To a comic book collector, a trade paperback (TPB) is a thick comic bound with a cardstock cover. These are usually the same width and height as current comic books, but are thicker than traditional comics as they have significantly more pages. A TPB might be a series of comic books or a given story arc, originally published as individual comics that have been combined. A “graphic novel” might classify as TPB, but a graphic novel could be larger or have a hardback cover. The term “omnibus” refers to an even larger bound collection of comics which were previously published as individual comics. An omnibus is more likely to have a hardback cover, and hence larger than “current comic” width and height.

For collectors who want to protect their trade paperbacks from the elements, BCW offers bags and boards. As TPBs are thicker than traditional comics, understanding what size of bags and boards are needed can be confusing if you don’t have lots of samples for testing. Below are common examples of TPBs to help you determine what bags and boards you need for your collection.

BCW only recommends polypropylene bags for these thicker comic books, as poly bags are flexible and can easily wrap to the depth of the TPB. Mylar bags are not a great solution for TPBs, as the Mylar is less flexible and will not wrap around the trade paperbacks properly.

The trade paperbacks shown above are a common size. They’re “current” width and height, and their depth (thickness) ranges from 1/8″ to 1/4″. For their protection, we recommend Current Backing Boards, along with Resealable Silver Age Comic Book Bags. While the Silver Bags are larger than the Current Boards, the bags get filled by the thick TPBs, so the end result is a perfect fit.