Delete comment from: Stripper's Guide
Hi Joshua ---
That is a great question! The definition of topper is a little loosey-goosey. Here is the definition I offered in my book:
"Toppers are auxiliary strip or panel features that accompany the main feature. They are expendable portions of the feature that make reformatting for smaller spaces simpler. ... Although the classical style of topper was all but gone by the 1960s ... other auxiliary titled features, usually a single panel, survive to the present day, like Dick Tracy's Crimestopper's Textbook. Although not toppers in the classical sense, they are documented as such" for continuity's sake.
There is lots of room for argument with that definition, and I welcome anyone who wishes to come up with a definition that allows us to classify toppers separately from what you might call Auxiliary Features. That could be tough to do, because it is seemingly not as simple as strip vs. panel -- I think the many panel auxiliary features to King Features strips of the mid-30s deserve the appellation 'topper', but maybe I'm wrong?
-Allan
Aug 7, 2021, 8:29:42 AM
Posted to Toppers: Smilin' Jack Cut-Out