Methodology
The archive is designed to show artistic influence without inflating it. These rules keep distinct drawings, production variants, uncertain leads, and cultural references in the right places.
An entry must trace to a published comic, magazine, art book, sketchbook, or other documented physical edition. Fan art, commissions, standalone prints, production concepts, and unrealized mockups can inform Lineage Notes, but do not enter the cover catalog.
The connection should rely on composition—not merely a shared character, title, or theme. Pose, staging, framing, trade-dress theater, and spatial relationships form the evidence.
Trade dress, virgin, foil, metal, sketch, color, foreign, and store editions using the same core drawing remain related editions under one artwork record.
We record the credited cover artist and distinguish pencils, inks, colors, or design roles when reliable sources make those roles clear. Unconfirmed credits are labeled, not guessed.
Publisher pages, creator posts, distributor records, established databases, retailer listings, auction archives, and photographs of physical copies form the research trail.
Collectors, creators, publishers, and rights holders can submit additions, attribution corrections, edition notes, or removal requests. Changes are reviewed before publication.
Research workflow
Have evidence?
The Lineage Dispatch
