A recap page is an expository device that constitutes of a single page (and sometimes a splash page) at the beginning of a comic that features a summary of important events that have ocurred in previous issues and even basic information about the series' protagonist(s), so that readers can quickly catch up on a series' ongoing narrative, making them especially useful for new readers. The use of recap pages additionally helps writers avoid having to integrate this kind of exposition into the story of a comic. Comic series starring a group of characters like Avengers or X-Men will usually include mugshots of the book's protagonists as well.
A precedent of recap pages was a brief block of text which presented the basic information of a series' protagonist in the same page where the title of a comic's story was displayed. Both of these elements are usually integrated into the recap pages nowadays, together with other information, like author credits, and the issue's indicia.
A less conventional recap page
Ever since their introduction in the early 2000s, recap pages have become incredibly diverse depending on the series they belong to. Though most commonly recap pages present the summary from the prespective of an omniscient narrator accompanied by an illustration of the main character(s) in a design that reflects the tone of the book, they can be written from the point of view of a given character, and presented in creative ways. For example, both Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil (Vol. 3) have made use of recap pages that simulate the front page of a newspaper in-universe, and past events were presented as small articles by various reporters. Deadpool and Unbelievable Gwenpool featured the books' respective main character monologuing about past events and adressing the reader directly since they are both aware they are characters in a comic book. Avengers (Vol. 5), New Avengers (Vol. 3) and Spider-Gwen featured a montage of panels from previous issues with short bursts of dialogue to summarize previous events, similar to the recap sequences used in TV shows. The recap page for Young Avengers (Vol. 2) consisted of a mockup of a social platform named "Yamblr" which paid homage to the dashboard of Tumblr. Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man featured a conversation between the series' writer Chip Zdarsky and an imaginary reader.
