User:James.G.Lucas/sandbox

Assignment 2
The Wikipedia article on Alpha Flight is a summation of their publishing history. It includes a list of their series, the new characters introduced in each series, and a brief description of the focus. There is also a list of their most notable villains, and a section on other versions of the team. Another section details their appearances and references in other media. The Wikipedia article finishes with links to other sites that go into further detail about Alpha Flight. Additionally, an information box on the right side of the article lists a large assortment of facts, including the writers and artists who worked on each series, and the issues they worked on.

The article on Canadian Encyclopedia focuses primarily on their origin, the original cast, and the beginning of their first series. The first paragraph explains their creation. The second details the team from the original series. The third paragraph explains the significance of two of the characters. The fourth lists all their series. The fifth and final paragraph lists some villains and stories, and discusses their fan base.

Unsurprisingly, the Wikipedia article provides far more information. Both articles talk about the multiple series, but the Wikipedia article goes into slightly more detail about them, including crediting the writers and artists of each, something the Canadian Encyclopedia fails to do. As additional information, the Wikipedia article lists the trade paperbacks their appearances have been collected in. The Wikipedia article gives few additional details about the characters, but it does link to articles about them for those who want to know more. However, the Canadian Encyclopedia article does reference one of the characters as being the first openly gay character in Marvel Comics, and one of the first openly gay superheroes in comic books, which the Wikipedia article omits.

The Wikipedia article has a superior layout, for the most part. The brevity of the Canadian Encyclopedia article means it has no need of subject headings, while the Wikipedia article breaks the headings down into logical sections. This gives it an attractive, eye-catching appearance.This is helped by the information box on the right, which allows for a variety of details – in particular, the creative teams on each volume – to be removed from the article proper, making the sections smaller and neater. The one exception is the section for Volume 4 of Alpha Flight, which is laid out as one giant paragraph detailing everything that happened in that volume. It's difficult to read, and doesn't match the lay-out of the rest of the article.

The Wikipedia article has a large number of links to other articles. There are links to articles about characters and creators. There are also links to articles on a variety of Canadian topics referenced, including First Nations, Parliament Hill, Calgary, and more. In contrast, the Canadian Encyclopedia article links only to Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

The Canadian Encyclopedia has no references for its information, leaving no real indication where it came from or how accurate it is. No information is given on the article's author, so there's no way to know how authoritative she is. The article provides further reading in the form of a link to an article on Comic books in English Canada. That article does provide several links related to Alpha Flight.

The Wikipedia article has more references. Most of those references, however, are related to the most recent volume. Wikipedia's anonymity also means it's nearly impossible to learn the credentials of those who contributed to the article. It does include several external links for further reading, most of which are fan-driven. This means it has a similar problem to the Wikipedia article, in that anyone can edit the information on these sites; however, because the sites have communities dedicated to Alpha Flight, they do try hard to ensure the information is accurate. It also provides the ISBN for each of the collected editions, making them easier to find for reading.

The Wikipedia article is good. It needs more references for the earlier volumes, and particularly the first volume. It works as an introduction to Alpha Flight. It's too large a topic for the article to be comprehensive, so it doesn't try to be comprehensive. Instead, it gives a broad outline, with links to more in-depth articles on the various parts of the subject. The details it does give are typically important. The article is nicely laid out, and well-written. The one exception to all of this is the section on Volume 4, which needs a thorough rewrite. The article has no notices, suggesting it fits the Wikipedia guidelines, but it does still have some problems needing fixed.

The Canadian Encyclopedia article isn't good. The biggest problem is the lack of references and recommended further reading. The lack of references means the only way to verify the information on the page is to already know it, or find it elsewhere, both of which defeat the purpose of going there. It does introduce the topic, but only in the most cursory way. It needs some additional details. It makes statements without explaining them, such as stating that Alpha Flight “has generated a fascinating array of letter columns about Canadian identity and American ignorance of it.” It gives no examples of those columns. It would also improved by listing some of the writers and artists who worked on the title.

Both articles share some problems. Neither of them explains the importance or relevance of Alpha Flight, either to comic books or to Canada. Additionally, neither of them discusses any themes present in the books. While both list the characters, only the most basic information is provided. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives only the names and where they're from, such as listing Sasquatch as “the scientist Walter Langowski from British Columbia”; Wikipedia also includes their powers. Neither article tries to give insight into what the characters are like. They don't talk about the personalities or problems of the characters. The Wikipedia article has an advantage in being able to link to articles about those characters, which provide a great deal more information about them. Wikipedia also talks about other characters introduced over the years, while Canadian Encyclopedia only names the original members, and Wikipedia talks about other versions of the team in the comics and other media, which Canadian Encyclopedia does not.

Overall, the larger amount of content, and the presence of links for further reading, makes the Wikipedia article on Alpha Flight superior to Canadian Encyclopedia's. Canadian Encyclopedia gives it only the briefest description, while Wikipedia provides some details, and also points readers towards resources for more information.

References and additional Resources
"Alpha Flight." ComicBookDB. The Comic Book Database. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

"Alpha Flight." Marvel Universe Wiki. Marvel.com. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

AlphaFlight.net. AlphaFlight.net. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

“Alpha Flight.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

"Alpha Flight." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

"Alpha Flight (1st series)." UncannyXmen.net. Uncanny X-Men.net. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Baker, Neal. "The Representation Of Québec In Marvel Comics' Alpha Flight." Quebec Studies 40 (2005): 65-77. Canadian Reference Centre. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Bell, John. "Guardians of the North." Beyond the Funnies: The History of Comics in English Canada and Quebec. Library and Archives Canada. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Bell, John. "History of Comic Books in English Canada." Beyond the Funnies: The History of Comics in English Canada and Quebec. Library and Archives Canada. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

"Byrne, John (1950-)." Joe Shuster Awards Hall of Fame. Joe Shuster Awards. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Byrne, John. "Questions about Comic Book Projects." Frequently Asked Questions. Byrne Robotics. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Enright, Michael. "Canadian Comic Strips and Books." Rewind. CBC. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

Woo, Benjamin. "Red and White Tights: Representations of National Identity in Canadian Comics." Theses, Dissertations, and other Required Graduate Degree Essays. Simon Fraser University. Web. 24 Oct. 2006.