# Comic Book Dialogue Bolding **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520 "2003-05-30T13:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/1 "2003-05-30T13:51:32Z")
In comic book dialogue, why are some of the words bolded? It seems arbitrary. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/2 "2003-05-30T14:11:12Z")
It’s usually to **emphasise** an important **word**. Can you give us an **example** of an occasion where it **isn’t???!** ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/3 "2003-05-30T14:50:09Z")
Unless the writer is **completely** clueless, the bolded text is used to convey more believable **emotion** in an attempt to mimic the speech patterns people **actually use**. In most comics I’ve read, it’s used a lot more sparingly than in the sentence I just finished typing. Hmmm…this sounds like a job for **Cafe Society!** Any bets on how long it takes to get moved? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/4 "2003-05-30T15:48:29Z")
Actually, the OP is quite correct; before computer-lettering took over the industry in the last 10 years or so, all but the very best letterers often mis-bolded words constantly so that it did appear arbitrary. It just wasn’t that exact a science. Lettering is tough, it was done by hand – and sometimes by several people in one issue (that’s why you’ll sometimes see a letters credit for “Manny Hands” or “M. Hands”) – and it just wasn’t very consistent. This was exacerbated by the fact that most comics through the late 80’s were printed on only slightly better than newsprint-quality paper and the printing was sometimes inconsistent as well. Inks tended to run and spread out after they were put on the page, so a small excess blot of ink near the middle of a word could darken the whole thing so it appeared bold when the letterer hadn’t drawn it any different than the surrounding words. (If you take a look at modern reprints of comics from the 70’s and 80’s you’ll sometimes see that the colors are dotted and spotty for the same reason – during the original printing, the printing press laid down dots of color which spread out and created a consistent field, but when the issues are reprinted on better paper from the same color guides, the ink doesn’t run and the spots maintain their individual integrity.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/5 "2003-05-30T16:02:33Z")
The question remains, though: why are comic books bold-happy while the other forms of 20th century print media are not? (Except maybe advertising.) It would be interesting to know the story how the convention became established. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/6 "2003-05-30T17:47:10Z")
Because: 1. Comic books are economical with words, and showing emphasis allows the writer some shortcuts. 2. Where typeset matter would use italics, poor print quality made bolding a safer bet (it’s also why, until very recently, nearly all dialog in comic books/strips ended with exclamation points! (or ellipses…) to the exclusion of periods, which didn’t show well). ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comic-book-dialogue-bolding/178520/7 "2003-05-30T18:02:23Z")
Theory: some words were bolded when the illustrator(?) got a little jerky with the writing and used bold as a cover-up