The Future

The database isn't an end unto itself. The collection and dissemination of information only truly works when it is done in conjunction with other strands. The notion of future-proofing everything hit especially hard when the laptop I used to write the majority of the original website died on me, and future-proofing is something which British comics has a poor history of managing.

Passing down the tools which enable creators to confidently approach the medium has largely been left to sporadic workshops and open days since the demise of the London Cartoon Centre, though the loss of a specific, and specalised, location is something that hasn't been addressed to any degree. The Cartoon Museum is doing a fine job of maintaining the tradition of comic creation workshops, but most regional versions get a fraction of the advertising they should.

There ought to be a curated list, with the pertinent details (organiser, price, creators involved, age range accepted, duration of event) updated continually. That's a project which could easily be approached with a software component in mind - a submission form segmented with each piece of information automatically appearing in the correct fields. Getting people to use such a centralised list, however, is another thing entirely.

The collection (and availability of) comics is a greater problem. British libraries - for all the wonderful things they are capable of - simply aren't set up in a way, or with enough size or resources, to allow the reading of long-out-of-print materials without a hefty head-start. Even when material is made available there are titles which simply aren't recorded, or saved, anywhere.

When Denis Gifford died in 2000 there was a hope that his collection would be preserved for the nation - which was, after all, his wish - but it was not to be. The idea of a main, specialist library, which has the kind of reference material which comprised that collection, is one which has lingered in the back of my mind since reports of the auction were made public. One of the impetuses to get back to the work at hand was to build up to an appropriation of the idea: A one-stop building for everything related to comics.

Such a structure would cost serious coin.

This is where my reluctance to do certain things comes into play. I detest the idea of cluttering the website with adverts, and still maintain that advertising, as a primary source of income, shouldn't be relied upon. The total raised from advertising throughout the history of my internet use would struggle to purchase a cup of coffee, and at the moment I am considering removing the advertising on this blog.

Most traditional ways to raise capital require relinquishing a degree of control. Though (hesitant) conversations have taken place, the main priority has been preventing dilution of ideals for capital. It is a very remote possibility, but giving someone a share of what is in the contents - in exchange for financial assistance - might result in undue emphasis being placed upon one publisher's output to the detriment of others.

The notion of a sponsor was considered for about ten minutes, but there are the aforementioned worries to consider.

There are some big ideas in place for the future, but I'm still working out how to get from here to there.

Present goals can be listed thus:

1. The preservation of information in the form of the database (in progress).
2. Links to all pertinent websites, both current and archived (in progress)
2. Centralised dissemination of information about comics and events (pending).

With four or five things which come later. Much later.

Again - there still isn't a permanent location for people to look to.

Just leaving breadcrumbs here...

Thinking small will only ever result in mediocre achievements, and my brain revolts against arbitrary and stultifying limitations. And it isn't just that the end goals give something to move towards, as a path towards these greater goals allows for things to be prepared long, long in advance. If it was merely information about comics that drove the current push, then the next step would be tentative grasping towards an unknown result. Knowing that there are things which haven't been done, and seeking ways to accomplish these challenges, provides a (very rough, though achievable) route which leads somewhere.

There's a term I have used before, mainly on my personal blog: The War Against Mediocrity.

When people aim for average results, they will often achieve average results. So many of the things I see people attempting aren't built (or scaleable) for something beyond the immediate requirements. There has been talk of preserving the history, maintaining all the artifacts which have importance to British comics, but the majority of items which would form the centrepiece of any collection are spread so far and wide. Some incredibly valuable, and irreplaceable, items are missing-presumed-destroyed.

I'm going to aim for exceptional results and see how far I can get.