Up for discussion: expanding Supermanica?

[Great Rao]

As founder/administrator/webmaster/programmer/graphic-artist/graphic-designer/editor-in-chief/
writer/former-soapbox-ranter/etc of Superman Through the Ages!, I still receive many submissions intended for the website.  But I am only one person.  I am way behind on fan art pictures, essays and articles, reviews, book excerpts, even guest book entries.  I've been doing this for a while and, while still fun, it's not quite as exciting for me as it once was.

Yet here is Supermanica, a full-blown powerful WIKI dedicated to Superman.

I don't even have a full-blown proposal worked out yet - just the inkling of an idea, and here it is:

What about expanding the mission of Supermanica.  Instead of just limiting it to the Fleisher book concept, we could somehow open it up a bit.  Give people a place to post their own articles, reviews, fan artwork and rare pieces (like the Shuster painting that is already there).  Sort of an open STTA.

It could be something along the lines of the old Kryptonian Cybernet; or it could be something competely different.  Perhaps just open up the continuity rules to include all media - the movies and movie serial, the Reeves show, etc -  thus allowing articles on, say, Ro-Zan and his few appearances in various media; Henderson in both the TV show and the comics, etc.

Or we could also include scholarly articles, analyses, pictures. Turn it into a more expansive complete Superman encyclopedia - covering Earth-Prime analysis of Superman as well as the events and characters of Earth-1.  Like I said, I'm not sure just how - or if - to go about this.

We'd need to figure out:  whether or not to change Supermanica; if so, then what are the new rules; and we'd certainly need quality control - more editors to take a bigger, hands-on enforcement role in order to limit the hordes of inane nattering trolls currently cursing the internet.

Just a thought.  Comments - yay, nay, or otherwise - welcome.

[Super Monkey]

We should included perhaps Superman centric characters which took place pre-crisis which did not take place in the canon books.

Maybe All-Star Superman, once it is over.

I might be open to including the Serials, TV show (Reeves), and films which might include the new film, once that is release. Maybe the classic cartoons too. Maybe the Superboy series.

What not to include:

I really don't think we should include any Man of steel post-crisis superman stuff at all, and no elseworlds stories. No Lois and Clark and no Smallville. I think they have no place whatsoever at the Supermanica.

Give people a place to post their own articles, reviews, fan artwork and rare pieces (like the Shuster painting that is already there).

I don't see the point of that, articles can be posted here. Same with reviews and fan art.

[Super Monkey]

man this is depressing, no one even cares enough to chime in. I would hate to think that I did all that work for nothing.

 

[MatterEaterLad]

Well, quite a bit has been done already, I think those of you that have put all that work in did a great job...

I like the idea of expanding to some other pre-Crisis story elements and characters that tie in less directly to the "canonical" sources, but I have to admit that I don't work on Supermanica, so I don't really think I have much of a right to an opinion...

[Great Rao]

Give people a place to post their own articles, reviews, fan artwork and rare pieces (like the Shuster painting that is already there).

I don't see the point of that, articles can be posted here. Same with reviews and fan art.

By "here", do you mean the forum, or STTA?  The problem with posting something on the STTA site is that instead it sits in my inbox for a year until I finally just delete it.

And although people are certainly encouraged to post things here on the forum, it's not as powerful and flexible as a wiki is.

[Super Monkey]

I mean the board which people are doing now.

[TELLE]

Some of the best critical writing on Superman ever is right here on the boards.  And what isn't here eventually gets linked to.  But I also think there may be a place for longer articles, a la the "Theorectical Concepts" or the analysis of Clark's character from Fleisher in Supermanica.  There is a magical spell or illusion about the format of Supermanica that I would hate to see broken.  What other kinds of articles were you thinking of Rao?

It seems to me that what you are suggesting in part is a messageboard/fan-site where everyone has image uploading priveleges.

Expanding Supermanica to other pre-Crisis comics sources has my blessing --that would solve any haggling over what is canonical.  I'm just not that interested in the other media versions (except where they had a direct influence on the comics --and I don't mean catch-phrases from the TV shows) and see them as taking away from the primacy of the comics.  The canon as it is makes a strong case for the Superman family comics as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the mid-20th Century.

Given how Supermanica is currently languishing (I haven't posted or edited anything in weeks myself --thank Rao for Super-Monkey, Dr.Johnny and Not Super!), I find it hard to believe that expanding its range would encourage more participation.  But maybe its stated limitations (quite broad IMHO) and format are keeping editors away?

Maybe a wiki-format fan art "page" is in order?  The Super-Sketchbook?

[Gangbuster]

Some of the best critical writing on Superman ever is right here on the boards.  And what isn't here eventually gets linked to.  But I also think there may be a place for longer articles, a la the "Theorectical Concepts" or the analysis of Clark's character from Fleisher in Supermanica.  There is a magical spell or illusion about the format of Supermanica that I would hate to see broken.  What other kinds of articles were you thinking of Rao?

It seems to me that what you are suggesting in part is a messageboard/fan-site where everyone has image uploading priveleges.

Expanding Supermanica to other pre-Crisis comics sources has my blessing --that would solve any haggling over what is canonical.  I'm just not that interested in the other media versions (except where they had a direct influence on the comics --and I don't mean catch-phrases from the TV shows) and see them as taking away from the primacy of the comics.  The canon as it is makes a strong case for the Superman family comics as one of the greatest artistic achievements of the mid-20th Century.

Though I haven't been able to do any work on it since Christmas break, I do enjoy it, and I think it's important to keep Supermanica as an expansion of the Fleisher book. There are, however, really important non-canonical Superman stories that can't be documented in Supermanica:

The Adventures of Superman, by George Lowther (novel)
Superman's Christmas Spectacular, by Jerry Siegel
The Max Fleischer cartoons
Superman and the Mole Men
Atom Man vs. Superman (radio)

These are stories that are really important to Superman history, but aren't canonical. I'm not really sure what to do with them.