User talk:Archiveangel/Trigan Empire revision

The first entry below is copied across from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Comics for the sake of completion. Feel free to join in. Needless to say, ownership isn't an issue, even at this stage. Anything relevant will be gratefully accepted and hammered into place, and comments are always welcome. Archiveangel (talk) 22:27, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

Trigan Empire revision

This has been haunting me for a while. I've got slightly ahead with the MLJ/Archie project, User_talk:Archiveangel#Revision_of_Archie_.2F_MLJ_.2F_Red_Circle_Superhero_characters and think an occasional break from the task is probably sensible. The Trigan Empire page has been haunting me for a while; and I've just opened a box with most of the original run - in Look and Learn and around 400 pages I ripped out (fool!) to keep years ago; thankfully largely in sequence. Seems like a perfect opportunity to help improve the article - currently the page has 1 citation and gives a very incomplete and inaccurate even starter view; certainly nothing on the scale some lesser subjects from major comics companies get. Although there's not a lot of citeable material available, 95%-ish of the stories are 'net-inaccessible' and original copies hard to collect in a non-random manner, unless you can lay out £660 for the beautiful reprint series; so the information is not easily come by anywhere. However, I think the article can be improved considerably and don't mind getting the ball rolling.

Something is taking form slowly on User:Archiveangel/Trigan_Empire_revision after a first run at the early stuff and a re-shape. It will stay there while I work on it sporadically (and enjoy reliving my short-trousered childhood yet again). Comments on content, how to split (it looks like it will get long), sub-sections and other concerns, thoughts or general whatever are, as always, most welcome. Cheers! Archiveangel (talk) 14:15, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

Yes I'm afraid I have done my best with it but sources are elusive. I've also got a stack of Look & Learns in a box (I seem to recall I got lucky at a jumble sale) so if you need a hand give me a nudge.

Also if anyone knows who's ass to stick a rocket up to get reasonably priced collections of Trigan Empire and Storm then do let me know ;) After all they are all clearly scanned in and translated (for Storm) so the material is there. As far as I can tell, IPC retain the ownership of the Trigan Empire material even though they flogged off Look & Learn [1]. (Emperor (talk) 18:35, 13 March 2010 (UTC))

Apologies - I haven't had time to set up the talk page yet, but will tonight and put details of things that concern me and stuff I need there so I don't clutter up here with bits and bobs. Actually I have had time, I've just been ecstatically knee deep in old pages all day; as well as coming across 300-odd forgotten 1980's/early 90's Comic Buyers Guides I got for nothing because they were being thrown out and I've never read (which when I get time to look through will I'm sure be very useful as they have all the extras in such as the Buried Treasures Golden Age sections) I've found two of the three Trigan Empire books, the complete Vulcan repint run including the 'Scotland only' issues and annual, all but one Ranger and all but 3 Look and Learns up to 813 so far; after which it's very sporadic, so that and the foreign reprints are mostly where I'll need help from people (as well as the usual guiding hands and trusty online box-cutter/text editor of course). B***** criminal Trigan Empire's not had due attention from all but a few (Khoury, Gaiman etc) I think, and especially IPC.

Fairly certain an issue of Comics World had a Don Lawrence article, but can't find it in my database - if anyone knows. And I'd like to know which issue of RBCC had the first part of a proposed 2-part article mentioned here [[2]] - although from the brief comment in the snippet view Comics Journal weren't impressed.

As to IPC retaining the rights - you're right, see [[3]]; the sites with (enormously expensive) original art tend to give IPC copyright mention also.

I'll copy this across to the talk page later. Cheers! Archiveangel (talk) 21:52, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

Thoughts, concerns, requests etc I have

• Length - if it goes the way I think this may need splitting to a couple of sub-pages later. Perhaps this needs to be left until a firmer shape and system appears?
• Lack of citations - there really isn't anything solid available unless the 12-volume reprint series sheds light (and someone has copies - sadly I can't afford £699). This means there'll be a lot of stuff from primary source, much as some of the GA MLJ stuff I'm working on, no choice really.
• This means that to get the true flavour of the uniqueness of the series for its time there's a fine line to be trod to avoid OR, but somehow that message does need to get across.
• On a similar note - I realise there's still some stuff from the original page in the background I need to address for exactly that reason; about the historical costumes and customs and the many borrowings from legend (sometimes you just gotta hate the OR rule).
• Issues of Look and Learn post-813. I don't have many of them at all. If anyone wants to fill that in later, thanks. Probably best that way - it'll be shaped then.
• Sections may be changeable - I've tried to stick to what appears to be the accepted format for Comics, and to avoid the 'in-universe writing' trap.
• Couple of references needed (also mentioned in the section above, but here for completion):
  • Fairly certain an issue of Comics World had a Don Lawrence article, but can't find it in my database - Anyone know?
  • which issue of RBCC had the first part of a proposed 2-part article mentioned here [[4]]?
  • Can anybody provide any relevant material from Frank Plowright's "The slings & arrows comic guide"? I don't have it. I suspect it's little more than a quick listing, but would like to check.

Hello-Would like to help

Hi Archiveangel, I would be willing to help. I own the 12 volume reprints, the Hamlyn book and the Hawk book. To answer one thought, yes the Don Lawrence collection reprints were not released in order. I don't know their reason behind that, but there was a timeline of the stories showing their order in the books. I myself don't know much about the other artists and writers, there used to be another webpage called trigan.com which had good info but it has expired. I can help expanding the character section, perhaps a seperate page, and also one on the nations of the Trigan Empire, starting with the continent of Victris, the primary setting of the stories. Douglasnicol (talk) 19:19, 16 July 2011 (UTC)