Splash Page
A splash page is a single image that fills a whole comics page, used for dramatic reveals, openings and climaxes; a double-page spread extends it across two facing pages.
In depth
Most pages are divided into several panels. A splash page abandons the grid for one large image, often at the beginning of an issue (with the title and credits) or at its turning point. A double-page spread does the same across two facing pages.
Use and overuse
Splash pages give weight to arrivals, battles and revelations. Used constantly, they lose force and shorten the story, which is why readers sometimes judge a comic by how well it earns its splashes.
What to look for
A strong splash page is composed to be read as a whole: the eye enters at one point and travels through the image to the detail that matters. In a single issue the opening splash usually carries the title and credits; in manga, a full-page image often marks the opening of a chapter or the arrival of a major character. When a collected edition reprints a series, the original chapter-opening splashes are often kept, which is why some pages in a trade paperback carry a title in the middle of the book.
Spreads in collections
Double-page spreads can be harmed by tight binding, where the centre of the image disappears into the spine. Lay-flat and oversized editions are made partly to fix that.
What it means today
Deluxe and oversized editions are at their best on splash pages and spreads, where the larger page shows detail the standard edition shrinks.
