Commentary 2

The Creator pages are (finally) up, though the index for Titles is going to take a bit longer. I had hoped that, by getting as much of the groundwork set as possible, it would be a simple matter of copying over the information to pages - not so. There are numerous minor annoyances which desperately require fixes before they can be transferred, delaying the process somewhat. Before you get too excited, a few of the pages aren't showing up even for me, and though it may merely be Blogger taking a while to notice they are there, the machinery could possibly have chewed the pages up. Fingers crossed...

As I have mentioned the existence of the revised Title pages, I may as well delineate the issues preventing immediate publication.

When the original lists of known titles were created, stretching through comics, graphic novels, collections of newspaper strips, small press titles, a handful of underground newspapers with strong connections to comics, and even the odd magazine, there wasn't ever one list. For reasons which seemed entirely sensible at the time, the formats were split into their own categories. Each letter of the alphabet, therefore, has up to a dozen completely different lists of titles, the contents therein needing integrating before they are of any use.

Pre-1900 titles remain a constant source of frustration, with no clear sign of being resolved until I get my hands on them, and pre-1940 collections are likewise problematic. While there was never a full list of sticker albums related to comics, I want to get back to them at some point, as well as adding - for the first time - Barrett candy stick card sets. Yes, I know it is only tangentially linked to comics, but I can't find a proper index anywhere, and the lack of information is bugging me. There's no easily-located list of every edition of every title for Ladybird books either...

Further frustrating matters is the fact that the computer, which is being used to upload all of this, can only stay operational for a short while before it overheats and crashes. It is becoming difficult to keep track of when I have scheduled things for, and any double-posts, missing posts, or other quirks, is only going to annoy everyone. I apologise. Although I am not sure, exactly, how to counter the interruptions without upgrading everything, I'm taking steps to minimise anything which is likely to annoy or exasperate - a good, old-fashioned, pen and paper schedule I can tick off when a post has been scheduled.

Cutting-edge technology at work.

The next week or so will see the blog covering annuals, while I re-jig the scheduled posts to flow better. It is appropriate that they feature so heavily, as they were the first to be indexed - and largely the reason this all exists in the first place. While there are a couple of very useful books covering the subject, they are extremely limited in coverage of content.

Paul Green and Laura Taylor's Green's Guide to Collecting TV, Music & Comic Book Annuals whizzes past editions with gay abandon, ignoring the contents of numerous titles, and focusing on the (largely irrelevant) worth of same. While I appreciate the effort put in, and understand the notion behind such a book, it pains me to see excellent creators being dismissed in a few lines of text. A wonderful cover gallery towards the rear of the book makes up for some of the deficiencies in the main body, though as a means of discovering specific content it is, alas, a title which doesn't offer the necessary information.

The Hamer Comic Annual Guide (in two volumes) by Martin Hamer, a retired auctioneer, once more focuses on valuation, though with a wider breadth of titles. It, likewise, suffers from a brevity of information on the strips and stories, yet - when used in conjunction with the aforementioned Green's Guide - is a fine start to uncovering the history of annuals.

But... The origins of such titles in poetry and magazine collections has rarely been dealt with. Indeed, there are many fascinating stories regarding the evolution of what became the accepted format, with minor historical footnotes almost entirely disregarded in the rush to celebrate "new and shiny." James Joyce had work appear in at least one title bearing the word "annual" prior to its more modern use, and one wonders what other notable names have ties (however slight) to the history of annuals.

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.

Not Really About Comics, But Still...

The database is still concerned, first and foremost, with publications, but there are things which touch on comics - and which have importance to the history of British comics - which aren't often discussed, or which, if they are discussed, are not thought of in the same way as print items. One of these almost-hidden pieces of history is best exemplified by the Great Eagle Travelling Exhibition of Modern Wonders. Despite a lot of digging, I haven't found out anything about the fate of these vehicles which were used to tour around various towns. At least one of them should have been saved for future generations. It is highly unlikely, after all this time, that contents have been preserved, but at least one van ought to be.

It is interesting (and truly frustrating) that I can't find photographs of Eagle vans. The illustrations printed in The Eagle can't be the only mark of their existence, and my curiousity can't let the print information in the comics be the entire story. Who bought them? Where did they go after the Exhibition was over? Without a paper trail to chase, these are questions which refuse to go away. Most importantly - was their presence in town so common as to negate the possibility of some youngster snapping a pic or two?

Then there were the Eagle cars. None of the cars (LYV 479, LYV 480, LYV 481, LYV 482, LYV 483 and LYV 484) have been mentioned in all these years, and searching the usual places hasn't turned up anything on their lives after the comic. I'm not 100% sure of the make and model used, so haven't searched vehicle MOT websites for possible information. It would be a real treat to see one of these turn up at a convention, if only for the puzzlement on the faces of some of the attendees.

I've still to uncover a single photograph of the Junior Mirror car, a Bond Mark C Minicar, reg 783 CML, which seems to be so obscure a comic-related car as to have no commentary whatsoever in intervening years. There's nothing to indicate if it was the sole vehicle used for promotion of Junior Mirror, nor how it was painted. There is one vehicle I know exactly how it was painted. In the early 90s a small pastel-yellow panel van (of unknown vintage) with a black Disney logo decal on the side was driving around Kent, but I'm not sure of any connection to a print title.

The Candy and Andy car has had some coverage, thanks to Steve Holland and Roger Perry (here and here). The striped Austin 7 Mini (which was notable enough to receive a Dinky model based on it), is one of the odder vehicles with a comic connection - mainly though association with one of the most disturbing comics ever published - and is iconic enough warrant more information being available. Again, there's nothing to indicate what became of "Stripey."

Then there are familiar branded vehicles from retailers.

Lets hope that Forbidden Planet have learned from the lessons of the past, and preserve at least one of their early vans for the future.

There are spots of hope - because I can't neglect to mention the happy discoveries - as there are definitely vehicles related directly to comics still in existence. Much of the trains featured in Eagle cutaways, such as Mallard (the Flying Scotsman), still exist, as do a number of the racing cars. The green bus seen in Eagle Vol.3 24 can be seen here, and looking rather good. Travel enthusiasts can probably pick out a great many of the vehicles from Eagle cutaways which are still extant,

Of course, it isn't just cars and vans which have disappeared from the history of comics, but they represent a visible line of items which have long been forgotten or disregarded. Costumes and props which are occasionally deployed for advertising sometimes (though not always) get mention in comics, such as the Death's Head II outfit and mask seen during the 90s. While I'm not the most ardent Marvel fan, even I can recognise the importance of items like that being preserved.

Next post will actually be about comics. I swear.