Indicia (publishing)

Indicia, from the plural of the Latin word indicium meaning distinguishing marks,^[1] is a piece of text in a magazine or comic book, traditionally appearing on the first recto page after the cover, which usually contains the official name of the publication, its publication date, issue number, information regarding editorial governance of the publication, and a disclaimer regarding disposition of unsolicited submissions.^[2][3]

Location

While placement of indicia was generally at the bottom of the inside first recto page, it was also found at the bottom of the inside front cover.^[4]. Since 2006, American comic books commonly have indicia on the inside last verso page,^[5] while magazines may place their indicia almost anywhere within the publication (often on whichever page has the table of contents).^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Indicia (philately)
• Colophon
• Front matter
• Masthead (American publishing)

References

1. Room, Adrian, ed. (1999). The Cassell Dictionary of Word Histories. London, England: Cassell & Co. p. 306. ISBN 9780304350070.
2. Overstreet, Robert M. (2010). The Official Overstreet Comic Book Companion (11th ed.). Gemstone Publishing Inc. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-375-72308-7.
3. Pedri, Nancy (2022). A Concise Dictionary of Comics. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. p. 51. ISBN 9781496838049.
4. Staff writer (2009). "Glossary of Comic Terms". Heritage Auctions.
5. Staff writer (2016). "Comic Books and Graphic Novels". Beinecke Library. Yale University. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Title, issue enumeration and chronology, and publisher for comic books are taken from the indicia, which is usually found either at the bottom of the first page, or the bottom of the verso of the front wrapper; in contemporary comics, it may also be found on one of the final pages