Comics trope for any long-running serialized story with an intact continuity. An event mentioned in dialog or captions has an asterisk next to it, and down near the panel border is a little message, saying something like, "See Volume 4, Issue 3 - Ed." Sometimes, in [[TheVerse shared universe]] titles, it may be an issue of a completely different comic series.

Some comics fans, especially young ones, may wonder who this Ed, the enormously helpful man at the comics company, must be. Of course, most of the older fans figure out that this is in fact "the editor". This little footnote also entices the reader to seek out the back issue that includes the story in question. Or, if they don't have the issue, it's an incentive to go out and buy it.

Back in the SilverAge, many of these footnotes in Marvel Comics would be credited to a "(Adjective that begins with 'S') Stan". This was, of course, a reference to Stan Lee.

Use of these notes has been dissuaded by companies today (and they are allegedly all but banned at Marvel to "hide" the {{Continuity Snarl}}s), but they are starting to make a comeback.

Can also be used for a joke in an article (Like this one?- Ed.)

Not to be confused with a Message from Fred, the EvilTwin of LampshadeHanging, or the (slightly) more literary NoteFromEd.
----
Examples:
*Subverted in the first issue of ''{{Wisdom}}'', in which the clues all refer to comics that have never existed.
** The {{Infocom}} computer game ''Leather Goddesses Of Phobos'' came with a "Lane Mastodon" comic that did the same.
* Parodied on [[http://drmcninja.com/page.php?pageNum=12&issue=9 this page]] of ''TheAdventuresOfDoctorMcNinja''.
* [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=10236 One]] ''{{Narbonic}}'' strip had these in ''every panel''. The first panel of the next strip had one which Helen interrupted with a minor fourth wall breakage.
* One set of HouseOfLeaves' footnotes is of this sort.
* [[http://mightygodking.com/images/Civil_War/cwp_02_10.jpg This photoshopped page]] (originally from ''Civil War'') starts off with a very good example of how editorial footnotes used to be used, and then goes on to parody Marvel's current-day reluctance to use them as fictional versions of Mark Millar and Joe Quesada enter in their own editorial boxes to try and throw Stan Lee's old-school notations out. It's pretty funny. Click that link already.
* DC Comics blundered themselves into a minor flackstorm of criticism regarding editorial footnotes. When asked why ''Countdown'', which was absolutely dense with references to events from other comics to the point where it was pretty much unreadable on its own (okay, it was pretty much unreadable, period), had no editorial footnote boxes, DC responded that "that's what the Internet is for". The Internet was not amused. DC started putting the boxes in.
* ''GunnerkriggCourt:'' Tom Siddell made [[http://gunnerkrigg.wikia.com/wiki/Image:437alt.jpg this subtle piece of satire]] as a response to the fans who were confused by the FlashBack on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=437 the original version of page 437]].
* Some of the old ''DoctorWho'' {{Novelization}}s have footnotes explaining {{Call Back}}s and {{Continuity Nod}}s.
* Used very sparsely in {{Hellboy}}, generally to point you towards a cool event that was just mentioned. They are not attributed to an editor.
* Parodied in [[http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=28 this]] DinosaurComics strip.

----
<<|ComicBookTropes|>>

<<|PrintMediaTropes|>>