ABPC Chatroom Information

Server: hades.astrolink.org
Channel: #comicchat

Request for ACG Comics Lists

As some of you may have gathered from the posts to the group this week, we are making an attempt to get the ball rolling on the ACG Project. Only about 10% of the books from this often overlooked publisher have been scanned so far, so there is a considerable amount of work to be done.

We are looking for a list of your ACG comics that you are willing to scan for the project. Some of us are now breaking open our wallets to purchase ACGs on ebay, but obviously we want to maximize our effectiveness by purchasing the issues that are not in another scanner's collection.

I have the following unscanned ACGs:

Adventures into the Unknown: 135, 137, 139, 140, 143, 161, 164, 170
Forbidden Worlds: 97, 110, 117, 119
Unknown Worlds: 18, 20

Please mention your comics in the comments section.

Text of Proposed Ad for WDC&S #1

I propose that we sell it with a $300 opening bid, no reserve. We should put it in the featured auction group, which will cost us $20. I would suggest using Paypal, request input on whether we should accept Paypal from credit cards (which I believe will cost us about another $20 at $360). Any other suggestions (like what to put in the header) would be appreciated. I will certainly include a scan of the splash; should we include a scan of the crossword (which was mentioned in one email to the original seller)? I will also make sure to notify the two bidders below us that the comic is back on the market. Here's my proposed wording:

Here's one of the Holy Grails of Dell and Walt Disney collectors, Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories #1, from October 1940. Featuring the artwork of Al Taliaferro on Donald Duck and Floyd Gottfredson on Mickey Mouse.

This comic is in coverless condition. There is a chunk out of page 37/38 that affects three panels on each (out of 12 panels on the page). Aside from that the book is complete with clean, supple pages. The centerfold is there (attached at one staple), and there is no writing in the crossword or anywhere else in the book. It’s a perfect copy for those missing a centerfold, or just wishing to read the classic stories.

But wait, there’s more!

With this comic you will receive full-color copies of the front and back cover.

But wait, there’s more!

You will also receive full-color copies of page 37 and 38 (scanned from a reprint), so your enjoyment of this truly exceptional comic will be complete.

This beauty currently guides for $1,525 in good condition, but coverless it can be had for a substantial discount. The book is absolutely a steal at the starting price, so bid early and bid smart.

Please feel free to critique.

Not Your Father's Superheroes

This article has been getting some attention.

Comics guru Steve McCredie attributes the adult plotlines to the fact the comic-book crowd is getting older.

Mr McCredie, who co-owns cult Melbourne comic shop Minotaur, said younger readers were ditching comics for computer games and the internet, while males in their 20s and older kept turning the pages.

"During the so-called comics golden age of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, comics were simple and written for kids," he said.

"Older readers might have a nostalgic fondness for the simple stories of the 1960s, but now it won't sustain their pop cultural needs."

Online database, part 2

misterjoel's post of corrections has reminded me that I haven't done much yet on my previously-proposed online database. I have a bunch of ideas for this, but it occurs to me that there are several ways to design this, and that the members of this forum will undoubtedly be able to help me decide which is the best way to proceed, by giving me conflicting and contradictory input :-)

So with that in mind, here are a few of my ideas for the underlying content of the database. Please feel free to comment if you think any of these are good or bad ideas.

1. The database will be able to contain multiple entries for a comic, if it has been scanned more than once. This will allow for situations such as a cover-to-cover scan that is lower resolution, versus a more detailed scan that doesn't have ads, or is missing pages.
2. Each comic entry will be able to be flagged for the following conditions: Missing pages, Missing cover, Scanned complete (a.k.a. cover to cover, with ads), Reprint, Remix (reconstruction), etc. I am also considering some sort of "resolution" flag, to indicate the approximate scan resolution of the comic; maybe something like "Under 800, 800-1200, 1200-1600, Over 1600".
3. I've thought it would be nice to include who scanned a particular issue. BD's database does have some information pertaining to this, and I'm sure others are keeping track of this as well. Do you think this would be useful or desirable?
4. To try to eliminate the frequent problem of mis-sorting due to variations in spelling of the book title, the database will have a separate table with the standard names of each book. This table will include the "canonical" title for each book series, along with name changes that the book went through. The exact naming conventions to be used are open for discussion.
5. Each canonical title above will have one or more "genre" flags associated with it. I say "one or more" because some books fall into more than one genre (i.e. war romance, funny animal superhero, etc.) A question would be, are there any books that fall into more than two genres?

Please note that the above ideas all have to do with the data contained in the database, and not how it will be viewed or queried. Also, it will be possible to view lists of books without having to see all of the above information, but it will also be possible to filter the information according to a user's preferences (i.e. only show me DC superhero, mystery and sci-fi books).

Comments, please?

Here's a Cool New Meme

The 100 Things I Like Best About Comics. Michele Catalano's effort is here. Johnny Bacardi kicked it off here.

Update: Johnny Bacardi graciously acknowledges his getting the idea from here, who got it from here.

All I Want for My Birthday

Classic ebay auction.