rec.arts.comics.misc

RAC/RACM FAQ

Table of Contents / Acknowledgements

by Carl Henderson
carl.henderson@airmail.net
Based on original FAQs by Francis Uy, Tom Galloway, Paul Estin, et al. 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 1: THE RAC NEWSGROUPS AND POSTING TO THEM

1-1:  What are the various RAC newsgroups? And what are they for?
1-2:  What are the official charters for these newsgroups?
1-3:  What are some other newsgroups about comics?
1-4:  What's up with rec.arts.sf.superman? How does this affect the RAC 
          groups?
1-5:  What about manga? Why isn't there a rec.arts.comics.manga?
1-6:  What is a troll? And how do I avoid them?
1-7:  Where can I post ads, auction announcements, or want-to-buy notices in 
          the rec.arts.comics.hierarchy?
1-8:  What are some potential consequences of not following these posting 
          rules?
1-9:  Why do some search engines say you can post ads in other RAC groups?
1-10: What is a spammer? And why do some people get so upset when an ad 
          appears outside of rac.marketplace?
1-11: Why aren't ads for all websites off-topic?
1-12: Where can I find other rac-related faqs?
1-13: Where did all these FAQs and rules come from? And why should I pay 
          attention?
1-14: Are comic fan fiction and fan art illegal? 
1-15: What about scans of comics book pages?
1-16: Where should I post about web-comics?
1-17: Can a comic book character be copyrighted?
1-18: What is a "HYPE:" post, and when should I make one?


Part 2: COMICS NEWS AND COMMENTARY ON THE NET

2-1:  Where can I get news about comics and the comics industry online?
2-2:  Forget the news; I want rumors, gossip, and dirt!
2-3:  Where on the net can I find out what comics are coming out?
2-4:  How can I find out if a comic book is cancelled or is late?
2-5:  What are some good starting-point web sites about comic books?
2-6:  What are some good comic book web magazines/fanzines?
2-7:  What are some good web columns about comic books?
2-8:  Where are some other--non-Usenet--online comics discussion forums?
2-9:  Where can I find reviews of current comics?


Part 3: INSIDE THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY

3-1:  What is the direct market? How is it different from the newsstand 
          market?
3-2:  How did diamond end up controlling the direct market? 
3-3:  Is Diamond a monopoly?
3-4:  Is the direct market dying?
3-5:  What is this "statement of ownership, management, and circulation" 
          that shows up on comic book letter pages from time to time?
3-6:  Where can I find sales figures for comics?
3-7:  How can a comic move up the sale charts and still be selling less?
3-8:  What is the "line of death" for comics from various publishers?
3-9:  I've heard that Marvel cancels any comic book that doesn't make at 
          least $10,000 per issue. Is this true?
3-10: Where does the money go from buying a comic?
3-11: Where are comics printed?
3-12: What are some major comics industry awards?
3-13: What is an "indicia"?
3-14: How does image work?
3-15: Is Marvel still bankrupt? Who owns them now?
3-16: Do Marvel and DC really co-own the trademark on "Super-Hero"?
3-17: What are the colored bars on top of some comic book pages for?
3-18: How much do comic creators get paid?


Part 4: COMICS INDUSTRY CONTACT INFORMATION

4-1:  Major Comics Publishers
4-2:  Comic Book Printers
4-3:  Direct Market Comics Distributors
4-4:  Comics Industry Organizations
4-5:  Major Conventions
4-6:  Schools of Cartooning and Comic Art
4-7:  Misc.
4-8:  Hey, I don't trust the FAQ maintainer to keep all this stuff up to 
          date. Where can I find industry contact information on the web?


Part 5: COMIC BOOK PROFESSIONALS--AND HOW TO BECOME ONE

5-1:  Do any comic book professionals read/post to the RAC newgroups?
5-2:  Wow! That's like a virtual comic book convention. How should I treat 
          all these professionals?
5-3:  I'm a comics pro and I want to join in the fun. Any advice?
5-4:  Where can I find fill-in-the-blank creator's email address?
5-5:  How do you pronounce [fill-in-the-blank] pro's name?
5-6:  what is up with Jim Owsley/Christopher Priest? Are they the same 
          person? Did he change his name?
5-7:  Is [fill-in-the-blank] comics pro related to [fill-in-the-blank] 
          comics pro?
5-8:  Who was "name withheld" and what was the "name withheld letter"?
5-9:  How do you break into comics?
5-10: Where can I find advice on writing comics?
5-11: What about advice for aspiring artists?
5-12: What are some colleges or trade schools for comic book artists?
5-13: I want to self-publish. Where can I learn about that?
5-14: Cool. I'm going to self-publish. Now where can I find some comic 
          lettering fonts?
5-15: Where can a self-publisher learn about comic book prepress?


Part 6: MISC. COMIC BOOK QUESTIONS

6-1:  Where can I find a comic book store near me?
6-2:  What if there is no comic book store near me?
6-3:  What are some good books about the history of comics?
6-4:  What are some good magazines that cover comics history?
6-5:  What about online comics history resources?
6-6:  Where can find annotations of various comic book series?
6-7:  What is the comics code? Where can I find a copy?
6-8:  Where are some comics and cartoon museums?
6-9:  How do I find out what my comics are worth?
6-10: How is the condition of comics graded? What do "mint," "near mint," 
          "very fine" etc. Mean? 
6-11: I've got some expensive comics here. How do I protect them?
6-12: What comic collecting database programs are there?
6-13: What about online comics databases?
6-14: How do I sell my old comics?
6-15: When were the golden and silver ages? What came after the silver age?
6-16: What is a "swipe"?
6-17: What is a "retcon"?
6-18: What is a "reboot"?
6-19: What is a "ho'od win"?
6-20: What was the first #0 issue?
6-21: What was the first enhanced/variant cover?
6-22: What was the first comic to (intentionally) feature variant 
          interiors?
6-23: Is it true that comic book writers aren't supposed to use the words 
          "flick," "flicker,"and "Clint"?
6-24: Who were the original Charlton equivalents to the Watchmen?
6-25: Didn't DC make Fawcett stop publishing "Captain Marvel"? So how can 
          both DC and Marvel have a "Captain Marvel"?
6-26: Where did "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog" appear?
6-27: Who is Suicide Squid?
6-28: Why do people make jokes about "Rob Liefeld's Shaft"? Is this some 
          sort of weird sex thing?
6-29: Where can I find information on collecting original comic book art?


Part 7: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ___________?

7-1:  The 1963 Annual
7-2:  Big Numbers
7-3:  Bill Mantlo
7-4:  Broadway Comics
7-5:  Eclipse
7-6:  Hepcats #13 And Martin Wagner
7-7:  Jim Shooter
7-8:  Kitchen Sink Press
7-9:  Milestone Comics
7-10: Miracleman
7-11: Nexus
7-12: Omaha The Cat Dancer
7-13: Sam Kieth
7-14: Syco Distribution
7-15: Tekno/Big Entertainment


Part 8: RAC NEWSGROUP CHARTERS

8-1:  rec.arts.comics.alternative
8-2:  rec.arts.comics.creative
8-3:  rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh
8-4:  rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
8-5:  rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo
8-6:  rec.arts.comics.elfquest
8-7:  rec.arts.comics.european
8-8:  rec.arts.comics.info
8-9:  rec.arts.comics.marketplace
8-10: rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe
8-11: rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks 
8-12: rec.arts.comics.misc
8-13: rec.arts.comics.other-media
8-14: rec.arts.comics.reviews
8-15: rec.arts.comics.strips

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for allowing portions of their
posts or FAQs to be reproduced in RAC/RACM FAQ: Tom Breevort, Johanna
Draper Carlson, Tom Galloway, Lea Hernandez, Matt High, Bob Ingersoll, Greg
Morrow, Stuart Moore, Steve Pearl, and Jim Smith.

I'd like to thank Johanna Draper Carlson her invaluable--and
detailed--critique of the beta and 1.0 versions of this FAQ.

I'd also like to thank the following people for a variety of helpful
suggestions and feedback:

Brandon Blatcher
Tom Galloway
David Goldfarb
Steve Lieber
Kevin J. Maroney
Heidi MacDonald
Dwayne McDuffie
T. Troy McNemar
Paul O'Brien
Christopher Priest
Robin Riggs
Steven Rowe
Christopher J. Sypal
Todd VerBeek
Lisa Webster
Martin Wisse
cat yronwode

Special thanks go out also to Seth Finkelstein, Eric Gimlin, Gerard Jones,
Deepak Ramani, and Todd VerBeek for helping me run down a number of
articles and FAQs that went missing when Deja.com decided to remove their
pre-1999 Usenet archives.

Thanks also to the version 1.1 beta readers: Michael Alan Chary, Tom
Galloway, Bob Kennedy, and Kevin J. Maroney.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
J. Carl Henderson
carl.henderson@airmail.net

Intro: Introduction / Revision History
Contents: Table of Contents/Acknowledgements
Part 1: The RAC Newsgroups and Posting to Them
Part 2: Comics News and Commentary on the Net
Part 3: Inside the Comic Book Industry
Part 4: Comics Industry Contact Information
Part 5: Comic Book Professionals--And How to Become One
Part 6: Misc. Comic Book Questions
Part 7: Whatever Happened to ___________?
Part 8: RAC Newsgroup Charters

Please leave your comments before you go, so I can improve this site in the future!

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Last updated: 2000-09-03