[Found] OniPress EC Imprint - Proposal for Standardization & Corrections

[MadCrab]

I’m a new comic collector and new CLZ user (but not new to collecting physical media or to database solutions for managing them.)

I’ve been collecting variants of the new EC imprint published by Oni Press, and we can improve the Core Database. There are a few missing variants, a misspelling, and some misattribution (collectively ‘Major Changes’), alongside a proposal to standardize not only the series title names but also the variable assignment schema for variant covers and the syntax we use for describing those variants (collectively ‘Standardize Proposal’).

Series Title Naming Standardization

Currently, the Core Database is mixing naming conventions for these. I propose adding the prefix ‘EC’ to the titles that are missing it - grouping the titles in alphabetically sorted collection views. This would require ‘Cruel Universe’ to be renamed ‘EC Cruel Universe’ and ‘Epitaphs From the Abyss’ to be renamed ‘EC Epitaphs From the Abyss,’ joining the existing ‘EC Cruel Kingdom’ and ‘EC Suspenstories’ titles. If other contributors and collectors feel we should strip the ‘EC’ prefix, instead, that is a viable path - but we should pick one or the other.

Variant Variable Assignment & Description Syntax Standardization

OniPress Terminology from Press Releases:
Cover A, Cover B, Homage Variant (1:10), B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20), Archive Edition Variant (1:50)

We should use the exact verbiage as OniPress where available and provide additional information about the variant’s source when possible. When new verbiage is needed, we should prefer fewer words, use existing database language, and maintain a consistent application across the title and imprint. Lastly, we should standardize syntax for like-type variants.

The titles so far have launched with additional artist-exclusive covers for (some) issue ones, with Epitaph additionally having convention covers. I propose this schema covering the most expansive release (Epitaphs issue one). If an issue prints without one of these covers, the following cover advances by one letter to take its place:

Proposed Cover Variant Variable Schema & Variant Naming Syntax:

#A: Regular “ArtistName Cover A”
#B: Alternative “ArtistName Cover B”
#C: Foil version of Cover A “ArtistName Gold Foil Variant” -or- “ArtistName Silver Foil Variant”
#D: Foil version of Cover B “ArtistName Gold Foil Variant” -or- “ArtistName Silver Foil Variant”
#E: Blank “Blank Variant”
#F: 1:10 “ArtistName Homage Variant (1:10)”
#G: 1:20 “ArtistName B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)”
#H: 1:50 “Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)”
#I: 1:100 “ArtistName Variant (1:100)”
#J: Convention Exclusive A “ArtistName (Source - CON YEAR) Exclusive Variant”
#K: Convention Exclusive B “ArtistName (Source - CON YEAR) Exclusive Variant”
#L: LCS/Artist Exclusive A Color “ArtistName (LCS Name) Exclusive Variant”
#M: LCS/Artist Exclusive A B&W “ArtistName (LCS Name) Exclusive B&W Variant”
#N: LCS/Artist Exclusive B Color “ArtistName (LCS Name) Exclusive Variant”
#O: LCS/Artist Exclusive B B&W “ArtistName (LCS Name) Exclusive B&W Variant”
…etc

Convention and LCS/Artist exclusives would be ordered alphabetically by the artist’s surname.

I have split the resulting fantasy changelog into two: one for major changes that should be implemented and another more comprehensive list with the adoption of the proposed schema and syntax above.

**Major Changes:**
EC Cruel Kingdom:
* Fix Spelling on #1A
* Fix Credit for #2B
* Fix Credit for #4D
EC Cruel Universe:
* Remove # (Blank numbered issue)
* Add Mark Chiarello Exclusive (in color)
* Add Robert Hack Exclusive
EC Epitaphs From the Abyss:
* Change Naomi Franq to Naomi Franquiz
* Add Richard Corben SDCC Exclusive
* Add Vanesa R. Del Rey Exclusive
* Add Matt Kindt Exclusive

**Standardize Proposal:**

EC Cruel Kingdom:
Issue One:
* Name #1A Adam Pollina Cover A
* Name #1B Liam Sharp Cover B
* Name #1F Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #1G Adam Pollina B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #1H Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
* Name #1I Tom Fowler Variant (1:100)
Issue Two:
* Name #2A Adam Pollina Cover A
* Name #2B Tom Fowler Cover B
* Name #2C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #2D Tom Fowler B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #2E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Three:
* Name #3A Adam Pollina Cover A
* Name #3B Cary Nord Cover B
* Name #3C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #3D Cary Nord B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #3E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Four (not yet printed):
* Name #4A Adam Pollina Cover A
* Name #4B Gabriel Rodriguez Cover B
* Name #4C Albert Monteys Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #4D Gabriel Rodriguez B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #4E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)

EC Cruel Universe:
Issue One:
* Name #1A Greg Smallwood Cover A
* Name #1B J.H. Williams III Cover B
* Name #1F Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #1G J.H. Williams III B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #1H Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
* Name #1I Tom Fowler Variant (1:100)
* Change current #1K to new #1M
* Name #1M Matt Kindt (Strange Adventures) Exclusive Variant
* Change current #1J to new #1K
* Name #1K Mark Chiarello (The Comic Corner) Exclusive B&W Variant
* New #1J Mark Chiarello (The Comic Corner) Exclusive Variant
* New #1L Robert Hack (High Horse Comics / Groundbreaking Comics / Knowhere Games & Comics) Exclusive Variant
Issue Two:
* Name #2A Greg Smallwood Cover A
* Name #2B Riley Rossmo Cover B
* Name #2C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #2D Riley Rossmo B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #2E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Three:
* Name #3A Greg Smallwood Cover A
* Name #3B Dave Johnson Cover B
* Name #3C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #3D Dave Johnson B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #3E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Four:
* Name #4A Greg Smallwood Cover A
* Name #4B Kano Cover B
* Name #4C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #4D Kano B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #4E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Five:
* Name #5A Greg Smallwood Cover A
* Name #5B Malachi Ward Cover B
* Name #5C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #5D Malachi Ward B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #5E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)

EC Epitaphs From the Abyss
Issue One:
* Name #1A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #1B Andrea Sorrentino Cover B
* Name #1F Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #1G Andrea Sorrentino B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #1H Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
* Name #1I Dustin Weaver Variant (1:100)
* Change current #1J to new #1Q
* Name #1Q Tony Moore (Up Up & Away!) Exclusive Variant
* New #1J Richard Corben (Fan-Addict - SDCC 2024) Exclusive Variant
* Name #1K Dani Strips (Diamond Previews - SDCC 2024) Exclusive Variant
* Change current #1N to new #1O
* Name #1O Robert Hack (High Horse Comics / Groundbreaking Comics / Knowhere Games & Comics) Exclusive Variant
* Change current #1M to new #1N
* Name #1N Naomi Franquiz (The Comic Corner) Exclusive B&W Variant
* Change current #1L to #1M
* Name #1M Naomi Franquiz (The Comic Corner) Exclusive Variant
* New #1L Vanesa R. Del Rey (Stadium Comics) Exclusive Variant
* New #1P Matt Kindt (Strange Adventures) Exclusive Variant
Issue Two
* Name #2A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #2B Adam Pollina Cover B
* Name #2C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #2D Riley Rossmo B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #2E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Three
* Name #3A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #3B Tom Fowler Cover B
* Name #3D Tom Fowler B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #3E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Four
* Name #4A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #4B James Stokoe Cover B
* Name #4C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #4D James Stokoe B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #4E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Five
* Name #5A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #5B Naomi Franquiz Cover B
* Name #5C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #5D Naomi Franquiz B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #5E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Six
* Name #6A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #6B Tom Fowler Cover B
* Name #6C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #6D Tom Fowler B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #6E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Seven
* Name #7A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #7B Joëlle Jones Cover B
* Name #7C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #7D Joëlle Jones B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #7E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Eight
* Name #8A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #8B Naomi Franquiz Cover B
* Name #8C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #8D Naomi Franquiz B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #8E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Nine (not yet printed):
* Name #9A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #9B Tom Fowler Cover B
* Name #9C Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #9D Tom Fowler B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #9E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Ten (not yet printed):
* Name #10A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #10B Darick Robertson Cover B
* Name #10C Albert Monteys Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #10D Darick Robertson B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #10E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
Issue Eleven (not yet printed):
* Name #11A Lee Bermejo Cover A
* Name #11B Anwita Citriya Cover B
* Name #11C Albert Monteys Homage Variant (1:10)
* Name #11D Anwita Citriya B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Name #11E Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)

EC Shiver SuspenStories
Issue One
* Name #1A Darick Robertson Cover A
* Name #1B Adam Hughes Cover B
* Change current #1C to placeholder ##
* Name ## Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10)
* Change current #1F to new #1C
* Change current #1E to #1F
* Name #1F Rian Hughes Archive Edition Variant (1:50)
* Change current #1D to #1E
* Name #1E Darick Robertson B&W Artist Edition Variant (1:20)
* Change current ## to #1C

Cheers!

[CLZ_Justin]

Hi there, thank you for posting. We however do have a standardised naming convention for our variant descriptions. All of the publishers have a different naming for different variants. This can make a database look messy. To answer that we came up with one that that compliments all of them and also works with our database. The EC imprint has the naming convention to variant descriptions. We won’t be changing these anytime soon.

[MadCrab]

Hi Justin! Thank you for the response.

I understand CLZ may have standardized naming conventions for variant descriptions, but those are not being applied to these titles.

If you can link me to the standard schema you’ve generated, I can help point out which of the issues need adjusting. As is, they are a hodgepodge mix of verbiage and the variable assignment appears to be FCFS.

That being said, variant variable assignment and descriptions were actually the least impactful portion of my post and I fear that the rest of it has been ignored.

1. Did you add the missing variants I pointed out?

2. Did you adjust the incorrect spelling and attribution on the issues I pointed out?

3. If standardization has already been applied, why are these the titles chosen for Core? Why are only half of them prefixed with EC?

Cruel Universe
EC Cruel Kingdom
EC Shiver Suspenstories
Epitaphs From the Abyss

[CLZ_Justin]

Hi, the titles you mentioned are already under the new variant descriptions we implemented back in 2023. I’m not sure what you’re seeing in your database. I have checked all of the series you mentioned and they all fall under the new naming convention. Could you try by updating from Core? My guess is that you’re seeing preview titles, credits and other things. After you have updated from Core and set it to allow to replace the current info, we’ll look at the errors you mentioned (as I’m not seeing the first few you mentioned in Core).

[MadCrab]

Forgive me for the long delay between posts. I’ve approached it several times but found the effort of repeating myself very frustrating. I’m aware that my interminable writing invites someone to skip swathes of text, but I beg you to read this post in its entirety.

All of the issues I flagged as needing attention remain after replacement from Core - including a new issue (issue #11 below).

1. Cruel Kingdom #1A variant description incorrectly spelled as “Adam Polina Regular” instead of “Adam Pollina Regular”

2. Cruel Kingdom #2B variant description incorrectly attributes cover art to Adam Pollina instead of Tom Fowler. Should be “Tom Fowler Variant”

3. Cruel Kingdom #4D both variant description and cover artist fields incorrectly attribute cover art to Adam Pollina instead of Gabriel Rodriguez.

4. Cruel Universe has a numberless issue “#” present in Core, erroneously available to be added to collections. Is this a placeholder for the upcoming TPB?

5. Cruel Universe #1, The Mark Chiarello (COLOR) Exclusive from the Comic Corner is still missing from Core.

6. Cruel Universe #1, The Robert Hack Exclusive from High Horse Comics / Groundbreaking Comics / Knowhere Games & Comics is still missing from Core.

7. Epitaphs From the Abyss #1L #1M #5B #8B #8D, series regular Naomi Franquiz is referred to inconsistently by both her full name and shortened nom de plume. She is not credited in the variant description for #5D at all.

8. Epitaphs From the Abyss #1, The Richard Corben EC Fan-Addict SDCC Exclusive variant is still missing from Core.

9. Epitaphs From the Abyss #1, Vanesa R. Del Rey Exclusive from Stadium Comics is still missing from Core.

10. Epitaphs From the Abyss #1, Matt Kindt Exclusive from Strange Adventures is still missing from Core. This is a connecting cover with Cruel Universe #1K.

11. Although the series names for Cruel Kingdom & Shiver Suspenstories have dropped the ‘EC’ prefix, they appear in my series alphabetical sort as if they were still titled ‘EC’ (Cruel Kingdom after East of West, for example.) Is this a platform-wide issue or specific to my collection?

I have additional concerns about other series and questions about Core data standardization in general, but we should focus on correcting these errors (either in the Core data or in my use of the platform) first.

[CLZ_Justin]

I’ll be looking back at your post, don’t worry. As I said, I wanted to make sure you update first before we look into the other things. It looked like the majority you posted were things that were

1. Fixed
2. Fixed
3. Fixed
4. It is. This entry was still in “review” but has now been completed.
5. It would help if you post pictures of these exclusives. We have no clue what you are referring to from just you saying a book is missing. This has however now been added!
6. Added
7. Fixed
8. Added
9. Added
10. Added
11. Did you update from Core and set it to allow replace all? If that doesn’t work could you try by removing and adding them back again?

There is no reason the be concerned. We got it

[MadCrab]

Thank you for responding so thoroughly, Justin - I am impressed and reassured by the pushed changes! I’ll spend some time this weekend on my collection and can let you know if removing and re-adding all entries of a series ‘resets’ its alphabetical sort order in my collection.

RE: Missing Variant Pictures
The Core already had updated images by the time I was able to respond. When I make more suggestions for new entries, I’ll be sure to provide them. I did have some questions regarding database images in general. What sort of requirements or preferences are there? Specifically, what are the size (dimensional and storage), quality, and/or source requirements? Are digital mockups sourced from public storefronts and solicits okay?

RE: TPB/HC Series
I noticed that for some series (like the aforementioned Cruel Universe), trades, hardcovers, and floppies are bundled together and tagged to bring TP/HC to the front of the issue sort. Some, however, have these editions separated into their own series (e.g., ‘Gideon Falls’ & ‘Gideon Falls HC / TP’ or ‘East of West’ & ‘East of West HC / TP’). Which method is correct?

If you have the time and inclination, I’d be interested in what qualifies any individual release to warrant a separation by series in the database (e.g., ‘Ice Cream Man’, ‘Ice Cream Man Presents: Decompression In A Wreck Deluxe Special,’ ‘Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix Special,’ ‘Ice Cream Man TP’, ‘Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition’, and ‘Image Firsts: Ice Cream Man’)

Why are all Image Firsts segregated into their own individual series instead of together as an ‘Image Firsts’ series or collected as an issue #1 variant of their respective series?

RE: Variant description syntax
There are very minor differences in the way that like-kind variants are described. If we use Epitaphs From The Abyss, for example:

Jay Stephens Incentive Variant (1:10) - #1F
Jay Stephens Incentive Homage Variant (1:10) - #2C
Jay Stephens Homage Variant (1:10) - #3C

So, within three issues, the same variant type is described in three different ways.

Andrea Sorrentino Incentive B&W Variant (1:20) - #1G
Adam Pollina B&W Variant (1:20) - #2D
Tom Fowler B&W Variant (1:20) - #3D
James Stokoe B&W Incentive Art Variant (1:20) - #4D

First four issues are described in three different ways. You get the idea.

Again, these are very minor differences. I am fixated on them because I am a nerd who not only collects comic books but spends time diligently recording details about them. So, I guess the question is, does anyone else care? Should I report these discrepancies when I see them?

I don’t want to monopolize your time, so I’ll halt my unending interrogation (momentarily.) If a resource exists with this information that’s easier to point me towards, I’ll greedily consume it - and if another thread is more appropriate, I’d be happy to move the discussion there. Thanks again for your responses so far, Justin.

[MadCrab]

Hope everyone’s having a good week! I wanted to update the thread RE: title changes and alphabetical series sort:

Completely removing and readding all effected entries for a title resulted in the correct sort order being applied for Shiver Suspenstories. I assume the same will apply to Cruel Kingdom. More issues means more personal data to temporarily store and reapply, so I’ve delayed fixing the second title, but I anticipate no further problems implementing this solution later.

I’m looking forward to the continued discussion of database practices we’ve started here.

[CLZ_Justin]

RE: Missing Variant Pictures
Yes all sizes are fine. We prefer the final image (the exact scan of the book you have in your hands) but preview art is okay too.

RE: TPB/HC Series
So for TPB & HC’s we do the following:

• 1 of each per series
• 2 or more? Separate series

If there’s 1 tpb/HC, we put them with the original just so it’s easier to find. And if the title is completely different (as the ones you mentioned) they get their own series.

RE: Variant description syntax
These have been corrected!

I get it, it’s okay

[MadCrab]

Hi Justin! Hope you’re well.

RE: TPB/HC Series
In the case of the Ice Cream Man series that was previously mentioned, the hardcover compilations have a marketing subtitle (‘Sundae Edition’) but are otherwise the same as any other series hardcover compilation would be. In this instance, should ‘Ice Cream Man: Sundae Edition’ be collapsed into ‘Ice Cream Man TP’ to create a singular ‘Ice Cream Man TP/HC’ series?

Can you speak to the decision to keep the Image Firsts separated from their host series and from each other?

RE: Variant Description Syntax
Thank you for pushing those changes! Here are more:

Epitaphs from the Abyss:
#6C: Jay Stephens Incentive Homage Variant (1:10) [Should be ‘Jay Stephens Incentive Variant (1:10)’]
Cruel Kingdom:
#1F: Jay Stephens Incentive Homage Variant (1:10) [Should be ‘Jay Stephens Incentive Variant (1:10)’]
#1G: Adam Pollina Incentive B&W Variant [Should be ‘Adam Pollina Incentive B&W Variant (1:20)’]
#2C: Jay Stephens Incentive Homage Variant [Should be ‘Jay Stephens Incentive Variant (1:10)’]
#3C: Jay Stephens Incentive Homage Variant (1:10) [Should be ‘Jay Stephens Incentive Variant (1:10)’]
Cruel Universe:
#1H: Rian Hughes Incentive EC Archive Variant [Should be ‘Rian Hughes Incentive Archive Variant (1:50)’]
#2D: Riley Rossmo Incentive Variant (1:20) [Should be ‘Riley Rossmo Incentive B&W Variant (1:20)’]
#2E: Rian Hughes Incentive Variant (1:50) [Should be ‘Rian Hughes Incentive Archive Variant (1:50)’]
#3E: Rian Hughes Incentive Variant (1:50) [Should be ‘Rian Hughes Incentive Archive Variant (1:50)’]
#4D: Kano Incentive Variant (1:20) [Should be ‘Kano Incentive B&W Variant (1:20)’]
#4E: Rian Hughes Incentive Variant (1:50) [Should be ‘Rian Hughes Incentive Archive Variant (1:50)’]
#5E: Rian Hughes Incentive Variant (1:50) [Should be ‘Rian Hughes Incentive Archive Variant (1:50)’]

Additionally, the description syntax for the 1:100 ratios is mixed. Cruel Kingdom includes the image title ‘Library,’ while Epitaphs is missing ‘Horror Host,’ and Cruel Science is missing ‘Spa Fon!’ from their variant descriptions.

Cruel Kingdom #1I ‘Tom Fowler Incentive Library Variant (1:100)’
Epitaphs from the Abyss #1I ‘Dustin Weaver Incentive Variant (1:100)’
Cruel Universe #1I ‘Tom Fowler Incentive Variant (1:00)’ (This issue also has a typo in the ratio - Should be ‘(1:100)’)

RE: Variant Variable Assignment (New Topic!)
Are the variables for retailer/artist-exclusive variants assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis or another method? I noticed when a new variant is added that ‘makes sense’ to be paired with another (e.g., the color and b&w versions of the Mark Chiarello variants for Cruel Universe #1), the entire ‘chain’ of variants is adjusted to make room for the missing issue. Is this the only time the variables are mass re-assigned within a series?

Are the circumstances different if a publisher explicitly assigns each variant a variable that may be printed directly on the issue (the way DSTLRY does)?

[CLZ_Justin]

Hi Danny,
I’m doing fine, thanks!
Ice Cream Man HC/TP: Will look into this next week when I get the chance. There seem to be some duplicates here.

Image Firsts: I believe this decision was made because of the Marvel True believers reprints. Those shouldn’t be in their main series either. Image Firsts has also been reprinted a bunch of times which would make the original 1st prints clutter the original series and make it look messy.

Naming convention & “variant series names”:
I guess this one needs an explanation. Believe Marvel started this when the “Variants” came into the market. Some variants will have a series in of itself few examples: (Alex Ross’) Timeless Variants, (Skottie Young’s) Big Marvels Variants, (Peach Momoko’s) Kimono Variants. So we’ll include these in the variant descriptions. However, the word Homage is used everywhere now. So unless it’s written on the cover we don’t use it in the variant descriptions. As there are a few publishers and titles that like to note it with every variant. The variant descriptions become meaningless if we were to add the term that publishers gave them.

With these “Archive” editions, these were noted as it doesn’t look like a normal comic cover art. So this is why it was left there.

[CLZ_Justin]

All of the ones you mentioned have been fixed

• 1:100
  Same reasoning as the Homage variants. These have been corrected.

• RE: Variant Variable Assignment
  Yes. These are indeed as first-come-first-serve basis. We do shuffle them around a bit when we clean up a series. (So it will always look like this: Trade Dress, Virgin, B&W etc.). I like to have the cover with the most variations at the top and the ones with just 1 exclusive down below. Looks better in the app and makes it easier to find. Some publishers make it easier when they have the variant letter printed on and designated to a variant. DSTLRY and Dynamite are 2 that come to mind.

[MadCrab]

Once again, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to explain the thought processes behind many of the decisions regarding data presentation here. I strongly believe all of this (and more) should be codified and made available to the user base as a reference. You’ll repeat yourself less frequently, receive more consistent feedback on series edits, and have a standardized resource ready should user-contributed in-app edits and submissions be re-approached in the future.

RE: collecting ‘like’ series

It appears to me there is a critical layer missing from the database, a ‘meta-series’ that collects many fragmented series together to better reflect the way that real collectors actually collect. Maybe this feature does exist, and I’m simply overlooking/not utilizing it. It feels intuitively like there should be a way to see the commonality between series of different volumes, hc/tp, image firsts / true believers, etc

I’m needlessly garrulous when my bad Photoshop edit says it better:
Series vs ‘Meta-Series’

RE: the term ‘homage,’ its use in the database, and in the broader context of comic collecting

An homage, a tribute, a swipe, a parody - these terms are used interchangeably but mean something very specific: the art made for that issue directly correlates to another, earlier, artwork. This phenomenon is deeply ingrained in the history of comics. It is easy to see the direct connection between inspiration and comic cover very early on.

Action Comics #8 & Newell Convers Wyeth’s ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ 1919

They quickly became self-referential, using earlier comic covers as inspiration.

Superman #147 & Action Comics #247

@CLZ_Justin

the word Homage is used everywhere now.

The market has spoken, loudly. Homage covers sell because they’re highly collectible: both horizontally across an homage-riddled series and also vertically through collections of new cover art and their inspiration. My partner collects homages of Action Comics #1 - a focus that could keep a collector busy their entire life with a collection spanning countless series and publishers.

I would argue that this information is extraordinarily important to collectors and archivists, and the database is weaker without it. I currently keep this information in a separate, manually maintained spreadsheet. Consider how helpful a Homage flag or a second variant line would be to an homage collector:

Epitaphs from the Abyss #6C (EDITED) & Tales from the Crypt #46

While I understand your current position, I urge you to consider a fully realized implementation of this as a future database feature. That’s probably a short list, right?

I hope the remainder of your week goes well! I anticipate spending some free time further cataloging my collection and using the information you’ve shared here to provide the best possible feedback for your team.

[CLZ_Justin]

RE: collecting ‘like’ series

Perhaps you’re looking to group by Series Group. I recommend clicking the folder button top left, then click (or create a new favorite) where you group by
Series Group, then Series.
(so 2 fields and in that order).

You do have to have set the Series Group field for all comics in the different Fairyland series to “I Hate Fairyland” but then it might do what you’d like it to do

Homages
I understand what an “homage” is. It’s just that the term becomes meaningless when it’s visible in the variant description. Then you would get the question why this isn’t mentioned with other “homages” that weren’t named “homage variant” by the publisher even though they are clearly homages. And again, series like Feral (Image), Stray Dogs (Image) becomes a mess when all these homage terms are mentioned. Which is why they are being left out unless they are part of a variant series.

You would much rather want to display it being a homages in a different way. We are still looking into that how we came provide you this info. By showing you let’s say an image of what the original is. But nothing to get your hopes up anytime soon…Too many other projects that much more priority