The 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:
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 encouranged 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 <billones@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.
To facilitate discussion, the use of Subject: line keywords is encouraged.
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:
The following policies will apply:
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.
Last change: 1 Mar 97
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.
[A poll in 1996 changed this section of the charter to make Ultraverse
topics on-topic in rac.m.u.]