Comics Necropolis -- Part Four

This Column was a collaborative piece done with Steve Savage (The Boss at Fan to Pro)which first ran on Comics Bulletin.

Steve and Daniel are still hot on the idea of a Comics Necropolis - an on-line resource and archive for odd, obscure, weird, and lost titles.

Last week they sketched out a business plan – today it's all about the bells, and whistles – a grab bag of random ideas.

By the way – Steve and Daniel would like to assure you that they are in no ways telling you this is something that you should be doing right now. They just think it is something you should be doing right now.

Anyway, here are some of their further thoughts about a Comics Necropolis:

Number One: Although ideally a Comics Necropolis should be a stand alone entity, if some enterprising pop culture or comic book web site decided that this should be something they should take on, then it can easily be adapted into their existing structure as a add-on feature to drive traffic to the rest of their site.

Number Two: A Comics Necropolis could also be created by an alliance among several separate comics sites as a means of cross-promoting their own content. This would also mean that the work load could be spread among a larger pool, thus increasing the reach and speed in which new titles could be added to the Necropolis.

Number Three: How about a convention? Once up and running, Comics Necropolis could host a gathering of fans to celebrate the lost gems, meet the creators, have panel discussions, and network. Think about the cosplay possibilities alone!

Number Four: The site could facilitate translations of obscure Americomics into OTHER titles, thus broadening the reach of the site, the exposure of the products, and the breadth of the community.

Number Five: Comics Necropolis could spawn a book or books about all sorts of topics. I would love to read about the struggles creators went through to get their titles published and what they learned from the experience. There could be a book dedicated to an academic deconstruction of lost comic books and their reflection of the society that has ignored them. There could even be a collection of the writings of some desperate soul who has spent over a year pulling books randomly from the bargain bin and trying to justify why he or she would engage in such obviously insane behavior.

Number Six: Catgirls. Neither Steve or Daniel really remember why this was on their list, but if a Comics Necropolis help proliferate Catgirls, they both approve.

So there you have it. A Comics Necropolis. It's calling you.

Now, Steve and Daniel did their part. Let's see what comes of it from all of us . . .

Check out everything that is Steve Savage here and make sure you check out his excellent site on how to turn your hobby into your career, Fan To Pro.