazy person on the Internet. As well as literally fully capitalising some words. In a widely published essay. And he wonders why people still think he's insane...

See also EmphasizeEverything. AccentOnTheWrongSyllable is a very similar but distinct trope that mostly applies to spoken dialogue.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' foe The Rose, son of Kingpin, had a henchgirl, Delilah whose power, apparently, was to randomly speak in a different font. And throw tanks. What would happen if she met Characters/{{Deadpool|WadeWilson}}? The [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Universe]] would [[NegativeSpaceWedgie ex]][[EarthShatteringKaboom plode]].

* Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] and Throg (Frog-Thor) speak in a different text, due to them being Gods. Interestingly, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOlympians Ares]] doesn't. The Asgardian font is meant to represent the All-Tongue. Asgardians do not speak English or any other Earthly language, but rather a magical language that can be understood by all people, and that is what the font (and archaic phrasing) is meant to show. However, some letterers/writers sometimes apply the font to Asgardian characters who should not be speaking the All-Tongue at that time, such as the addition of ComicBook/{{Angela|AsgardsAssassin}}.

** '''[[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner HULK]] TALK LOUD ON [[SelfDemonstrating/TheIncredibleHulk HIS PAGE]]!!!!!! LOTS OF BIG LETTERS AND SHOUTING!!!!!!! ''GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!'''''

* In ''Fanfic/HopeOnADistantMountain'', if a line is bolded, that indicates it's the speaker's equivalent to Naegi's CatchPhrase from the trials: "''[[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc You've got that wrong!]]''"

* The ''ComicBook/DirtyPair'' comics by Adam Warren and (occasionally) Toren Smith are drawn in a [[{{Animesque}} manga-influenced]] style, but the text has more American-style bold inflation than is usual for English translations of manga.

* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'', Florent L'Belle constantly talks like this, though the emphasis is shown via capitalization rather than bolding. The series at large does have bolding in the form of RainbowSpeak, though.

** However, getting a Pokémon from one of your old games via the Pokémon Transfer Lab will still feature its name in all-caps. (For example, your Pikachu will still be PIKACHU.) However, if it can still evolve, its evolved form's name will not be in all-caps (PIKACHU evolved into Raichu).

-->'''TRAINER:''' I SWALLOW SLUDGE TO TRANSFORM MYSELF

* The manga of ''LightNovel/AriaTheScarletAmmo'' uses the "dot" variant ''very'' often in the Japanese version. Usually in Kinji's inner monologues, or when a character is giving {{Exposition}}.

* In novels of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' nearly all SpaceMarine [[ManInTheMachine Dreadnoughts]] are depicted as speaking in this manner. Example: [[Literature/SpaceWolf Bjorn the Fell-Handed]] in ''Battle of the Fang''. This is a justified case of PaintingTheMedium, as Dreadnoughts are MiniMecha with a critically wounded SpaceMarine inside, with their voices being amplified via speakers, and the bold text is the only way to render this well in text. The games featuring Dreadnoughts avert this, instead being able to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdA0oRQdltI properly depict a]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX2FjJm2_YA Dreadnought's]] [[BadassBaritone mechanically bass voice]]

* In a reference to the aforementioned treatment of Jesus's dialogue, whenever Owen Meany speaks in ''Literature/APrayerForOwenMeany'', his dialogue is in all-caps.

** The GBA port of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1'' spells King K. Rool's name as "K.ROOL" for no reason at all.

** Originally, ''[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} POKéMON]]''[[note]]For those wondering why the é in [=POKéMON=] is left uncapitalized, it's because the font the games use leaves no room for an accent mark over a capital E.[[/note]] games wrote the names of every proper noun in all caps. In other words, you play as a [=POKéMON=] TRAINER in the KANTO, JOHTO, or HOENN region on a quest to get every BADGE from every GYM LEADER and eventually take on the ELITE FOUR, having to go through the likes of TEAM ROCKET, TEAM AQUA, or TEAM MAGMA on the way. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' ended this practice, but their generation still capitalized the names of individual Pokémon due to backward compatibility with the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance games, which use the old method of capitalization (for example, ''Diamond and Pearl'' would still say PIKACHU instead of Pikachu, but would say Town Map instead of TOWN MAP). ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black and White]]'' did away with this as well, meaning no more ALL CAPS at all.
** However, getting a Pokemon from one of your old games via the Pokemon Transfer Lab will still feature its name in bold. (For example, your Pikachu will still be PIKACHU.) However, if it can still evolve, its name will not be in all caps. (PIKACHU evolved into Raichu)
** If one of these Pokemon get transferred to the Pokemon Bank, the bank will decapitalize the name.

** Originally, ''[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} POKéMON]]''[[note]]For those wondering why the é in [=POKéMON=] is left uncapitalized, it's because the font the games use leaves no room for an accent mark over a capital E.[[/note]] games wrote the names of every proper noun in all caps. In other words, you play as a [=POKéMON=] TRAINER in the KANTO, JOHTO, or HOENN region on a quest to get every BADGE from every GYM LEADER and eventually take on the ELITE FOUR, having to go through the likes of TEAM ROCKET, TEAM AQUA, or TEAM MAGMA on the way. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' ended this practice, but their generation still capitalized the names of individual Pokémon due to backward compatibility with the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance games, which use the old method of capitalization (for example, ''Diamond and Pearl'' would still say PIKACHU instead of Pikachu, but would say Town Map instead of TOWN MAP). ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black and White]]'' did away with this as well, meaning no more ALL CAPS at all (for example, a pre-release screenshot of the starter selection refers to the fire starter as Tepig instead of TEPIG, and battle screenshots are similarly capitalized).