A line is a concept in
Western comic books which denotes a specific group of publications by a publisher, sometimes taking place in a separate continuity or more loose continuity (such as
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
by
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
) or exploring a kind of subject matter or genre which the publisher does not want to involve in their main franchise or so called "universe".
Often lines which explore more "realistic" or "dark" subject matters are published under a companies sub
imprints (such as
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
or
MAX
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
) to distinguish it from their main superhero lines. Sometimes a line can be published under an imprint but not always be part of a larger continuity within their imprint (such as
''The Punisher'' MAX line which is not in continuity with most other Marvel Max titles). A line can consist of several different titles, ongoing series, limited series, one-shots, annuals, specials or trades and be by many different artists but are
advertised and
marketed
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or manufacturer. Products can ...
as part of the line. So called crossover events are often followed by a line of tie-in comics to the event miniseries from other unrelated titles to connect them.
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
has several lines which focuses on their licensed film properties such as ''
Alien'', ''
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
'' and ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
''. The
''Aliens'' line consists only of limited series, one-shots and graphic novels due to the publisher's wish to allow artistic freedom. Dark Horse's
''Star Wars'' line was ended in 2014 due to Disney moving their
''Star Wars'' comics to Marvel. Dark Horse also publishes a line of comics which are creator owned but are connected through common oversight by editor
Karen Berger
Karen Berger (; born February 26, 1958) is an American comic book editor. She is best known for her role in helping create DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in 1993 and serving as the line's Executive Editor until 2013. She currently oversees Berger ...
. Most companies have several simultaneously running lines.
References
{{Reflist
Comics terminology