Splash Pages

Comics vocabulary consists of many different techniques and images which a comic book artist employs in order to convey a narrative within the medium of comics. more...

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This vocabulary forms a language variously identified as sequential art, graphic storytelling, pictorial stories, visual language or comics. Whilst scholars have yet to unite on a term to define the language, the communicative tools of that language have been formalised in works by authors such as Mort Walker, Will Eisner, and Scott McCloud.

Panels

The images that are usually laid out within borders are known as panels.

The layout of the panels can be in a grid. Watchmen being notable for utilising a nine panel grid of three rows and three columns. Occasionally, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons would use larger panels that broke the format of the grid to emphasise specific acts or points in the narrative.

Other techniques of representation used within comics are: the speech bubble; the thought balloon; the narrative box; and the style of lettering.

Panel frames

The border or edges of a panel, when drawn, are called frames. These are normally rectangular in shape, but this shape can be altered to convey information to the reader. A cloud shaped panel can indicate a flashback or a dream sequence, whilst one with a jagged edge can be used to convey anger or shock. A panel without a frame is used to convey space. The frame itself can be formed by the image. For example, a scene can be framed by a door frame or by binoculars.

Bleed

Full bleed is usually used on a comic book cover, and is when the art is allowed to run to the edge of each page, rather than having a white border around it. Bleeds are sometimes used on internal panels to create the illusion of space or emphasize action. This is more common in manga and modern comics.

Splash page

Splash page or sometimes referred to simply as a "splash", is a full page drawing in a comic book. A splash page is often used as the first page of a story, and includes the title and credits. Splashes that are not on the first page of a story are sometimes called interior splash pages. Interior splashes may, or may not include titles and/or credits. A panel that is larger than others on the page is called a splash panel. A splash that appears across two pages of a comic book is called a "double splash" or a two-page spread.

By analogy, a splash page of a web site is a sort of pre-home page front page, usually providing no real information besides perhaps a note about browser requirements and sometimes a web counter. Often, this page is graphics-intensive and used only for reasons of branding, and sometimes it provides a choice of entry points for the site proper. For instance, links to Macromedia Flash and HTML-only versions of the site. The term splash screen can sometimes be used interchangeably.

Read more at Wikipedia.org