Template:Infobox Comic

This template is for use with both individual comic stories, comic books and graphic novels as well. Different features of the template will be brought to light as different variables are defined or left empty.

Usage
The following is a lengthy guide on how each one of the variables in this infobox works. As this operates on a different principle than previous ones — namely, that variables should disappear if they're undefined — you will find a lot of variables in this description that are not apparent when scanning the blank template to your right.

Header area
In its default state, it would appear that there's nothing at all going on above the picture. But there are a number of hidden variables here, all of which show up when defined.

Absolutely none of these variables should be set to include linked text. The link color will clash with the background color of the header box, and there's really no reason to link anything that any of these variables could contain, anyway.

The icon of the speech balloon links automatically to the top-level page for Doctor Who comics: Doctor Who Comic Strip Stories.
 * comic name = Name of comic strip or story
 * graphic novel name = Name of collected edition/trade paperback/one-shot comic book
 * ''Important: Choose only one of the two variables above.
 * parts = number of parts in the story
 * pages = total page count for the ENTIRE story (NOT the number of pages/part, as this could and did vary)
 * bw = set this variable to anything to indicate that the story was monochromatic.  (Do not include this variable if the story was originally printed in colour.)
 * Important: format is an old variable that is largely being phased out, in favor of the three variables above. Please change any infoboxes for comic stories you see that have format defined to include parts, pages, and bw instead.  That said, there is still some utility for format, although not in the way it's been used to date.  For collected editions and graphic novels, format may be used to give the physical'' format (say, "original graphic novel" or "trade paperback").
 * image = If left undefined, the infobox will automatically place image:NoPic.jpg in the header box. However, if you have a specific image to use, enter only its file name.  The infobox will automatically link to it and size it appropriately, so that all pictures in infoboxes across the wiki are the same size.   This change will temporarily make all infoboxes across the site produce some extraneous characters.  Thus all infoboxes will need to be manually changed, so that the brackets and any additional instructions (like pixel width) are absent.  To get the picture image:Test.jpg to appear in the box, type only the following:
 * image=Test.jpg
 * caption = Text entered at this variable will be placed underneath the picture. Again, nothing in this caption should be linked.

Story details
Of all the sections of the infobox, this one is arguably the most "in-universe", in that it links to other in-universe pages. Thus correct responses for, say, the doctor variable include First Doctor and Tenth Doctor, not William Hartnell and David Tennant.
 * doctor = To be used for the "current" Doctor in the story
 * guest doctor = to be used for any additional Doctors who might appear
 * companions = for the "current" companions in the story
 * guest companions = This variable has two interpretations. One type of character that would go to this variable is the former companion who might be returning to the Doctor's side after an obvious absence.  Note that a former Doctor is not necessary for a former companion to be present.  A good example is The Mark of Mandragora, a story in which Sarah Jane is a clear "guest companion".  However, this variable can also be used for one-off companions.  That is, people who occupy the same dramatic space as a companion, but who do not leave with the Doctor at the end of the story.
 * family = This is a variable for family of the companion. Generally it will only be used in comics inspired by the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who.  It describes recurring characters, like Jackie Tyler, Mickey-early-on, or Martha's sister, who are recurring characters, but maybe not quite companions.
 * unit = This is a variable for regular UNIT personnel. It shouldn't be abused to include every single member of UNIT who appears in a strip, but rather should be confined to people who are recurring members of UNIT: the Brig, Mike Yates, Benton, and (in some stories) Martha Jones.  In other words, if they appeared as a member of UNIT in more than one story, then this is the variable for them.
 * recurring = If you encounter a character who's recurring, but isn't a companion, a member of UNIT, or a family member, then this is the category for them. Note that this category should not be used for recurrent villains.   Good examples of people who belong to this category are Maxwell Edison and Harriet Jones.
 * featuring = This variable should be used principally in back-up comic strips or other strips where the Doctor doesn't appear. It's meant to describe the "stars" of the piece.  With Torchwood comics, this variable would be used to list the members of Torchwood3 who feature in the story under consideration.
 * enemy = In order to save a lot of time, this variable name has been kept as enemy. However it's best thought of as antagonist or adversary.  Thus, characters who aren't specifically "evil" or "bad", but who nevertheless at least temporarily impede the Doctor's progress can be included in this variable.  Tritovore and Alien Stingrays are both at least temporary antagonists of the Doctor in Planet of the Dead, for instance, even though neither is really a genuine, full-throated "enemy".
 * setting = This is the variable for whatever details you'd like to enter about the setting of the story. Typical usage of this variable includes trying to match up places to times, as in the phrase England in 2006.  Note that splitting this variable into time and place would be extremely impractical, given that so many stories have multiple settings.
 * ''Important: The variable you will see throughout this wiki is year. For some reason, that was originally given as a reasonable variable for the heading, "setting".  But it is awfully counter-intuitive why a variable named "year" should include more info than just the year.  Nevertheless, this variable will still work, in deference to its wide usage.  However, all new infoboxes going forward should use the variable setting, and old infoboxes should gradually switch the variable name.  Under no circumstances should both year and setting be used in the same infobox.

Creative staff
The following variables can be used to define the creative talent on a strip or book to a much greater degree than before. Note that on a handful of Doctor Who Magazine strips, the staff liked to play around with their title names — using, for example "draws" instead of "pencils" or "art". In such a case, use the closest available title and make a note of the exact credit elsewhere in the article. If you're using this section for a graphic novel or collected edition, you can just put all names that received each credit into the infobox.

Note that there are generally three variables for each creative title. At the time this infobox was implemented, typically only the unmodified version of each title was defined. Thus, if there were two writers for a story, the writer variable was likely jury-rigged to handle two names, perhaps like this:  writer=Writer AWriter B . There is no great urgency to change this formatting. However, if such a writer variable were reformatted so that Writer A went to writer and Writer B went to writer2, the infobox would automatically format the two names neatly.

Note, too, that the first in the chain of creative title variables must be defined for the other two to show up. In other words, you can't define writer2 and writer3; you have to define writer first before writer2 and writer3 will show up.

Here's the list of creative staff variables, with some additional notes at each:
 * writer - writer3 = as credited
 * artist - artist3 = as credited
 * Important: This is the predominating artistic credit in Doctor Who'' comics. However, some more modern comics do indeed separately credit "pencils" and "inks".  Thus, do not use this variable if it's possible to separately credit a "penciller" and an "inker"
 * editor - editor3 = use if the strip specifies "editor" in credits
 * ''Important: If using this infobox on a graphic novel or collected edition, the editor given should be for the edition under consideration. It should not be for the original editors of the strips included.
 * designer and designer2 = use if the strip specifies "designer" or some similar credit (layout, for instance)
 * ''Important: If using this infobox on a graphic novel or collected edition, the designer given should be for the edition under consideration. It should not be for the original designer of the strips (or comic book issues) included.
 * inker - inker3 = as credited
 * penciller - penciller3 = as credited
 * colourist - colourist3 = as credited
 * ''Important: Note British spelling.
 * lettering - lettering3 = as credited, though in deference to existing variable, this is the only one that credits the craft (lettering) rather than gives the title (letterer).

Cover stuff
The ability to define cover credits has been included with this infobox. However, it should be used only when discussing an entire comic book or collected edition. Do not use these on a story in DWM, like "The Time Witch", which happens to have one part in an issue with an illustrated cover.
 * cover artist, cover artist2, and cover artist3 = as credited
 * cover penciller, cover penciller2, and cover penciller3 = as credited
 * cover colourist, cover colourist2, and cover colourist3 = as credited
 * cover inker, cover inker2, and cover inker3 = as credited

Publication info
As this infobox effectively merges two existing infoboxes, some of the variables included don't quite follow the same naming conventions. This may be addressed in future updates to this infobox. However, for the moment, variable names have been kept largely undisturbed for this section.


 * publication_title = this is the title of the publication in which a strip was originally printed.
 * Important: This variable has been used over the years to also include the issue numbers of that publication. So, you may see responses like,  TV Comic 998-1004.  Such responses will now display incorrectly, as [[TV Comic 998-1004]]''.   Thus, the variable publication_title should now be used for solely the title of the publication.  It should not also not be in brackets.  The new variables start issue and end issue should be used as the variable name suggests, without brackets.  In a future revision, those start and end issues will be made to automatically link to the appropriate page on the wiki.
 * website = use instead of publication_title for comics which first appeared on the web. Enter the address of the original website to house the comic.  Try to enter as specific a page location as possible.
 * isbn = for comic books, graphic novels, or collected editions, enter the isbn code. Otherwise, leave blank.
 * price = for comic books, graphic novels or collected editions, enter the price. Remember to include a currency symbol.
 * publication_dates = this variable is for the cover dates on the issues in which a strip was included. It is also for standard comic books.  Depending on the publication, the proper format might be  or it might be .  Note the plural form.  This not a spelling error, but a recognition that most Doctor Who comic stories are told over several issues of a publication.  Thus, this variable might best be thought of as a date range.
 * release_date = Because graphic novels and collected editions do not have cover dates, this variable should be used for that type of publication, instead.
 * reprint0-reprint10 = these variables are used to show where the particular comic story under discussion was later reprinted. Because these reprint areas are most likely single issues of other publications, they are automatically-linked variables.
 * published_in-published in9 = These are companion variables to reprint#. However, they are not auto-linked, as that would be impracticable.  The user is free to make this section as detailed or as sparse as she wishes.  For instance, if one were filling out an infobox on Endgame (graphic novel), one could simply type:
 *  published_in=Doctor Who Magazine 
 * and that would be perfectly true, of course. However, if one wished to detail all the little "runs" of DWM that were included in Engdame, one could do that as well.

Navigation
Navigation is the one section where a lot of manual editing is going to be necessary on existing instances of the infobox. It uses a lot of variables in a very compressed area, most of which are auto-linked. It is especially important to note that any variable asking for the name of a story or a book requires an unlinked response. For instance:
 *  previous story=The Time Witch  is correct, while  previous story=The Time Witch  will still provide an accurate link, but it won't allow the navigation section to look as intended.

Here are the variables included in this section:
 * previous collection, next collection = used to define the previous and next books in a series of graphic novels/collected editions.
 * previous story, next story = like the above, used to define the previous and next stories in a series of stories.
 * series = name the series of which this story or collected edition/graphic novel/comic book is a part.
 * ''Important: This variable is largely defined already throughout the wiki.  However, it's defined in sloppy ways.  It should be one series.  Not Doctor Who Magazine comic strips - Fifth Doctor Comic Strip Stories.  The reason that's "sloppy" is because it's talking about two different things.  Once you get to the end of the Fifth Doctor's regular run ("The Moderator"), the next adventure in the Fifth Doctor's comic strips ("The Curse of the Scarab") is not the next adventure in DWM comic strips ("The Shape Shifter").


 * Thus only one series can be considered at a time. The most logical organization is that the variable series be assigned to the name of an article that lists all the stories in a single publication.   If you're doing a Battles in Time strip, then series=Battles in Time comic strip.   Likewise, the series to which "Ascendance" belongs is Radio Times comic strips, and "The Enlightenment of Ly-Chee the Wise" should have series=The Incredible Hulk Presents. "The Iron Legion" belongs primarily to Doctor Who Magazine comic strips.     For series to work most efficiently, it should be confined to one publication.


 * That said, there are story arc variables available in this infobox as well. They're described in the next section.  It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to have one of those arcs set to Fourth Doctor Comic Strip Stories, to trace the point where the strip moves from TVC to DWM.   And you could use that sort of "Doctor's incarnation arc" to show the order in which the First Doctor's DWM appearances fit in with his TVC appearances.  But I don't see how it would ever be possible to do an accurately chronological listing of the Tenth Doctor's comic adventures, given the differing and overlapping publication schedules of all the magazines in which the character now appears.


 * One last thing: the icon at the top of the infobox, just to the left of the item name, actually takes you to the master Doctor Who comic strip page.  There are a number of entries which currently have that page set in the series variable.  So when editing that out of series, you're not, in fact, "losing" any functionality.


 * number and issue number = used to set the number of a particular volume or issue. They are interchangeable.  Both survive because one was used in the old graphic novel infobox, and one was used for comic book issues.  It does no harm to keep both, but use only one per infobox.  For instance, The Glorious Dead (graphic novel) is the fifth in its series, so number=5.

Story arcs
A new feature of these infoboxes is the ability to define a story arc. More generally, the feature can be used to link stories in an order other than "chronological by date of publication". The addition of this feature isn't meant to introduce a playground by which all your pet theories can be linked together. Rather, it's a way to honor the authorial intent of stories. Some stories, like "Children of the Revolution", are explicit sequels to television stories. Other multi-story arcs, typically in the Eighth Doctor's DWM run, were frequently interrupted by either creative delay or anniversary issue one-shots. For instance, the Eighth Doctor comic arc involving Destrii and Izzy switching bodies does not take place in a strictly linear fashion. There are several gaps in that story arc caused by "The Land of Happy Endings" and a Seventh Doctor adventure that's actually the coda to the Timewyrm series from the Virgin NA range. By creating an arc for the "Izzy/Destrii body swap", and another one for "Timewym", we can trace the history of both of these clear arcs more directly than if we used just a chronological link, or a little note buried somewhere in the body of the article. If used with discretion, this feature can add a lot to the utility of the infobox. Editors are cautioned, except perhaps in cases of obvious vandalism, not to blank out someone else's idea of a "reasonable story arc" without discussion.
 * arc0 - arc3 = these variables allow the setting of various narrative arcs which might exist in comic books, or, more rarely, between comic books and other media. These variables are not auto-linked as the names of these arcs will likely be speculative or not official.  Nevertheless, they should be clear, brief names assigned only to genuine narrative arcs.
 * previous arc0-previous arc2 and next arc0-next arc2 =These variables allow the setting of the previous and next stories in the particular arc. Note that these variables are autolinked.  Thus previous arc0=U.F.O. and next arc0=Spearhead from Space might well be used on "The Night Walkers" page to define "Night"'s place in the Exile on Earth arc.
 * related = used for mentioning stories which might be related to the one under discussion, but which can't be said to share a narrative arc with the present story. This variable is unlinked, allowing for greater flexibility.

Empty template code
The easiest way to use this template is simply to copy the whole of the following "empty" code, then paste it onto the top of the page you wish to edit. You can then easily fill in each line as appropriate.

Be aware, though, that some "equivalent" variables have been included on this list, as described above. No one page should have 100% of these variables defined. For instance comic name and graphic novel name should not be used simultaneously.