What is the actual defenition of gimmicks in comic books ?

What's it really mean ?

NOUN

• A trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or trade.

  ‘it is not so much a programme to improve services as a gimmick to gain votes’‘sales gimmicks such as free trips’‘it's foolish to dismiss it as nothing more than a gimmick’‘a fund-raising gimmick’

bump

Something.

I consider it things like foil or holographic covers, multiple covers for the same issue, and reader events such as the call-in vote for killing or saving Jason Todd/Robin back in the day. The “Death of Superman” was probably a gimmick, or at least the way it was marketed made it feel like one. It also had the specially bagged editions, too.

As of recent years Spiderverse is just a Better Clone saga

Bat Metal is just Justice League but....Batman

Not to say these stories arent good Dope asf

As a pejorative? there's basically no such thing. because the point of comics or any product is to sell them.

in general a gimmick is anything you use to motivate a potential buyer to actually buy the comic.

so guest starring a popular character is a gimmick; including free trading cards, advertising a popular writer or artist by putting their name on the cover

giving a supporting character or villain their own mini-series or ongoing title based on them being the current flavor of the month.

including filler such as reprinted stories, character bios, interviews with creators, in order to increase the number of pages. ( I'm not a fan of this one.)

all of these are totally valid ways for publishers to encourage the public to buy their comics.