The Comic Book Writer's Guide to Information on the Internet
Writing Comic Books seems to call for some pretty unusual and specific types of information and the Internet is just about the greatest aid to research ever invented. Here are a few of the best and most helpful sites I've come across in my searches for info and ideas.
Keep checking this site. I'll add links as I discover them and I'll probably try to organize this list better.
The links are divided into several categories
- General Information
- Science!
- Weaponry & Martial Arts
- Aviation
- Law and Criminology
- Police
- Finance
- The Web
- Language
- Miscellaneous
There is also a special bonus section!
Information and Essays on the Craft of Writing
Some essays and information that apply to the writing of comic books. Including part of an essay by Mark Twain, a transcript of the writing section of Jim Shooter's "How to Create Comics" seminar, a Handy Guide to Terms used to describe panels in a comic script, and a humorous piece called "When I become the Evil Overlord."
Hey! I've just put some of my work on Cafe Press. Have a look!
http://www.cafepress.com/seriousart
http://www.cafepress.com/seriouschic
http://www.cafepress.com/seriousdesign
General Information
The World Factbook 1994 - Geographical Data
The Internet Public Library - There is so much here, I could spend days on this one!
Bartleby.com - Great books online - reference books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotes, languge, mythology, poetry, fiction... everything. Really good!
Web Directory: Encyberpedia - Information website which links together tons encyclopedias throughout the internet.
The Soldier Of Fortune Homepage - especially the World Sitrep page that gives the lowdown on global mercenery action.
HandiLinks - This one has a little bit of everything. Which adds up to a lot!
Drew's Script-O-Rama - Hundreds of screenplays, teleplays, Film Transcripts and Anime Movie Scripts to download or read online.
The Daily News - links to newspapers and services around the world
Monitors: A Journal of Human Rights and Technology - Many nasty things people do to one another.
The Government of Canada Homepage - all sorts of info on the Canadian government and services
The Canadian Department of National Defense - info on the Canadian armed forces - Army, Navy, Air Force and (of course) recruiting.
Privacy International - a watchdog on surveillance by governments and corporations
Science!
The Why Files - Science Behind the News, a project of the National Institute for Science Education, is an electronic exploration of the science behind the news.
AstroWeb - Astronomical Internet Resources - This page must link to every astronomy site in existance
Center for Particle Astrophysics - particles and matter
Princeton Plasma Physics Library - studying fusion reactors
SETI - The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence - they don't DO UFOs
A Dictionary of Units - This provides a summary of most of the units of measurement to be found in use around the world today (and a few of historica interest), together with the appropriate conversion factors.
Weaponry and Martial Arts
Bushido Online Martial Arts Encyclopedia - Info, photos, techniques, dictionary, and more links.
ScribbleLinks The Neat Stuff index - for info on Guns and aviation
Shooters' - the web encyclopedia of shooting - hosts over 450 shooting related websites!
GUN MANUFACTURERS
Muzzleloading and black powder
Aviation
NASA Spacelink - An Aeronautics & Space Resource for Educators
Aviation Stories - the real thing
F-16 The Complete Reference 3-4-9 - F-16 info with pictures
US Aircraft Nicknames
Directory of Airlines Online Worldwide - A listing of all commercial airlines' web sites.
Law and Criminology
Database of Supreme Court Decisions
Texas Association of Counties Quick Reference Law Library - everything to do with Texas Law.
WWW Multimedia Law - Internet contracts, Licenses, news... all sorts of services!
The United States Code - The whole gigantic US Code Online. Wow!
The Law Society of England and Wales
The Guide to the Mental Health Act of England and Wales - governs the admission of people to psychiatric hospital against their will, their rights while detained, discharge from hospital, and aftercare. The Act
applies in England and Wales.
Zeno's Forensic Page - This is a page with hundreds of links to Forensic Science, Psychology, Medicine and Literature. Incredible stuff!
Forensic Psychiatry In South Africa
Police
The Police Officer's Internet Directory - Specialized Unit Resource Directory
The CIA - as in Central Intelligence Agency
CopNet - Law Enforcement and Justice resources, "Most Wanted", jobs, Audio Excerpts from a call-in radio show.
The Police Pages - A reference to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice on the Interenet - has all kinds of good stuff that's worth a look.
Ten Codes - official list and definitions of police "ten codes" as defined by the Association of Police Communications Officers.
Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms - Interesting news items and a "Most Wanted" page!
Criminal and Psychological Profiling - contains a paper on violent sex offenders (down at the bottom)
International Association of Asian Crime Investigators
The Federal Bereau of Investigation
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Finance
Bonehead Finance - contains a brief investment guide, a glossary of common investment terms and a few suggestions for personal budget management that are worth a look.
The Web
Stalker's Home Page - Stalking, Privacy,Spying, Snooping
Below are resources for finding people, businesses and such are all over the Web. The easy availability of this information, in itself, is probably good material for stories.
The Dramatic Writing Homepage - Essays on the Craft of Dramatic Writing, plus movie reviews, Script opportunities, and script help services
11 Rules of Writing - a concise guide to some of the most commonly violated rules of writing, grammar, and punctuation.
Grammar Girl's Guide to the English Language - Grammar Girl guides you, super-hero-style, through the basics of English grammar, style, and usage.
The Jargon Dictionary - A neato reference guide to hacker and techie jargon with info on grammar and speaking style as well as info on hacker culture and folklore.
American Slanguages (Foriegn Slanguages, too) - a dictionary of local/regional American slang and some from Foriegn countries.
The Best of British: The American's guide to speaking British - a huge compilation of British terms with explanations compiled into categories.
Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang - a list of words and phrases found in famous old American detective novels and gangster films.
A Rhyming Dictionary for Poetry and Songwriting - If you don't have your rhyming dictionary handy, this is a good one. Some really funky rhymes, though.
Aphorisms Galore - If you can't locate that copy of Bartlette's, try this site to search for quotes by author or subject.
Art Movements and Periods - A handy dictionary of the names of movements in art and their definitions. No pictures, just text. I wish there were pictures. I like pictures.
Miscellaneous
The Drug Library - said to be the largest database of drug info on the Web.
1996 Statistical Abstract of the United States - loads of statistics from the US census.
Railroad Related Internet Resources - even worldwide timetables
Worldtime - Atlas, time, public holidays, etc. around the world.
The Grand Comic Book Database - searchable database of comic books with information on creator credits, story details, and other information. It's a work-in-progress, but it's great!
The Big Cartoon DataBase - searchable database of cartoon shorts and animation. Settle those arguments!
Fandom Directory - lists over 20,000 fans, collectors, clubs, fan publications, conventions and mail order retailers.
The Viking Answer Lady's Webpage - written by a Iron Age Scandinavia historian, there are a wealth of topics covered and a lot of pictures. Really good pictures, too.
Medieval/Renaissance Food Homepage - A cool page of links to historical topics that realete to food and drink. I included this because it fascinated me for a good couple of hours. Now I want to brew Mead.
Ultimate Etiquette and Manners Resource Page - dining, weddings, business, children, church, history, cultural, and humor. You know you want this!
This site is the work of JayJay Jackson. If you want to get in touch, my e-mail is jayjay5000@aol.com. I am (sometimes) available for web site and general design work.
Some other sites I have designed:
updated on 6/1/03