Comics Scholar Jess Nevins is all the way up to Doctor Doom (I) in the Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes which is…just what it sounds like, and already has hundreds of entries. Best known for his League of Extraordinary Gentlemen annotations, and other detailed annotations for revered comics series, this encyclopedia looks to be even more time consuming.
The project was funded via Kickstarter, and will comprise more than 2000 entries when done.
A few samples:
Atom Wizard
Atom Wizard. “Professor Winthrop Lane creates to his astonishment a new element–which as an explosive makes even plutonium obsolete. An atom so unstable that it requires no neutron to split it–but merely a jolt.” Lane masters its power and his son Drew decides to use that power to be the crime-fighting Atom Wizard.
Danny, King of the Beasts
Danny King is a wild animal trapper and trainer for Russo’s Circus. This brings him into contact with a variety of criminals and threats, from irate former circus employees (at the circus) to marabunta army ants (in the jungle). He appears in stories with titles like “Crime in the Crystal Ball” and “Circus Saboteur.”
There are probably even a few characters you’ve heard of in there.
This was funded over a year ago, and still no books.
At this point, this project wasn’t “funded through Kickstarter:” Mr. Nevins just got fifteen grand to post an online database he intended to put online in any case. For me, he’s now “best known” as an irresponsible user of other people’s money.
But did Nevins get the fifteen grand through Kickstarter or not? I wouldn’t think his original intention would weigh in the matter. The matter of promised compensation would of course be a separate thing.
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