History ArtifactTitle / ComicBooks

* The 'DC' in ''Creator/DCComics'' originally stood for ''Detective Comics''. Very few of their comics today feature actual detectives, and officially the acronym no longer has any meaning.[[note]]If it ''did'', the company's name would be [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "Detective Comics Comics."]][[/note]] Similarly, while the actual ''Detective Comics'' publication does feature Franchise/{{Batman}}, "the world's greatest detective", many of the stories therein feature little or no actual detective work.
** This means that if you buy an issue of Detective, you are in fact buying an issue of ''[[DontExplainTheJoke Detective Comics Comics']] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Detective Comics]]''.
** Similarly, Action Comics was intended to be an anthology title of, well, action comics. The debut of Superman in the first issue and his subsequent popularity led to the character taking over the line. There was an attempt to revive the anthology format in a weekly format, but that experiment only lasted 42 issues before returning to being a Superman book.

** The PostCrisis incarnation of the Legion were [[CloningBlues clones]] of the originals (the sons didn't exist), and they ''still'' didn't sell papers.

** Similarly, Action Comics was intended to be an anthology title of, well, action comics. The debut of Superman in the first issue and his subsequent popularity led to the character taking over the line.

** The current incarnation of the Legion are [[CloningBlues clones]] of the originals (the sons don't exist ComicBook/PostCrisis), and they ''still'' don't sell papers.
** Creator/WalterSimonson tried to bring them up-to-date in ''[[ComicBook/NewGods Orion]]'' as the News''group'' Legion, a term more recently used by [[{{Superman}} Jimmy Olsen]] (although it remains to be seen if he's talking about the same kids).

* The Creator/MarvelComics line [[Franchise/{{Marvel2099}} 2099]] showcased the future of the Marvel Universe, including future versions of classic heroes. Initially, the comics took place [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in the year 2099]]. Instead of straining the confines of ComicBookTime, Marvel allowed the titles to mention months and years going by, thus the titles eventually took place in the year 2100 and beyond.

* In his early stories, DesperateDan was something of a villain, hence his title. However, CharacterizationMarchesOn, and he soon developed into a likeable doofus with super-strength, about as far from a desperado as you could get.

* In ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'', the protagonist quit working for Asgard in the end of the final arc (in issue #5). The title subtitle stuck till the series' end.

* ''[[ComicBook/{{Suzie}} Suzie Comics]]'' published by ArchieComics in TheForties and TheFifties originally focused on the titular heroine - a [[BrainlessBeauty beautiful but ditzy]] young woman who was forever losing jobs due to her ineptness. She eventually gained a friend called Ferdie (who ranged between UnluckyChildhoodFriend and actual boyfriend depending on the issue) who slowly came to dominate the comic. By the time the comic ended in 1954 it was still named after Suzie and she continued to appear on the cover but Ferdie was the real star with Suzie largely resricted to playing his StraightMan love interest.

* ''[[ComicBook/TwoThousandAD 2000AD]]'''s title was chosen in 1977 because it sounded futuristic. Publishers IPC Media didn't really think about this trope when they okayed it. They launched new titles on a regular basis, and the predicted lifespan of a children's title (as it was originally) was 18 months. In the 1990s there were a few attempts to change the name to something less "dated", all of which were roundly rejected by the fans. It's still called ''2000 AD'' today. It's now more of a BadassBoast since the stance in ''Prog 2000'' (the last issue released in 1999)[[note]] Since 1999, the prog that covers the Christmas / New Year period used the new year as the issue number, as of mid-late 2012 the regular weekly issues are "only" up to the early 1800s[[/note]] said "We were here first. The ''year'' can change its name."

* When Creator/JackKirby and Creator/JoeSimon created the Newsboy Legion in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, they were so-called because they were orphans who sold newspapers to earn a living. This had become an anachronism in later years, which was addressed in several different ways:

*** The Italians ''Paperinik'' fans (and creators), who, you know, may have something to say about this, prefer to name him Phantom Duck.
** The name "Paperinik' himself, however, is an artifact title itself; though it's widely unknown today, it was an allusion to a popular comic book and pulp novels GentlemanThief named ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}, mixed with Donald's Italian name, Paperino. This made sense because the Duck Avenger/Phantom Duck's original adventures showed him as ChaoticNeutral, using more his secret identity and gadgets to avenge ''himself'' than to [[TheyFightCrime fight crime]] like in later, more politically [[ExecutiveMeddling correct and editor-friendly]] stories showed him to. Paperinik is no longer a Disney version of Diabolik, but her kept the name.

** When DonaldDuck's superhero alter-ego from the Italian comics, originally known as Paperinik, made its way into American comics in ''DisneyAdventures'', the characters was given the English name of the Duck Avenger, the obvious reason for the change being so that he'd have the same initials as the magazine. Nine years later, the Duck Avenger is still the character's official English name, even though ''Disney Adventures'' is no longer published.

* The 'DC' in ''DCComics'' originally stood for ''Detective Comics''. Very few of their comics today feature actual detectives, and officially the acronym no longer has any meaning.[[note]]If it ''did'', the company's name would be [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "Detective Comics Comics."]][[/note]] Similarly, while the actual ''Detective Comics'' publication does feature Franchise/{{Batman}}, "the world's greatest detective", many of the stories therein feature little or no actual detective work.

* The home titles of Creator/DCComics' ''Comicbook/EnemyAce'' feature were ''Our Army At War'' and ''Star-Spangled War Stories''. For the mostly-American readership, the tales of German UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne ace Hans von Hammer were neither "star-spangled" nor about "our" army.

* "Comic-Con" (In particular the annual one in San Diego, California) has essentially become this. Originally, it was a comic book convention that also supported fandoms for the ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}} genres as well as related genres such as {{Anime}}. Logical, since these genres tend to [[FriendlyFandoms cross-pollinate each other]]. Today, the event has mutated into a {{Hollywood}}/PopCulture/Celebrity festival where comic books are relegated to one small corner and most of the comic book related events are related to the [[MarvelCinematicUniverse mainstream cinematic adaptations of these properties]]. And it is not unusual for festivities to include non-genre fare such as ''Series/{{Glee}}'' or ''Series/BreakingBad''. This has become a subject of discontent amongst hardcore, OldSchool fans who feel that many of the newcomers are there just for the scene.

** The comic "Batman & Robin" followed this formula as well after the death of Damian Wayne.

** The name "Paperinik' himself, however, is an artifact title itself; though it's widely unknown today, it was an allusion to a popular comic book and pulp novels GentlemanThief named Diabolik, mixed with Donald's Italian name, Paperino. This made sense because the Duck Avenger/Phantom Duck's original adventures showed him as ChaoticNeutral, using more his secret identity and gadgets to avenge ''himself'' than to [[TheyFightCrime fight crime]] like in later, more politically [[ExecutiveMeddling correct and editor-friendly]] stories showed him to. Paperinik is no longer a Disney version of Diabolik, but her kept the name.

* The ComicBook/IronMan armor isn't really iron anymore. Hell, going by ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', it's not even ''metal'' anymore!
** In the movies it was never iron. This is lampshaded at the end when the press finally dubs Tony thus.
** Referenced in ''ComicBook/UnbeatableSquirrelGirl'':
-->'''Stark Tower technician''': "Look, all I'm saying is, his suits aren't even made out of iron anymore. Boss should be calling himself Ceramically-Enhanced Alloy Man while he's in San Fran."

*** The "PK" science-fiction series[[note]]PK standing for PaperniK[[/note]], which are the DarkerAndEdgier version of Duck Avenger/Phantom Duck (using high-tech instead of cartoony gadgets and fighting an alien invasion), pushes the "Artifact Title" aspect of Paperinik even further, because at least, officially, in the "normal" continuity, the stories in which Donald used his secret identity to act like Diabolik are still canon; we're just supposed to believe that he got softer later and decided to use his powers for more virtuous purposes. "PK" pretended to keep this origin story, but in fact, the second series bearing that name (PK New Adventures) completely dropped the idea by saying that this version of the character never was the original Paperinik to begin with and only started to be a superhero when the alien invaders dropped by. This begged the question of where the name ''comes from'', then. But in fact, the cast of the series had started to nickname Donald's identity simply "PK", like the title of the series, so eventually they [[RetCon retconned]] that PK stood for some [[CanisLatinicus]] meaning "heroic duck" and decided that the series was an alternate universe altogether from the original stories.

* The "Stories" in ''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories'' were originally passages of text with minimal illustrations (and thus, "stories" about Disney characters) rather than actual comic strips. As those faded out of use in favour for comics, the official title of the series remained ''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories'', but the title logo simply reads ''Walt Disney's Comics''.
* When DonaldDuck's superhero alter-ego from the Italian comics, originally known as Paperinik, made its way into American comics in ''DisneyAdventures'', the characters was given the English name of the Duck Avenger, the obvious reason for the change being so that he'd have the same initials as the magazine. Nine years later, the Duck Avenger is still the character's official English name, even though ''Disney Adventures'' is no longer published.

** The current incarnation of the Legion are [[CloningBlues clones]] of the originals (the sons don't exist PostCrisis), and they ''still'' don't sell papers.

** Creator/WalterSimonson tried to bring them up-to-date in ''[[NewGods Orion]]'' as the News''group'' Legion, a term more recently used by [[{{Superman}} Jimmy Olsen]] (although it remains to be seen if he's talking about the same kids).

* From #3 onwards of the comic series ''{{Nextwave}}'', its official title was "Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E" (due to trademark issues). This was despite the fact they stopped being agents of H.A.T.E by the end of #1, giving it an Artifact Title from the beginning. This was lampshaded in every comics recap after it became irrelevant.

* The Creator/MarvelComics line [[Franchise/{Marvel2099}} 2099]] showcased the future of the Marvel Universe, including future versions of classic heroes. Initially, the comics took place [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in the year 2099]]. Instead of straining the confines of ComicBookTime, Marvel allowed the titles to mention months and years going by, thus the titles eventually took place in the year 2100 and beyond.

* The MarvelComics line [[{{Marvel2099}} 2099]] showcased the future of the Marvel Universe, including future versions of classic heroes. Initially, the comics took place [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in the year 2099]]. Instead of straining the confines of ComicBookTime, Marvel allowed the titles to mention months and years going by, thus the titles eventually took place in the year 2100 and beyond.

** In Creator/GrantMorrison's ''SevenSoldiers'', the Newsboy Legion is the ''Manhattan Guardian'''s army of amateur reporters.
* The home titles of DCComics' ''Comicbook/EnemyAce'' feature were ''Our Army At War'' and ''Star-Spangled War Stories''. For the mostly-American readership, the tales of German UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne ace Hans von Hammer were neither "star-spangled" nor about "our" army.
* Stephanie Brown, ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2009}}'', originally operated under the superhero identity of the Spoiler. Her name and ''modus operandi'' came from her relationship with her father, the Cluemaster, who was [[CriminalMindgames a B-grade Riddler knockoff]]. Stephanie grew to despise her father and his criminal ways, so she would go out and leave clues to help Franchise/{{Batman}} and Robin catch him, {{spoil|er}}ing his crimes. However, Stephanie quickly branched out into crimefighting beyond her father and she no longer did any "spoiling", she would directly intervene and fight crime herself. She retained the name for years, not counting her brief tenure as the fourth Robin, and there became such a disconnect between her current activities and her original actions that even a lot of her fans did not know where her identity came from. In 2009, following the death of Batman, [[LegacyCharacter she inherited the Batgirl title from Cassandra Cain]] and the Spoiler identity was laid to rest. When she came back in [[New52]], she was back to her original motivation of spoiling her father's crimes.

* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' retains its title up until the very end, even though the eponymous League was officially disbanded sometime between the events of ''Century: 1910'' and ''The Black Dossier''. By the end, the main cast has ceased to be a "league" and become a dwindling "trio".