Contribution Guidelines: Series
What constitutes a series?
A series is simply a container for comics/manga of the same name and volume on League of Comic Geeks. That can include a mini-series, maxi-series, ongoing series, a group of collected editions, graphic novels, or even a one-shot.
- Every comic must be in a series.
- Picture Books are not permitted unless published by DC, Marvel, or Image. Some exceptions will be made.
- Light Novels are not permitted. Some exceptions will be made for comic shops.
- Web-comics are permitted if they have significant depth (5+ pages per issue) and are numbered.
- Independently published comics are permitted if they have significant depth (5+ pages per issue) and are numbered.
- Newspaper strips are permitted if they are in collected editions.
- Magazines are only permitted if they are distributed to comic shops.
- Comics within a series must be published by the series publisher (do not mix published issues).
- Collected editions may only be placed within the series if they share the same title and 90% of their contents are from the same series.
- Collected editions that have multiple volumes must be placed together. If they are spread across series, they must be within a separate series.
- One-shots must be separated if they differ in name. For example: New Year's Evil: Darkseid and New Year's Evil: Nemesis. These must be two separate series, never combined into one based on the story name.
- Ashcans and previews are one-shots that must be in a separate series.
- Non-English titles must be entered in a series featuring their native language and publisher:
- Translations of a prior series must be set up in a separate series entry. Each entry should be set to be a reprint of the original release.
- Reprints that collect multiple issues in non-TP/HC formats should be placed into a separate series to ensure they do not impact reading progression/stats and pulls.
- Reprints of public domain comics are only permitted if restored or altered significantly, and sold through Amazon or to the direct market through major distributors. An example being Gwandanaland Comics.
- Unofficial or fan comics of existing IPs are not permitted.
Title:
- Title should be based on the indicia. Some exceptions occur for the health of our database, including series titles that may be incredibly long or difficult to find/remember. Additionally, if the cover clearly indicates something else thus making search difficult.
- Volume indicators (Vol. 1) should not be in the series name (some exceptions may occur if it is very clearly shown as part of the covers and marketing efforts and in very large text)
- Spaces are required around a slash ( / ).
- Series titles should never be listed in all caps, except for acronyms with period usage.
- Title case formatting should be utilized. Essentially, you should capitalize all words in titles except a, an, the, at, by, for, in, of, on, to, up, and, as, but, or, and nor.
- Double colons should not be utilized. Here's an example of correct formatting for subtitles: Batman: Detective Comics - Joker's Funhouse
- Parenthesis should not be utilized. Please use typical title formatting "Title: Subtitle".
- Special characters that are decorative symbols may not be used (such as ★).
- An author's name should not be in the title unless they're not involved in the series in any capacity. If this is the case, they may receive Creator credit and nothing more.
- If a series has slight name changes during its run with (The X-Men to Uncanny X-Men) for example, only one title should be used - this should be the original. In some cases, if the name change has new numbering, a new series must be created.
- Leading articles (A, An or The) are not removed if added on the cover despite the indicia.
Volume:
- Volume count refers to the specific iteration of this series. Not the amount of volumes/issues within the series.
Eg. A second series/renumbering of "The Flash" carrying the same series name will need a Volume of "2".
If there is a subtitle or differing name, it is no longer included as part of the volume numbering.
- Volume numbering is only limited to the same series name from the same publisher.
- If there is no second volume of a series, the first one should not have a volume number ("0").
Date Range:
- Year Begin is based on the first original issue's date of release.
- Year End is based on the last original issue's date of release.
- Do not enter in a Year End until an end is 100% confirmed, solicited and released. Do not presume it will be a particular year as issues may be delayed.
- A story synopsis is a short introduction to the story of the series.
- The publisher's official synopsis is preferred.
- Publication notes and history should not be included.
- Reviews, quotes, or opinions should not be included.
- Unless it's an official synopsis, please do not frame the synopsis with "In this comic", "In this series", "This story..." or any such phrasing.
- Outbound links are not permitted in any form.
Type:
- Fairly straightforward, if the comic is a traditional western comic book series, it should be "Comic Book". Manga for Manga. Magazine/Zine for periodicals.
- Regular Series: Any ongoing or limited (mini/max/etc). These are combined to complexity. A series or single OGN may use this.
- One-Shot: A single one-shot comic that requires a series container for our database. Not for OGNs.
- Collection: A series of TPs/HCs or other collected editions separate from their respective series.
- Please do not select more than 5 genres.
- Action: Series that feature thrilling action heavy plots rather than strong character development.
- Adventure: Series that feature an epic journey for the character(s), either personally or geographically. Often the protagonist(s) face many obstacles in their way.
- Comedy: Series that feature heavy doses of comical events or scenes to elicit laughter and amusement.
- Crime: Series that feature heavy, gritty criminal activity and generally an investigation into these crimes.
- Drama: Series that feature realistic characters dealing with emotional themes such as tragedy, racism, addiction, etc.
- Fantasy: Series that feature heavy use of magic, supernatural, or unnatural forces, rather than real-world elements like technology.
- History: Series that feature emphasis on real people or events, even if there are some small fictional elements to them.
- Horror: Series that feature a sense of dread and fear with the characters under a constant threat of danger, generally with a high body count.
- Mystery: Series that feature an investigation with characters and the readers focused on the answer, with little information provided to the reader in contrast to Horror.
- Romance: Series that feature characters falling in love and/or struggling to progress towards or maintain a romantic relationship. These struggles take priority over any plot.
- Sci-Fi: Series that feature the effects or consequences of technology in the world.
- Slice of Life: Series that feature everyday life for the character(s) with little in the way of plot. May not be used with Comedy, Drama, or Romance.
- Superhero: Series that feature super-powered characters often with moral dilemmas.
When to break a Series:
- When a Title change has occurred mid-way implying a new arc, a new series must be created.
- When numbering restarts, a new series must be created.
- The application of Legacy numbering should not 're-open' a previous series.
- Exceptions: Adjective addition/removal from older comics (The X-Men to Uncanny X-Men or The Mighty Thor to Thor) will be dependent on indicia.