DC Database:Licensed characters and crossovers

So, about time we write this up. The early years of the wiki were barely reigned in, with pages being made for whatever the editors just read. In addition to crappy images and writeups from 52, that also meant disproportionate attention to tie-ins and stuff.

There's going to be an option to weigh in on the talk page. I've numbered the points for easy reference. Additional points can be addressed there.

I think I covered most points to the consensus. I've bolded some potentially controversial topics. -- Tupka 217 21:56, September 2, 2013 (UTC)

1. Characters DC owns

 * 1.1 DC characters, as well as its imprints, get a page. Notability rules apply, of course, but that's a different argument.
 * 1.2 If DC or any of its imprints or subsidiaries (henceforth: DC et al.) acquire another company and all its characters (like Charlton, Fawcett and Quality) get a page, and we also cover their pre-DC days.
 * 1.3 Creator owned comics published by DC et al. get covered as well, but if the creator switches to another company, we don't cover that.
 * 1.3.1. Specifically, America's Best Comics. It's based on old Nedor/Better comics, which DC does not have the right to, so we don't cover that.
 * 1.4. What of Image Comics? Only part of it was transplanted into the Wildstorm Universe, there were several others in the Image Universe that weren't continued later on.

2. Licensed characters

 * 2.1 WP: "Licensing means renting or leasing of an intangible asset."
 * 2.2 Licensed characters shouldn't get a page.
 * 2.2.1. Not even for disambig purposes, like Ares (God of War)
 * 2.2.2. If available, those characters in comics should link to another wikia. If not, a third party wiki. And if even that doesn't exist, wikipedia.
 * 2.2.3. An alternative to the lost appearances would be a new page for specific licensed content. Like we have a pages Intercompany Crossover and Dark Horse we could have a page for things like Scooby-Doo, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th and He-Man that basically list all their appearances. This should be limited to the lead character in the comic; we're not going that far for all the Cartoon Network titles that've come out: no Dexter's Lab, no Generator Rex, and no Ben 10 pages.
 * 2.2.4 No more frigging Earth-XXX pages. That implies it's part of the multiverse, which it isn't.


 * 2.3 A couple of big potential problems:
 * 2.3.1 Milestone: Milestone Media entered in an agreement for a long lease by DC, but MM still owns the rights. But since Milestone Comics was an imprint of DC, they still should get a page. Or something. We can't delete them.
 * 2.3.2. MLJ: Archie leased its superhero staple to DC Comics. The first publication of them was Impact, which featured radically different versions. The second was the Red Circle line, which incorporated them into New Earth continuity. Neither the Golden Age MLJ comics nor Archie's Red Circle Comics imprint from the 70s and 80s was ever connected to DC, and if this point remains, we should get rid of the entire Earth-MLJ section.
 * 2.3.2.1. Nope, no MLJ wiki. Archie Comics wiki is pretty bad and seems mostly the Riverdale stuff. That sucks, but strictly, is not really an argument against the point.
 * 2.3.3. What of Earth-ERB?
 * 2.3.4. What of Clark Savage, Jr.?
 * 2.3.5. What of the Spiritverse? Cover everything down to the last newspaper comic?

3. Crossovers

 * 3.1. No pages. See 2.2.3. for an alternative.
 * 3.2. The DC et al. property is a non-canon appearance of the then-current mainstream version, except when explicitly stated otherwise like that Batman/Cap crossover that was part of SBG.
 * 3.3. Kano yes, Scorpion no?
 * 3.4. A special template for licensed comics that omits appearances and synopsis? Or just an override in the existing template to prevent To-Do categorization?

4. Public domain and real world

 * 4.1. Cover them. Provided they're relevant to a story or disambig. Or we just feel like it.