Wiktionary
n. An extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television or comic books.
Wikipedia
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and films with each episode following a narrative arc. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story arc is much more common in dramas than in comedies, especially in soap operas. In a traditional Hollywood film, the story arc usually follows a three-act format. Webcomics are more likely to use story arcs than newspaper comics, as most web comics have readable archives online that a newcomer to the strip can read in order to understand what is going on. Although story arcs have existed for decades, the term "story arc" was coined in 1988 in relation to the television series Wiseguy, and was quickly adapted for other uses.
Many American comic book series are now written in four or six-issue arcs, within a continuing series. Short story arcs are easier to package as trade paperbacks for resale, and more accessible to the casual reader than the never-ending continuity that once characterised US comics.
Usage examples of "story arc".
Sparky had been thinking of dinosaurs for the new story arc scheduled to start in six months.
Here at last in one set of covers is the whole story arc, very much as I originally conceived its shape, if not its details.
The writers had a lot of freedom, provided they didn't contradict existing continuity and that they hit the major plot points we required to keep the overall story arc moving along.
Over a long and incredibly interesting story arc, Sisko slowly learns how to practically handle the day-to-day duties of being a religious messenger, then gradually becomes an actual believer in his power as Emissary, then develops a crisis in faith halfway through the series, finally coming back to a newfound sense of duty by the end of the show that has nothing to do with the manmade constructs of Federation morals.
All involved in The New Jedi Order weren't certain how readers were going to react to Droma, so his path in the story arc is not fixed.
Which isn't a bad thing, but it does mean that while the main story here resolves, a larger story arc carries on, presumably to go further in a future book.
The artists for this story arc are Lan Medina and Steve Leialoha, both of whom are well known in the comics field.
The demands of the story arc were fairly flexible, and I experienced little difficulty building a story around them.