User blog:Spencerz/New Features

So we want to highlight some new features we have for comic articles here at the database. (Ok, not new, but highly under-used). They're called issue details, and they are optional information fields that can be added to the comic infobox template, usually under the release date information.

First off, we have the page count. Kinda self-explainitory, really. To add it to the info box, you add:


 * Pages     = ##

Just add the correct page number, and your good. The page count should include all pages, including ads in the older books, both front and back. However, it should not include the front or back covers, nor the insides of said covers.

Secondly, we have the cover price section. Again, a little self-explainitory. To add this field, you add:


 * OriginalPrice  = ####

You can add prices in both dollar form ($2.95 for example) or cent form (75¢) for those older comics. You can also add multiple cover prices if the cover lists prices for different countries by inserting a  inbetween prices. Most comics from the 70s-onward list both American and Canadian prices, and at various point, comics have included prices for the UK as well. When adding UK prices, you will most likely either see a "p", which stands for Pence (essentially the UK equivalent of cents for us in North America), or "£", which is the sign for Pounds Sterling, the UK edition of the dollar.

Remember: If a comic lists only one price, like an old Golden Age comic with a 10¢ price on the cover, than you can add 10¢ to the field and be fine. If you add prices from multiple countries for a cover with multiple prices, be sure to include a country designation for each price.

For an example of a single price listing, see 3-D Tales of the West #1.

For an example of the multiple price scenario, see Groo the Wanderer #86.

Finally, we have the Rating field. This is for all comics from Summer 2001 onward that use the Marvel Comics content rating system instead of the Comics Code Authority seal of approval. To add this to the infobox, add:


 * Rating  =

There are a few key phrase that we encourage you to use that will categorize comics together by rating. Those phrases are as follows:


 * All Ages
 * A
 * T+
 * Parental Advisory
 * MAX

You do have the ability to add any text to the field. This is mainly due to the use of a few outdated ratings that Marvel used for brief periods, such as PG and PG+, but any rating that is not on the above list will not automatically categorize. That may change later, or it may not. We'll see.

Please note that the adding of automatic categories is a new thing for the rating field, so there is a chance for bugs and issues. I personally have found issues with the Parental Advisory rating. While messing around with and testing the categories, I noticed a (very slim) chance that adding Parental Advisory to the field would break the template. However, simply deleting the text and re-typing it fixes the issue. Feel free to report any bugs you may find.

So there you have it. Feel free to add any of these info fields to comics around the site, that's what they're here for. If you have any questions or the like, feel free to ask below.