RAC/RACM FAQ Part 1: The RAC Newsgroups and Posting to Them
Carl Henderson
Beta Release
By Carl Henderson
Based on original FAQs by Francis Uy, Tom Galloway, Paul Estin, et al.
PART 1: THE RAC NEWSGROUPS AND POSTING TO THEM
1-1: WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS RAC NEWSGROUPS? AND WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
Below are brief descriptions of the various RAC newsgroups. They are intended
as general guidelines. For more complete and authoritative information, see
either the newsgroup charters (below), individual group FAQs, or the RAC FAQ,
"A Guide to Posting on Rec.Arts.Comics.*"
"A Guide to Posting on Rec.Arts.Comics.*" was originally written by Jonathon
Tuttle and Mike Chary, and is currently maintained by Andrew Black
(abl...@mediawave.com.au). It is posted regularly to most RAC newsgroups and
can also be found on the web at:
http://www.bonner.rice.edu/morrow/faq/guide.html
rec.arts.comics.alternative--Alternative comics. This is a tricky thing to
define. See the rec.arts.comics.alternative charter below for more
information.
rec.arts.comics.creative--Original written works in the "comic book" style.
rec.arts.comics.creative is not a place for fan fiction using
trademarked/copyrighted character, or for posting comic art.
rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh--Discussion of DC's Legion of Superheroes books and
characters.
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe-Discussions of DC universe books and characters.
Specifically excludes Vertigo and Legion topics.
rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo--Discussions of books and characters published
under DC's Vertigo imprint.
rec.arts.comics.elfquest--Discussions about the world and characters of
Elfquest comics.
rec.arts.comics.european--Discussions of comics created and published in
Europe, and intended for the European market. rec.arts.comics.european is not
for discussions of comics by European creators working in the US market.
rec.arts.comics.info--Moderated group for announcements, news, and FAQs.
rec.arts.comics.marketplace-The ONLY place in the RAC* hierarchy for buying,
selling, and auctioning comics. Ads are off-topic everywhere else.
rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe--Discussions of Marvel universe books and
chaRACters. Specifically excludes X-Men and related books.
rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks--Discussions of the X-Men and related comics
from Marvel's mutant "sub-universe."
rec.arts.comics.misc--Everything else. Anything that doesn't fall under
another RAC* newsgroup's charter.
rec.arts.comics.other--media-Discussions of comic book characters in other
(non-comics) media.
rec.arts.comics.reviews--Moderated group for reviews of comics, and related
subjects.
rec.arts.comics.strips--Discussions of comic strips, editorial cartoons, and
single-panel cartoons.
1-2: WHAT ARE THE OFFICIAL CHARTERS FOR THESE NEWSGROUPS?
(Notes and comments on the various RAC newsgroup charters are adapted/taken
directly from Greg Morrow's archive of rec.arts.comics newsgroup charters at
http://www.bonner.rice.edu/morrow/faq/charters.html.)
These are the official charters of the newsgroups in the rec.arts.comics
hierarchy. In most cases, these are taken directly from the RESULT: posting
that followed the vote that authorized the group's creation.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.ALTERNATIVE
The purpose of rec.arts.comics.alternative is to provide a forum for the
discussion of alternative comic books, which follow in the footsteps of the
1960s' underground comics in that they defy the common perceptions that all
comics are for children and that almost all feature four-color superheroes.
Comics which easily fall into genres well-represented by the comic book
industry's mainstream (such as superheroes, science fiction/fantasy/horror,
comics for kids and teens, and comics based on popular movies or bestsellers)
are not considered "alternative" unless they fit the following description of
alternative comic books:
In contrast to over 80% of comic books today, they are not published by the
chief imprint of the biggest mainstream companies (DC, Marvel,Image, Valiant,
Archie and Disney); comic books that you could buy at a convenience store or a
newsstand would not be considered alternative. Alternative comic books focus
on subjects not typically found in comic books or focus on typical subjects in
atypical and innovative ways. These two qualities are essential. They are
additionally most often published in black and white, in small circulations
(roughly less than 10 of the index currently used by the major distributors),
and are published by the smaller publishers (i.e. are not delineated above).
They are normally owned by their creators and many times even published by
them. A majority of these qualities should be present.
If a comic doesn't obviously belong in any other group, including
rec.arts.comics.alternative, it should be discussed in the RAC.misc group. If
you can't tell if a comic belongs in RAC.alternative, then don't discuss it
there; if you can tell, then discuss away.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.CREATIVE
This newsgroup welcomes any form of comics-related original fiction and
discussion of the same, including but not limited to stories in the many
established shared universes. Discussion of on-line fiction as a whole is also
welcome provided that it is related to the stories on the newsgroup. If they
choose to write in an existing shared universe, writers are strongly
encouraged to follow the existing continuity and rules of that universe.
"Comics-related" will be interpreted very broadly, as has been traditional on
the newsgroup.
Each posting to rec.arts.comics.creative should include a keyword on the
subject line either designating which shared universe the posting refers to or
marking the general subject of the post (ADMIN, META, MISC, etc.). If a
submitted post does not have a keyword, the moderator will add an appropriate
keyword, but posters are encouraged to add keywords themselves to save
moderation work.
Large binaries, such as artwork, will not be allowed on the newsgroup.
Instead, binaries can be made available in the newsgroup archive (subject to
the discretion of the archivist) and a pointer posted to the newsgroup.
Pointers to Web pages are also welcome, provided the content of the page is
related to the purpose of the group.
Stories using copyrighted or trademarked characters are explicitly not within
the charter of this group and may be rejected unless the author owns the
copyrights and trademarks or has written permission from the owner. Networking
posts (artists seeking writers or writers seeking artists) are inappropriate
in this group and should be sent to appropriate mailing lists or other groups
in the rec.arts.comics.* hierarchy (rec.arts.comics.misc if there is no other
more appropriate group).
[This is not the original charter, but the charter that was voted in when the
group became moderated.]
REC.ARTS.COMICS.DC.LSH
For posts about the Legion of Super-Heroes in all its incarnations and its
related characters and situations.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.DC.UNIVERSE
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe is for posts about the shared universe of
characters published by DC Comics, insofar as no more appropriate group or
subgroup exists. It is not for the discussion of comic books which happen to
be published by DC Comics but which are not set in this shared universe nor
feature characters from this shared universe. In particular, licensed comics
such as Star Trek, Bugs Bunny, Judge Dredd, and Babylon 5; comics from
companies such as Milestone which use DC Comics marketing and distribution
resources; and comics from special DC Comics imprints such as Paradox Press
and Vertigo are topics to be redirected to rec.arts.comics.misc or other
appropriate groups when these comics do not explicitly occur in the DC
Universe.
To facilitate discussion, the use of Subject: line keywords is encouraged.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.DC.VERTIGO
For posts concerning comic books published by the Vertigo imprint of DC
Comics.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.ELFQUEST
rec.arts.comics.elfquest is for posts about the world and characters of
Elfquest comics.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.EUROPEAN
This unmoderated newsgroup will provide a forum for discussing: All comics
which are produced in Europe, intended for the European market and/or created
by European creators. Excluded are those comics which are reprints of American
or other non-European comics. Excluded are also for sale or wanted posts. A
special case is the United Kingdom. While UK comics (e.g. 2000 A.D.) will be
discussed in this newsgroup, titles published directly for the American market
(Watchmen, From Hell) are excluded, as is the output of a publisher like
Marvel UK, which is a European subsidiary of an American publisher and has
more in common with American comics.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.INFO
This group is basically modeled after the rec.arts.startrek.info newsgroup. It
is for posts of an informative nature. Reviews, convention announcements, and
other information from the comic book world would find their home in this
group. It is intended to be a non-discussion, all signal informative group.
Reviews submitted to r.a.c.info can be from any of the r.a.c.* discussion
groups, but it is asked of the poster that s/he split up the review into
articles that pertain to only one of the discussion groups so that followups
can be correctly directed. Reviews or opinions of a single title should be
seriously considered before posting, unless said single review is from a
larger review that was split into parts.
[De facto, the charter of this group is whatever the moderator says it is. The
current moderator is Jeremy Billones <bill...@primenet.com>, who has not yet
issued a statement of policy. Reviews have been moved to
rec.arts.comics.reviews below.]
REC.ARTS.COMICS.MARKETPLACE
rec.arts.comics.marketplace shall be a forum for the exchange of comics and
comic related items, and is intended to move the forsale and wanted ads out of
rec.arts.comics. As well, by moving this same traffic from rec.collecting, the
entire subject area will become better centralized. The content of this group
will include for sale ads, wanted to buy notices and free give aways. This
newsgroup shall be for personal ads only, not commercial advertisements.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.MARVEL.UNIVERSE
rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe is for posts about the shared universe of
characters published by Marvel Comics, insofar as no more appropriate group or
subgroup exists. It is not for comic books which happen to be published by
Marvel Comics but which are not set in this shared universe nor feature
characters from this shared universe. In particular, licensed comics such as
Aladdin and comics from special imprints such as Marvel Music are topics to be
redirected to rec.arts.comics.misc or other appropriate groups when these
comics do not explicitly occur in the Marvel Universe.
Marvel Comics has recently (12-94) acquired Malibu Comics, particularly its
shared superhero "Ultraverse"; further, some Marvel characters are making a
temporary migration to the Ultraverse. Nonetheless, until such time as the
Malibu and Marvel Universes are merged more explicitly, Malibu Comics topics,
particularly the Ultraverse, are more appropriate in rec.arts.comics.misc.
Posts concerning the appearance of Marvel Universe characters in the
Ultraverse may be crossposted between rec.arts.comics.misc and
rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe.
To facilitate discussion, the use of Subject: line keywords is encouraged.
[A poll in 1996 changed the Ultraverse of the charter to make Ultraverse
topics on-topic in rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe.]
REC.ARTS.COMICS.MARVEL.XBOOKS
This group is for the discussion of those characters, and books that are part
of Marvel Comics' Mutant Universe. Currently the regular Marvel titles that
are part of this Universe are Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor,
Wolverine, and Excaliber. Discussions on stories pertaining to the Mutant
Universe that appear in anthology titles, such as Marvel Comics presents,
should also be posted in this group. It should be noted that all of the books
mentioned above are Super Hero books, but comprise their own self-contained
discussions that have been a large part of rec.arts.comics since its creation.
These books are also responsible for a consistent level posting that indicates
a need for a separate discussion group within the hierarchy.
[This is the original charter for rec.arts.comics.xbooks. The charter was not
changed during the rename to rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks.]
REC.ARTS.COMICS.MISC
This group is basically the group that is currently known as rec.arts.comics.
The idea being that the group will be renamed to r.a.c.misc and handle comic
book discussions that aren't covered by the charters of the other groups in
the rec.arts.comics.* hierarchy
REC.ARTS.COMICS.OTHER-MEDIA
rec.arts.comics.other-media is for posts about characters created in comics as
portrayed in media other than comics, including animated and live-action
television and movies, radio, prose, music, and toys and other merchandising.
"Casting calls" and posts comparing the comic and non-comic versions also
belong in this group. Superhero-inspired material *not* based on existing
comic book characters is specifically excluded from this group.
Owing to the variety of topics included, the use of Subject: line keywords
will be heavily encouraged.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.REVIEWS
The purpose of this newsgroup is to review items, materials, and events
normally addressed and discussed within the rec.arts.comics.* hierarchy.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
Comic books, strips, political cartoons, and their compilations
Movie/TV/prose adaptations of comic-book characters and stories
Biographies or histories of characters, pros, and the industry
rec.arts.comics.creative "issues" or "titles"
Industry-related publications and magazines
Subscription companies and services
Archival/collecting materials
Cataloguing software
Comics conventions
The following policies will apply:
Advertisements, large binaries, SPAM, general announcements, and
discussion/followup posts are not permitted in this group. They will be
rejected. If a post begins with "Re: " then it is treated as a followup and
will be returned.
Posts to the group should begin with a Subject keyword such as REVIEW:,
PREVIEW:, or COLUMN:, which will be chosen by the moderator. The moderator may
add additional keywords as they become necessary. The moderator may add an
appropriate keyword to the subject line if none is provided.
Posts to the group may be crossposted to other discussion groups or to other
appropriate *.reviews groups. Followups should be set to three or fewer
appropriate discussion groups.
Hierarchy-wide pre-approved FAQ posts, such as the rec.arts.comics general
FAQ, will be posted if approved by the .info group. Other FAQ posts (such as
the charter of the group, or a guide to review style) will be approved at
moderator's discretion.
REC.ARTS.COMICS.STRIPS
Rec.arts.comics.strips is for discussion of comic "strips" as opposed to comic
books. The classic form for comic strips is the Funny Pages of American
newspapers, but the group is not limited to discussion of strips of this form.
Other forms such as editorial cartoons, single-panel cartoons such as by Gary
Larson or Charles Addams, strips from less frequent periodicals such as
National Lampoon, etc, are all acceptable. The group will be unmoderated.
1-3: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER NEWSGROUPS ABOUT COMICS?
There are quite a few comics-related newsgroups in the alt.comics and alt.fan
hierarchies. Some of them even contain posts about comics:
alt.comics.2000ad
alt.comics.alan-moore
alt.comics.batman
alt.comics.dilbert
alt.comics.fan-fiction
alt.comics.fandom
alt.comics.image
alt.comics.jack-kirby
alt.comics.peanuts
alt.comics.superman
alt.fan.furry
alt.fan.neil-gaiman
alt.fan.peter-david
A few of the alt.comics groups have graduated to the rec.arts.comics
hierarchy:
alt.comics.lnh--moved to rec.arts.comics.creative
alt.comics.alternative--moved to rec.arts.comics.alternative
Keep in mind that for the purposes of deciding what's on-topic and what
off-topic in the RAC hierarchy, alt groups don’t count. For example, just
because there is an alt.comics.image, does not mean that Image comics are no
longer on topic for rec.arts.comics.misc.
1-4: WHAT’S UP WITH REC.ARTS.SF.SUPERMAN? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE RAC GROUPS?
According to the to rec.arts.sf.superman charter:
"This group is for the discussion of the many media incarnations of the
character Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. These media
include, but are not limited to: books, comics, prose novels, movies, radio,
television, and video. Neither the formation of this group nor anything in
this charter is intended to change the appropriateness of discussing Superman
in other groups where such discussion is now appropriate. Specifically,
discussion of Superman in comics is on-topic both in rec.arts.sf.superman and
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe. We recommend appropriate crossposting of
discussion between this group and other appropriate groups, if for no other
reason than to increase the visibility of such discussions to all fans of the
Man of Steel." (http://members.aol.com/VARTOX/charter.html)
In other words, the existence of rec.arts.sf.superman has no effect on the RAC
hierarchy, or on posting to it. Since, in practice, rec.arts.sf.superman has
turned out to be a fairly low-traffic group, you should consider crossposting
any rec.arts.sf.superman message to rec.arts.dc.universe or
rec.arts.comics.other-media (as appropriate). This will greatly increase the
number of people that see a given Superman-related message.
1-5: WHAT ABOUT MANGA? WHY ISN'T THERE A REC.ARTS.COMICS.MANGA?
Manga (Japanese comics) are usually discussed on rec.arts.manga. However,
manga are technically on-topic in rec.arts.comics.misc, as well. Most
manga-related discussions on rec.arts.comics.misc tend to relate to English
translations of manga and "American manga"--comics by American writers and
artists done in the "manga style."
For more information on manga, check out the Usenet Manga/Anime FAQ archive
(maintained-and mostly written-by Steve Pearl) at:
http://www.shizuka.net/otaking/FAQ.html
So why is rec.arts.manga not part of the rec.arts.comics hierarchy? Good
question-and the topic of epic flame wars in the past.
The typical rec.arts.manga answer to the question is reflected in Steve Pearl
and Iain Sinclair's "Welcome to rec.arts.manga" FAQ:
Most of alt.manga's readers felt that the name "rec.arts.comics.manga"
would be misleading, since the word "comics" does not accurately
describe manga in its entirety. "rec.arts.comics.manga" also falsely
implies that manga is strongly related to Western comics, or somehow
subordinate to them. In addition, manga discussion was practically
unknown on rec.arts.comics, but took place on other newsgroups
instead. However, most of these points were lost on a few self-styled
net."personalities", who loudly opposed rec.arts.manga. They were
thoroughly defeated (513 YES, 226 NO) in the subsequent vote.
The typical RAC answer to the question is:
Silly Usenet politics
Take your pick.
1-6: WHAT IS A TROLL? AND HOW DO I AVOID THEM?
A troll is a newsgroup vandal--someone who deliberately posts messages
designed to annoy, antagonize, or offend people. Almost without exception,
their purpose is to disrupt the newsgroup they are posting to. Don’t give them
the satisfaction. The best way to deal with a troll is just to ignore them--or
better yet--killfile them.
A killfile is a feature of a newsreader that allows you to block out certain
posts based on criteria you select (e.g., poster, subject, server, crossposted
groups). If your newsreader doesn't have a killfile, look into upgrading to
one that does. If you can't afford a newsreader upgrade, NewsXpress, a basic
Windows freeware newsreader, has a decent enough killfile.
One hint: if an article is cross-posted to alt.fan.karl-maldens-nose, then
that post is almost certainly a troll.
1-7: WHAT IS A SPAMMER? AND WHY DO SOME PEOPLE GET SO UPSET WHEN AN AD APPEARS
OUTSIDE OF RAC.MARKETPLACE?
On Usenet, "spammer" usually a person who posts ads to inappropriate
newsgroups. These inappropriate posts are called "spam" after a famous Monty
Python skit, where the singing of "The Spam Song" drowned out any other
conversation in the skit. While "spam" originally referred only to messages
mass-posted (or mass-crossposted) to a certain critical threshold number of
newsgroups, over time the word has come to be used for any inappropriate
(usually) commercial posting.
In the RAC hierarchy, the only appropriate place for ads is on
rec.arts.comics.marketplace. Although some spammers may have political or
religious agendas they are promoting with their spams, most are just trying to
sell you something. You shouldn’t buy from them. Here’s why:
Spammers steal other's computer and network resources to send out their ads,
and in doing so, nearly always violate a contractual agreement they entered in
to. Every legitimate ISP has a terms of service policy/subscriber agreement
prohibiting the posting of "for sale" posts to inappropriate newsgroups.
Clean up after spammers costs ISPs and backbone providers tens of millions of
dollars every year. And much of that cost gets passed on to subscribers like
us. Furthermore, many spammers sign up for accounts--intending up front--to
violate the contract they sign, and leave the ISP on the hook for the costs of
their spams.
By their actions, spammers are thieves and liars. If they will not honor their
agreements with their ISPs, why should you expect they would honor any
agreement they make with you?
Don’t be fooled by their attempts at self-justification. Spammers are not
practicing free speech; they are practicing stolen speech.
1-8: WHERE CAN I FIND OTHER RAC-RELATED FAQs?
Most of the rec.arts.comics hierarchy groups have their own FAQs which are
posted to the relevant RAC newsgroups and rec.arts.comics.info on a regular
basis. These FAQs can also be found on the web at the locations listed below:
rec.arts.comics.alternative FAQ
no current FAQ-Maintainer
Compiled and edited by: Paul A. Estin, Tom Galloway, Tonio Roque, and Michael
Fragassi
http://www.wraithspace.com/Comics/RACA/contents.html
rec.arts.comics.creative FAQ
Maintained by Russ Allbery...@eyrie.org
Compiled and edited by Jeff McCoskey and Russ Allbery
http://www.eyrie.org/racc/faq.html
rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh FAQ
Maintained by the rec.arts.comics.dc.lsh FAQ Committee
Compiled and edited by Michael Grabois, Troy McNemar, Sidne Gail Ward, and
Andrew Woodard
http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/dc/lsh/lsh_wlcm.htm
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe FAQ
Maintained by Greg "Elmo" Morrow-...@physics.rice.edu
Compiled and edited by Greg "Elmo" Morrow, Jerry Franke, Elayne Riggs, Tom
Galloway, and Paul A. Estin
http://members.tripod.com/~comics_faq/racdcu.txt
Alternate rec.arts.comics.dc.universe FAQ
Maintained by Anthony Michael "KalElFan" Walsh
Compiled and edited by Anthony Michael Walsh
http://www.scifipi.com/faqs/racdu.html
rec.arts.comics.dc.vertigo FAQ
Maintained by Katie Schwar...@socrates.berkeley.edu
Compiled and edited by Katie Schwarz
http://www.idyllmtn.com/rac/dc/vertigo/
rec.arts.comics.elfquest FAQ
Maintained by Dorinda Hartmann-...@students.wisc.edu
Compiled and edited by Dorinda Hartmann and Sarah Harrison
http://albrecht.ecn.purdue.edu/~harrison/EQFAQindex.html
rec.arts.comics.european
No FAQ or FAQ-Maintainer
rec.arts.comics.info FAQ
Maintained by Martin Wisse--m...@ad-astra.demon.nl
Compiled and edited by Martin Wisse and Jeremy Billones
http://www.ad-astra.demon.nl/comix/racinfo.html
rec.arts.comics.marketplace FAQ
Maintained by Bart Gerardi--b...@earthlink.net
Compiled and edited by Bart Gerardi, Derek R. Spencer, Patrick Sun, Joev
Dubach, Jim Cowling, Dave Lillard, Dani Zweig, Eric Stieglitz, Craig Welsh,
Wayne A Wong, and John Sinnott.
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/2571/racmfaq.txt
rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe FAQ
Maintained by Jim Smith...@subreality.com
Compiled and edited Jim Smith
http://welcome.to/racmu
rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks FAQ
Maintained by Marty Blase-...@yahoo.com
Compiled and edited by Marty Blase, Jane Griffin, David R. Henry, and Kate
"the Short" Hahn
http://x-page.com/texts/racmxFAQ/
rec.arts.comics.marvel.xbooks Where Can I Find It? FAQ
Maintained by Kate "the Short" Hahn-...@yahoo.com
Compiled and edited by Kate "the Short" Hahn and David R. Henry
http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/where.htm
rec.arts.comics/rec.arts.comics.misc FAQ
Maintained by Carl Henderson--c...@airmail.net
Compiled and edited by Carl Henderson, Francis Uy, Tom Galloway, and Paul
Estin
You are reading it right now!
rec.arts.comics.other-media FAQ
Maintained by Jim Smith...@subreality.com
Compiled and edited Jim Smith
http://www.sigma.net/tastee/faq/raco-m.html
rec.arts.comics.reviews FAQ
Maintained by Kate "the Short" Hahn-...@yahoo.com
Compiled and edited by Kate "the Short" Hahn
http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/revwelc.htm
rec.arts.comics.strips FAQ
Maintained by Bebe William...@artcomic.com
Compiled and edited by Bebe Williams, et al.
http://www.artcomic.com/faq.html
Besides the RAC newsgroup FAQs, there are a couple of other FAQs you should
check out:
How to Make RAC* Work for You
Maintained by Todd VerBeek-...@bigfoot.com
Compiled and edited by Todd VerBeek
http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/racwork.htm
alt.comics.fandom FAQ
Maintained by Kate "the Short" Hahn-...@yahoo.com
Compiled and edited by Kate "the Short" Hahn
http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/fandom.htm
Some or all of these FAQs are collected/archived at several locations on the
net, including:
http://www.enteract.com/~katew/faqs/
http://www.bonner.rice.edu/morrow/faq/
http://members.tripod.com/~comics_faq/
1-9: THAT’S A LOT OF FAQs AND RULES--WHY ARE THE REC.ARTS.COMICS GROUPS SO
STRICT?
rec.arts.comics* has been on the Internet longer than you--it was created in
the very early 80's under the name net.comics. The rules were chosen by
consensus and approved by a 2/3rds-majority vote. RAC* is so successful
because most people here play by the rules, and post to the correct group.
1-10: ARE COMIC FAN FICTION AND FAN ART ILLEGAL?
Fan fiction (fanfic) and fan art is technically illegal. By posting fan
fiction or fan art to Usenet or the web, you are publishing a derivative work
based on copyrighted stories, and illegally using trademarked names and
images. Copyright law gives a copyright holder the exclusive right to
authorize publication of derivative works based on copyrights he or she or it
holds. Trademark law gives a trademark holder the exclusive right to use
trademarked words and images in trade. Under the law, even if you are not
making any money off of your fan fiction or fan art, when you place it in a
public forum (Usenet, web, public mailing list), you are publishing it, and
are liable for civil and/or criminal penalties.
For this reason rec.arts.comics.creative's charter specifically excludes fan
fiction. Rec.arts.comics.creative is designed for comic-style works featuring
ORIGINAL characters and situations.
That’s the law. Now in the real world, there are thousands of web sites,
mailing lists, and newsgroups devoted to fan fiction and fan art. The owners
of many intellectual properties tend to turn a blind eye to these activities.
There are a variety of reasons for this:
* High costs (both in time and legal fees),
* An unwillingness to tick off the hardcore fan base,
* A perception by the copyright/trademark holders that such fiction and
art amounts to free advertising,
* The copyright/trademark holders don’t want the validity of the rights
they are trying to enforce questioned in courts (sadly not uncommon in
the comic industry), and
* The people making such decisions are fans themselves.
However, the fact remains that fan fiction and fan art ARE illegal, and that
in all but the rarest cases, the legitimate holder of the
copyrights/trademarks being infringed upon has the unquestioned right to stop
them. So if you get a "cease and desist," recognize you are legally in the
wrong, and don’t go whining about it in all the newsgroups.
1-11: WHAT ABOUT SCANS OF COMICS BOOK PAGES?
It is illegal to post or upload unauthorized scans of copyrighted art, even if
no one makes money off of it. See Brad Templeton's "Ten Common Myths about
Copyright" FAQ in news.announce.newusers, or on the web at:
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl Henderson
carl.he...@airmail.net
------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Wisse
Henderson) wrote:
>REC.ARTS.COMICS.INFO
>This group is basically modeled after the rec.arts.startrek.info newsgroup. It
>is for posts of an informative nature. Reviews, convention announcements, and
>other information from the comic book world would find their home in this
>group. It is intended to be a non-discussion, all signal informative group.
>Reviews submitted to r.a.c.info can be from any of the r.a.c.* discussion
>groups, but it is asked of the poster that s/he split up the review into
>articles that pertain to only one of the discussion groups so that followups
>can be correctly directed. Reviews or opinions of a single title should be
>seriously considered before posting, unless said single review is from a
>larger review that was split into parts.
This is outdated, I'm afraid. With the creation of rac.reviews, reviews
are no longer on topic in rac.info. Yes, this may be the original
charter, but it will only lead to confusion if this is put in the faq.
>[De facto, the charter of this group is whatever the moderator says it is. The
>current moderator is Jeremy Billones <bill...@primenet.com>, who has not yet
>issued a statement of policy. Reviews have been moved to
>rec.arts.comics.reviews below.]
Jeremy is no longer moderator, I am.
Martin Wisse
ShadZ
<CEE19961C868E488.E46F81EC...@lp.airnews.net>,
carl.he...@airmail.net (Carl Henderson) wrote:
> REC.ARTS.COMICS/REC.ARTS.COMICS.MISC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
> Beta Release
>
>
>
> There are quite a few comics-related newsgroups in the alt.comics and
> alt.fan hierarchies. Some of them even contain posts about comics:
>
> alt.comics.2000ad
> alt.comics.alan-moore
> alt.comics.batman
> alt.comics.dilbert
> alt.comics.fan-fiction
> alt.comics.fandom
> alt.comics.image
> alt.comics.jack-kirby
> alt.comics.peanuts
> alt.comics.superman
> alt.fan.furry
> alt.fan.neil-gaiman
> alt.fan.peter-david
You may want to add alt.tv.sabrina and alt.tv.casper to this list.
Despite their names, discission of Sabrina comics (in the former)
and ALL Harvey Comics (in the latter) is allowed . . .
--
Shad Z.
(Sh...@rocketmail.com)
^Q^
http://www.homestead.com/shadz/files/
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Laurent Lehmann
in message <81hrc4$i64$1...@nnrp1.deja.com> :
>In article
><CEE19961C868E488.E46F81EC...@lp.airnews.net>,
> carl.he...@airmail.net (Carl Henderson) wrote:
>> REC.ARTS.COMICS/REC.ARTS.COMICS.MISC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
>> Beta Release
>>
>> PART 1: THE RAC NEWSGROUPS AND POSTING TO THEM
>>
>> 1-3: WHAT ARE SOME OTHER NEWSGROUPS ABOUT COMICS?
>>
>> There are quite a few comics-related newsgroups in the alt.comics and
>> alt.fan hierarchies. Some of them even contain posts about comics:
[...]
You can add alt.books.cait-r-kiernan
--
Laurent