WHERE ARE ALL THE BLOOMIN' WEBSITES?!!!

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:15

This is something that has been on my mind for quite some time.You know how it is..you remember a comic from your youth and search the net,and what do you find?Nothing!Al from ComicsUK and other stalwarts like him have put a lot of time and effort into reliving for many the story of their youth through comics and allowing many of us for the first time to actually see the images online that were probably always in our memories.Which leads me to my main gripe.Many of you have in your possession comics from the 50's though to the 80's that are virtually priceless.Yet what do you do?You ask how much they are worth and where can you find this or that.Fair enough,but what about giving something back to the net community.Most of you have been privileged to read comics from bygone ages due to the generosity of Al and Moose Harris and others....Battle,Action,Starlord,Misty websites to name a few.Now by my own reckoning,a lot of you have almost complete issues of Vulcan,Lion,Spellbound,Mandy,Thunder,Jet,..etc.So what am I getting at?Here it comes..get them online.Create your own web site.It doesn't have to be a work of art.Share the memories with others as your precursors have done.You will still have your hard copies.I recently purchased Toby Issue 1 for 15 pounds sterling and See Saw Issue 1 for 20 pounds sterling.The first thing I did was put them online to share with others.So let's see more websites devoted to title specific comics.Remember if others before you had been so protective of their investments none of us would be able to enjoy the delights of the golden age of UK comics .So get the finger out!My website is http://tobycomic.tripod.com Come along and wallow in nostalgia.Admission Free!

Originally posted by Captain Storm on the old forum on 16/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:16

Its a fair point Captain, and something I planned to do. However my PC is at the end of it life (ie knackered) and I don't have the spare/ready cash to buy a new one (or the interest)what with mortgage, car, girlfirend (oops dead if she reads that) and other intersts to pay for. I mostly log onto "Comics UK" during my lunch (as now) on my work PC (which is allowed only "dodgy" sites are frowned upon) I also have no idea how you would go about setting up a site (and again I dont have a lot of free time between work and my other intersets) I do however pass on lots of my books to others sites for them to copy (or when my scanner works via that) most notably to Peter Grays webiste where I have given hoim lots of Ken Reid and Leo Baxendale strips, Internatioanl Superheros site (tho not for a while I admit) and a good few for US comics - so perhaps that is an option for other " IT donkeys" like me. But it is a very good point I will try harder and anyone wanting scans etc let me know if I have them I'll do my best.

Originally posted by Paul McScotty on the old forum on 16/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:16

I think you'll find that a little something called the laws of Copyright Infringement are the reason this isn't done. Sorry.

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 16/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:16

It's good that at least you posted with the virtue of having done your own tribute site - but it is still an incredible amount of work to get a site up and running. I know from my own experiences that these can almost end up running your life!

The vast majority of comic fans are only really content to read them, perhaps collect them, and a scant percentage of that interested enough to do somthing proactive. No disrespect to the older members here, but people old enough to have read some of the comics you mention would be in their 50s now, and maybe use a PC for email but most certainly would not know how to put a site together unless they were already web literate.

Maybe your words will spur some to do new websites based on the titles you mention, but again unless these people have a complete run of the title, it is again very costly and time-consuming to track down issues, or even just read, take notes, and get photocopies at the British Library!

So don't be so harsh... some members here have done some sterling work on their own sites. I'd like to think sites like my own, other fan sites, or sites of people in the trade like Lew, and John Freeman's 'Down The Tubes', get people genuinely excited enough to produce something...

Originally posted by Shaqui on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:18

Shaqui makes a fair point,I'm not in my 50s yet (a we bit to go) and I have been working on PCs in my various jobs for over 20 years but I agree a site is hard work I have an inkling how to do it, you young uns (10 - 30 summit) have far more knowledge on these matters, and more importantly interest in PC issues - in my teens I produced a Fanzine (3 isuses - Fantasy Outpost) and although it sank with out a trace (average of 70 readers who got it free from letters pages) it cost me a fortune to produce - I thought you could use pages from comics etc on sites for review/ fan purposes as long as you didn't produce vast quantities or complete runs etc?? well I'm off for my mid day lie down now at my age at your age!!!

Originally posted by PMCS on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:19

i have near complete runs of whoopee!,eagle (80's)and various other fleetway/ipc stuff and would love to do sites such as the buster ones but i aint got a clue how to build websites & stuff & being dole scum i would prob have the time to do it as well.if i had the cash i would do a few courses on web design & whatever else is needed but any spare cash i have goes on comics and i have just started collecting a few american comics again like spidey and want to buy the essential line of books.i'm sure i read some where in the case of copyrighted stuff just put a line on the page as to who owns the material.

Originally posted by Big bad bri on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:19

Big Bad Bri, is it not possible to get web training through job centres as parts of schemes to get back into work. Web skills, if you can build them up, are quite sought after...

Originally posted by Shaqui on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:20

Just adding a copyright line won't cover you I'm afraid. I know of two non-profit sites that had to remove strips at the publisher's request because of copyright infringement.

They might NOT come down on you but at the end of the day it's still illegal copyright infringement and all the time of scanning can be wasted if the publisher asks you to remove it.

What I would advise is that you contact the publishers first to see if they mind.

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:21

Two points from the above posts

1) You can teach yourself web building online. It's what I did. http://www.w3schools.com - I took the HTML course, but there's several to choose from. A great starting place for anyone who can't afford an adult class.

2) Coypright is a bugger. Particularly when the publishers won't get back to you. I remember getting all excited cos I was informed a man from Egmont Fleetway was going to phone me to help with information for the site. I've been waiting 20 months for that call!!!!

Paul's had similar problems with his site - nobody official will get back to him, so you kind of give up and hope for the best.

Guestbook endorsements from various artists, including Lew, no doubt support our case somewhat!!

Originally posted by Matt on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:22

"Guestbook endorsements from various artists, including Lew, no doubt support our case somewhat!!"

I'm just a freelancer so my opinion isn't going to sway any publisher who wants to get tough on copyright law. Besides, we artists/writers only have contact with the Editorial Dept, not the Legal department.

Personally I'm against any form of copyright infringement, mainly on the grounds that I wouldn't like my work being copied without permission so I can't condone anyone copying the work of others. And yes, that means I don't buy/borrow pirate DVD's either, chums!

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 17/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:23

Hi Lew,this post seems to have got your back up.And i can understand your point of view.Reading posts elsewhere on the net,it seems a lot of writers and artists got shortchanged by their publishers handing over complete copyright of their work and getting no additional payment for reprints,etc.All I will say in my defence and possibly others,is that we paid first time around for those publications and as fans are merely paying tribute to that great body of work.We are not some powerful publishing corporation making a mint off of somebody else's creativity.We are celebrating these comics and yes,the people who created them(NOT the copyright holders!)We do not make one red cent,so are not taking money that would otherwise be yours(quite rightfully) and others.My main point is if everybody strictly adheres to these antiquated copyright laws,and again I say,we are not making money from this,then these comics of yesteryear will be completely forgotten.And that would be the biggeest travesty of all.

Originally posted by Captain Storm on the old forum on 18/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:24

It hasn't really got my back up. I'm just relating how publishers have asked some sites to take down their images. Additionally it's only good manners to ask the copryright owner for permission, whether it be IPC or a small press artist.

As an aside, personally I don't feel I've ever been "shortchanged" by publishers. I know up front if they own the rights or not. My current work on Toxic is also appearing in editions overseas with no additional payment to me. That's fine by me as I don't own the copyright to Team Toxic. (The characters were created in-house by the editors, in much the same way IPC used to work).

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 18/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:25

Lew

Whilst we're on the topic, as you know I've got the A to Z of characters on my site, and over the course of the next few weeks I was planning on expanding some of the synopsis.

Would you mind pictures from Tom Thug strips used in there? I guess in fairness I've never thought much about the artist's point of view in this. I did approach JEO following his comment about copyright in the guestbook, but I got the impression it was half in jest.

I suppose I just put it in the point of view that it's a site/page dedicated to someone's genius - if I was an artist I would have been pleased with internet immortality. But I'm not an artist, so I guess I shouldn't assume

Originally posted by Anonymous on the old forum on 18/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 26 Feb 2006, 23:26

You can add images of Tom Thug as far as I'm concerned, but it might not be up to me to grant permission.

A lot of sites use covers or the odd panel from comics without any objection. I don't think publishers mind that too much as long as you're not running it as a business. The sites I know who have had to remove images were those that ran complete strips or complete comics

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 18/1/2006