# Sound Effects in Comics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips, comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [June 26, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178 "2025-06-26T23:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/1 "2025-06-26T23:35:15Z")
The most recent Don Martin thread I can find is from 2018 so I’m starting a new unlimited thread. “Unlimited” in that any sound effect which tickles your fancy is fair game. This one (_Sequential Art_, strip #1273) is worthy of MAD’s maddest artist. [![](https://www.collectedcurios.com/SA_1273_small.jpg) ](https://www.collectedcurios.com/SA_1273_small.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/2 "2025-06-27T00:19:46Z")
Onomatopoeia tickles my fancy. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/3 "2025-06-27T01:04:10Z")
I think this on was just to see if anybody was paying attention. [![](https://d3nvbf5pqk2vjh.cloudfront.net/cgccomics/monthly_2021_10/Dx3U0sbW0AELElu.jpg.26235994ae506a9f6d812579e26c18b9.jpg) ](https://d3nvbf5pqk2vjh.cloudfront.net/cgccomics/monthly_2021_10/Dx3U0sbW0AELElu.jpg.26235994ae506a9f6d812579e26c18b9.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/4 "2025-06-27T01:17:25Z")
Hulk pooped his pants, but his gamma-irradiated poop is purple so nobody notices. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/5 "2025-06-27T02:12:18Z")
Vague memory of a strip in the National Lampoon featuring a guy who lets out a loud fart at his wedding, and he’s so mortified that he runs away and travels the globe. The fart sound was “brump”, or probably, “bruuump”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/6 "2025-06-27T02:38:49Z")
Calvin invites Hobbes to go spelunking. “Spelunking? There aren’t any caves around here!” “You don’t need a cave. Just a rock.” Last panel shows them throwing rocks into a pond: “SPELUNK!” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/7 "2025-06-27T12:43:18Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > This one (_Sequential Art_, strip #1273) is worthy of MAD’s maddest artist. It’s a good enough general strip, but that sound effect falls far short of Don Martin’s outrageousness > **[Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site - The Don Martin Dictionary - Alphabetical Listing](https://madcoversite.com/dmd-alphabetical.html)** > **[Don Martin's sound effects (alphabetical order)](https://boingboing.net/2014/01/06/don-martins-sound-effects-a.html)** > > It's been 14 years since MAD Magazine's Don Martin passed away, and if there's one way you can be sure he'd want to be remembered, it's with this alphabetical listing… Basil Wolverton, another early Mad artist, was also purportedly creative in the sound department. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/8 "2025-06-27T12:56:08Z")
There was an issue of Excalibur during the Chris Claremont/Alan Davis run which used that same sound effect (“BATHROOM!”) when a toilet exploded. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/9 "2025-06-27T15:24:32Z")
You may be interested in hearing Cathy Berberian’s “Stripsody”, a classical vocal composition from 1966. She was a singer who was inspired by going beyond the standard conceptions of what vocal music was supposed to be. This piece was inspired by the sound effects in newspaper comic strips of the time. Sorry, the SDMB is being a jerk about embedding media links - remove the ‘x’ to see the YouTube link. xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNLAhL46xM ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/10 "2025-06-27T15:38:40Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0dNLAhL46xM/hqdefault.jpg "Cathy Berberian | Stripsody") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dNLAhL46xM) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/11 "2025-06-28T16:36:44Z")
And of course the classic: [![](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/captain-america-wank-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5) ](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/captain-america-wank-1.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/12 "2025-06-28T16:51:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > [Don Martin's sound effects (alphabetical order) - Boing Boing](https://boingboing.net/2014/01/06/don-martins-sound-effects-a.html) > > Basil Wolverton, another early Mad artist, was also purportedly creative in the sound department. That list misses a POIT! entry, IIRC Don Martin used it also when Wonder Woman had an issue with her boobs and her amazon bra. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/13 "2025-06-29T09:58:21Z")
Not a sound effect, but .. [![](https://i.ibb.co/GvLG2CJc/Bat-hroom.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/GvLG2CJc/Bat-hroom.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/14 "2025-06-29T15:10:27Z")
On “The Simpsons,” there was some comic book spoof where they used **BORT** as a sound effect. Bort was used as a joke name involving bicycle license plates in a different episode. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/15 "2025-06-29T15:16:36Z")
A nice selection from ASM #197 [![](https://wearethemutants.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/we-are-the-mutants-se-asm-197.jpg) ](https://wearethemutants.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/we-are-the-mutants-se-asm-197.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/16 "2025-06-29T16:38:20Z")
They also used **SNUH** , which was the name of a group opposing cartoon violence in another episode. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/17 "2025-06-29T16:41:27Z")
A little digging and I found: Origin of Bort: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Au1He0_eCkw/hqdefault.jpg "Bort License Plates") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au1He0_eCkw) This hits on all eight cylinders: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/16kBY2dO-Gk/hqdefault.jpg "Original Radioactive Man") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16kBY2dO-Gk) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/18 "2025-06-29T16:44:26Z")
Thanx, **Q.Q.** , saved me some typing. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/19 "2025-06-29T17:50:08Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > This hits on all eight cylinders: That belongs in the “Fake Things I Wish were Real” thread. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178/20 "2025-06-30T15:27:05Z")
One of the weird and interesting things about comics is that they deliberately avoid certain words in lettering because if the ink runs together you could get something risque. I’m told that they generally avoid the name “Clint” because the “L” and the “I” can run together, creating an unintended “U”. They must’ve held their beath every time they printed an issue of _The Avengers_ featuring Hawkeye (Clint Barton). You don’t generally get that problem with sound effects, which are done in larger letters with some “body” to them. But I do recall an old issue of _The Fantastic Four_ where Ben Grimm, as The Thing, knocks someone over with a flick of his finger. The sound effect was written in large letters as **FLIK** , as if they were afraid to wrote FLICK, lest the “L” and “I” be mistaken for a “U”. Another time, in Marvel’s **Not Brand Ecch** an old-style biplane takes off, emitting the sound **FARP** , with a “P” that could not possibly be mistaken for a “T”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-effects-in-comics/1020178.md?page=2)