User blog:Nausiated/How To Properly Apply APN Tags

The APN tag is a bit of code that allows you to denote a character's previous and next appearances. That way, someone interested in following a character's chronology can figure out where they appeared last and where they will appear next.

Ideally, our hope is that someday every comic book summary will have a complete summary as well as APN tags for all the relevant characters. This will contributors immensely when it comes to writing character profiles, especially if they do not have the physical comics at hand.

In order to make sure that everyone is adding APN tags properly, I have written this blog to educate.

Please Keep in Mind: APN tags can be complex and only advanced users with the proper resources should attempt to fill in these fields.

Types of Chronological Appearances
A character who makes an appearance in a comic may occur in one or more ways. Here are the types of appearances:


 * The main story - This is straight forward.
 * Appears in a Chronological flashback
 * Appears in a chronological flashforward

Please note, that a chronological appearance does not necessarily mean a physical appearance. Any character who is seen or heard might have a chronological appearance in a story. However, you must be examined on a case by case basis.

What Is a Chronological Flashback/Forward
On this Wiki we make a distinction between a flashback that ADDS to continuity, or one that is merely a RECAP of previous events.

This distinction usually applies to Flashbacks.


 * A chronological flashback is a flashback of events that have not previously been depicted in the past, or
 * A flashback that adds new information to a previously seen information.

Example: The events of are retold many times, however, some of these retellings add additional elements. Some of these elements are revealed in flashbacks.

For example: and  retell the origins of the Hulk and show additional elements to the story. Incredible Hulk #2 has a flashback that expands on the conversation between Bruce Banner, Betty Ross, and General Ross before the Gamma Bomb test. While Incredible Hulk #4 shows a scene where Betty Ross tries to see Bruce while he is in quarantine after the gamma bomb blast. These are chronological because they reveal new information about those moments in time.

However, moments of those flashbacks are recaps because they merely reiterate something that has already happened without adding anything new.

Using Incredible Hulk #2 as our example lets take a look:

In the first story Enter... The Toad Men! there is a flashback of the Hulk's origins. That starts on page 3, panel 1 and lasts until page 4, panel 2. Panels 3-5 on Page 2 show Banner pushing Rick to safety just as the gamma bomb goes off. Those panels are considered recaps because they do not add anything new. However, panel 6 shows Bruce being examined by a doctor. That scene was not in Incredible Hulk #1, therefore that one panel is a chronological flashback. Panels 7-9 on Page 3 are recaps because it reiterates the scene where Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk for the first time. Panels 2 and 3 on Page 4 are also chronological flashlights as Bruce goes into more detail explaining his need to run away before he becomes the Hulk again.

Another example is Incredible Hulk #3:

The second story is titled "Origin of the Incredible Hulk", once again retelling the origins of the Hulk. The second panel on page 1 shows Rick Jones driving to the gamma bomb site. This is a chronological flashback because in when we first see Rick, he is already playing his harmonica at the bomb site. However, panel 3 onward are recaps because they repeat what was already shown in Incredible Hulk #1.

The "Present" Defined
The other thing to keep in mind is a chronological flashback is one that is removed from the main narrative of the story at hand.

Here's a hypothetical situation:

A story involving Spider-Man follows his hunt for Venom. The story begins with Spider-Man in the middle of his fight with Venom, however, the hunt has gone on for three days. As Spider-Man is being pummeled, he thinks back to the past three days and how he got to this moment. This is not a chronological flashback, but part of the "present" since the recollection is just telling an earlier part of the main story. Basically, if you can take the events of a comic, all the parts you can rearrange into a linear fashion without any gaps in time, then it's part of the "present".

Day 1- Spider-Man begins hunting for Venom, Day 2, Day 3 - Spider-Man gets attacked by Venom.

Lets say that in the example above, Spider-Man thinks back to a moment that happened to him in High School. The flashbacks from the past 3 days are part of the present, while the High School flashback is a Chronological flashback as there is a significant gap in time:

Peter Parker in High School...... GAP.... Present Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

Therefore, apn taggin a story where a flashback immediately preceeds the start of the story is redundant and we do not note it. However, if the flashback is far removed from the story, we do tag it.

How to Research
The best way to properly determine chronological appearances takes a lot of footwork. Ideally, you should have all the comics in question (Marvel Unlimited is a great resource to access older comics if you don't have physical copies) It also helps to have any relevant Marvel Indexes, and Handbooks. Lastly, you should reference the Chronology Project as they are a semi-official source of information. Depending on the character they have chronologies leading up to 2015's Secret Wars.

When I am verifying chronology points, I read the comic I am writing a summary of. I take notes on what happened in that story. I then check the Chronology Project to see how this story fits in their chronology. I determine which comics intersect with the comic in question.

Here's the thing: The Chronology Project is not always accurate, and there are errors. Don't assume that it is accurate. Check. Read the other comics that have immediate chronological ties to the story you are applying APN tags.

Example: Using as an example, there are various comics that go back to the events of that story and add to it. The Chronology Project lists, , , , and. However, they have not added the events of Hulk Gray Vol 1 into the chronology.

When I updated the APN tags for Incredible Hulk #1, I not only had to review all of the above comics but also Hulk Gray and figure out how it all fits together.

If you can explain how everything fits together and it makes logical sense then you can justify the placement.

Basic APN tagging
The easiest APN tag is when a character only has one point of chronology in a story.

For example: Bruce Banner/The Hulk appears in. Doing research we can determine that he also appeared in before #65 and  after. This is easy. The APN tag would be entered as such:



If you are entering an APN tag, you would put additional tags like, like so:


 * etc.

If you enter the APN tag code without specifying issues the code will automatically mark the character as appearing last in the previous issue of a series, and next in the following issue.

If they appear in a different series prior to their appearance in the comic in question this is where things get complicated.

Let's take for example. Prior to this issue, the Hulk appeared in. He next appears in This is how you would do the APN tag:



You'll notice that the arrow for the previous issue is BLUE. That notifies the reader that the character appears in another series. Whereas the next appearance is a WHITE arrow, signifying that their next appearance is the next issue.

If characters appear in a different series before and after the comic in question, it's pretty simple as well. Lets use as an example. Prior to this story the Hulk appears in and appears next in. You would enter the APN tag like this:



Character appears in main story AND Flashbacks
When dealing with characters that have chronological flashbacks in the story things get slightly more difficult.

In the Appearances section, we will note their "present" chronology. To deal with the chronological flashbacks we will use a different tag.

For example, in the charater Overmind appearas in the previous issue and the next issue of the series, but there is also a chronological flashback that takes place earlier than that. Therefor we would enter it in like so:

is a hyperlinked tag and appears like this:

All of Grom's chronological appearances are to be referenced in the Notes section of the Comic Book Summary. You will enter it like this:

Chronology Notes
A flashback in this story affects the chronology of the following characters:
 * - Grom's Origin

You must enter the ===Chronology Notes=== in the Notes section. That's because the tag is hyperlinked and when they click on the link it tells the web browser to jump down to the notes section.

You should also enter a brief note next to the character that describes the flashback so people know what to look for if they are reading the actual comic.

Multiple Points of Chronology
In a lot of situations, you will come upon stories where the events of other stories happen behind the scenes. In this case, you will not use the APN tag but the {{a| tag instead. Then you will add another tag. Using {{c|Incredible Hulk #1}} as another example. As I said above, there are a lot of moments that happen behind the scenes. You would enter this into the Appearance section:

{{a|Hulk (Bruce Banner)}} {{Chronology}}

The Chronology tag works in the same way as {{ChronoFB}}, you must enter all the chronological points down in the notes section. You would do it like so:

Chronology Notes
Due to a series of retellings of this story that provide additional details surrounding this story. It affects the chronology of the following characters:

Hulk:
 * - Bruce Banner begins prepping the Gamma Bomb.
 * - General Ross demands that Banner begin to the gamma bomb test.
 * - Igor tries to convince Banner to give up his notes to the gamma bomb.
 * - Banner spots Rick Jones driving onto the test site, rushes out to stop him.
 * - Banner pulls Jones to safety.
 * - Banner is caught in the gamma bomb blast.
 * - Bruce is taken to a hospital.
 * - Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk for the first time.
 * - The Hulk breaks free.
 * - The Hulk confronts a military jeep, attacks it.
 * - The Hulk stumbles off into the desert.
 * - The Hulk and Rick Jones go to Banner's cabin.
 * - The Hulk confronts Igor.
 * - The Hulk attacks Igor, gets upset at a picture of Bruce. Sun begins to rise.
 * - The Hulk reverts back to Banner.
 * - Bruce Banner convinces the military he had nothing to do with the Hulk, fears turning into the Hulk again.
 * - Hulk's battle with the Gargoyle.

In this case, you would create an APN tag for each chronological point in the story. Instead of putting the character name (Hulk (Bruce Banner) for example) you would list the page/panel range. In the APN sections you would enter the issue titles that cross between. Then follow it with a brief description of what happens in that moment of chronology.

Here's another example, using as our source:

Chronology Notes
Events in this story occur behind the scenes that impact the chronology of the following characters:

Spider-Man:
 * - Peter Parker is shunned by his classmates. Spends time with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Goes to school.
 * - Peter Parker's school life. Rejected by Sally, bullied by Flash Thompson. Asks his classmates to join him at the science exhibit.
 * - Peter arrives at the science exhibit.
 * - Peter watches the exhibit on radiation.
 * - The spider is irradiated.
 * - Peter is bitten by the radiactive spider.
 * - Peter feels faint decides to step out.
 * - Peter leaps out of the way of a speeding car.
 * - Peter discovers his enhanced strength and decides to use his powers to make it rich.
 * - Peter challenges Crusher Hogan.
 * - Peter overpowers Crusher.
 * - Peter defeats Hogan, gains the attention of Maxwell shiffman.
 * - Peter is paid and approached by Shiffman.
 * - Peter begins designing his Spider-Man costume.
 * - Peter begins designing his web-shooters.
 * - Parker perfects the design on his web-shooters.
 * - Peter tries out his costume and web-shooters.
 * - Spider-Man's first television appearance.
 * - Spider-Man ducks out on the press.
 * - Spider-Man happens upon the burglar as he flees the authorities.
 * - The Burglar gets away, Spider-Man scolded for not stopping him.
 * - Spider-Man shrugs off the guard, Peter gets a new microscope from Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
 * - Spider-Man puts on various performances.
 * - Peter returns home one night to find the police waiting outside.
 * - Peter learns that his Uncle Ben had been shot by a burglar.
 * - Peter vows to catch the killer as Spider-Man.
 * - Spider-Man leaves out Peter's bedroom window.
 * - Spider-Man swings across the city.
 * - Spider-Man gets the drop on the Burglar.
 * - Spider-Man corners his uncle's killer.
 * - Spider-Man corners the killer.
 * } - Spider-Man knocks out the crook with a punch.
 * - Peter is horrified to discover that the burglar is the same one he let get away earlier. Turns him over to the police.
 * - Peter learns the harsh lesson that with great power, comes great responsibility.

In Closing
Admittedly, this is a lot of work, but after much discussion with the other admins, this is the best way to chart everything accurately. As I said at the start, this is for intermediate users. At the end of the day, if you are editing issue summaries using the normal tags without APN is fine as long as everything is tagged correctly and you can leave it for a more experienced user to fill in the APN tags later.