Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics/exemplars

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This page is intended to give an outline of how to layout a comics related article.

Contents 1 General guidance 2 Comic book characters 2.1 Exceptions 3 Comics creators 4 Graphic novels 4.1 Exceptions 5 Comic book series

[edit] General guidance

A summary of the guidance offered on Wikipedia through appropriate guidelines and policies, as well as a summary of the consensus on a number of issues upon which the WikiProject has agreed, are outlined at the WikiProject page on editorial guidelines. Issues discussed include:

• Separate articles for Ultimate Marvel versions of Marvel Comics characters
• Citation style
• Plot summaries

[edit] Comic book characters

For articles regarding comic book characters, we propose that article headings should be standardised to these names in this order:

• (Introduction)

No actual heading required. This section lists the character's current or primary codename, their real name, any other significant codenames, the publishing company or companies and the creators of the character.

Beyond that, as per guidance at Wikipedia:Lead section, the introduction should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, be written in a clear and accessible style, and should first offer (what editors can agree are...) the topic's most interesting points, including a mention of the topic's most prominent controversies. All of the various points should be expanded upon later in the article, and the appropriate references provided at that point, rather than in the lead section. The length should be one to three paragraphs, depending on the length of the entire article, and should never be limited to one or two short sentences.

• The opening sentence should be formatted in one of the following two ways:
  • "{Name of character} is a fictional character who appears in the comic books published by [[publisher]]. Created by {creator(s)}, he/she/they first appeared in {Name of series} #{issue number} ({year})."
  • "{Name of character} is a comic book superhero who appears in the comic books published by [[publisher]]. Created by {creator(s)}, he/she/they first appeared in {Name of series} #{issue number} ({year})."
• This can be developed to mention appearances in other media, and other notable aspects of the character's impact on the wider world. The character's alter ego can be introduced in brackets after the {Name of character}, or can be introduced within the lead. However, remember these characters are inherently not real, and should not be written about as if they are. Examples:
  • Daredevil (Matt Murdock) is a fictional character who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, he first appeared in Daredevil, volume 1, #1 (April 1964).
  • Captain Marvel is a comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2 (Feb, 1940).
  • Superman is a fictional character and regarded as the most influential and popular superhero of DC Comics. Created by Canadian artist Joe Shuster and American writer Jerry Siegel in 1932 and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games.
  • Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-man, and still sometimes as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. He has since become, along with Superman and Spider-Man, one of the world's most recognized superheroes. Batman was co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, although only Kane receives official credit for the character.

• This can be amended to make mention of a character's ties to a team, character or the characters cultral impact. For example (with the pertinent points italicized below, though not in normal punctuation):
  • Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) is a fictional character appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, notably as a member of the superhero team the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 (January 1980).
  • The Riddler, real name Edward Nigma, is a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics and appearing as an enemy of Batman . Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, he first appeared in Detective Comics #140 (1948).
  • Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier) is a Marvel Comics fictional character, best known as one of the first openly gay superheroes in American comic books. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, Northstar first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 (April 1979) as a member of the superhero team Alpha Flight and has since appeared as a member of the X-Men.

• Publication history

The real world history of the character. This section details who wrote the character, what series they've had or made long runs of appearances in, their longevity within comics and any inspirations for the character. This section should focus mainly on the comic, but include passing mentions of all other-media versions, and acknowledge where these versions have impacted on the comic version. The publication details of any reboots and the input of any creators into the character would also be detailed here.

• Fictional character biography

The biography of the character. Filling in the first (or primary, if the "main" version isn't the original) continuity version of the character's history. Note that such a biography should assert the character's fictionality in their biography and should not be written in a manner that asserts that the events happened themselves. Biographies that retell storylines in detail are strongly discouraged. For more guidance in this matter see Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles#Check your fiction, Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction) and Wikipedia:Notability (fiction).

• Powers and abilities

This section details the character's powers and/or abilities. Discuss the commonalities only of the "major" versions (except where one, as with Superfriends Wonder Woman is completely different), leaning towards the primary and current versions but not excluding the others. This section should not be excessive, or copyvio the statistics presented in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, DC's Who's Who or similar products. These stats are rarely held to in the comics anyway. Note that such descriptions should assert the fictionality of that which is described and should not be written in a manner that asserts that the subjects covered actually exist. For more guidance in this matter see Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles#Check your fiction, Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction) and Wikipedia:Notability (fiction).

• Other versions

This section gives biographies for other versions of the character, for example an Ultimate Marvel version section. It should note divergances. If the article is unmanageably large, then this should be short and a new article created with a Main article: ARTICLE NAME link provided. New articles should only be created in this way if the main article has been has already been copyedited in line with with editorial guidance. Note that such biographies should assert the character's fictionality in their biography and should not be written in a manner that asserts that the events happened themselves. For more guidance in this matter see Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles#Check your fiction, Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction) and Wikipedia:Notability (fiction).

• In other media

This section details the character's appearances in other media. It should note divergances. If this section becomes too long, then this should be shortened and a new article created with a Main article: ARTICLE NAME link provided.

• Bibliography

This section is split into two:

• Sub-heading: List of titles

This should be a complete list of all solo stories of the character, as with most comics bibliographies now in the form Booperman #1-499 (Geldof 3092 - Hexember 3189, Fictional Comics), presented as a bulleted list.

• Sub-heading: List of Significant stories

This section provides links to the major issues/trades that deal with crucial moments in a character's story arc, such as their origin, notable collections or even the character's death.

• Awards

This section notes any awards that the character has received.

• See also

This section is only included where necessary, and is designed to list other articles which would be of interest to the reader, which may not have been mentioned in the text.

• References

All wikipedia articles should give references were possible. It is appreciated that with fictional characters the works in question are usually the source of reference, however, specific issue numbers should still be cited, and any other sources, for example Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, DC's Who's Who, magazine articles in Wizard or The Comics Journal or works such as Les Daniels' DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes, Gerard Jones' Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book or Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, should be listed. For examples of how to do this and the style to follow, please see Wikipedia: Cite sources.

• External links

This section provides links to other sites of interest to readers. This section should not be overly long, generally five links is considered suitable.

[edit] Exceptions

In the Introduction:

• When several different characters have used the title, such as the Flash and Green Lantern, the birth name of one particular character should not be in parenthesis next to the name of the character.
• When a superhero has been owned by more than one company such as Captain Marvel, then an explanation of ownership can wait.
• When a character is not exactly a superhero or villain, such as Catwoman or Venom, then perhaps “character” should be used instead of super hero or villain.
• When the exact circumstance under which a character was created or developed is complex, such as Wolverine, whose creators did not develop him into the character we know today or X-Force, which developed from prior concepts and using mostly previously created characters, then the exact manner of creation should wait until an appropriate section. No one person and persons should be misleadingly listed a the “creator.”
• When the character’s first appearance was not in a numbered issue, such as the Sub-Mariner or the Tick, then just the creator and year is needed.

[edit] Comics creators

• (Introduction)

No actual heading required. This section lists the creator's name, date of birth and other details. Currently, the format preferred for the opening sentence is as follows: "{Name of creator} ({date of birth - date of death}) is/was a {nationality of creator} {occupation of creator} best known for {notable achievement}.

Example: Joe Shuster (July 10, 1914 - July 30, 1992) was a Canadian-born artist best known for co-creating Superman.

For more information see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (biographies).

• Biography

This section details the creator's life.

• Impact

This section is included if the creator has had a notable impact either within or outside of the field. Examples are Will Eisner or Scott McCloud.

• Inspirations

This section details any works or situations which inspired the creator. Note this section must be referenced, otherwise it is considered to be original research.

• Awards

This section details any awards won, and the years they were won, formatted in a bulleted list.

• Bibliography

This section would detail the publications a creator has worked upon, formatted in a bulleted list with publication dates, companies and ISBN numbers given where known.

• See also

This section is only included where necessary, and is designed to list other articles which would be of interest to the reader, which may not have been mentioned in the text.

• References

All wikipedia articles should give references where possible. For examples of how to do this and the style to follow, please see Wikipedia: Cite sources.

• External links

This section provides links to other sites of interest to readers. This section should not be overly long, generally five links is considered suitable.

[edit] Graphic novels

• (Introduction)

No actual heading required. Currently, the format preferred for the opening sentence is as follows: {Graphic novel title} is a {publication year} graphic novel created by {name of creator(s)} and originally published by {name of publisher}.

Example: Good-Bye, Chunky Rice is a 1999 graphic novel created by Craig Thompson and originally published by Top Shelf Productions.

The section would then go on to give a brief summary of the main points of the article.

• Plot

This section details the plot of the graphic novel, generally preceded by the spoiler tag, {{spoiler}}.

• Impact

This section is included if the work has had a notable impact either within or outside of the field. Examples are A Contract with God or Understanding Comics.

• Inspirations

This section details any works or situations which inspired the work. Note this section must be referenced, otherwise it is considered to be original research.

• Publication

This section details how the work has been published, if it started as a serial in a comic book or an anthology and was later collected, or if it has been published in many different versions.

• Editions

This section is a sub-heading of the Publication section, and lists the ISBN number and date of any publication mentioned above where known.

• See also

This section is only included where necessary, and is designed to list other articles which would be of interest to the reader, which may not have been mentioned in the text.

• References

All wikipedia articles should give references were possible. It is appreciated that with fictional characters the works in question are usually the source of reference, however, any other sources, for example Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, DC's Who's Who, magazine articles in Wizard or The Comics Journal or works such as Les Daniels' DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes, Gerard Jones' Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book or Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, should be listed. For examples of how to do this and the style to follow, please see Wikipedia: Cite sources.

• External links

This section provides links to other sites of interest to readers. This section should not be overly long, generally five links is considered suitable.

[edit] Exceptions

In the Introduction:

• Where a graphic novel was originally serialised, then the year of publication and publisher should not be mentioned, as in Maus.

[edit] Comic book series

• (Introduction)

No actual heading required. Currently, the format preferred for the opening sentence is as follows: {Comic book series title}} is a comic book published by {name of publisher} since {year first issue was published}.

Example: Detective Comics is a comic book published by DC Comics since 1937.

The section would then go on to give a brief summary of the main points of the article.

• History

This section details the history of the comic book series, detailing major characters who have appeared and notable creators who have worked upon the book.

• Regular features

If the work is an anthology, list any recurring strips or features. See Viz for an example.

• Plot

If the work contains one or many storylines, then they should be noted here or spun off into their own page.

• Creators

This section should list creators who have worked upon the series, in a bulleted list, giving issue numbers where possible. If this section grows too long it should be broken off into a separate page and a link placed in the see also section.

• Collections

This section lists any collections made from issues of the series, in a bulleted list, giving publication dates, creators and ISBN numbers where known.

• Impact

This section is included if the work has had a notable impact either within or outside of the field. Examples are Sandman or Viz.

• Awards

This section details any awards won, and the years they were won, formatted in a bulleted list.

• See also

This section is only included where necessary, and is designed to list other articles which would be of interest to the reader, which may not have been mentioned in the text.

• References

All Wikipedia articles should give references if possible. Sources such as magazine articles in Wizard or The Comics Journal or works such as Les Daniels' DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes, Gerard Jones' Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book or Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, should be listed. For examples of how to do this and the style to follow, please see Wikipedia: Cite sources.

• External links

This section provides links to other sites of interest to readers. This section should not be overly long, generally five links is considered suitable.