Source protocol
How the archive is built.
A clear line between what the comic establishes, what characters claim, what publishers record, and what history documents.
Canon first
Issue records describe what the comic shows, says, or establishes. When a scene is ambiguous, the description stays narrow instead of turning a visual suggestion into a confirmed fact.
Claims stay attributed
Explanations from the Department, Black Hat, the Ministry of Lies, witnesses, and documents are labeled as in-universe claims when the story does not independently confirm them. Access to a file does not make its narrator neutral.
History stays separate
Real people, political events, folklore, science, and cultural history are described as documented context. A comic adaptation can use those subjects without proving its fictional explanation of them.
Publication records are time-bound
Publisher pages establish release dates, creator credits, collected-edition information, and solicitations. Scheduled material remains scheduled until the publisher records it as available.
Sources are described by role
Primary comic files support canon. Publisher pages support publication metadata. Archives, museums, government records, and scholarly references support documented history. Each reference note explains what it contributes.
Corrections preserve the trail
When a factual error is identified, the correction should update the affected record, retain the relevant source note, and avoid silently changing an unresolved interpretation into a settled answer.
What this method avoids
It does not treat a search-engine snippet, an unsourced fan theory, a cover image, or a scheduled solicitation as proof of a story event. It does not add credentials, affiliations, or certainty that the available record cannot support.
Browse the publication records →