Line #39 ArtifactTitle/ComicBooks


1	* The very term "comic book". Unless you think Franchise/{{Batman}} is ''hilarious''. [[TheComicallySerious Which]] [[https://www.shortpacked.com/comic/a-15 he is]], but still....
2	* The 'DC' in ''Creator/DCComics'' originally stood for ''Detective Comics''. Very few of their comics today feature actual detectives, and officially the initialism no longer has any meaning.[[note]]If it ''did'', the company's name would be [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment "Detective Comics Comics."]][[/note]]
3	** Similarly, while the actual ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' 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 ''Detective Comics Comics' [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Detective Comics]]''.
4	** Similarly, ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' 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 in the late '80s to revive the anthology format in a weekly format, but that experiment only lasted 42 issues before returning to being a Superman book.
5	* While ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' always had the tendency to focus more on [[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} the latter]] than [[ComicBook/{{Cable}} the former]], the title became obsolete once Cable ([[DeathIsCheap temporarily]]) died. They {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d this by crossing out the word "Cable" on the covers and [[TeamUpSeries replacing it with the name of the guest stars]].
6	** The comic "Batman and Robin" followed this formula as well after the death of Damian Wayne. Once the guest-stars stopped coming, it was Batman and Two-Face since it was a Two-Face arc. Then it involved Damian's resurrection so they kept the original title.
7	* From #3 onwards of the comic series ''ComicBook/{{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.
8	* From the Disney Comics:
9	** 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''.
10	** When WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck's superhero alter-ego from the Italian comics, originally known as Paperinik, made its way into American comics in ''Magazine/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. As of 2023, "the Duck Avenger" is still the character's official English name, even though ''Disney Adventures'' hasn't been published for decades. (The Italian ''Paperinik'' fans and creators prefer to name him Phantom Duck.)
11	** The name "Paperinik", however, is an artifact title itself; though it's widely unknown today, it was an allusion to a popular comic book and pulp-novel GentlemanThief named ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}, mixed with Donald's Italian name, Paperino. This made sense because the Duck Avenger's original adventures showed him as neutral, using his secret identity and gadgets more to avenge ''himself'' than to fight crime like later, more politically [[ExecutiveMeddling correct and editor-friendly]] stories showed him doing. Paperinik is no longer a Disney version of Diabolik, but he kept the name.
12	*** The "PK" science-fiction series, which was named as an abbreviation of [="PaperiniK"=] and gave a DarkerAndEdgier version of him (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 raises 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.
13	* In Vol. 4 of Mirage's ''[[ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' series, the turtles are now in their thirties, having aged in real time since the original series.
14	** Turtles however are a species with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negligible_senescence negligible senescence]], meaning that they don't really age past sexual maturity. Speaking biologically, they are still teenaged.
15	* ''[[ComicBook/TwoThousandAD 2000 AD]]'''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."
16	* None of the main characters in ''ComicBook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' are (Jedi) Knights: Zayne is a Padawan who missed his first opportunity at knighting due to a combination of circumstances and later refused the offer of knighthood after [[ClearMyName clearing his name]], and his companions never had any formal Jedi training (and most of them aren't even Force-sensitive). The comic inherited that title from the [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic video game]], which in turn got it from an even earlier arc of the ''Tales of the Jedi'' limited comic series.
17	* 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/WorldWarI ace Hans von Hammer were neither "star-spangled" nor about "our" army.
18	* DC Comics' ''World's Finest'' title has traditionally been a Superman-Batman teamup book. It evolved out of a 1940s ''World's '''Fair''''' special comic.
19	* The Creator/MarvelComics line [[ComicBook/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. (At one point there was talk of having a TimeSkip and relaunching the line as Marvel 2101, but the increasingly TroubledProduction of the line put paid to that.)
20	* The title of the graphic novel series ''ComicBook/ThirtyDaysOfNight'' refers to the period during the winter in Barrow, Alaska, during which the sun doesn't rise for 30 days straight. In the series, a legion of vampires takes advantage of this to go on a 30-day feeding frenzy without worrying about the sun. The series went on to take place in locations other than Alaska, but retained the title. The events in Barrow set most of the rest of the series in continuous motion by making vampires in danger of being exposed because of the huge massacre in Barrow. So it's partially justified in that the events in the first installment remain important as the series goes on.
21	* ''ComicBook/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".
22	** In a more general sense, the title of the series was originally supposed to reflect its Victorian setting, since it's the kind of name that a superhero team would have chosen for itself in the late 19th century. Said Victorian setting has been out the window since ''The Black Dossier'' (which took place in TheFifties), with the last two installments taking place in TheSixties and the 2000s, respectively. The name simply remained the same because, in-universe, there was no actual reason to change it.
23	* Franchise/{{Superman}} is the last son of Krypton. Except for ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. And General Zod. And the city of Kandor. And WesternAnimation/KryptoTheSuperdog...
24	** Some writers have tried to explain this as Kal El being the last male child born on Krypton.
25	** After ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', DC got rid of all the other Kryptonians and made Superman the last son of Krypton again. Didn't stick.
26	* In the 1940s, Fiction House had a series called ''Werewolf Hunter'', featuring Professor Armand Broussard, an OccultDetective. While his first appearance had him facing a werewolf, most of his subsequent stories had nothing to do with werewolves.
27	* In his early stories, [[ComicBook/TheDandy Desperate Dan]] 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.
28	* ''[[ComicBook/{{Suzie}} Suzie Comics]]'' published by Creator/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 restricted to playing his StraightMan love interest.
29	* The ComicBook/IronMan armor isn't really iron anymore. In fact, his current suits aren't even ''metal'' anymore as a precaution for facing a foe like ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. In the movie, his suits were never iron in the first place. It was the press that dubbed him Iron Man and Tony just went with it. Referenced in ''ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl'':
30	--->'''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.
31	* ''ComicBook/WerewolfByNight'' hasn't been restricted to being a werewolf only at night since the end of his first solo series in the 1970s.
32	* "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 [[Franchise/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, old-school fans who feel that many of the newcomers are there just for the scene.
33	* ''ComicBook/HolyTerror'' was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen originally a new story set in]] ''Creator/FrankMiller'''s Franchise/{{Batman}} books called "Holy Terror, Batman!" to reference Robin's catchphrase from the 60's ''Series/Batman1966'' show, possibly as well as the early Elseworlds ''Batman: Holy Terror''. Take out Batman from the story and the "Holy" part doesn't have any reason to still be there (though the fact that the main character is fighting Islamic Fundamentalists kind of justifies it).
34	* Plenty of superhero teams have gone under the names of "new" or "young", even when the team has been around for a while and the members have grown up. ComicBook/TheNewMutants are a prominent example, as they haven't been "new" for decades and there have been several generations of teen mutant teams that came after them. This is why the New Mutants became ComicBook/XForce in the 90's, as the team weren't kids anymore, but since X-Force became its own thing over time, many fans grew nostalgic for the classic New Mutants. In-universe, they are all fully recognized as X-Men these days, but they often form their own squad due to being FireForgedFriends, and Marvel titles their series ''The New Mutants'' simply for brand recognition. The ComicBook/TeenTitans also frequently verge into this trope, with many of the core members being adults now, hence why they're sometimes referred to as just the "Titans."
35	* Creator/IDWPublishing's ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[ComicBook/StarTrekIDW comic book series]] previously included a series of retellings of classic episodes of [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the original television series]] set in the continuity of [[Film/StarTrek2009 the 2009 reboot film]], which kept the titles of said episodes the same--even if the title no longer accurately described the plot. "Return of the Archons" was one example: the original episode was about a race of aliens called the Betans who were visited by the Starfleet vessel USS ''Archon'' 100 years earlier, and remember the crew as a race of alien outsiders called the "Archons"; since they recognize the ''Enterprise'' as being part of the same fleet as the ''Archon'', they believe that the crew are returning Archons. In the comic, the Betans are a LostColony who have built a shrine to their former leader Landru (who destroyed the ''Archon'' in the original episode) out of the destroyed ''Archon'', and they never refer to Starfleet officers as "Archons".
36	* In ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'', the protagonist quit working for Asgard in the end of the first arc (in issue #5). The title subtitle stuck till the series' end.
37	* ''ComicBook/TheQuestForTheTimeBird'': The last four books are a prequel cycle taking place years before Pélisse was sent to retrieve the Time Bird.
38	* The [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] comic book series ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daredevil_(Lev_Gleason_Publications) Daredevil]]'' (no relation to Creator/MarvelComics' ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}) only featured its eponymous hero in 71 of its 134 issues. DD disappeared after issue #69, returned in issue #79 to explain he'd been out of the country, but was returning to join the Air Force, and then disappeared again after issue #80. Although his {{Kid Sidekick}}s, the Little Wise Guys, took over the book, the series remained named after Daredevil.
39	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': On paper, ''ComicBook/SpiderMenII'' is a team-up of the two Spider-Men, [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Peter Parker]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]]. Actually, it has a DecoyProtagonist, an adult Miles Morales (native to the regular Marvel Universe and not the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel one, as the most famous Miles). To the point that, other than the cover, neither Spider-Men appear ''at all'' in issue #3.
40	* ''ComicBook/MartianManhunter'': "Manhunter" is an older term for a detective, which was a key part of his persona as John Jones, Police Detective. His civilian identity gradually became diminished in importance and he became more of an inscrutable alien compared to the more humanistic League members, and to others would be referred to as either J'onn or The Martian more than his official name. In several adaptations he actually takes on completely different identity altogether, while the Manhunter term still sticks around, as it sounds cooler than "Martian Detective".
41	* The Creator/BoomStudios run of ''ComicBook/EscapeFromNewYork'' starts off having ''very'' little to do with the premise of the original 1981 film, save for a single scene that takes place at the Liberty Island Security Control station (where the film ended). The majority of the first two arcs take place in Florida and Siberia, though the third arc (titled "Escape ''To'' New York") follows Snake Plissken as he infiltrates the city again to find and assassinate the new Duke of New York. The final arc, much like the first two, has nothing to do with the setting, takes place after a 12-year TimeSkip, and follows Snake as he comes out of semi-retirement to steal a priceless document in Cleveland, thus setting up the events of ''Film/EscapeFromLA''.
42	* ComicBook/EmmaFrost counts both in-universe and out, as she is often still referred to as the White Queen even though that was her position in the villainous Hellfire Club, which she hasn't been a part of for years. However, white is still her favorite color to the point that even when the X-Men wear a unified costume, hers [[NonUniformUniform will be all-white]], so she has more-or-less made the name her own.
43	* Creator/ECComics got their name because they were originally called "'''E'''ducational '''C'''omics", and specialized in kid-friendly comic books [[EdutainmentShow that frequently included educational content]]. This had largely fallen by the wayside by the mid-1950s, when they became best known for their crime and horror comics, rendering their name meaningless.

Context ArtifactTitle / ComicBooks